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Your Better Quality of Life Magazine • 95¢ • March 2022 • No. I

Right in Our Region

Artists’ Ensemble Opens ‘Ben Butler’ New Library on Track to Open in 2023 Just How Dirty Are Your Air Ducts?

Breathe Easier with Pulmonary Rehab Let’s Do Brunch – At Home Actor Dereis Lambert as Shepard Mallory in ‘Ben Butler’

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 Artists’ Ensemble Opens ‘Ben Butler’ Your Home ................................................ 11 How Dirty Are Your Ducts?

Inspiration & Worship .............................. 12 A Psalms Journey Your Kitchen ............................................. 15 Let’s Do Brunch Your Style ................................................. 19 Permanent Cosmetics Your Community ...................................... 21 Library on Track for 2023 Opening Your Health ............................................... 23 Pulmonary Rehab Your Fun ........................................................

Publisher/Editor-in-Chief Bill Hughes Executive Editor/Web Editor Chris Linden Managing Editor Jermaine Pigee Editor Emeritus Janine Pumilia Multimedia Editor Jim Taylor Graphics Director Samantha Behling Graphic Designer Ashley Smith Contributing Writers Peggy Werner General Sales Manager Brent Hughes Sales Manager Brad Hughes Advertising Sales Representatives Brian Hughes, Jeremy Jones, Lisa Brandt, Nita Lasky 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 2022 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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‘Unstoppable’ in Crisis

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any fine aid groups are doing their best to help Ukraine’s citizens. One is the Slavic Gospel Association (SGA), founded in 1934, whose world headquarters happens to be in Loves Park.

“Supported by U.S.-based Slavic Gospel Association, the church-driven emergency response will provide food, winter clothes, blankets and medicines for thousands of at-risk people, including orphans, abandoned children with special needs, the elderly, those uprooted by the conflict, and marginalized ethnic groups,” says Eric Mock, SGA’s VP of ministry operations.

“While others are fleeing, local churches are engaging. They’re bravely rushing to help those in need right now. They’re unstoppable in the face of this crisis.”

Learn more at sga.org.

On a personal note, Ukraine is special to me. I spent time in the USSR in 1983 during college as a political science major focused on Soviet politics.

The Ukrainians we met back then in Kiev and Lviv were fiercely determined to preserve their culture, history and language, despite the Soviet effort to erase them.

When away from prying state ears, they whispered to us how they resented their Russian oppressors. It doesn’t surprise me at all to see their bravery today. They have tasted liberty and treasure it.

I came home from that trip deeply thankful for my country. For years, I’ve written about my concern that democracy is declining world-wide and weakening in the USA. Even the word “democracy” is under attack in some circles today.

This is a time for Americans to stand united and to take an honest look at the erosion of our own republic. Tyranny grows from extremism, right or left. Leaders who refuse to be accountable to the law, free press, ballot box and co-equal branches of government should be denied power, regardless of party. They must possess a basic respect for democracy, both in word and action. Governing is serious business. Every generation must treasure democracy anew.

Have a good week! ❚ Janine Pumilia SLW Editor

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Your Home & Garden

Just How Dirty are Your Air Ducts?

By Janine Pumilia

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ost people would be surprised to see how much dirt builds up inside the air ducts of their homes, but not James Wells. As owner of Air Quality Management, which specializes solely in duct cleaning, he knows the dirt on ducts.

“The main reason people have their ducts cleaned is to reduce allergens and dust in the home,” says Wells. “The furnace or air conditioner sucks air in through its lines, heats or cools it and distributes it back into the rooms. It’s the return ducts that are dirtiest. The pet dander and other debris build up and some of it gets redistributed throughout the home.”

Air Quality Management uses a 20-horsepower vacuum to pull debris outside the home as it cleans.

“It’s powerful enough to pick up a 16-pound bowling ball,” says Wells.

“That’s important because it means the

dirt is not going back into the home as we disturb it.”

Wells recommends cleaning ducts every five to seven years, depending on your allergy sensitivity and how many pets and people live in the home making dander and dirt.

“Sometimes owners of a newly constructed home will hire us to clean the drywall dust and other debris from a home before they move in, too,” he adds.

The cost of cleaning ducts in a typical ranch home is about $350 and requires 2 or 3 hours. A larger two-story home is $450 to $550 and takes 3 or 4 hours.

Air Quality Management also professionally cleans dryer vents.

“This is important because a plugged

dryer vent is a fire hazard,” says Wells.

“Also, when a dryer hose is plugged, clothing takes a lot longer to dry and energy costs increase.”

Air Quality Management cleans ducts in residential, commercial and industrial structures.

To get an estimate on cleaning your ducts, call Wells at (815) 962-9007. ❚

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Inspiration & Worship

The Psalms Journey

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n the middle of the Bible is a collection of 150 psalms (sacred sayings) that offer a jarring roller coaster ride of human rantings directed toward God. Several authors wrote them over a period of about 1,000 years, starting in the time of Moses (1500 B.C.). King David penned about half of them. They were passed down through oral tradition before they were written down.

We gravitate toward the psalms that comfort us, the 23rd being a crowd favorite.

Many of them, however, were composed during times of anguish and deep disappointment with God. Feelings of abandonment, anger and frustration are laid bare; They’re both timeless and oddly familiar.

If we’re honest, all of us have experienced anger with God. We see Christians suffer hardship, oppression, sickness, death. We see evil prosper and ask why.

The psalmists’ emotional poetry helps us to know what a healthy relationship with God looks like, says author Philip Yancey.

By “peering over their shoulders,” we witness both their rantings and the ways they talk themselves down from the ledge. They breathe deeply and then state what they know for sure about God: He is good, wise, powerful, tender. They also acknowledge their own yearning for closeness with Him. The psalmists force themselves to recall the many times God rescued Israel from its self-inflicted messes. With hearts softened by memories of their own weakness, they regain some perspective. God is mighty; they are needy.

The psalmists find wonder in the starry skies and fertile earth. Their ranting turns to flights of joyous praise they can’t contain.

Yancey writes in “The Bible Jesus Read”: “The odd mixture of psalms of cursing, psalms of praise and psalms of confession no longer jars me as it once did.

Instead, I am continually amazed by the spiritual wholeness of the Hebrew poets, who sought to include God in every area of life by bringing to God every emotion experienced in daily activity. One need not ‘dress up’ or ‘put on a face’ to meet God. There are no walled-off areas; God can be trusted with reality.”

To experience Psalms is to fellowship with all who have ever struggled with, and – Janine Pumilia deeply loved, God. ❚ 12

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Your Kitchen

Let’s Do Brunch! No-Fuss Cheese & Herb Stratas

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2 TB melted butter 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese

Individual Cheese & Herb Stratas

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter bottom and sides of four 10 to 12 ounce ramekins or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Line each ramekin with 2 slices prosciutto or ham with some extending over sides.

In large bowl, toss bread pieces and melted butter together. Stir in cheese and herbs. Divide mixture evenly among ramekins pressing down lightly. Break 2 eggs into each ramekin. Add salt and pepper, as desired. Sprinkle bell pepper around eggs, if desired.

eekends and brunch just seem to go together, but who says they have to come together at a restaurant?

Impress guests with a clever twist – combine two morning favorites, strata and baked eggs. The strata layer – bread, cheese and herbs – is nestled underneath two gently-baked eggs in ramekins lined with prosciutto or ham.

Serving is no-fuss. Each guest gets an individual ramekin, so there’s no dishing up at the last minute. Accompaniments can be as simple as a mixed greens salad, a platter of seasonal fruits and favorite brunch cocktails. For additional recipes, visit SafeEggs.com.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes Makes: 4 servings 8 2

thin slices prosciutto or deli ham cups French or Italian bread cubes

1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (see note) 8 Safest Choice Pasteurized Eggs Salt, Coarse ground black pepper, Minced bell pepper (optional) & Chopped fresh herbs (optional)

Place ramekins on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until whites are set and yolks begin to firm, or to desired doneness.

Garnish with additional herbs, if desired.

Notes: • Other cheeses, such as cubed mozzarella or Cheddar, may be substituted for goat cheese.

• One or a combination of herbs such as basil, rosemary, thyme, chives or parsley may be used. ❚ Source: Family Features

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Right in Our Region

‘Ben Butler’ Spotlights Key Moment

By Janine Pumilia

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n a sliver of time between the first shot fired at Fort Sumter in April 1861, and the first full-scale Civil War battle at Bull Run in July 1861, Union General Benjamin Butler, an attorney, was faced with a dilemma. Three escaped slaves had arrived at Fort Monroe in Virginia, pleading for sanctuary. By law, their Virginian owners were entitled to get them back …

But Butler couldn’t bring himself to return them.

To learn the creative solution he came up with, you’ll have to attend “Ben Butler,” presented by Artists Ensemble Theater (AET) March 24-April 3. The witty, often-humorous play is based on real events and people. Butler’s clever legal solution set into motion a chain of ideas that helped President Abraham Lincoln to pronounce the Emancipation Proclamation two years later.

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“This is a piece of history that somehow got lost in the shuffle,” says Richard Raether, AET artistic director. “This took place in a moment before the war really got started, but everyone knew it was about to start. The Virginia legislature voted to secede from the Union on May 22, 1861. The next day, these three slaves made their way to Fort Monroe to ask for sanctuary.”

Butler was legally obligated by the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act to regard the slaves as stolen property.

“He’s asking himself, ‘How do I solve this problem without ruining my future political career?’” says Raether.

Ultimately, Lincoln and his cabinet not only agreed with Butler’s solution but also built upon it for their own course of action.

AET will offer four Talk Back ses-

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sions for those who wish to stay after the play and discuss the historic subject matter. They’ll be after the 4 p.m. Sat., March 26 and 2 p.m. Sun. March 27 performances and after the Thurs. March 31 and 4 p.m. Sat. April 2 performances.

Before his experience at Fort Monroe, Butler was an ambitious, workingclass trial attorney from Massachusetts whose hopes to attend West Point had been dashed. Early in the Civil War he earned the nickname “Beast Butler” when he oversaw New Orleans with an iron fist and rationed the dwindling food supply equally among black and white, rich and poor citizens.

Butler’s colorful, hot-tempered personality gave playwright Richard Strand plenty to work with when writing humorous banter between Butler and three other characters: Shepard Mallory, the slave

Right in Our Region

Union Gen. Benjamin Butler

representing the three run-aways; pompous Confederate Major Carey, who demands the return of the slaves; and Union Lt. Kelly, a target of Butler’s bullying.

“I fell in love with this play when I first read it, but we couldn’t get it because they were trying to get the original production onto Broadway, and then COVID-19 hit,” says Raether. “So we’re really happy to be able to present it now.”

The four-person cast features local actor Russell Konstans in the title role; Dereis Lambert, a Rockford University graduate from St. Louis as Shepard Mallory; and local actors John Chase and Ian Garthwaite as Major Carey and Lt. Kelly.

“Ben Butler” is the second AET production staged since the pandemic shut down its live theater for 18 months. During the shutdown, Raether’s team produced “Mysterious Journey,” a podcast of 30 short plays, each one 12 to 15 minutes long, adapted from works by Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Agatha Christie and others. Listen to them, free, from the AET website, or download them on your preferred podcast provider.

“Our podcast has been tremendously popular,” Raether says. “We’ve reached 7,411 downloads - in 51 different countries. That’s certainly quite a feat and a testament to the appreciation of AET’s talented actors and staff.”

Next up on the live stage at AET will be “Murder on the Air,” a comedy about

a troubled 1938 radio station where the leading lady has been murdered – or not.

It opens May 12.

For the “Ben Butler” production, audience members are asked to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and to wear masks.

“At least for now, we continue to be cautious,” says Raether. “We’re in a confined indoor space and our actors don’t have the option of wearing masks for their protection.”

AET is an Equity professional theater founded in 2004, under the leadership of Raether. It prides itself on producing play titles that may not be familiar, including world premieres.

AET’s live productions are performed at Clark Arts Center on the campus of Rockford University, 5050 E. State St. Learn more or buy tickets online at artistsensemble.org or by calling the box office at (815) 394-5004 Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The box office is also open one hour before performances. ❚

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Your Style

Permanent Cosmetics Offer a Solution

By Peggy Werner

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f you want to save time in the morning, or if you can’t see as well as you used to when looking in the mirror, or your hands are unsteady, permanent cosmetics may lift your spirits.

“Permanent cosmetics give people the look they want, if they have thinning eyebrows or are having trouble applying makeup,” says Kim Foster, owner of Permanent Cosmetic Clinic, 421 S. Mulford Road, Suite 203. “It just makes people feel better because they can get up and run to the store without looking sick or like they just got out of bed. The result is soft and natural, as if they put it on themselves.”

Foster has been in the beauty industry for 40 years and has offered permanent cosmetics since 2003. She has worked at her current location since 2008.

Foster spends a lot of time dispelling

myths about permanent cosmetics. She says they’re not harsh and are not a “tattoo for the face.”

“People are always surprised how natural they look,” she says. “The color is made from pigment, not ink, as used in body art. Depending on your age, skin type, skin care and lifestyle, the permanent cosmetic should be touched up every one to two years. People can continue to use makeup for a more dramatic look.

The permanent cosmetics are not meant to totally replace makeup.”

The most common requests Foster gets are for permanent eyebrows, eyeliners and full lip color.

When it comes to choosing colors for the brows, eyelids and lips, Foster recommends going with what you’re used to wearing. This isn’t a time for drastic change.

“People know what they want and what they like. Our techniques just help people not have to work so hard at getting the look they want,” she says.

Especially with brows, there are Kim Foster several techniques that can be used. Foster prefers a “feathering” technique that goes deeper, gives the technician better control and produces a softer, more natural look.

Most procedures take about 60 to 90 minutes and require two applications, about six weeks apart. Foster works on an appointment-only basis and offers free consultations over the phone or in person.

Learn more by calling (815) 229-8120. ❚

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Your Community

New Library on Track to Open in 2023

By Peggy Werner

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ust like a good book, Rockford Public Library’s future is unfolding one chapter at a time as it celebrates its 150th birthday this year and looks forward to the Fall 2023 opening of a brand-new main building at the historic location, 215 N. Wyman St. The clean-up of contaminated soil that prompted the razing of the old main library is completed and groundbreaking for the new building took place Oct. 20.

“I feel very good about the future,” says RPL Executive Director Lynn Stainbrook. “I think we’re moving into a new role for the library and will become even more vital to the community.”

The $33 million project includes a three-story, 66,000-square-foot building with many floor-to-ceiling windows and covered (not underground) parking on the street level for 20 cars, and a drive-up area to return books or pick up ‘on hold’

materials. More parking in the form of city lots and a couple parking ramps exist nearby.

The architects for the project are Engberg Architects of Milwaukee, Wis., who have designed more than 180 libraries, in partnership with Rockford’s award-winning Gary Anderson Architects of Studio GWA. “There will be lots of landscaping and walking paths for bicycles and pedestrians,” Stainbrook says. “The space once used for parking will be much more people-friendly and centered around the beauty and enjoyment of the river,” she says.

The library is working with the Rockford Park District to form a cohesive riverfront with Davis Park to the south.

The first floor will be devoted to staff offices, Friends of the Library bookstore, a children’s area, and a section for newly released books and audio-visual materi-

als. The second floor will include fiction and non-fiction books, a teen and gaming area, a reading room with windows overlooking the river, multi-purpose rooms, and a patio off the Maker Lab, a room that contains tools, machines and other components for people to create or work on projects.

The third floor will house the local history collection, staff work areas, three meeting rooms that can also become one large space, and a deck overlooking the river. ❚

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Listening to you is where we start every visit.

Accepting new patients

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Your Health

Pulmonary Rehab Can Strengthen Lungs

By Stephanie N. Grimoldby

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or patients who’ve been diagnosed with chronic respiratory issues, pulmonary rehabilitation is one of the best ways to improve quality of life, says Dr. Joseph Kittah, medical director of pulmonology at Beloit Health System.

“Pulmonary rehab has been in existence for years,” Kittah says. “It’s supported by data, and evidence-based medicine shows that it benefits patients.”

Unfortunately, many people don’t know it’s an option, Kittah says.

Pulmonary rehab usually entails a three-month program, with patients attending one-hour sessions a few times a week. Tools that might be used include a Positive Airway Pressure System, or EzPAP, similar to a CPAP machine; elastic resistance bands; treadmills; and incentive spirometry, which involves a ballvalve mechanism that a patient blows into to develop slow, deep breathing skills.

“Most people will notice significant improvement,” Kittah says. “Pulmonary rehab is shown to decrease hospitalization for acute respiratory issues. Most COPD patients generally are now able to have greater endurance and have improved respiratory function.”

In the past two years, Kittah also has worked with patients recovering from COVID-19. Some of them have persistent respiratory issues, and Kittah tries to get them at least one visit with a therapist, just long enough to be instructed on breathing strategies and exercises they can do at home.

That’s an important aspect of pulmonary rehab – as with any other sort of rehabilitation, the best results come to those who follow through with their exercises beyond the clinic.

“The strategies we use are long-

standing techniques that have been practiced over years, and what we notice is patients who follow pulmonary rehab exercise regimens at home will benefit a lot,” Kittah says. “Pulmonary rehab is an initiation program that will teach you strategies, and we expect patients will follow these exercises and these education tips on their own. If you slack, if you do not perform, over time the benefits will erode.”

The thing about lung function, he says, is if you don’t use it, you lose it. ❚

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SWEET STREAMS.

WATCH 23 NEWS ANYTIME. ANYWHERE.

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Your Fun

Entertainment & Events

Ingrid Dohm Art Exhibit Through March 20. Beautiful artwork by this hometown artist is on display at Nicholas Conservatory, 1354 N. 2nd St. 2nd Thursday Concert Series March 10, 7 p.m. Danny’s Gone Rogue is all about the fun of singing Irish and Celtic pub songs. Free concert. Katie’s Cup, 502 7th St., (815) 986-0628, katiescup.com.

RSO: Rachmaninoff & Hollywood March 19, 7:30 p.m. Join in the conversation about the history and style of film music along with Romantic-era composers in a program full of drama and lush melodies.

Featuring conductor and Music Director Finalist Andrew Crust, associate conductor of the Vancouver Symphony, and Pianist Wei Luo. RSO, Coronado PAC, 314 N. Main St., (815) 968-0595, rockfordsymphony.org.

Enjoy a world class step dance show March 19.

So You Have Apples/Fruit Trees March 12, 10 a.m.-noon. Learn all about growing tree fruit at this Macktown Living History workshop. Advanced registration required. Macktown, 2221 Freeport Road, Rockton, Macktownlivinghistory.com.

Rhythm of the Dance March 19, 7:30 p.m. The National Dance Company of Ireland brings flailing feet and fiddles. Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd St., DeKalb, Ill., (815) 758-1215, egyptiantheatre.org

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Maxwell Street Klezmer Band March 20, 3 p.m. With Cantor Pavel Roytman, this band has audiences rollicking along with Jewish favorites like “Bei Mir Bistu Sheyn” and “Rumania Rumania.” Temple Beth-El, 1203 Comanche Dr., Rockford, (815) 398-5020, templebethelrockford.com.

Artists’ Ensemble Theater: ‘Ben Butler’ Opens March 24. See our Cover Story ‘Las Obras Maestras Latinas’ March 26, 7:30 p.m. Classical guitarist and

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guest performer Thomas Aquino performs Latino music with Spanish translation by Maria Elena White. Janesville PAC, 408 S. Main St., (608) 758-0297, janesvillepac.org.

Rock River Valley Train Show March 26 & 27, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sun. The 30th annual show with more than 42,000 sq. ft. of model railroad vendors, displays, and operating layouts. Harlem High School, 9229 N. Alpine Road, Machesney Park, rrvd-nmra.com. ❚

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