Smart Living Weekly August 27, 2020

Sm mart a r L iving mar Your Better Quality of Life Magazine • Rockford Region/Beloit/Freeport 95¢ • August 27, 2020

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Right in Our Region

The Joy of Gardening Continues into Fall

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In This Issue Right in Our Region ........................Cover & p. 16 Gardening Joy Extends into Autumn Inspiration & Worship ......................................12 Honesty Matters Your Dining .......................................................23 Hearthrock Cafe

Smart L iving ™

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Bill Hughes Executive Editor/Web Editor Chris Linden Managing Editor Lindsey Gapen Lukas Assistant Managing Editor Jermaine Pigee Editor Emeritus Janine Pumilia Multimedia Editor Sara Myers Graphics Director Blake Nunes Graphic Designer 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 Saleh 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 Weekly.

Copyright 2020 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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Some Good News!

A

s I write, wildfires, hurricanes, unhinged politicians and COVID-19 deaths are barreling into our newscasts. This is a year we could have done without in so many ways.

But good news persists, too. This landed in my “in box” this week: Africa is finally free from its last remaining strains of polio virus.

This sounds a little remote, you say? No, this is a success story to uplift us all. It’s evidence that strong leadership, global teamwork, selfless courage and respect for science can overcome the odds and save millions of lives.

Polio is horrible. There’s no cure for it.

American parents lived in mortal fear of their children getting it before scientists developed a vaccine in the 1950s.

In the 1980s, about 1,000 African children per day died from polio, most under age 5. As recently as 1996, more than 75,000 children in Africa were paralyzed by it. That’s the year South African President Nelson Mandela launched the “Kick Polio Out of Africa” program in which countless health workers, 95 percent female, went village to village to hand-deliver vaccines. This was not easy.

Africa is fraught with conflict. The Islamist militant group Boko Haram made parts of Nigeria especially difficult to reach.

And conspiracy theories abounded.

In 2003, several African states suspended immunizations after Muslim religious leaders told people the vaccine was contaminated with an anti-fertility agent as part of an American plot to make Muslim women infertile.

In 2013, nine female polio vaccinators were killed in two shootings likely carried out

by Boko Haram at health centers in Kano.

Yet with backing from a coalition of international groups, including the Rotary International service club, some 1.8 million cases of wild poliovirus were prevented.

Africa is a complicated, beautiful, often-brutal place. It’s also the place where Protestant Christianity is growing the fastest.

Most Africans want what we want: freedom from poverty and a healthy future for their kids. This milestone brings that future closer. If Africa, in all its complexity, can defeat a monster like polio, anything is possible! ❚ Janine Pumilia SLW Editor

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I  W

Honesty Matters H onest people can be trusted to do the right thing, even when that thing means personal sacrifice. But liars rationalize selfish behaviors. They tell themselves it’s OK to tell ‘white lies’ or to lie on tax forms; they may believe anything is justifiable in the pursuit of making money.

And lying politicians have become such a common sight that we reward them with public office.

Big or little, a lie is a lie.

“Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” – Luke 16:10 (NIV) While “Be Honest” isn’t one of the 10 Commandments, it’s at the core of most. Stealing, bearing false witness and committing adultery, for example, all involve dishonesty … and God doesn’t like it. When we lie, we rob ourselves of true peace and other spiritual riches that come with “growing up in Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15) We also weaken the fabric of society, which depends upon basic honesty to function well. Dishonesty grieves the heart of a generous God who has lavished us with unconditional love and eternal life. And God is never fooled by the lies of men.

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, were listening to all these things and were scoffing at Him [Jesus].

And He said to them, ‘You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men is detestable in the sight of God.’” (Luke 16:14 & 15) Before the coming of Jesus, it would have been better for us to cut off our hands than to steal again. Today, in the Age of Grace, we have better options. We can choose to change our bad habits and grow up in Christ. As we do, something wonderful happens: We experience the secret thrill of pleasing God and walking in step with Him. We feel joy. And with each honest move, we extend the light of Christ further into a dark world.

The world seldom exalts people for being honest, but who cares? We do it because pleasing God is worth everything.

Yes, the world exalts cheaters.

Don’t let it get you down.

Jesus Christ has overcome the world.

(John 16:33). ❚ – Janine Pumilia 12

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R  O R

The Joy of Gardening Continues into Fall

By Peggy Werner

M

other Nature isn’t finished producing beautiful and colorful displays for the home and yard, so don’t put away the gardening tools just yet.

Scott Gensler, co-owner of Gensler Gardens, says customers who’ve discovered the rewards of working in their yards this summer will want to continue being creative this fall. Yards got a lot more time and attention this year because of the COVID-19 crisis, which kept people at home and looking for things to do, he says.

“People found a lot of peace of mind working in their yards and will be heartbroken when the first freeze comes,” he says. Fall is a good time to experiment with a variety of plants and test one’s artistic talent.

Ornamental kale thrives in cool weather and the colors only intensify

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with each frost. Gensler Gardens, 102 Orth Road, Loves Park, carries about 10 varieties and each one has a purpose, he says, with some having height, others having width, some have a cabbage appearance. They come in shades of red, pink and white.

Ornamental grasses are often used in spring and summer arrangements and can take on a new look when combined with fall plants, pumpkins, gourds, acorns and candles. When dried, they still hold up well and look good in arrangements all winter long. At Gensler’s, the No. 1 selling ornamental grass is purple fountain, which has green foliage that turns purple in the sun. Another popular variety, Ogon, has gold and green foliage that shimmers in the sun.

Ornamental peppers reach their

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peak by mid to late August and will maintain their vibrant colors of orange, red, purple, white and yellow even after a freeze.

The longest lasting mums bloom naturally in September and are either early, middle or late bloomers. Although early blooms don’t last as long, they can serve a purpose if needed as a decoration for a wedding or other special event, he

R  O R says. There is a difference between hardy mums, which come back year after year, and florist mums, which are meant to be beautiful just one season.

Eric Akerlund, general manager of Ack Ack Nursery, 5704 E. Riverside Blvd., Loves Park, says fall is a great time to plant trees and shrubs for beautiful fall color, evergreens for privacy, and shrubs that produce berries to feed birds and animals during the winter.

Staff landscape designers can assist customers with a design or, with pictures and measurements, can make suggestions for what to plant to get a desired result.

Because of COVID-19, it’s very important to start planning ahead for next spring, he says.

“Nationwide, plant inventories are not complete. Planning ahead will enable you to beat the spring rush. You can leisurely research and think about a landscape design during the winter and be ready to pick out the best plants in the spring,” he says.

People often make the mistake of not watering as much when temperatures cool, but it’s important to establish the health of new plants, trees and shrubs and to maintain the health of mature ones.

“Continue to water until you put that garden hose away,” says Akerlund. “It’s especially critical that evergreens have that huge drink of water since they need water during the winter. And Evergreens do lose their inner needles in the fall.

Don’t panic. It’s part of the natural cycle for evergreens. Your tree is not dying.”

Samantha Burbach, education and programming director of Khlem Arboretum & Botanic Garden, 2715 S. Main St., says fall is the best time to plant spring bulbs, such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses, because they need several weeks of cold weather to break dormancy and bloom in the spring. Summer blooming bulbs like dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, begonias and lilies can be dug up and stored in a cool place until replanting in the spring. Remove any diseased or

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dead parts of the bulb, she says.

Some vegetables continue to do well in the cooler weather, such as lettuce, collards, carrots, Brussels sprouts, spinach, broccoli and radishes.

Check for insects and remove any diseased or dead leaves when moving green plants from the outside to indoors for the winter. Spray plant with a stream of water to knock insects off the leaves or stem, and flush the pot with clean water or slightly soapy water to draw out soildwelling insects. Rinse to make sure bugs are not brought into the home. ❚

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WDL

Hearthrock Café is Back, & Better than Ever

By Peggy Werner

T

odd Cooper, head chef at Benson Stone Company’s Hearthrock Café, used the COVID-19 shutdown to improve his menu, install new kitchen equipment, deep clean, resurface the café floor and do lots of planning.

“The nice thing about time off is you can do things you need to do during regular business hours in a more relaxed way,” he says. “You can tackle the tough

jobs that are necessary, while thinking about cooking and serving, which is what we all really enjoy.”

A new panini press and flat grill made it possible to add four new sandwiches to the menu, including The Cuban, Tuna Melt, Cordon Bleu and a mushroom and muenster Cheese Roast Beef sandwich.

Cooper also is working on perfecting an adult grilled cheese made with smoked gouda and muenster cheeses and a special sauce. Customers choose their breads and add-ons, like tomato, bacon or mushrooms.

Breakfast items, including bacon and eggs, are also new.

“In recent years, I’ve had so many requests for bacon and eggs and now we have the capability to do it,” he says.

When the abrupt shutdown in March was extended through April, Cooper made good use of his food

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inventory. What he couldn’t save or freeze, he sold to employees who were faced with empty meat counters and high grocery prices.

Then he went to work “gutting” the café to do a deep clean and make improvements.

Business is booming, he says.

“By the first of July, every table was filled for lunch.”

Hearthrock Café is open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. ❚

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