This weather is killing me. Sunday afternoon, I sat in front of the fireplace trying to wrap my head around the concept that Evanston’s beaches open in just over three weeks.  Good times. While these cold and dreary conditions offer Evanstonians extra time to work on their beach bodies, they have just the opposite effect on me, stirring up cravings for things like chicken-pot-pie and warm chocolate chip cookies. When we moved to Evanston in 1997, I was pregnant with our first child.  I craved sweets like never before.  Imagine my thrill when I discovered a (now defunct) business that …

One of the owners of the home where Evanston's infamous "Good Deed Graffiti Artist" struck again is intrigued by the phenomenon.  Good thing she's not furious. "We are actually planning to take the cement cistern down so we don’t need to do anything about it," she said. When I drove to her house to take the photo, I was struck by the message and where it was placed ... next to a crumbling wall. Did the tagger leave the message in that very spot on purpose?  Is there a deeper meaning than simply a colorful, inspiring message?  Is the tagger's intent for us to remind ourselves that, despite age…

According to Weather Underground, Tuesday's temperature reached almost 80 degrees.  What a difference a week can make:  Chicagoland temperatures were lucky to reach 50 degrees on May 3. Spring is in the air.  Hope you're enjoying all the colors, the smell of barbeques and the sound of lawnmowers.  We made it through.  It wasn't easy, but we did it. 

After a wonderful Mother’s Day with my family, I sat on the couch, trolling the Interwebs, searching for inspiration for today’s About Town column. I went to YouTube and searched Evanston.   The first video I clicked on was a little trippy…some aerial shots of Evanston with animated flying vehicles. “Whoa,” I said as I watched. From across the room, my husband asked, “What are you watching?” “A funky aerial video on Evanston,” I said.  “Why?” “For a second there, it sounded like you were watching porn.” I didn’t offer a response.  Instead, I just rolled my eyes and prayed our 8-year-old didn’…

This past weekend, my mother-in-law came into town.  [Insert all your mother-in-law jokes here.  I trust everyone’s got at least one.] The best part of the visit (besides seeing how happy our kids were) was having endless options of things to do in town.  Here’s a quick recap of our whirlwind visit: Friday, Grandma flew into Midway Airport and arrived at our house around 5 p.m.  We had appetizers waiting for her, since the four peanuts she was offered on Southwest Airlines didn't satisfy her (or anyone's) hunger.  We served cheese and crackers and a our new favorite appetizer (see recipe …

A note to readers: Some links in this post are graphic in nature. This week, the world was told that Osama bin Laden is dead.  Messages from The White House and news media tell us that the leader of terrorist group al-Quaeda was killed by U.S. military forces.  For some people, this news is enough to move forward in some way after 9/11. For others, it’s simply not enough. We’ve been told bin Laden’s body was photographed, DNA-tested, then buried at sea.  Some, though, believe it’s all a hoax.  Another conspiracy.  A cover-up. Many people took to the streets to cheer and whoop it up, …

The word balance, used as a noun, is defined by Dictionary.com as: 1. a state of equilibrium or equipoise; equal distribution of weight, amount, etc. 2. something used to produce equilibrium; counterpoise. 3. mental steadiness or emotional stability; habit of calm behavior, judgment, etc.   With so many questions swirling around Evanston these days, it’s hard to find answers – let alone balance  -- when the topics themselves aren’t exactly black or white.  For instance... Why are there so many shootings in Evanston? Do our children receive a decent public education? How can we attract more …

These photos were taken on April 28th -- or, as a friend recently called it, February 87th. Enough with the cold.  Let's hope today feels like April 29th rather than February 88th.

Tuesday night was guacamole night in the Wolf household, and you can’t make decent guacamole without decent cilantro. I can deal with a tiny bunch. I can deal with a picked-over bunch. What I can’t deal with is mushy, brown, wet and stinky cilantro.  And tonight, that’s what I got at Jewel…er...that’s what I chose NOT to get. A very kind man with a German accent saw my horror as I held up the last of two bunches of thick and slimy cilantro. He said, “You do know?  You can go to da Whole Foods?  Day have da good produce.” I wanted to scream, “Whole Paycheck? Yes, I know they do.”  Instead, I …

Baseball and softball are at the heart of Evanston -- they connect members of our community more than you might realize.  We’ve got an outstanding youth league (EBSA), fantastic high school and college leagues, an adult league sponsored by the City of Evanston -- plus good old beachfront-pickup-games.  Spring, summer and fall abound with chances to partake in America’s pastime. One of the best quotes from the movie Field Of Dreams can be found on Evanston Township High School’s Wildkits Baseball website (click here): "The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has…

I've reached that point where the weather's teased me too much. Though I've lived in Illinois my entire life and this yo-yo weather shouldn't come as a surprise, it happens every year:  I'm through with it. I feel teased. Toyed with. Manipulated by Mother Nature. Sunday morning: sunshine and spring blossoms dotted the landscape. I was  euphoric.  Spring is finally here.  I felt my mood lift.  Monday morning:  grey, dreary, cold, damp, windy, stormy. Snow covered those poor little spring blossoms.  Ice on the windshields.  Rain on my face. I'm ready to put away the winter clothes (yup, I'll …

Oh for Pete’s sake.  Jennifer Lopez is on the cover of People magazine with the heading “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” underneath her windblown hair.   Well of course she’s beautiful.  She’s got access to makeup artists, teeth whitening professionals, lighting experts, airbrushing, you name it. But what makes someone beautiful anyway? Many of the most beautiful people I know live or work in Evanston, like: Beth, my next door neighbor: when the winter garden she’d cultivated to serve as a bird sanctuary was carelessly cut down by negligent landscapers, she showed grace and kindness rather than…

Everyone likes a good dare now and then. Just use your cursor…instead of your pen. Just scroll on down to the “comments” below. Don’t fret or think twice about it…just go. Evanston must have (at least) a few who might string along a word or two. You’ll keep Patch.com readers coming back by demonstrating your poetic knack.   By the way -- If you’ve never seen District 65’s Hill Center, a great time to check it out is 6:30-8 p.m. on Thursday, to meet Nikki Grimes during the Foundation 65 Family Author Open House.  The event will showcase students’ projects stemming from the work of Nikki Grimes…

There is a small plaque on a bench in Evanston's Burnham Shores Park with the following inscription: Our Little Lost One Rest Safely Now In God's Arms I took a photo of the plaque seven months ago while I sat, watching my son and his friends play.  The bench is located in one of Evanston's most beautifully situated playgrounds, a colorful collection of bridges and swings and ropes and ladders, all overlooking Lake Michigan.  I don't know who dedicated the bench and bench, nor do I know anything about the story of their little one.  I'm curious, though.  What I've tried to do while writing …

Whether you're in grade school, high school or college, what have you done over your spring break? If you're beyond those years, what's your favorite spring break memory?  Were you crazy? Conservative? Bored out of your mind? Wondering why it wasn't longer? Shorter? If you're a teacher, what's your favorite thing to treat yourself to over the break?  If you're a parent, are you counting the hours until it's time for the kids to get back to their normal routine? If you're a single parent or a dual income family, what sort of arrangements do you make for childcare over the break?

I’m currently in Mexico for spring break with several Evanston families whose children are enrolled in District 65’s Two-Way Immersion (TWI) program (mine included).  Today, I asked many of the kids, ages 6 to 13, how their exposure to Spanish is serving them here.  Some of their responses surprised me; it almost felt like a TWI “support group”: Sometimes TWI gets kind of irritating.  It’s been really helpful.  So so.  I think it’s really nice to be able to learn Spanish.  I feel lucky to be in TWI.  It’s really tiring sometimes when you’ve been speaking Spanish all day at school.  I get …

 There’s a tiny store on Dempster Street called The Mexican Shop.  It only opens for a fraction of the year, then closes while the owners collect more clothing, jewelry and accessories for the next season.  The sign in the window, which previously stated Open April 2, now reads Open April 9.  Surely, devotees of the shop can be heard uttering phrases like, “Aw, seriously?”, “Just a few more days,” and “It’s always worth the wait.”  There’s just something charming, unusual and impressive about businesses that set their own unique hours yet maintain strong customer followings.  Evanston’s got …

Evanston lost a member of the family this week:  Craig S. Thompson, Executive Director of Jr. Wildkits Football.  I spoke with Marty Leoni, an eighth grader and proud member of the Jr. Wildkit organization, about his memories of Craig Thompson. Leoni joined the Jr. Wildkit team as a 6th grader, when he was 11 years old, after he saw the Jr. Wildkits marching in Evanston’s 4th of July parade. Upon meeting Craig Thompson for the first time, Leoni says “I knew right then and there he’d be the greatest guy in my life.  I thought of him as family.  He made me feel welcome, like I belonged there.  …