I’m going to get a manicure today. I wonder if I’ll tear it to shreds trying to open something when I get home. Maybe it will be something as simple as a tear-back can of soup. I can never do it in one fell swoop. I always have to find something to pry up the round thing on top and then pull as hard as I can, and maybe get it open enough that the soup will fall out.

Losing your keys is always frustrating: it’s worse for an older person. It’s another humiliation, another chink in the carefully constructed armor of creating a life where you try to put everything in the same place when you come home, write post-it notes all over the house and choose easy-to-recall passwords only to be told you have to change them - add a capital or a number or some other memory-confounding combination.

In the latest episode of Feed the Meter, host Patty Keyuranggul meets Oak Park artist Bryan Northup of bentbottle to discuss his latest glasswork project "Catching Hail."

Feed the Meter, a video series by OakPark.com, lets Oak Park and River Forest residents answer a question on life in our villages. In the latest episode of Feed the Meter, we visit Oak Park Public Library's Main Branch to ask residents, "How much do you think you have paid in library fines so far this year?"

My indifference to her death makes me wonder if I am a bad person

Annual Celebration Is Lame, Boring And Never Lives Up To Expectations

Last week I wrote a blog post about organic produce – basically, that it can be more expensive, but it is worth the splurge when considering those items from the “Dirty Dozen” that carry a high pesticide load.  Organic products can be found outside the produce aisle, of course, so today we'll look at those to see if they are worth the cost.

"Sweets to the Sweet" has been a Valentine's Day tradition for generations, but is it wise to turn to sugar for a quick fix when there is a deeper, more satisfying sweetness that you crave? Here are a few ideas for emotional eaters:

The West Cook YMCA in Oak Park celebrated the grand opening of the new Y-Box Family Interactive Gaming Center last Thursday.

Drop what you’re doing on Wednesday, February 15th at 7 p.m. and bring your middle schooler to IM.P.A.C.T’s Parent/Student Cafe at Brooks Middle School. This interactive event will prepare you and your child to navigate the commonplace dilemmas posed by drugs and alcohol in our community. 

You won’t want to miss Wild About Wellness - Growing Healthy Children in Mind, Body and Spirit, The Collaboration for Early Childhood’s 9th Annual Symposium on Saturday, February 25 from 8 am - 3 pm at Percy Julian Middle School. 

What should you do when your sibling behaves badly with your mother and everyone is an adult?

How do you let go of jealousy?

I found a response to Bethge's Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus" on the internet which I thought was balanced and fair.  It's by a Michigan pastor, who looks to be in his 30s, named Kevin DeYoung.  I'll print part of his response without comment.

Jefferson's Bethke's rap poem video, Why I Hate Religion but Love Jesus,  had 10 million hits in the 4 days after he posted it on youtube on Jan. 10.  Before commenting on it, I thought I should simply post the lyrics so you can read what has become a "phenomenon."

Joan O'Connor spotted this lonely rooster in her front yard on Jan. 19. A River Forest Police Community Service Officer safely shuttled the little guy over to the Animal Care League.

A winter ritual caught the attention of Sharon Hermanns who submitted this photo which captures a row of several smiling trees on the 200-400 block of Forest Avenue. After almost every snowfall, trees can be seen wearing grins made of snow at the handiwork of a mysterious elf.

Got guests coming? Here are a few steps to make that spare bedroom inviting even if it's not so spare. 

A gallery wall is an easy way to create drama and interest to a blank wall. It's easy to do and you probably already have the elements in your home to create one. Just gather up all those unhung framed prints and pieces of artwork you have and begin! 

Authors and poets come together to celebrate the literary heritage of the village and to support writers in many ways throughout the year

The author of The Red Tent talks to members of the congragation of Oak Park Temple