Village Voices - We don't write papers, we build scrapbooks

We’re remodeling a house. By remodeling I mean, getting it ready to move into. Last week the story was about changing the pump in the well and successfully getting life-giving water to the house....

Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more crazy … they do. OK, I’m not sure if I mentioned this earlier, but I held the power of attorney for my mother, and was also the executor of...

You’d be hard-pressed to find a coach of any sport who will not echo the sentiment, “nothing good ever happens after midnight.” Doing anything in the wee hours of the morning is usually not a...

Moving water is fascinating. Creeks gurgle, waterfalls plummet, springs bubble, ocean tides crash. The bubbles, foam and noise draws us. The water sustains us. We need water for our physical life,...

No matter how careful we are, and what precautions we take, it is bound to happen … you are going to have one of “those” days. Even though my car is the “newest” one in the family – it sta...

“Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God,” (Luke 12:7). The other day a gust of wind ruffled the trees in our yard and when I went outside later, I saw...

Dan was gone to Champagne for his Mother’s Memorial Service, so we’re re-running one of our favorite columns of his … enjoy. The story you are about to read is true - however, for obvious...

Today’s column is meant for parents and grandparents. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them.” We have a job to do. Our son graduated from the University of...

There was a wedding ceremony last Saturday. And while the days of being a participant are well and gone for me, I was still caught off guard when my loving wife began to present her list of things I...

The first job I ever had paid $2.50 a month. I was eight years old at the time. My job was to shake the straw bedding for our 42 cows in the dairy barn. My younger brother helped me. We’d climb up...

What is a dog? I mean, can you describe a dog? Some might say, “A four-legged carnivorous mammal with floppy ears and a tail.” But that doesn’t fit because not all dogs have floppy ears, and I...

Last weekend, my wife and I visited our daughter and son-in-law in Nashville, Tennessee. They’ve lived there now for over two years. Last year they bought a house on a quiet street in a nice...

My apologies to all area principals, but now that graduation is rapidly approaching and most seniors are out of school - I can now do this column. You see, I knew if I wrote this one too early, I’d...

During the Lena-Winslow School Board meeting last week, new Board Member, David Schexnayder of Winslow, held up a statistic that pointed out the very best school District in Illinois had 59% of the...

I’ve had the privilege of being born and raised in the greatest country in the world. A country where, if you dream it, you can achieve it! I’m blessed many times over thanks to a capitalistic...

Happy Mother’s Day everyone! In honor of our mothers, today’s column is about children. The old adage says that children are to be seen and not heard. Really? Show me a child not making noise,...

Escalators never break down. When they quit, they become stairs. Not long ago, I was traveling in a strange town when I had a flat tire. I knew it was flat because the low tire light was flashing on...

I don’t know about you, but one of the best investments my wife and I ever made at our house is the addition of a fire pit in the back yard. There is nothing like sitting around an open fire with...

Over the past few weeks, the Illinois Democrats currently in charge of the State’s redistricting process have been holding mostly virtual, and a few hybrid and in-person, hearings throughout...

Sometimes things happen in a person’s life that are difficult to understand, difficult to process, and difficult to resolve. Everyone reacts to adversity in different ways. Sometimes one’s...

We all have to do them, and quite often they are just a simple task calling for attention - empty the dishwasher, take out the garbage, do the laundry ... but on Monday I realized why some of those si...

While session isn’t scheduled to resume until April 13, Republican lawmakers continued to raise their concerns about Illinois’ legislative map drawing process during remote redistricting hearings...

When you fly on an airplane the flight attendants come by with their little cart wanting to sell you snacks and drinks. My wife and I don’t buy any because we figure seven bucks for a bag of...

I can’t begin to count how many times I used to look at my wife or friend of mine in a room and ask, “When did we get old?” It is a question that countless people across several generations have...