Lake Forester

Keep records of vital information for elderly parents

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:26:23 -0500

Sometimes we make assumptions about the information that we have or don’t have when it comes to our parents, grandparents or other seniors in our lives. Unfortunately the moment we realize that the information we need is not available is usually during a crisis.

Taking stigma off incontinence

Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:14:03 -0500

Watching daytime TV, and all of the commercials for incontinence products, one might think that incontinence is a normal part of life and aging.

Winter Leaves Me Senseless

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 12:27:45 -0500

There are a few facts about winter that so directly affect my daily life, I feel compelled to share them with you this week. Fact: The weather pretty much stinks for at least four months straight – if not longer. Fact: There isn’t a whole lot to do outdoors at night. Fact: Winter means comfort food, comfy clothing and comfortable nights at home. For me, winter brings more than just a stay-at-home mentality, more than a tendency to hibernate. When I’m at home, winter makes me lose all sense. Fashion sense, that is. Case in point: I walk in the …

The ‘Doggone’ Grocery Shopping

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:43:29 -0500

Like most moms, the burden of the “unexpected” on any given day tends to fall on me. Who forgot to do what. Who has some little emergency that needs immediate help and turns Mom’s day upside down. Over this holiday season, I got an unexpected twist on a quiet Sunday afternoon that convinced me that this is my life, and most any mom’s life who’s reading this column. A few months ago, like any good empty nesters do, we listed our house. Yes, we want to downsize. Yes, we want to stay in the community. And yes, without kids in …

This Apple has sour taste

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:42:03 -0500

Dear Fixer: I cannot download any apps on my iPhone. It says my account is disabled. After I sent a request to the Apple support email address, I received a response from an iTunes adviser who said it appeared that my account had been disabled due to “chargeback orders” they had received from my credit card issuer.

Art of compromise is what’s needed now

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:42:03 -0500

In the aftermath of last week’s election, I’ve been listening to my friends on the right and the left. They are saying the same thing, and that’s what worries me.

Christmas shopping, philosophically speaking

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:42:03 -0500

Now that that pesky presidential election is over, it’s time to concentrate on what’s really important. Christmas shopping. But before you can shop, you have to decide what to get friends and family, collectively known as loved ones.

Stop ‘straw buyers’ of guns

Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:10:01 -0500

For years Chicago and Cook County officials have been pushing a law that would help close the spigot of guns flowing illegally into the city. So far, the National Rifle Association has blocked the law in Springfield, but officials here should keep pushing. The so-called “lost or stolen” law would require gun owners to report a lost or stolen gun within 72 hours of noticing it is missing. It would help discourage “straw buyers” who purchase numerous guns legally in the suburbs and then sell them to felons in Chicago. Straw buyers often say their weapons were lost or stolen …

How about veggie McDonald’s here?

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:16:04 -0500

McDonald’s is opening two vegetarian-only restaurants. Not, unfortunately, in one of the hipper neighborhoods of Chicago, or even somewhere in California. But in India — in Amritsar and Katra. This makes sense. For reasons of religion and tradition, Indian diets tend to be low in meat, with about 30 percent of Indians eating no meat at all. But vegetarians are growing in number in this country, too, and we’re pretty sure a veggie McDonald’s would fare well in or around Chicago. Our first reaction when we read the news about a vegetarian-only McDonald’s was to laugh. Aren’t these the folks …

Shouldn’t there be protocol for texting?

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 11:57:27 -0500

Over the last years, I’ve voiced my opinion on texting, its tendency toward poor grammar, interrupted sleep and grunt-like conversations with our kids. But today, I confide a personal concern about America’s preferred method of quick communication. It’s just too quick for me. You know I wouldn’t miss out on the opportunity for a perfectly timed column on summer fun or back-to-school shopping if this weren’t some truly critical dilemma. Texting just has to be addressed. It needs some protocol and place in my world. Sure, I use it to quickly finalize the time for a dinner reservation or pick-up …

Nothing like Lake Bluff Opening Day

Sun, 27 May 2012 08:18:50 -0500

I’m a sucker for Lake Bluff Baseball’s Opening Day! It’s tiny Lake Bluff at its best, as these wonderful volunteer dads and moms devote ridiculous amounts of time to the lucky kids who play in the Lake Bluff Youth Baseball Association. Most of the games are at neat and tidy Artesian Park, where three fields are all named for Lake Bluff baseball families and past presidents of the league. Bob Troyer was one of the early presidents, and he and Mrs. Troyer were once again introduced to the amazingly polite and quiet Opening Day crowd. Every town should have a …

Our View: State should be better to business

Sun, 27 May 2012 08:15:29 -0500

One business magazine now rates the Badger State’s business climate in 2011 at 17th in the nation. Compare that to Illinois which, in the eyes of the nation’s top CEOs, is ranked 48th.

Springfield passes the buck again

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:22:38 -0500

To Springfield Democrats, the gift of elephantine debt on local jurisdictions is merely collateral damage.

A ‘Moneyball’ lesson in life: ‘Get on base’

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:54:00 -0500

I’ve decided that the correct answer for just about any question this spring is: “He gets on base.” That answer comes from one of last year’s best movies, “Moneyball.” That simple phrase answers the questions put to Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s, about why he wants certain players over other players on his team. Because, Billy’s assistant answers every question, “He gets on base.” If only every move were that simple. But it is spring, and with spring comes a new baseball season. Here in Chicago, every baseball fan must be full of hope. It is clear …

I miss Duke -- and I don’t mean John Wayne

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 15:35:40 -0500

I’ve rarely spoken about Duke, who has been sharing my office for almost 30 years. Duke has always been a beautiful green-and-yellow “Blue Amazon” parrot who loves me and my daughter Wendy, spending lots of time on our shoulders, walking around the office with us. He could never really fly, as we’ve kept his wings clipped regularly -- though on rare occasions, if something disturbed him (like my son, who just never hit it off with Duke for some reason), he’d flap his wings enough to move to another desk in the office. And he was once found walking the …