Yesterday evening we had the great honor and pleasure to travel to Chicago’s Midway Airport to welcome back to Chicago, my wife’s Uncle Dick. Uncle Dick was the recipient of a seat on the Honor Flight Chicago’s most recent trip to Washington DC. It was a most amazing experience to be among the more than 3,000 well wishers assembled to honor our “Greatest Generation”!

According to Uncle Dick, he and his lovely bride of more years than I can shake a stick at – awoke at o-dark-hundred so the Uncle Dick could muster at Midway Airport.  My Uncle and his fellow travelers were transported to the waiting chartered jet and whisked off to our nation’s capital.  Once on the ground in Washington DC they were toured “all over the place” including the new World War II Memorial on the Mall.  Since all of the WWII vets on the flight are getting up in years, there were plenty of wheelchairs and young volunteers to escort the vets to see the sights.  After a full day of sight seeing, the intrepid travelers were loaded on the charter flight for the return trip to their departure point, Midway Airport.

Upon arrival at Chicago Midway Airport, the plane’s passengers were welcomed with a water canon salute from the Chicago Fire Department.  I am told, by those who know, that the water canon salute is reserved for only the most important, highest ranking visitors.  Our WWII vets sure qualify in that regard!  The more than seven hundred volunteers who make Honor Flight Chicago work had one more surprise in store.  When the flight disembarked, our Vets were greeted by members of our active-duty armed forces, backed up by a contingent from both the Chicago Fire Department and Chicago Police Department.  The tired Vets were serenaded by Bag Pipers and escorted by sailors from Great Lakes Naval Station to the main arrival concourse to be greeted by an assembled throng of well wishers.  My wife’s Uncle is not given to tears – a trait that is common to that age group of heroes – but his eyes were a tad wet from the reception from family and strangers.

None of the WWII Veterans pay anything for the days activities.  All costs are paid for by Honor Flight Chicago.  To date, Honor Flight Chicago has flown over 3,000 veterans to Washington, D.C. and there are more that 1,000 on a waiting list. On each trip to Washington, D.C. Honor Flight Chicago takes between 95 and 100 veterans. The cost of each trip is $50,000.00 or $500.00 per veteran. Sponsorships are available and encouraged.

The mission of Honor Flight Chicago, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, is to raise funds to provide more WWII Veterans the chance to visit Washington DC and the WWII Memorial. On June 3, 2012, Honor Flight Chicago will host “Made in America” Benefit Concert to be held at the Paramount Theatre, located at 23 East Galena Blvd., Aurora, IL. All of the proceeds will benefit Honor Flight Chicago. The headliner will be Ricky Lee. The opening act will be Chicagoland’s patriotic sweethearts, the Legacy Girls. There’ll be two shows at 2:00 & 6:00 pm. General admission tickets are $40 and admission for WWII Vets is only $20. Advance ticket sales are available on the following websites: www.honorflightchicago.org, www.paramounttheater.com or www.rickyleemusic.com. The Paramount box office can be reached at 630-896-6666.

The closing of the Avenue Parking Garage, originally set for last Sunday has been rescheduled to next Sunday, February 19th.  The Avenue parking garage will be closed  from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. to all parking, bicycle and pedestrian customers, so that the new photovoltaic array may be lifted by a huge crane to the roof top.  The Village of Oak Park claims that this sun powered electrical generating device will create enough electricity to power the garage.  Seems to us as if the Village is wishing for a lit of sunny skies!  The direct cost to Oak Park Taxpayers is somewhere around $200,000.  Question: Will the project pay for itself before the garage falls apart?

Speaking of Sunny Skies, a new bicycle parking rack has made an appearance at the southwest corner of South Blvd and Oak Park Avenue.  We’re very fortunate that the snow over Friday was not the feared six or more inches originally forecast by the Weather Guys.  Even so, with any appreciable snowfall, how does the Village of Oak Park expect to clear the snow?  We think that there should be an over/under on when a motorist making the corner will just plow into the pylons and bicycles!

With this project and the Avenue Garage, it sure seems as if the new theme song for Oak Park might be “Blue Skies” (enjoy Willie Nelson’s 1978 version).

We get e-mail from friends that – occasionally we pass on.  Please consult your Physician all issues with your health.

The life  we save may be our own or that of a loved one.  Please read on………..

Mayo Clinic  – Aspirin

Dr. Virend  Somers, is a Cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic,  who is lead author of the report in the July 29,  2008 issue of the Journal of the American  College of Cardiology.

Most heart  attacks occur in the day, generally between 6  A.M. and noon, Somers said. Having one during  the night, when the heart should be most at  rest, means that something unusual happened.  Somers and his colleagues have been working for  a decade to show that sleep apnea is to blame.

1. If you take an aspirin or a baby  aspirin once a day, take it at night. The  reason: Aspirin has a 24-hour “half-life”;  therefore, if most heart attacks happen in the  wee hours of the morning, the Aspirin would be  strongest in your system.
2. FYI,  Aspirin lasts a really long time in your  medicine chest for years, (when it gets old, it  smells like vinegar). Please read on.

Something that we can do to help  ourselves – nice to know. Bayer is making  crystal aspirin to dissolve instantly on the  tongue. They work much faster than the  tablets.

Why keep Aspirin by your bedside? It’s about Heart Attacks – There are other symptoms of a heart  attack, besides the pain on the left arm. One  must also be aware of an intense pain on the  chin, as well as nausea and lots of sweating;  however, these symptoms may also occur less  frequently. Note: There may be NO pain in the  chest during a heart attack.

The  majority of people (about 60%) who had a heart  attack during their sleep, did not wake up.  However, if it occurs, the chest pain may wake  you up from your deep sleep.

If that  happens, immediately dissolve two aspirins in your mouth and swallow them with a bit of water.

Afterwards:
- Call 911.
- Phone a  friend, neighbor or a family member who lives very close  by.
- Tell them “Heart Attack!”
- Then tell them that you  have taken 2 Aspirins.
- Take a seat on a  chair or sofa near the front door, and wait for  their arrival and … DO NOT  LIE DOWN!

Oak Park's Fly Bird

Noted and fashionable retailer Fly Bird is in danger of closing, long time owner – Julia Nash, to depart.  What a shame that one of the retailer of some of the most inventive and stylish gifts and functional art is having trouble staying in business. Oak Park’s Fly Bird goes up for sale.

Zoraida Sambolin, the former WMAQ-Ch. 5 news anchor

Zoraida Sambolin, the former WMAQ-Ch. 5 news anchor has listed her six-bedroom, architecturally significant house in Oak Park for $1.8 million.  Known as the Erwin House, the 5,288-square-foot house, which was designed by architect George W. Maher (1864-1926) and sits in Oak Park’s Estate District.  The house has five baths, a grand foyer with a fireplace, a three-tier staircase with art glass windows, a wraparound porch and a kitchen with a granite island and pizza oven.  The property sits on a 0.40-acre lot.  We wish Ms Sambolin and her husband luck and a quick sale.  Zoraida Sambolin lists Oak Park house for $1.8 million.

After the Holiday Parties, are your furnishings looking a little… pekid?  No worries!  Macy’s Inc. says it will close their Bloomingdale’s home and furnishings store in Oak Brook.  Clearance sales will begin at the stores Sunday and run for 10 weeks.  Macy’s to close Oak Brook Bloomingdale’s.

Travion D. Trapp, a 19-year-old convicted felon out on parole,  was charged last night, Dec 16, 2011, by the Cook County State’s Attorney with two counts of robbery and one count each of attempted murder, aggravated kidnapping and burglary. He is scheduled for a Bond hearing today.

Trapp, of the 300 block of North Hamlin Avenue in Chicago, was on parole after serving one year of a three-year sentence for robbery, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Based on the sketch on the clerk’s description of her assailant distributed to both the public and other law enforcement agencies, an alert officer from Chicago’s 25^th Police District recognized the suspect from an earlier traffic stop.  At almost the same time, a Park District of Oak Park employee at Ridgeland Common, 415 Lake St., contacted police with information that allowed them to place Trapp in Oak Park the day of the robbery.

In addition to Oak Park Police officers and investigators, members of the West Suburban Directed Gang Enforcement (WEDGE) task force also provided assistance in tracking down and arresting Trapp.