As always, let’s begin with observations on recent events followed by some thoughts about the glorious month of May.
I don’t know about you, but…
I was saddened to learn of the passing of John “John Boy” Blachinsky. John died in late March, about the time I was putting the final touches on my April column, so I chose to wait to share some thoughts about John in this column.
I do not believe his contributions to the city of Kewanee and surrounding communities, plus his contributions to Kewanee Community School District #229, can be overstated. If you need to be reminded of these contributions, simply go back and read his obituary that is available on The Kewanee Voice. But I don’t think the obit says it all. John helped many people in ways no one would notice unless a person was in direct benefit of John’s support and help.
On a personal level, besides being our family lawyer, John helped me, Mrs. Christakos, and our two children in so many ways that I can’t possibly mention them all here. John was different in the fact that he gave lawyers a “good name.” John had it correct when he said, “Every day is a Boiler Day.”
I don’t know about you, but…
I believe “they” are everywhere. What do I mean? Recently I experienced the death of a dear, elderly family member. The funeral was in the Metro East area (the Illinois side of the St. Louis metro area). I asked Mrs. Christakos to secure a hotel for me in the area of the ceremony, which she did with no help from me. Several days later I received an e-mail from Expedia (I have an Expedia account, but it wasn’t used to make the reservation) touting the wonderful prices on hotel rooms in the area. Really? How did “they” know?
I also recently requested her to order some new checks as we were about to run out. Again she did it without assistance from me. Shortly after that, I received an e-mail from the company that we order checks from, touting the fact that they had checks with a French Bulldog motif. Now my daughter’s family had recently acquired a French Bulldog pup, and I do have pictures of the cute little fellow with my grandchildren on my phone. But come on. How did “they” know? Are you kidding me? One thing I am fairly certain of is that “they” are out there, and “they” are watching and listening. But I must admit that I am not totally certain of who “they” are.
I don’t know about you, but…
I think that sometimes we need to be careful of what we wish for. In last month’s column, I expressed the hope that the day of the week for our landscape waste bag pick-up could be changed from Friday to Monday. The landscape waste pick-up company did just that. But somehow I never received word of the change. I found out about the change after I had put out nine bags that had been hibernating in my storage shed over the winter, for pick-up on Friday, April 5. This made it necessary for me to cover them up with a tarp until Monday to protect them from a rainy weekend. Judging from the number of bags I noticed on the street this past Friday, I wasn’t the only one not to receive notification of the change. I’m just saying that I guess the lines of communication should be better.
I don’t know about you, but…
I didn’t know that our bee population was in peril. I was fortunate to hear a presentation by Eric Wolf from Kewanee Bee Rescue. He does honey bee swarm rescue and hive relocations. He mentioned that the past winter’s weather had a devastating effect on pollinator populations in general, and bees specifically. Pollinators are an essential link in the food chain, and their disappearance will have devastating effects on our world. So if you have bees that are becoming an issue, be sure to call on Eric to remove them safely.
On a personal note, Eric has also been serving me some of the best coffee found in Kewanee at Country Morning Coffee for a long time. He also has this amazing carrot cake for sale from time to time. I highly recommend it if you enjoy that sort of thing.
I don’t know about you, but…
I believe that the Kewanee Schools Foundation does an outstanding job of helping the young people of District #229. Mrs. Christakos and I attended a KSF charity auction held at Midland Golf Club recently. This well-run and fun event was held to raise money toward helping to pay for the installation of a new outdoor fitness court, including a 7 x 32 ft. graphic art mural which has been created by Sue Blake.
In case you don’t know, since 1990 the KSF helps students at Kewanee schools by helping to improve facilities, administering scholarships, enhancing technology, and securing classroom grants, among other things. At this May’s graduation alone, the foundation will present over 100 scholarships that total over $150,000 to graduating seniors. Thank you to the KSF and all that donate time and money to support its efforts.
I don’t know about you, but…
I think May is one wonderful month. The warmer weather, things growing, and many of the other May happenings seem to help improve my outlook and disposition. That can’t be bad, can it? I mean sometimes it gets warm enough to take outdoor naps, and I think they are the best kind of naps. There are a whole host of great things in the Month of May. They include, but are not limited to, Cinco de Mayo, Mother’s Day, graduations, and Memorial Day. Baseball season is in full swing.
The Stanley Cup and NBA playoffs are heating up. The state track meet will be taking place. My wonderful daughter’s birthday is in May. On the 15th of May, Kaitlin will turn…Oh Oh, I almost forgot that it’s impolite for a gentleman to mention a lady’s age.
One of the first things that will be happening this May will be the Kewanee Voice K-Town Yard Sale, which will be held May 1-3. At last count The Voice received well over thirty responses from those wishing to participate in this city-wide sale. Now yard sales aren’t my thing. I feel as though I have enough of my own “stuff” that I don’t know what to do with; so I don’t need to purchase other people’s “stuff”. But if yard sales are your thing, this should be a fun event for you. As a bonus, there will be a variety of food trucks available at the event.
I don’t know about you, but…
To me, May is synonymous with Mother’s Day. We have a magnet attached to a metal cabinet in our garage that says “Honor Thy Father, But Ask Thy Mother.” That was the way it was in our family when I was growing up, and I believe that was the way it was for our children. Looking for an easy touch? Ask dad, and deal with the consequences later. Looking to avoid trouble? Ask mom, and hope for the best. That being said, I am fairly certain I would not have achieved some of the things I have in my lifetime without the love and support of my mother (and my father too).
I don’t know about you, but…
I believe that the quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup is one of the toughest grinds in all of professional sports. It is full of exciting and entertaining moments (a game seven overtime game is really something to behold). Overtime hockey in the playoffs is amazing. No penalty shots here, only sudden victory. The team that will be able to win the Cup, and hoist it up while skating around the ice with it, will have truly earned the right to celebrate. That team will have disposed of four opponents in four grueling best-of-seven series, over a period of two and a half months. It is quite an accomplishment to be the only team to win sixteen games during the playoffs.
My interest in the Stanley Cup has been heightened this year by the fact that, even though they may have been eliminated by time you read this, my beloved St. Louis Blues are participating in the playoffs after not qualifying the last few years.
I don’t know about you, but…
I just learned that May 31 is “National Smile at Someone Day.” I believe that every day should be “National Smile at Someone Day”. It is my opinion that most people are much more attractive when they are smiling, as opposed to frowning or displaying an angry or indifferent face.
I don’t know about you, but…
I hope no one will forget that we celebrate “Teacher Appreciation Days” during the first week of May. If you have ever had your life touched by one of your former educators, and you are able to tell that person you appreciated his/her help, by all means do so. With that in mind, I will close with the thought of the month.
This month’s quote comes from American author and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. “If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”
