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Pat Lenhoff
Pat Lenhoff has resided in Vernon Hills for over 3 decades and has been writing her column since summer of 1998, precipitated by the departure …
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Memorial Day salutes soldiers, summer
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.
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From the reader file
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.
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Lake County loose ends for your consideration
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.
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A love/hate relationship with Bambi
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
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.
Let’s fast-forward to summer
Well it seems that the old saying is true: “What goes around comes around.” While basking in pleasant temperatures and above-average sunshine during December and January, what we conveniently forgot (but never should as Chicago-area residents) is the weather version of that sage phrase. March and, so far, April have made us pay dearly for those balmy days in early winter.
Time of year for extra caution
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 …Read More
A new generation with new priorities
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 …
Keeping it casual for spring break
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 …
Final thoughts on Lake County libraries
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 …
Ides of March don’t have to bring bad news
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 …
Welcoming spring by tying loose ends
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 …
Staff adds to library discussion
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 …
Library patrons chime in on children’s space
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 …
Valentine’s Day not just for lovers
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 …
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 …
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 …
Reader weighs in on fitness center
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 …
Your resolution is calling you
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 …
Loose ends to begin the New Year
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. …
