Columnists

Little birds terrify me. They’re just so nervous and blinky all the time. They have to be plotting something.

The following is a previously published column.

I'm about to celebrate my 16th Father's Day without the star of the show.

Lanny Slevin grew up in the late ‘40s and ‘50s in Peoria listening to Harry Caray’s broadcasts of St. Louis Cardinals baseball games and to Chick Hearn calling Bradley University basketball team with a Motorola radio at his bed as he fell asleep. Those broadcasts produced a seed planted that grew inside him and one that those in the Illinois Valley have nurtured for the past 41 years.

The Canadian fishing trip for the PHS Sportsman’s Club is now

All your life, you’ve tried to be good.

What man doesn’t like a good, old-fashioned hamburger? There are so many ways to prepare a burger — making a few changes here and there to turn an ordinary burger into something to please your favorite Father’s Day person.

The Illinois Legislature closed its session on May 31 with its usual mutual congratulations among legislators on what a great job they did this year.

We often get asked the same questions by guests on numerous topics, but one of the ones that seems to be of most interest is how we manage to work together and live together 24/7 without killing one another. We like to joke that while most couples have a 40-hour work week apart, we don’t, and therefore our 15 years of marriage is more like 23 in “innkeeper” years ... but the reality of it is that we have worked together for almost as long as we have known each other. First while we dated at a sandwich shop; then while we lived in Las Vegas; and now here at the Chestnut Street Inn. It isn’t always easy, but there are a few things we’ve learned along the way that may be of help to other couples, even if they aren’t together all the time.

Thursday came and went without any fanfare. That was good. I like those smooth days — ones that come and go quietly without much ado. They soothe my soul and help on those other days that wreak of chaos and craziness.

Tiskilwa resident Hanna Ganther is working as an intern in Mexico during her summer break from college. Ganther will continue to update readers on her adventure south of the border.

Joe Ruklick’s numbers have stood the test of time at Northwestern University.

There’s an old saying, actually from the Bible, that says “Pride goes before a fall.”

With all the ball games and other activities going on this summer, how about some breads that are easy to fix and also a few quick fix desserts to go along with your quick fix meals? Seems like there’s not enough time for everything that’s going on.

“How can there be a best in a world of individuals?” Hugh Prather from “Notes to Myself’

They (whoever comprises the famous group of experts known as they) have been quoted as saying, “Admission is the first step on the road to recovery.” This thought process recently has had an immeasurable impact on my life, as I've for too many years now drifted anchor-less across the choppy seas of constant denial, to the detriment of my immediate family and most social relationships.

As far as I know, the final school bell has rung in every school in Bureau County. For area students, the thought of homework is a million miles away; getting up early to catch the school bus isn’t going to happen; and the daily routine of school is just a memory. That’s right. Like Alice Cooper once sang, “School’s out for the summer.”

It’s time for grandson No. 2!

If the Lady Bruins softball team wants to know what the experience of going to state is going to be like this weekend, they need to turn no farther than their athletic director, Tom McGunnigal.

Another beautiful day in Ontario. I have driven into Red Lake to get the campers license for our students and go to the library to type this article. Whenever traveling up here, I am ever alert to see some wildlife. On this particular trip, I left after breakfast and headed into town and had traveled only about three miles when a big black bear crossed the road in front of me. No danger, but his black shiny coat was beautiful. We had seen two moose on the way up, a cow and a young bull, both near the road.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough of this gloomy, wet, rainy weather. I wish the clouds would break for just a day to give us some relief.

The nice sweet smell and taste of fresh strawberries, there’s nothing better. There are so many desserts and salads to be had. Those sweet strawberries will soon be in their prime; try these dishes for a new strawberry surprise for your family.

“Clear and sweet is my soul, and clear and sweet is all that is not my soul … and such as it is to be of these more or less I am, and of these one and all I weave the song of myself.” Walt Whitman.

When I think back on my journalism career, the number of stories I’ve covered is overwhelming. Spanning the past 20 years or so, I’ve conducted thousands of interviews in and around Bureau County. Thousands.

Some head coaches may shy away from surrounding themselves with equally successful assistant coaches, not wanting to look over their shoulders. Dave Garcia is not one of those coaches.

Tiskilwa resident Hanna Ganther is working as an intern in Mexico during her summer break from college. Ganther will continue to update readers on her adventure south of the border.

With hot weather coming on and all the ball games and other activities, how about some quick and fast soup and sandwich meals that you can throw together in a flash?