Where do you get your ideas? Everyone who writes must hear this question from time to time. I know, I do. It’s a hard one to answer. When I tell the truth — I get ideas everywhere— the person seems dissatisfied with its vagueness. But I can’t do better. I go through my life, and ideas just come. Or I should say, they usually do. They don’t always appear as often as I would like. […]
Here it is, one of the biggest weekends of the year. It’s Final Four time. So it was no surprise to hear some rivalry talk at our community coffee this morning. We had a fan of Michigan State wearing green. We had Wisconsin supporters in the group too, along with Big 10 fans happy that their conference had two teams in the finals. But only Sylvia and I broke out our team shirts this morning. […]
My neighbor Bob believes that every child should have an opportunity for happiness. My neighbor Jane, who spent her career working with children, saw so many who needed an advocate in life. My neighbor Maureen is willing to step out of her comfort zone to fundraise for a cause she truly believes in. All three found an ideal outlet for their desire to help children in CASA of McHenry County, an organization that provides volunteers […]
This time the weather forecast was right on. A winter weather advisory posted yesterday was amazingly accurate. Unfortunately. The sleet hitting my bedroom windows was loud enough to wake me just after 6. I peeked through the blinds to see that 3″ of snow had fallen during the night. The sleet continued off and on — mostly on — for an hour. No yoga class for me this morning, I said to my cats. ••• […]
All I can say is, it must be human nature. When I fear I have lost something, it suddenly becomes even more precious. That thought lingered in my mind Wednesday morning, when my plane landed in Columbus. I was two days late for the Epcon awards dinner where I was to have received my Lifestyle Ambassador Award. But Ember rescued me yet again, and the folks in charge of the event graciously agreed to let […]
Groundhog Day greetings from snowy Woodstock! Yes, that’s right. I’m in Woodstock, not Columbus. After receiving a foot and a half of wind-driven snow yesterday, I shouldn’t have been surprised to get a text this morning informing me that my flight was canceled. Disappointed, yes, but surprised, no. But do not worry. This post will have a happy ending. Before we get to that, let me show you just how snowy it is here. A […]
A week or so ago, Jamie Wilcox, who was out here, asked me if I would like to hear some news that would brighten my day. Of course, I said yes. He told me that I had won Epcon Communities’ Lifestyle Ambassador Award. “Me?” I remember saying. “Me?” Since then, I have wanted to share my exciting news on this blog, but I couldn’t think of a way to do it without sounding boastful. So […]
Martin Luther King Day has never meant more to me than it does today, as we celebrate it for the 30th time. I’ve said this before, but I can’t help repeating myself. With commercialization eroding our major holidays, I love the lesser ones more and more. I have vivid memories of April 4, 1968, the day that King was assassinated. I was a junior in college and attended the campus memorial service with an English […]
My neighbor Barb had a gift to share with us at Coffee and Conversation this morning. She brought photos that her son-in-law, a private pilot, took while flying over our neighborhood last month. It was fun finding our homes and other familiar locations in the prints. At the suggestion of several neighbors, I’m posting the photos for anyone who might be interested. Thanks, Barb! (As always, click on a photo to enlarge it.)
My neighbor, Ann Downing, came to Maples at the Sonatas with a seven-foot grand piano and a lifelong passion for classical music. I don’t think she chose her new community because its streets are named for composers—Schumann, Handel, and Verdi. But she did choose her Canterbury because her piano fit well in the living room. Though modest about her talent, Ann is happy to oblige when neighbors ask her to play. Her piano is a […]
Christmas is a truly magical time in Woodstock, IL. And the magic is centered in the heart of our town, the historic Woodstock Square. During the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, workers string thousands of lights in the trees on the Square and on the buildings surrounding it. Then, on the night after Thanksgiving, Miss Woodstock flips the switch. This year more than 2,000 people were there to ooh and ahh at the beauty. Rather […]
My community is blessed with a large number of volunteers. These generous souls, in countless ways, add to the richness and variety of our lives here at Maples at the Sonatas. They work hard, and they work with smiles on their faces. Here is a sampling of photos of our volunteers in action. Thanks also to those who help out in major ways but don’t happen to appear in any of these pictures. Our social […]
Maybe it’s the sunshine today. Or the bluest of skies, or the vibrant colors of October. If there is such a thing as a photogenic fall day, this is one of the best we’ve had. I couldn’t wait to put on my walking shoes and grab my camera. I was on a mission. I would wander our community, snapping photos of anything that caught my eye. I would try to use little details to capture […]
Yes, we’re kickin’ ass-phalt here today at Maples at the Sonatas. Or rather, our contractor is. It’s seal coating day for half of our driveways. We’ve grown so much that it now takes two days to complete the job. As I sit in my sun room watching them work, I can’t help remembering another seal coating day four years ago. It was also my moving day… But let me start at the beginning. A week […]
It’s Thursday, so, as Facebook users know, it’s time for a stroll down memory lane. Let’s throw it back to 2007, which is as far back as I can go here at Maples at the Sonatas. We begin with the sign marking the site of Building 24. Our clubhouse was built during the summer of 2007 too, though the pool would come later. Here’s the foundation. And just two months later, look how quickly it […]
It’s a dark, cold, blustery day here, most appropriate for somber memories. As we move through our mundane lives, I’m sure many of us will find ourselves reflecting on that day 13 years ago. I haven’t done this before, but I’m going to rerun my post from last year. Today is certainly deserving of fresh thoughts and new photos. But I don’t think I can do better than this. ••• I remember. I was teaching […]
You can have a Christmas party, but it has to be held in mid-December or you won’t get anyone to show up. You can plan the annual Halloween Chili Fest — for any day but Oct. 31. A St. Patrick’s Day party won’t work on March 17. And don’t even think about planning a New Year’s Eve party. That seemed to be our conventional thinking when I served on the Maples at the Sonatas social […]
It’s impossible for something as large as a sunflower to sneak up on you. So I really can’t say I was surprised when the sunflowers in our community garden burst into bloom this week. With the summer’s plentiful rain, they surged out of the soil and shot up into the air. Their study green stalks soon supported buds so promising large. Now they stand like a line of soldiers at the back of the […]
Nothing soothes my soul like time spent on the water. River, lake, ocean—they’re all good. And sharing that experience makes it all the sweeter. Our social committee outdid themselves when they planned a sightseeing cruise on Lake Geneva, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. Twelve of us thoroughly enjoyed our time together last evening in Lake Geneva, Wis. Maples at the Sonatas is just under 10 miles from the Wisconsin state line. It is […]
Yesterday we said good-by to a good neighbor who didn’t happen to live here. Steve Downey worked as assistant superintendent at Maples at the Sonatas for three years, which means he was here longer than more than half of our homeowners. With 43 years experience in construction, he knew every step of the process of building a home. He also knew how to install and repair just about anything in a home. He was a […]
Home Sweet Abbey 