I never thought I would miss mowing my lawn.

With the lack of rainfall, it has not grown very much except around my vegetable garden and over the septic field. I hate to haul the mower out for those two areas though, so right now I have a yard with some green but mostly yellow or brown grass.

It bothers me.  

At the same time, I think water is too precious to use for  keeping my grass green, no matter how much better it looks.  

Speaking of green, I love the canna flowers in the planter on Lincoln and Fourth in Rochelle. They are amazing. The hanging baskets look good too. To me that is a good use of water…making the downtown look great!

Starbucks

It looks like Rochelle is really on the map!

Starbucks is coming to town!  We heard that rumor several months ago and asked a couple of people connected to  the city about it. They knew nothing, which is in line with the policy of not revealing projects ahead of their start.

I do love Starbucks. I know, it is an expensive cup of coffee, but it is good. 

A few years ago I even bought stock in the company because the stores seem to be everywhere in Chicago and they are always busy.  

Now I have a problem. I visit Cypress House often for a coffee…usually a vanilla iced latte during the summer. I enjoy the atmosphere there, the people, and the product. So even though I like Starbucks, the girls at Cypress House will still get the bulk of my coffee business.

Weather app

I can’t overstate the value of a weather radio or a weather app on your phone.

It seems storm warnings have been posted a lot this summer. Having a way to receive these alerts can be the difference between life and death.

Heritage festival

I enjoyed the scaled down Heritage Festival. Yes it was hot, and there didn’t seem to be as many cars or booths, but it was nice to get out. 

I always enjoy looking at the cars and dreaming of owning a car from the  early 1920s. I can picture myself driving around town, white silk scarf loosely wrapped around my neck, the wind blowing in what’s left of my hair.  

It’s always nice to be able to visit the object of your dreams, isn’t it?

Terry Dickow can be contacted at terrydickow@gmail.com