Smart Living Rockford - January 14, 2021

Smart L iving Your Better Quality of Life Magazine • Rockford Region/Beloit/Freeport 95¢ • Jan. 2021 • No. I

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Right in Our Region

Call of The Wild A Photographer’s Love of Wolves See Page 16

Ideas on Cooking for One Tips for a Cohesive Flooring Plan Tasty, Healthful Thai Lettuce Wraps Reduce Stress by Getting Organized

Best of Life Information for Our Region’s Residents & Visitors Proudly Serving the Needs of 326,000 Neighbors - For Your Home, Health & Fun!

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In This Issue

Right in Our Region ........................Cover & p. 16 A Witness to the Wonder of Wolves Your Home ................................................. 11, 23 How to Choose Flooring; Tips for Organizing Inspiration & Worship ......................................12 God Loves Humility Your Kitchen ......................................................15 Tasty Thai Lettuce Wraps Your Technology ........................................ ....... 19 Are You Overpaying for Tech?

Your Life Hack ...................................................21 Cooking for Yourself Matters, Too

Smart L iving ™

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Bill Hughes Executive Editor/Web Editor Chris Linden Managing Editor Jermaine Pigee Editor Emeritus Janine Pumilia Multimedia Editor Sara Myers Graphics Director Samantha Behling Contributing Writer Peggy Werner, Paula Kalivoda Furniss General Sales Manager Brent Hughes Sales Manager Brad Hughes Advertising Sales Representatives Brian Hughes, Jeremy Jones, Nita Lasky, Sherri Cassedy Administration & Circulation Manager Lisa Hughes Distribution Kelly Fairbairn Website www.SmartLivingWeekly.com Published by Hughes Media Corp.

222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104 (815) 316-2300, Fax: (815) 316-2301 lhughes@northwestquarterly.com Smart Living.

Copyright 2021 by Hughes Media Corp., 222 Seventh St., Rockford, IL, 61104. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part of any text, photograph or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

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A Call for Balance

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alance, moderation, common sense.

Will we look back a year from now and see that these concepts defined 2021? I hope so.

Extremism in any realm leads to regrets, from extreme diets and haircuts to extreme politics.

I suppose the opposite of extremism is balance – that elusive thing we chase all of our lives. Balance between working too much or too little. Between spending and saving. Between being too harsh or too indulgent as parents. We want to be confident but not arrogant, brave but not reckless, attractive but not vain, smart but not a “know-it-all.”

The old adage says, “I know where the balance is because I’ve swung past it so many times.” Ironically, extremism in one direction often boomarangs us to the opposite direction.

The “buy local” movement we champion in Smart Living is a reaction to the extreme bigbox store takeover of U.S. cities in the 20th century. Add online shopping to the mix and locally owned shops and restaurants are an endangered species. Yet these are the places that give our community the individual identity we crave.

They also keep money circulating close to home rather than flying off to corporate headquarters.

We’ve never asked you to boycott big-box or online shopping. That would be extreme and impractical. But we do advocate for balance.

We’d like to see citizens intentionally shift a portion of their shopping and dining dollars back to local establishments, even if it means changing a habit. Why do I say “back to?”

A century ago, residents could buy nearly any kind of item at one of the hundreds of locally owned stores that existed here. We know we’ll never go back to that time, but there is a backlash brewing. Americans are flocking to places that have a strong local identity; A new generation is tired of one city shopping strip looking exactly like the next and the next, while local economies dwindle.

We can all help to restore some balance and improve the quality of life in our community.

By supporting the advertisers featured on these pages, you’ll be doing just that.

Have a great week! ❚ Janine Pumilia SLW Editor

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Your Home & Garden

Be Strategic When Choosing Flooring

By Jermaine Pigee, managing editor

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hether you’re building a home or remodeling, it’s important to consider all the elements of your home when you install flooring.

“If you’re freshening up your home, new floors can make it look completely different because the flooring ties everything together,” says Erin Knabe, kitchen and bathroom design consultant at Benson Stone Co., 1100 11th St., Rockford.

“A home project is like putting together a puzzle and flooring is a big piece to that puzzle.”

While creating a plan for your next project, it’s important to think about textures and details in the flooring.

“You want to coordinate your wall tile with your floor tile so everything works together,” she says. “People will come in and say they want a whole project in addition to the flooring, so we’ll do decorative things, like a wood and tile mix.”

Knabe sees people make the mistake of doing their flooring projects one room at a time, which may result in a checkerboard of patterns throughout the house.

“You really don’t want to do more than two, sometimes three types of flooring in the house,” she says. “If you keep everything consistent, you’ll eliminate thresholds and breakup, so it makes the square footage of the home feel larger and everything will flow better.”

Knabe and her team offer plenty of support and guidance.

“When people walk into a big-box store and pick up flooring, they might get the cheapest thing and they might not get any say on what goes where,” she says.

“We really listen to customers instead of giving someone a sample and saying ‘Here you go, have fun with this.’”

One way customers can help with the process, Knabe says, is to be upfront

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with the staff in the beginning. The more you explain the type of project you have in mind, the more helpful staff members can be. Flooring is an important aspect of a house, Knabe says, so it’s important that the entire project is done right the first time.

“We’ll send someone out to your home to complete measurements, install a proper sub-floor, or maybe even tear up the old floor,” she says. “No matter what we end up doing, we just want to make sure everything is done correctly.” ❚

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Inspiration & Worship

God Loves Humility

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ome things in scripture are crystal clear.

One is that God despises arrogance.

In hundreds of verses throughout the Old and New Testaments, God condemns arrogance and exalts humility. Indeed, it was Lucifer’s excessive pride that got him kicked out of Heaven. God told him:

“Since your vast business planning filled you with violent intent from top to bottom, you sinned, so I cast you away as defiled from the mountain of God ... Your heart grew arrogant because of your beauty; you annihilated your own wisdom because of your splendor.

Then I threw you to the ground in the presence of kings, giving them a good look at you!” (Ezekiel 28:16-19, ISV) Proverbs 11:2 tells us, “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.”

King David, the only human God referred to as “a man after my own heart” (I Sam. 13:14 & Acts 13:22), expressed humility. “O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my

eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.” (Psalm 131:1) Jeremiah 9:23 tells us, “... Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches …”

Jesus told his followers in Luke 14:11 (ESV): “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” When his disciples argued over

which of them was greatest, Jesus told them:

“If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35) Paul instructs, in Philippians 2:3: “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

And in James 4:6: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

How are we to behave? “So be imitators of God, as his dear children. Live lovingly, just as the Messiah also loved us and gave himself for us as an offering and sacrifice, a fragrant aroma to God.” (Ephesians 5:1, ESV) ❚

– Janine Pumilia 12

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Your Kitchen

Thai Lettuce Chicken Wraps with Sauce S

itting down for a homemade meal may feel harder to come by these days, but recipes that are both nutritious and flavorful can help bring your loved ones together at the family table.

This recipe is courtesy of Parker Wallace of Parker’s Plate on behalf of the Georgia Peanut Commission. Find more recipes at gapeanuts.org. Servings: 4

Peanut Sauce: 1/2 2 1 2 3 1/2 2-3 2 1

4

cup creamy peanut butter TB low-sodium soy sauce TB rice vinegar TB brown sugar tsp. chili garlic sauce lime, juice only garlic cloves, pressed or grated TB fresh ginger tsp. fish sauce 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk TB warm water, more if needed

Lettuce Wraps:

2 heads Boston or butter lettuce 1 lb. cooked chicken 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 4 green onion, sliced 3 carrots, shredded and grated 1/2 cucumber, sliced into matchsticks 1 bunch fresh basil 1 bunch fresh mint 1/4 cup crushed peanuts Sliced limes, for garnish To make Peanut Sauce: In small saucepan over low heat, combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, garlic sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, milk and water. Add more water for thinner sauce, if desired.

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To make Lettuce Wraps: Fill lettuce leaves with chicken and Peanut Sauce; top with bell pepper, onion, carrots, cucumber, basil and mint. Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top and garnish with lime slices.

(Source: Family Features)

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Right in Our Region

A Witness to the Wonder of Wolves Photos and Stor y by David C. Olson Editor’s note: We’re fortunate that Rockford is home to one of the world’s finest wildlife photographers. Here, he shares observations about the wolves he has photographed for the past decade. Find more photos in the current issue of Northwest Quarterly Magazine and at davidolsonphoto.com.

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here are few large mammals in North America that better symbolize the wilderness and an intact ecosystem than the mountain lion, grizzly bear and wolf.

Many people love wolves and what they bring to wild places; others view them as competition for natural resources.

For me, the wolf is an embodiment of the wilderness. Over the past 10 years, I’ve devoted my photography expeditions to six states and two countries in order to document and photograph the gray wolf for books and magazines, working with top wolf biologists.

I’m always delighted to photograph

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this highly intelligent canine, with its strong family bonds that we treasure in the domestic dogs we love so much. Early man had relationships with wolves, and so began the friendship.

There’s a longstanding notion that wolves are bloodthirsty predators. They are not. According to state records, not even one documented case of a wolf attacking a human exists. A wolf only kills prey to survive and feed its family.

In the 1940s, the false idea that wolves posed a major threat led to their elimination in most regions of North America. It took more than 40 years to begin restoring the wolf back to some of its native regions.

Three types of wolves live in North America: the Gray Wolf, Red Wolf and Arctic Wolf. The Gray Wolf (canus lupus) is found in Minnesota, Michigan,

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Wisconsin and, occasionally, in Illinois.

Wolves in the Midwest are smaller than their Alaskan or Canadian cousins, weighing 80 to 100 pounds and standing 33 to 36 inches tall at the shoulders. They may be mistaken for a coyote, which is half that weight and just 24 inches tall.

A wolf’s life is difficult. Disease, habitat loss, pack dynamics, hunting/ trapping by humans, car collisions and the hazard of taking down large prey lower a wolf’s life expectancy. Those in the wild average only 4 to 7 years of life.

David C. Olson

Right in Our Region

Gray Wolves feed mainly on deer, beavers, rabbits, snowshoe hares and other small mammals, and can also catch fish. Wolves typically feed on sick, weak or elderly animals, which improves the overall health of these species. Last year, vehicles in Wisconsin killed 13 times more deer than wolves did.

I have witnessed the bonds of caring among wolves. They live in packs led by an alpha female and an alpha male, experienced wolves who must make good decisions for the pack much as human

parents do for their families.

Wolf breeding in North America begins in February. Pups are born about 62 days later and all pack members help to raise them. Between ages 2 and 5 years, a young wolf disperses from the pack and may roam 100 miles before it finds or starts another pack. These are the types of sightings we see in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.

In states where hunting or trapping wolves is legal, inexperienced pack members may be left without family leaders, forced to look for easy prey. Science has found that hunting wolves causes more problems to humans than it solves. In our region, a wolf may roam in search of a mate and never find one, since very few exist here. The likelihood a wolf will die while roaming unfamiliar lands is high.

My most memorable wolf encounter happened in Jasper National Park, in Alberta, Canada, in 2004. My wife and I were deep in the forest when a black wolf and a white wolf crossed our path.

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Looking into their eyes was truly a spiritual experience.

In my photographic journeys, I’ve witnessed pups howling for the very first time. I’ve seen the excitement of a pack when pups are born. I’ve witnessed the strategy and physical skills wolves use in everyday life and have seen them express many emotions: happiness, playfulness, pain, rejection, love – not unlike emotions we feel.

It’s wonderful to know we can travel a few hundred miles north of home and hear the howling voice of North America’s wild canine. As humans, we have a responsibility to preserve wild ecosystems and make a place for wolves and other species that benefit from their activity.

My life is richer because of lifechanging encounters, images and moments I’ve shared with wolves. I’ve never felt threatened by them – only enlightened by them and privileged to share their images with people. ❚

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Your Technology

How to Reduce Your Technology Bills

B y Pe g g y We r n e r any of us are spending more than we need to for technology simply because we don’t understand our options.

Tech services like phone, Internet, TV and home security evolve quickly and can be confusing, but it’s easier than you may think to figure out what works best for your situation, says Charles Zambrano, owner and general manager of EZ Satellite & Wireless in Loves Park.

“I make sure the customers know exactly what they’re getting and aren’t paying for services they don’t want or need,” says Zambrano. He asks customers about the number of TVs and phones they have, favorite channels, streaming and recording habits, how they use high-speed internet and so forth.

“Most customers are paying too much, $250 or more for phone, TV and internet,” he says. “I can save them $50 to

M

(Sponsored Content)

$100 per month by offering them the best deals each company has to offer.

“A lot of people are not happy with their tech services, but are afraid to change or don’t have time to do the research. But it’s not that hard to start saving money.”

Zambrano also helps people to make better use of their smart phones to enhance their particular lifestyles. Products like the Google Nest Hub, Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa are ideal for those who want to monitor and access their homes and businesses remotely or with voice commands. Especially in the age of COVID-19, it’s useful to monitor package delivery and speak to people at your door remotely.

You can also switch lights on and off, change the thermostat settings and unlock doors remotely.

EZ Satellite & Wireless is licensed

to offer services from any provider using dish, cable, internet and home security, including Rise Broadband, Comcast, HughesNet, DirectTV, Digitenna, Vivint, ATT and Nest products.

Zambrano’s store is regularly sanitized, social distancing is observed, masks are worn and interactions are contact-free.

Call (815) 957-4335 or stop by to see him at 6239 N. 2nd St. in Loves Park. ❚

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Call or visit your Local DISH Retailer to demo the best in entertainment and home technology!

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6239 N 2nd St, Suite B | www.ezsatellitenow.com Offer for new and qualifying former customers only. Important Terms and Conditions: Qualification: AAdvertised price requires credit qualification and eAutoPay. Upfront activation and/or receiver upgrade fees may apply based on credit qualification. Offer ends 1/13/21. 2-year commitment: Early termination fee of $20/mo. remaining applies if you cancel early. Additional restrictions apply. Remote: The DISH Voice Remote with Google Assistant requires internet-connected Hopper, Joey or Wally device. Customer must press Voice Remote button to activate feature. Google Assistant Smart Home features require Google account and compatible devices. Google is a trademark of Google LLC. Other: All packages, programming, features and functionality and all prices and fees not included in price guarantee are subject to change without notice. After 6 mos., if selected, you will be billed $9.99/mo. for DISH Protect Silver unless you call to cancel. After 2 years, then-current everyday prices for all services apply. For business customers, additional monthly fees may apply. Free standard professional installation only.

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Save More. Shop the ReStore.

Store Hours: Mon-Sat, 10am-6pm

Donation Hours: Tues-Fri, 10am-4pm Sat 10am-3pm

Call 815-580-1205 to schedule a FREE donation pickup 7141 Harrison Ave, Rockford IL | 815-713-3184 | rockfordhabitat.org @restorerockford

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Life Hacks

Being Single is No Excuse for Poor Eating B y Pe g g y We r n e r

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f your days of cooking big family meals are over because your kids are grown and have families of their own, or if death, divorce or other life circumstances have left you living alone, there’s no excuse to eat poorly.

You just have to plan and portion meals differently, learn to buy just what you need or freeze some for later. Countryside Meats & Deli Owner Jarrod Bush can help you make the transition. He’s located at 781 Highgrove Place, Rockford.

“The good thing about us is you can order one slice of bacon or a pound of bacon that we can package up in three-slice portions and that’s true of any other meats we sell,” says Bush. “We understand you may not need a lot all at once, but it’s always better to cook at home because you know what’s in your food and how you’re preparing it.”

If you’re in a hurry, grab a sandwich or wrap made with Boar’s Head luncheon meats or pick up a ready-to-bake meal for later that night.

There are cases full of “oven ready” meals such as lasagna, stuffed green peppers, meatballs, Italian Beef, pulled BBQ pork, chicken pot pie, chicken Kiev and 25 varieties of bratwurst. There are also cheeses and cheese spreads, sauces, dips, dressings, marinades, seasonings, chicken, egg, tuna and crab salads, as well as cole slaw, broccoli slaw, baked beans, potato salad, macaroni salad, Italian pasta salad, creamed and pickled herring.

Gourmet items include four varieties of chicken breasts stuffed with prosciutto, fennel, cheese and Italian seasoning; traditional bread stuffing, ham and Swiss cheese; or apples and cranberries.

Large portabella mushrooms are filled with crab meat and Swiss or Ched-

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dar cheese and bacon. There are crab cakes, twice-baked potatoes and garlic cheese bread. Everything in the store is made onsite. Meats and many other products are purchased locally or regionally and all meat grinding is done on in house.

If you want to put something into the slow cooker for a tasty meal at the end of the day, choose from the well-stocked, clean and organized 20-foot-long meat case filled with top quality freshly cut Midwestern beef, pork, and poultry. ❚

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Your Home & Garden

Lower Your Stress by Getting Organized

By Janine Pumilia

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lot of things feel pretty out of control in our world right now, but our closets don’t have to be one of them. Better organizing our personal lives can lower our stress levels and reduce frustration.

Joe Weller has seen this firsthand many times since he began installing closet systems 35 years ago. Back then, options were pretty limited.

“When I started in this business in 1985, most everything was shelf and pole construction and closet design wasn’t talked about much. That has changed,” says Weller, the owner of Shelving & Bath Unlimited, 4337 S. Perryville Road, Cherry Valley, Ill. Today almost 80 percent of Weller’s customers opt for custom laminate closet systems that look like finished wood cabinets. Along with more than 50 melamine colors and textures, there also are options for granite surfaces, glass shelves, motion-activated LED lighting

– even LED lights inside the drawers if you like – built-in mirrors, jewelry trays, removable laundry bags, a foldout ironing board, adjustable cubbies made for shoes, boots and handbags and much more.

“Many people are using fewer or no dressers in their bedrooms and are choosing instead to maximize their closet space,” Weller explains.

While some people go so far as to convert spare bedrooms into luxurious walk-in closets, others double or triple the efficiency of their reach-in closets by having them professionally designed.

Either way, design expertise offered by Shelving Unlimited makes it possible to meet organization goals.

“It’s all about good design,” says Weller. “You can have the largest Taj Mahal-type closet in the world, but if it’s not functioning well it can become just one more mess to deal with. Good

organization saves you time and prevents frustration.”

Weller also designs storage solutions for the pantry, garage, laundry room, home office and basement.

Along with adjustable-shelf laminate storage, Shelving Unlimited offers wire-shelving systems by Rubbermaid, the No. 1 brand in the industry. Learn more at shelvingunlimited4u.com. ❚

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‘Snow Doubt About it:

Your FIRST ALERT to Winter Weather DAYS in Advance.

AARON WILSON

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MARK HENDERSON

ETHAN ROSUCK

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Issue 1