Mundelein Review

From the reader file

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:14:01 -0500

Today let’s pay a visit to my reader comment file ... first, a follow-up to last week’s column in which poor Bambi was unmercifully bashed here because of his appetite for my flowers.

Lake County loose ends for your consideration

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:12:01 -0500

After Mother’s Day pampering, let’s agree that we’re too sluggish to dig into any heavy discussions today. So instead, let’s look at some local loose ends including local scholarships, a Mundelein cleanup effort, and farmers markets around the area.

A love/hate relationship with Bambi

Fri, 03 May 2013 18:09:30 -0500

Everyone loves Bambi. How could you not? Those huge soulful eyes. The endearingly clumsy long legs. Add to that the touching story of his mother’s sad fate, you’ve got a major lovefest going on with the deer species. There is no denying the beauty of Bambi’s brethren. But boy can they do damage!

Change: the good, the bad and the questionable

Mon, 13 May 2013 17:50:26 -0500

Find out what qualifies as good, bad or questionable with a look at the School Street project in Libertyville, changes in how we name our meat cuts, and how new generations handle cherished heirlooms.

Time of year for extra caution

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 20:52:36 -0500

The Boss and I were doing some Office Max shopping not long ago, utilizing a nice coupon for things that usually don’t go on sale, like the printer cartridges he complains I burn through like a kid eating Easter candy. It’s not my fault that he needs a printed visual of every home décor item I consider buying, or every possible hotel we may check in to for an upcoming trip. Anyway, I came across a small display of bargain books — and since we’ve already established I am an avid reader and the books were $5 each — I …

A new generation with new priorities

Sun, 05 May 2013 13:53:03 -0500

Now that it’s April, the yearly end-of-school ritual is on the horizon. College acceptance letters, prom, graduation — all are landmark events which lead up to that last summer of high school memories, a summer that has been memorialized in every form of media. Every one of us at an age advanced enough to have lived that final summer of teenage fun knows what I mean, with memories that last a lifetime and the dramatic aura of change that takes place between early June and late August. This year’s crop of young adults are, just as generations before them, a …

Keeping it casual for spring break

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:59:29 -0500

It’s spring break, Passover and Easter, all rolled up in one week’s time. Serious conversations right now revolve around how to fit in a nice spring break trip and Easter/Passover celebrations at the same time, scheduling logistics that don’t usually coincide nor conflict. So with that in mind, consider today’s subjects a kind of Loose Ends Light, small topics that are of interest but don’t have to generate much brain power during a week in which most of us are already overscheduled. With the usual relaxation of spring break a bit harder to find this year, I promise to keep …

Final thoughts on Lake County libraries

Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:13:45 -0500

The Boss has never been an avid reader. He was firmly in middle age before I could get him to pick up a book for recreational reading, and I suppose there are many people just like him. Now, we both enjoy a few minutes of quiet reading most nights before the alarm gets turned on and the lights turned off. But that doesn’t mean he shares my enthusiasm for all things literary. The first recent column about my opinions regarding the children’s library were readily accepted as he read that week’s story. But a few weeks later, when the follow-up …

Ides of March don’t have to bring bad news

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:45:50 -0500

Tomorrow is the Ides of March. If you’re Julius Caesar, I guess you’d be justified in saying it’s a bad day. If you had been me several years ago when, a few days before the Ides, I got the hysterical call from Daughter No. 2 that her (my) car was on fire in Carbondale, you also would have the right to claim Ides as a bad day. That’s especially true after the southern sergeant got on the phone to casually inform me the car was “toast.” Ah yes, we associate the Ides of March with dark-clouded omens and broken-mirror bad …

Welcoming spring by tying loose ends

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 11:28:00 -0500

Hey everybody, it’s spring! The meteorologists got it right. I don’t care if you still have 8 inches of snow on your lawn, I’m calling it. Spring is here and another winter has bit the dust. In celebration, let’s toss around a few recent loose ends and random ramblings to discuss amongst ourselves. First up today is the scoop that got away. You see, I’ve been holding tightly to some classified information for a long time now, under threat by the Boss, and consequently somebody else got to break the news. Yes, Trader Joe’s is heading to our zip code! …

Staff adds to library discussion

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:36:38 -0500

Recently we have been devoting some time to discuss the various pros and cons of today’s libraries and how well they are set up to best serve children in that dedicated space. Last week I shared reader comments and promised that today we would hear from Rebecca Ferguson, public relations coordinator for Cook Library District. Rebecca explained detailed aspects of the children’s program. She wrote: “I wanted to respond to your recent article. We at the library love to hear from our patrons and it was with great interest we read your article of Feb. 7 in the Libertyville Review. …

Library patrons chime in on children’s space

Thu, 21 Feb 2013 14:32:16 -0500

I wrote my concerns earlier this month about children’s sections of our local libraries — particularly the apparent new design which seemed, to me anyway, less user-friendly than the old prototype. The response was swift. And it reinforced the notion that ongoing dialogue between patrons and library staff is vital to provide the best surroundings for a great children’s library space. Reader Jennifer Kolber wrote: “I’m glad to see that I’m not the only one who feels that way. Although my kids are still fairly young, I got the same impression that you felt when I first visited Aspen Library. …

Valentine’s Day not just for lovers

Mon, 18 Feb 2013 14:16:50 -0500

Happy Valentine’s Day! The first “official” holiday after the overindulgence of December’s many festivities, it is one of my favorite days of the year. I can’t figure out if red and pink are my favorite colors because of my love of Valentine’s Day or, visa versa, that I love V-Day because I’m drawn to those colors. Many of you readers may remember that purple, not red, pink, or any variation thereof, played a large part in one of my Valentine’s Days many years ago. That was the year the Boss decided purple mums were just as effective as those lush …

Local libraries lack ideal kid space

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 16:44:26 -0500

It has been a while since we last discussed one of my absolute favorite places, the library. Having a love affair with books since I was young, libraries have always held magic for me. The hushed ambiance. The stacks of books, all containing the most exciting journeys without ever leaving home. The contented feeling on a cold winter day while sitting in the warm comfort of an overstuffed chair at the library perusing book choices waiting to be read and explored. For someone who, according to my mother who never fibs or exaggerates, was reading before age 1, I find …

Flu outbreak spreads new issues

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 14:36:01 -0500

Boy oh boy, we’re barely finishing 1/12 of 2013 and yet there are so many pressing issues at hand. Gun control, the flu, Beyonce lip-synching the National Anthem at the Presidential Inauguration. The list keeps on growing. By March, we’ll be exhausted from dealing with it all. How has your household fared during this season’s flu outbreak? Our family has, as of this writing, been relatively lucky; just short bouts of strep throat and gastrointestinal distress, which were not the flu but a virus. So thus far, we have avoided the nasty flu that has knocked down so many victims. …

Reader weighs in on fitness center

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:57:31 -0500

The good news: it’s mid-January and we still haven’t had real snow. The bad news: we are waiting for the shoe to drop because, after all, it’s Chicago right? While we’re waiting, let’s discuss reader commentary. First up is Lynne Knobloch-Fedders, who had a different viewpoint about the old YMCA, now Vernon Hills Park District’s Lakeview Center: “I disagree with your opinion that the newly-announced fee schedule for the YMCA Vernon Hills facility is ‘more than fair.’ The fee schedule for the new facility is almost double what the old Sullivan Center rates were! The Sullivan Center has always been …

Your resolution is calling you

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 06:13:18 -0500

There is no more postponing the inevitable. The New Year’s resolution for many of us, to lose weight and become more fit, is calling. On Jan. 1, it looks like a great idea. And since Jan. 1 was on a Tuesday, one could arguably extend the deadline for starting the process until the following Monday – Jan. 7 – when schools reopen and the normal routine kicks in again. Now it’s, Jan. 10 and after the drop-dead start date. What have you done? Resolutions versus reality; the eternal struggle. My resolutions for 2013 are to get back into my yoga …

Loose ends to begin the New Year

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 06:16:36 -0500

I’m tired. It’s an annual thing, and I know I’m not alone. The holiday season is winding down, not a moment too soon, and thoughts of food, parties and dressing up are all enough to make me want to pull the covers over my head. Let’s finish this week, get the kids back in school and get the routine going again. That’s why today is a good time to discuss some loose ends. Even our attention span is short-tempered right now, so let’s look at a few small items in short doses, and leave the heavy thinking for next week. …