Make no mistake, I’m a big fan of our local natural areas.

Ever wonder how important you are in the Grand Scheme of Things?

Sick of dispensing antibacterial wipes, I decided to have my kids vaccinated against the H1N1 virus on Monday and I wasn’t about to let anything stand in my way. 

Twelve-year-old Tanner Robertsen dashed toward the end zone in his muddy green football uniform on Saturday, flanked by his Elburn Lions teammates, adding the final touch to what was to be a victory that propelled the Lions to a first-place finish in the Aurora Superstars Youth Tackle Football League.

We had a Little Miss Muffet moment the other day here at the Pottawatomie Community Center. No, it didn’t involve a tuffet (which I understand is some sort of footstool), nor were there any curds or whey. But there was a spider. Man, was there a spider.

I celebrated Halloween sporadically as a kid.

We've all heard of day-old pizza – a wonderful treat, especially cold – but year-old cake?

My daughter’s third-grade teacher at H.C. Storm Elementary School in Batavia had each of his students complete a 15-question survey about their likes and dislikes. The parents were to be quizzed on curriculum night, all in good fun, and my little girl, Holly, couldn’t wait for me to take it.

So this week I was going to write about the amazing wildlife I saw while on vacation last week in Wisconsin’s Northwoods – tales of places where grouse hunters roam and deer and otters play. There was even a bear in a grocery store’s beer cooler. But those stories will have to wait because here on the home front we have a much more immediate concern: The bugs are back in town.

The room was pitch black, except for the eerie green glow from the monitor. On the screen was a sea of black nothingness, except for a ghostly, jagged semicircle. It looked like an ark, where our little baby was supposed to be. 

One of my favorite parts of the work week is filming and editing our weekly prep football Web video – "Chronicle Football Insider."

Guess what? It looks like I’ll just be hitting my stride as a perimenopausal freak of nature right about the time my kids blossom into full-fledged adolescents.

Oh, how I look forward to apple-picking time.

When it comes to conversation, and newspaper columns, we all know that certain topics are sure to cause a stir. Religion is one; politics is another. And then there is the subject of rodents.

“Sorry I’m late, John,” I say, shaking hands with John Kador, an old friend whose new book, “Effective Apology,” led to this seminar at the Geneva Commons’ Barnes and Noble.