I recently spoke with an employee of the park district and mentioned how much I enjoy our neighborhood parks. She asked me which one was my favorite, and I realized I didn’t really know the official names of any of…
Mila, our family dog, passed away six months ago. It came soon after I last wrote about her. I thought I would share this news sooner, but Mila’s passing has been more difficult than I imagined. I was in the…
A friend recently asked if I ever had a job I didn’t like, because I seem to like all of those I have written about. I’ve shared stories about walking beans and detasseling corn, bagging groceries and stocking shelves at…
Like many kids, my older brother went through a period where he didn’t like going to school. He became pretty creative about finding ways to skip class. School was so close, he didn’t even have to cross a street. On…
I enjoy driving through downstate Illinois this time of year when farmers are planting in the fields. It means spring has arrived and reminds me of riding on my grandfather’s tractor as a kid. It gives me a sense of…
In my last note, I wrote to you about running track, and some people asked if I did the “field” part of track and field. The short answer: Yes, but there was room for improvement. I think I was the…
When I was a kid, the sign outside my hometown read “Gifford 800.” My eighth-grade class at Gifford Grade School was about 24 kids. And we were a big class. So it’s no surprise I didn’t have a lot of…
I recently read a description of an outhouse: A small building a hundred feet from your house that’s a hundred feet too far in the winter, and a hundred feet too close in the summer. This reminded me of a…
Last fall, I had the honor of attending an event for the 150th anniversary of a family-owned business. Oswald’s pharmacy in Naperville has been in the same family for six generations. At an event marking the milestone, a family member…
QUESTION: In your last Treasurer’s note, you gave a recap of your 2025 resolutions, but I noticed you didn’t mention any for 2026. Did you make any for this year? A: Thanks for noticing, and thank you for the question.…