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».* i<J( -HKRALD. FRIDAY , >IA^ 17. 1U85 My reoccuring nightmare is green monster Dick Peterson Among the worst of my nightmares has come true. One iitoitmare I have deals with free-falling thousands of feet, wfh or without a parachute. Another is having mowed the lawn only to fifed out when I've finished I have to start that I haven't been on anything higher than a common household ladder recently, free-tailing has been Sieleastef nnrlears, although my palms sweat a tad just at titetlxKigitef falling thousands of feet. And, I don't plan to allow myself to relive that fear ever again after that last airplane ride. (Let me pause here to hyperventilate. Calm down. That ~ *wig time ago. There, that's better.) a week mowing the lawn and when I finally the job~here's the ironic twist of fate, gasp-1 start over, from the spot I started the week before. It's a feeling of utter dispair, a feeling you only ex- * * during an uncomfortable night of sleep. A feeling Pyle should have felt when Sgt. Carter told him he deftp hole fai It's not funny. You become angry. You curse Yurf Builder. then you pull the cord on tneBrggjgs and Stratton and start all over. I am a victim of not following my own advice and (please allow me to rationalise my ways) a victim of an early summer. A month ago, I offered some advice on preparing fcr the onslaught of spring, a warm-weather strategy. and die after having so much growth removed. I wouldn't be so lucky. Of course, I wasn't the only unfortunate to fall into such a predicament. On two straight nights last week, I drove by some poor procrastinator who was trying mightily to push his mower through foot-high growth. Then I went home to inch my riding mower through foot-high growth. My lawn-mower repairman, a very understanding fellow, told me that just about everyone waits to get their mowers repaired until they have to-absolutely have to-mow the lawn for the first time in spring. I admitted to being one of those ill-timed persons and tried to explain how difficult it is to think about the lawn mower when the snow shovel is still cold in March and the nuances of the current climatological year. Who on God's very green and very dense earth would expt et a drought in April? It should rain every weekend in tpril, thereby making lawn mowing an impossibility. Our lawn wasn't this deep last year until June, I told him. My excuses were lame. My grass was stul growing un­ controllably. Our's was the only house in the neighborhood that looked like it had been abandoned, judging by the unkempt ap­ pearance of the lawm It was an embarrassment, and lawns Wouldn't do that to people. There are many other thing to be embarrassed by, like the preponderance of dandelions in the backyard. i- " I talked to my dad a couple weeks before I had begun mowing, and he mentioned now he had already mowed the lawn six times. And my mother-in-law, winner of the July 1983 Lawn of the Month award in HHnois' second largest " r. had declined invitations to our house. Heed we ask mower inspected by a professional. That way you'd he ready, gas can in hand, to mow the lawn before farmers started taking bids on it for haylage. Not realizingliow sound my advice was, I didn't listen to it. I waited too long to get the mower into the repairman. _ it lite I said would happen a month ago. was in time. Inch by inch, our yard was fin nearly 20 hours. Then, as soonest was done, I had to start again. I was certain the lawn would go into shock lawns. While worming my Way through the backyard, I wondered why we have a preoccupation with well-groomed grass, why someone hasn't developed a tifff that stops growing at an inch and a half, why more people don't blacktop their yards and paint diagonal yellow lines on it so they always have a parking spot, why dandelions have a synthetic stem. Un' rtunately, I arrived at no great truths about turf. Thebestlcouiddo was discover the one reason to move to California. 1 have it on good word Slat people in California not only do not have inhibitions, but they don't have lawns. They smooth out piles of pea gravel and entay the weather. I'd settle for sand and I Supervisors study shortage in county books FIFTY YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of May 16, 1935) An alleged shortage in the books of two county officials was reported to the McHenry County Board of Supervisors Tuesday. The shortage amounted to $14,404.55 part of which has been paid back. Lone Maple Tavern, River Road, south of McHenry, A.H. Watson, proprietor; Claus Ander's Tap Room at Riverdale, one mile north of Johnsburg; Johnsburg Tavern, J.B. Het- termann, proprietor; and Lily Lake Casino, G.A. X-ipfert, proprietor. FORTY YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of May 17, 1945) The many McHenry friends of the Granger Smith family will be interested to know that Navy Lieutenant (SG) George Gage Smith, son of Mr. and -Mrs. Granger Smith of Elgin, will appear in several scenes of the film "Fighting Lady." The film will be shown at the local theatre Sunday and Monday evening. TJiis is the official naVy film of a carrier in action and was photographed while Lt. Smith was in the Pacfic. As Mrs. Paul Schwerman takes her place as a member of the grade school board, we learn that, contradictory to an earlier tement made at the time of r election, she is the second, the first, woman to serve on that board. The first woman member was Mrs. Ada Granger Smith of Elgin, who acted as a member in 1894 when the school was built. Patsy Ann Brefeld, 21-month- old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Milton Brefeld, narrow! hundred went to Mrs. Math escaped drowning when she fe wice The Girl Scouts of the grade school troop entertained their mothers and members of the Mothers' Club at a tea at the high school Tuesday afternoon. Besides a play, "Kangaroo Court at the Girls' Camp," given by the girls, an added feature was a style show given by May Justen's sewing class high school. Thirty tables of cards and bunco were in play at the benefit party for the Boy Scouts held at the Bridge Tuesday evening. Prizes in bridge were won by Clara Stoffel, Mrs. Albert Vales, Mrs. Lillian Cox, and Mrs. George Stilling; prizes in five >ature tha Mig^ stal aHne her Steffes, Mrs. Peter Neiss and Mrs. H.L. Ritter; in pinochle, to Phil Guinte and Laura Meyers; and, in bunco, to Marie Vales, Jimmy Hess and Gerald Miller. In national news the horse "Omaha" won the Kentucky Derby. And the vicinity'of St. Paul, Minn, was hit by a sleet storm which brought down telephone and telegraph lines. Openings of the season were announced in advertisements by y 11 into the cow tank. Artificial respiration was employed by her mother until two members of the inhalator squad and a local physician reached the scene. While May 8 will go down in history principally because it was V-E Day, McHenry will also remember May 9, because on that day the lights went on again. Brown-out restrictions on the use of electricity for advertising, promotional, decorative, window, or­ namental, marquee and sign lighting has been lifted by the Public Service Company. TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of May 12, 1960) It was announced that the post office has given consideration to a change in providing per­ manent addresses. Zone type maps would be used in this connection. With the continued growth of the township, it is thought that such a system might make it easier to locate residents of the area. Members of the McHenry Plan Com­ mission discussed the proposal at their Monday evening meeting. The District 15 school board appointed Mrs. Dorothy Ullrich as teacher-principal at the new Hilltop school which will open northeast of McHenry next fall. Five new teachers were named for the district. Elsie Hoppe, will teach kindergarten; Mrs. Roland Hermann, fourth grade; Robert Miller, language arts in junior high; Miss Judith Landke, girl's physical education^and Miss Janet Vierke, tfiird grade. TEN YEARS AGO (Taken from the files of May 16, 1975) At Tuesday's School District 15 meeting, action was taken to enter into a rental lease agreement with District 156 for use of the lower level of the white house kindergarten building on Waukegan Street as an off-campus alternative school next fall. N The McHenry County board voted Tuesday to have 1975 assessments equalized by the Board of Review if the variance between townships varies more than five percent from a predetermined median level of assessments, based on sales ratio studies for 1974 and other studies conducted by the Supervisor of Assessments office. V.F.W. and American Legion members prepared for Poppy Day '75 to be held May 17. Participating were Ila Hogan, V.F.W. Auxiliary Poppy co- chairman; Lloyd T. Wehrheim, Poppy chairman for the Legion; Dorothy lyiesser, chairman for the Legion auxiliary; Clifford "Ty" Beherns, commander of the Legion Post 491; Terry Amore, V.F.W. Poppy chair­ man; and Renee Jende, V.F.W. auxiliary Poppy chairman. Mayor Joseph Stanek made the first contribution. McHenry High School Thin- clads, coached by Wally Scott, won the McHenry County meet for the second year in a row, amassing 110 points to 45 points for runner up Crystal Lake. Brett Decker won both the shot and discus upsetting Gary Gilpin of Marian Central in both events. Brian Nuss won the long jump and the 330 yard low hurdles for the only other double winner for the Warriors. \ A 'legal' con game at the card store WHEN YOU THINK of con men, you conjure up a picture of someone bilking an old lady out of her life's savings. That isn't necessarily so! We're surrounded by con men and women and most of the time we aren't even aware of it because they do their job in a very legal way. Almost every department store holds sales from time to time and some of them offer pretty good bargains. What gal could resist 20 percent off the dress of her dreams? That merchant is a con artist in the most respectable way. OR CONSIDER THE FELLOW who feels he can't afford the car he has his eye on. Dwelling on the 100,000 miles-plus on the old flivver won't do it, but a come-on sign calling the new buggy "a steal" is a clincher for a sale every time.- Next to them, and not far behind, is a sinister con operator who has taken the country be storm over the past 25 years. The approach has been insidious and few of us realized we were usin' & eanderin BY KAF mvo!ve<n^ And TTiereTTnolvayT^rorTKat trap. A QUARTER OF A CENTURY ago a large percentage of the population sent Christmas cards. A lesser number kept a box of birthday cards around the house for special people. That was it. Today the greeting card business has grown beyond all ex­ pectation and the hobby of standing and reading every card in the store before making a selection extends from one end of the country to the other. Not until we walked slowly through the long aisles of a McHenry card store did we realize the new force behind the card manufacturer's appeal to remember everyone we know-and his whole family. For years we've been sending get-well cards to cheer family and friends. Now we're being encouraged to also welcome them home with a second message. DIVORCE CARDS 'ARE in, keeping up with the trend to live a single life. One card making that pronouncement reads: "You know how you have to check those little lines when you fill out a form- employed or not employed, own your own home or not, married or single-well, I'm not checking married anymore." Another is for a friend to send to the recent divorcee-"Just heard you're free as a bird." Talk about overdoing a good thing. MISCELLANEOUS MESSAGES run the gamut and include "Thinking of you," "You have won my heart," and thanks for everything from a good job to a great time. Business congratulations range from 25 to 40 years and are following immediately by retirement cards that almost suggest you curl up in a hammock and wait for the grim reaper. Dieting cards have special appeal these days when a sleek body is fashionable. The reduction of calories is right in line with the jogging craze. ANOTHER MESSAGE THAT might have required a second look a decade ago is just another part of the greeting card game of 1985. It invites a friend to use the sender as a crying pillow. The message reads: "You need a shoulder to cry on? I have two available-no waiting." And so the con game continues to entrap all of us: new baby, godchild, parents-to-be, twins, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law- there is no end. s Whatever happened to a nice note right from the heart? Fine, the card moguls would say, but they believe they can do it better. Perhaps they can, but without any practice we may very well lose our ability for expression. PONDERING WHAT WAS, and what might be, won't solve the problem. We're hooked on cards and no star in the heavens indicates that this will change. < Do you suppose there's a collusion between AT&T and the Post Office with its 22-cent stamp? We can't afford to call or to mail. That's rough on a population dedicated to telling everyone their innermost thoughts about anything and everything. ALLBrDSHAYE1 NEW BULBS! VALUABLE COUPONS PER TANNING SESSION MID-DAY SPECIAL | ONLY 95 | I ONLY $£75 • acaaivrt | = • W.th purchase of 8 sessions | • L.rrnt One Pe, Person TintaJs/lWH?" • I Mon • Thurs. 11 30 AM 2:30 PM (••••••••••••J A GOLDEN TAtf - DON'T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT! if tJANFASTIC SUNTAN PARLOR /£ 3100 W. LINCOLN * McHENRY } * 1 2 B lock East Of Hansen Mar ine (815)344-5006 COME TO HARMS FARM for all your PLANTING NEEDS! TOP SOIL 4198 REG.S2.95 HANGING BASKETS Moss Rose ONLY REG $1095 9 BEAUTIFUL ROSEBUSHES < 7 9 5 3/$22.00 COME SEE OUR LARGE SELECTION OF: •Bedding Plants •Vegetable Plants •Perennials •Rose Bushes •Hanging Baskets •Onion Sets •Seed Potatoes •Much more HARMS FARM AND GARDEN CENTER 4727 W. CRYSTALLK. Ru. Across from McH. H.S. West 385-3074 DAILY 9-7 WE DELIVER Flowerwood Blooming Annuals And Perennials! The Finest and Freshest Available. Buy Direct From The Grower and Save! PLANT SOME SPRING... IN LIVING COLOR. HARDY FLOWERWOOD ORNAMENTAL TREES AND FLOWERING SHRUBS* •SELECTED PLANTS ON SALE EVERY WEEKEND •2 YEAR GUARANTEE ON ALL NURSERY STOCK FLOWERWOOD IS A GARDENER'S DELIGHT! EVERYTHING YOU WILL NEED FOR A PERFECT GARDEN THIS SEASON IS UNDER ONE ROOF! TOOLS*SEEDS FERTILIZER• TRELLISES• PLANTERS• SUMMER BULBS SO COMPLETE ALL YOU ADD IS WATER PLANTER BOX PUNTING MIX • formulated to encourage blooming • reduces transplant shock • enriched"formula SUHSHftiE PLANTER BOX PLANTING MIX f 25 qt-SIZE $549 formulated to encourage blooming A FISONS® REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE HERE: SATURDAY MAY 18 TO ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS ON SOIL AND PLANTING. FISONS SPECIAL­ IZES IN ALL TYPES OF POTTING SOILS. HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 9-8 Sat. 8-6 Sun. 9-5 owerw ROUTES 14 and 176 CRYSTAL LAKE 815-459-6200 00J ® JUST ARRIVED: TEXAS ONION PLANTS $ Yellow or White Bermuda Red or Yellow Sweet Spanish SALE-ALL STARK BROS. FRUIT TREES SAVE *3" % 49 BUNCH OF 80 1 \