Serve by Design

I was perturbed, and felt inconvenienced, until I discovered what was going on! This snow and extremely cold spell have had my nerves more than a little on edge. So, when I looked up to see 18-wheeler trucks and other vehicular traffic lined up farther than my eye could see, I complained aloud to myself, “Here they go again! These guys looking for a shortcut are further tearing up our badly maintained Sherman boulevard! What’s going on?!” Image credit: gettyimages.com Eventually, I would be able to make my right turn and join the flow traveling through a couple of traffic lights and across the Sangamon River up to Peoria Road. On the way, I saw a small but insightful sign above the I-55 directional sign. It simply read, “Incident Bypass.” I knew immediately, this was not about shortcuts, but rather IDOT was managing something up on the interstate highway that required a diverting of traffic through our quiet little village. Recently, I have had one thing after another of personal and...

Months ago, we received news predicting that May through mid-June 2024 would be the optimum time for the thirteen to seventeen-year cycle of Cicadas. After making their appearance, we were told to brace for the invasion and especially the deafening noise that their mating calls would evoke. Experts said that if we could ignore them during the height of the season, it would soon be all over. Once their mating ends and the females lay their eggs…mission accomplished! "What you looking at, Willis?" Last Saturday, we took a short, forty-five-minute road trip east to a Decatur-area Walmart. It would be in this setting that we would have our first encounter with the annoying, buzzing, and even frightening Cicada invasion. After we had just parked in front of the store, and opened our car doors, we heard   blood curdling screams from three little girls approximately 3 or 4 years old. We presumed they were siblings and could see that their mother was trying to quickly get them into t...

We are blessed to have good neighbors! It is extra special to have professional firefighters on both sides of us and a retired fire chief across the street! A few years ago, one of them had to “rescue” me from the roof where I had been blowing leaves out of the gutters. It was a blustery day and I had not tied off the ladder on the back side of the house. As I finished, I was surprised to find that my aluminum ladder had been blown down to the ground by a strong gust of wind. This left me hopelessly stranded on the rooftop without a cell phone or a way down! "Mom, does anybody see me?"😇 In my despair, I happened to look across the street and saw one of my neighboring firefighters who had briefly stepped outside. I immediately shouted, “Hey, neighbor! I could use some help!” He waved and was on the way. I will not forget his counsel as he put the ladder up against the house that day, “Neighbor, you might want to take some rope and tie it off on the gutter next time!” He winke...

In a recent episode of Wheel of Fortune , a curious comment was made about fear. On this occasion, the contestant in control of “the wheel” had landed on the “express train” wedge. This high energy moment doesn’t require any further spinning. Pat Sajak, the host, always begins with the question, “Do you want to do this?” and with an affirmative response, the action begins! Credit: Dawin Rizzo, unspash.com We all watched with anticipation as the excited contestant began to carefully choose one consonant after another in his methodical effort to complete the puzzle. It became obvious that the man had purposefully slowed his rate of selection to avoid any mistakes, but his deliberate and painful pace had everyone else on an emotional edge! Finally, after what seemed to be several tortuous moments punctuated with thoughtful pauses, the prize puzzle was solved. The board was complete with the words “sea urchins and exotic fish.” This lucky man had won a trip to a Caribbean destination! A ...

I have been uncomfortable in closed spaces for several years. It has nothing to do with claustrophobia induced by elevators or large crowds of people. My issues causing panic and anxiety emerged during the advanced diagnostic testing (MRI Scans) my doctors repeatedly prescribed to determine the source of chronic back spasms thirty years ago. As it turned out, regular exercise and dropping forty pounds of excess weight were the needed remedies! While I haven’t had the need to undergo another MRI in recent years, my urologist recently recommended that I undergo a PET C-Scan to track how my prostate cancer was progressing. I immediately became anxious about that test. Although C-Scans are not as confining, they do require the patient to remain completely motionless for about 30 minutes while the scanner passes from head to toe. I thought, “Oh boy! Here we go again! To tolerate this, I may need a light sedative this time!” "Don't be a baby! Man up!" Two days out from the te...

Many of us have seen movies and shows on television where a horse or dog whisperer is featured. These trainers are gifted in dealing with animals. Famed dog trainer, Cesar Millan has been helping dog owners with their pets through his syndicated television series for years. Sometimes, I think it is the owner that needed more behavior modification than the pet needed training in basic manners! 😉 We have an unlikely “dog whisperer” in the family these days. Charlie, our eight-and-a-half-year-old grandson, has evolved in the last two years to become very adept at caring for his full-blooded boxer, Groot. Charlie hasn’t always been fond of dogs. In fact, he was petrified by the sight of them just a couple of years ago. I have an uncomfortable memory of one incident that happened near our home. The Whisperer and cousin, Eloise, getting acquainted with Mocha, the littlest New Mexican. Charlie and his siblings were riding their scooters on the nearby church parking lot when all at once h...