Sm mart a r t L iving
Your Better Quality of Life Magazine • Rockford Region/Beloit/Freeport 95¢ • June 3, 2020
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In This Issue
Right in Our Region ........................Cover & p. 16 Now is the Moment. We Can Do It! Your Home ................................................... ..... 11 Inspect Your Home Before Heavy Rains Inspiration & Worship .......................................12 Love Above All Your Kitchen ......................................................15 A Plant-Based, Dairy-Inspired Tasty Dish Your Community ........................................ ....... 18 Money-Saving Tip: Buy and Resell Tools Your Health ............................................. ........... 21 Mercyhealth on the Front Line of Pandemic Your Money ................................................. ....... 23 Prevent Legal Headaches: Think Ahead Restaurant of the Week .................................... 26 Baci’s Kitchen
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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Our North Star T
hese are painful times, but we’re not the first Americans to face crisis atop crisis. I’ve been thinking about John & Abigail Adams and George Washington. Along with fighting the British and getting 13 bickering colonies to unite, they dealt with a raging smallpox epidemic that killed one in every three people infected. British soldiers brought it here and were mostly immune. “The smallpox is 10 times more terrible than Britons, Canadians and Indians, together!” John Adams wailed. As early as 1775, General Washington knew smallpox could destroy his troops. He ordered his doctors to watch for outbreaks and to isolate infected men immediately in new hospitals built for that purpose. He faced the difficult decision of whether to “inoculate” his men – a new science of scraping pox pus into a freshly made cut on a healthy person’s skin. It was risky. Such a prevention program might backfire, triggering an epidemic and providing the British with opportunity. But in 1777 he ordered the inoculation of all troops. Washington’s gamble paid off and he repeated it at Valley Forge in the winter of 1778. (Source: Army Heritage Center) Meanwhile, back in Quincy, Mass., Abigail Adams (who opposed slavery) was running the family farm alone while John was in Philadelphia. She made the very difficult decision to risk her childrens’ lives, and her own, with inoculation, nearly losing a daughter in the process. She also suffered a drought, a contagious eye infection and the terrifying sight of the British fleet bobbing in a nearby harbor, all in summer 1776. Yet in her July 14 letter to John, she dwelled not on her fears and woes, but on her high hopes that our nation would be rooted in goodness. “May the foundation of our new constitution be Justice, Truth and Righteousness,” she wrote. “Like the Wise Man’s house may it be founded upon those Rocks and then neither storms or tempests will overthrow it.” When we lose our way, may goodness be our guiding North Star as we lift up and care for one another. Have a good week! ❚ Janine Pumilia SLW Editor
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Now Accepting Residents AT THE AREA’S PREMIERE ASSISTED LIVING COMMUNITY! Call for a personal tour to see why you get MORE for LESS at TLC Living Community. The TLC Living Community is designed to provide a vibrant, yet secure and comfortable way for its residents to age in place. From an independent life experience to assistance with healthcare needs, you’ll get it all without leaving the comfort of your apartment. Better yet, you get MORE for your money than other regional facilities, including a brand new, beautifully designed community and apartments, state of the art sanitary protocols, ordering off the menu from a variety of delicious foods lovingly prepared by our Executive Chef, movie theatre, salon, craft room like no other you’ve seen, housekeeping services, laundry services, free cable and phone, and much, much more!
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Inspect Your Home Before Heavy Rains By Peggy Werner looding is a problem we often fail to think about until it’s too late. Flood Pros General Manager Chris Picot says some Rockford neighborhoods have a higher water table and are more susceptible to water damage due to flooding, but all homes can have cracks, leaks and other problems that can lead to water damage. Taking a few minutes to inspect your home before heavy rains may help you to prevent a lot of headaches, he says. Flood Pros, 11137 Bertram Road in Machesney Park, has been in business since 1992 and offers free inspections on restoration and waterproofing. It specializes in smoke, fire and water damage; mold removal and testing; and air duct cleaning in Rockford, Janesville and Freeport areas. This season, Flood Pros is taking spe-
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cial precautions to help keep people safe from COVID-19. A disinfectant is applied to all tools after each use and technicians are wearing the proper protective gear to keep from spreading germs. Some steps that can be taken to prevent flooding include cleaning gutters, making sure downspouts are not blocked, sloping landscaping away from the house, checking hoses for leaks, and being sure the sump pump is working. If you’re leaving home for a few days or longer, turn off the whole house water valve. Water problems can also come from frozen pipes, worn-out appliances, and leaks or breaks in water lines, roofs, windows and a home’s foundation. The company has state-of-the-art equipment such as thermal imaging cameras and moisture meters to determine water damage. Technicians use high-
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powered dehumidifiers and large air movers to reduce drying time in most cases to three days or less. By recording data on each damaged area, it can be determined what progress is being made and when the area is totally dried, eliminating the possibility of mold or other pathogenic growths from developing. For more information and to make an appointment, go to rockfordwaterdamage.com or call the Rockford office at (815) 398-2379. The Janesville location is at 2811 Milton Ave., and can be contacted at (608) 756-9300. ❚
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Love Above All W hen we’re treated very unfairly our natural reaction is to become angry and seek revenge. But God tells us to keep our emotions in check. Why? Because to let our emotions run amok is to risk behaving as badly as the person who offended us, or worse. And while we’re not responsible for the behavior of others, we are responsible for our own behavior, including our reactions. “Be angry and sin not,” states Ephesians 4:26. So what do we do? Stand passively by and suppress our anger? No. We actively pursue peace and resolution; we try our best to overcome evil with good. The pursuit of good should be our constant frame of reference, says the Apostle Paul. It should be our mentality and lifestyle. In Romans 12:9-21 (NIV) Paul writes to Christians living in Rome: “Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves ... Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.” [a positive thing in Paul’s culture]. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Such benevolence is easier said than lived … but God expects it anyway. Why? Because all of us are sinners; none of us deserves the great mercy God shows to us through Jesus Christ. To show others anything less than mercy is to hold God’s gift in contempt. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. ❚ – Janine Pumilia
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Carrot Cake – A Delicious Sweet Treat T
his recipe is a traditional take on a timeless classic and uses everyday ingredients. Find more dessert inspiration at Culinary.net.
Carrot Cake 2 1/4 1 1/2 1 1/2 1 1 1/4 3 1 1/2 1 juice 2/3
cups flour tsp. baking soda tsp. salt tsp. cinnamon tsp. baking powder cup vegetable oil cups sugar eggs cups carrots, shredded cup crushed pineapple with cup walnuts
Frosting: 2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 tsp. vanilla extract 5 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Heat oven to 350 F. In large bowl, sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and baking powder. In mixing bowl, cream together oil and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Gradually add in carrots and crushed pineapple. Add dry mixture to wet ingredients and beat until smooth. Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into two lightly greased 8-inch round cake pans and bake 25-30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cakes to cool completely. Remove cakes from pans and slice off tops to level cakes. To make frosting: In mixing bowl, cream together cream cheese, butter and vanilla. Gradually add in powdered sugar and mix until smooth. Spread two large spoonfuls frosting over top of one cake and stack second cake on top. Frost entire cake with
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remaining frosting. ❚ (Source: Family Culinary.net)
Features
and
Watch this video for tips on making your recipe easy! To view this video, simply: 1) Download the Blippar App on the App Store or Google Play 2) Open Blippar App (Hold Phone over Page) And Press ‘Tap to Scan’ Button to View.
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Now is the Moment. We Can Do It! By Peggy Werner and Janine Pumilia ing frenzy of activity. Some took advanhere’s probably never been a moment tage of the rare break to upgrade facilities in our region’s history when locally and make service to customers safer. owned businesses needed us all more. For all of them, one truth is constant: The impressive rebound of local business The more we support them, the better off ownership that we experienced over the all of us will be. past decade is under a triple threat from Businesses with fewer than 20 peothe pandemic, the economic shutdown it ple provide 98 percent of American jobs. caused and now social unrest. Saving those jobs is as easy as choosing If we want to hold on to a thriving a store, garage, salon, greenhouse, restaulocal identity, we need to get behind our rant or hardware store that’s owned by a local businesses now and reduce the perneighbor instead of a corporate chain. centage of dollars we spend online or If you feel uncomfortable going out at big-box stores and chain restaurants. because of the virus, you have options. Sure, times like these can make us feel “Many of our products are on our helpless. But we are not helpless. There website and we can deliver all of our are ways each of us can help to preserve products,” says Andrew Benson, presiour community’s vitality. dent of Benson Stone Co., 1100 11th St., Local businesses have experienced Rockford. “And our store is very large, so the COVID-19 economic shutdown in social distancing is definitely not a probwildly different ways. Many are finanlem. Our staff members wear masks when cially devastated. Others saw an exhaust-
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working with customers.” The store was only partially shut down, since it carries many products deemed by the state as “essential.” Benson took full advantage of the low-traffic interlude to improve the showroom. “We created a bunch of new bathroom tile mock-ups, finished a new fireplace display, updated our landscape displays and brought out some new furniture,” he says. The furniture department fully reopened in mid-May and is doing a brisk business, as are most departments. “It looks like people are more than ready to tackle those home improvement projects,” says Benson. Tim Kinney, general manager of Lincoln Rent-All, makes a similar observation. “With the food shortages, it seems
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like everyone has decided to put in a home garden,” he says. “And with people stuck at home, they’re finding there’s a lot they can do to have control over their lives and be productive.” The 15 rototillers he rents out have been in high demand as have other tools for home and garden improvement projects. Lincoln Rent-All has locations at 6625 E. Riverside Blvd. and 3110 Auburn St. Leila MacQueen, owner of Circle of Wellness, 3626 E. State St., a chiropractic wellness center, says she was in a state
of shock right after her business temporarily shut down due to the pandemic, but she decided to use the quiet time productively. She installed new computer software, purchased a core-strengthening machine and added an infusion center for high-grade supplements. She also opened her rehab center to the public and implemented stricter guidelines for cleanliness for staff. “As we begin to see the economy reopen, Circle of Wellness is making great efforts to assure patient and staff safety,” she says. “We all move too fast anyway, and sheltering in place was a good time to slow down, think about how to make use of the time, plan for the future and realize what’s really important in life.” As grocery store shelves emptied, lines formed outside Countryside Meats & Deli, 781 Highgrove Place. Owner Jarrod Bush says he welcomes a return to more normal behavior.
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“People are going crazy,” says Bush. “They go into stores and see empty shelves and they freak out. I made a lot of money, but it was at the expense of putting in a lot of long days and weeks that were very stressful. Enough is enough.” For every store that experienced an uptick in business, many more faced hardship. This is where we come in as a supportive community. It’s all about math. According to the Small Business Council, for every $100 spent locally, about $70 of local economic activity is returned, compared with $40 when we shop at a big-box or online store. Why? Because local businesses hire each other for services like accounting, web development, professional cleaning, legal help, marketing and more. Chain stores don’t. Shifting a higher percentage of our shopping and dining dollars to locally owned businesses is a sure way to “pull ourselves up by the bootstraps” – and no one else is going to do that for us. ❚
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Money-Saving Tip: Buy and Resell Tools By Peggy Werner f you’re looking for the right tool for the job and want to save money or make some money while reducing clutter, your new best friend might be Retool of Rockford, 3622 E. State St. The business buys, sells, and trades new and used tools. Owner Dave Stenberg is observing his 20th year in business and says Rockford is an ideal community for what he offers. “There are enough people who want to sell things and enough people who realize that secondhand tools are just as good as new ones, to keep me in business,” he says. He offers used tools at about half the price of the original retail cost and everything in the store has a 30-day warranty for parts and labor. He’ll also buy back what he sells for 60 percent of the cost. Many do-it-yourselfers and contrac-
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tors purchase expensive power tools and hand tools for a specific job only to use them once or twice and then put them away forever. By selling what you don’t need, to ReTool, you not only make space for what you do need, you also make money and help someone else get what they need at a discount, he says. The inventory includes hand tools, power tools and automotive tools as well as saws, bench grinders, drill presses, micrometers, calipers, levels, gauges, ladders, nail guns and much more. Within the past five years, ReTool has begun stocking new items, mainly cordless products. “Repairing a tool or machine is not cheap and is not always the best answer. Sometimes it costs more to fix something than to get another one,” he says.
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Stenberg has always worked in retail and enjoys helping people. “Part of the fun is helping people to find what they’re looking for because they know what they want to do, but don’t always know how to do it,” he says. ReTool is open from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon., Tues. and Thurs.; 9:30 a.m.5 p.m. Wed. and Fri.; and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call Dave at (815) 398-4900. ❚
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Mercyhealth on the Front Line of Pandemic By Chris Linden, executive editor
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ong before the first COVID-19 patients entered local hospitals, the team at Mercyhealth was preparing for a pandemic. Elective surgeries were placed on hold; hospital visitors were restricted; and physician appointments were moved online, when possible. “It’s quite striking to me that we have staff from our clinics who are willing to come into the hospital to help out if there’s a surge that’s beyond our typical capacity,” says Dr. John Dorsey, chief medical officer at Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital. “I’ve even had retired physicians calling to help out. People really want to do something.” There are many ways for the public to help speed along our recovery. Basic hygiene goes a long way. Wash your hands and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Social distancing and
wearing a mask in public can help you to avoid the respiratory droplets that spread this virus. Consider scheduling doctor appointments virtually, with tools like Mercyhealth’s Virtual Visit, which allows you to check in from a smartphone or computer. Mercyhealth’s Javon Bea Hospital, with two campuses in Rockford, offers two dedicated infection units and additional capacity, should the need arise. It’s important to remember that COVID-19 can affect anyone of any age, but is particularly harmful to people over 60 and those with underlying health conditions. Younger and healthier people shouldn’t be careless, says Dorsey. “What’s important for the public to know is that our ability to handle this pandemic is there,” he says. “But you have a great control over whether the surge happens. Everyone needs to take this serious-
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An Illinois Emergency Management Agency tent at Javon Bea Hospital on Riverside.
ly. The best treatment for this, right now, is social avoidance and personal responsibility, and making sure people adhere to these precautions. We’re here to help, but we’d rather you not need us because you did everything you could to prevent it.” A COVID-19 phone hotline, (833) 648-0057, is staffed by medical experts who can answer questions. A symptom checker is also available online at mercyhealthsystem.org. Mercyhealth maintains hospitals in Janesville, Walworth, Wis., Rockford and Harvard, Ill., and has several clinics in McHenry County. ❚
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Prevent Legal Headaches: Think Ahead By Janine Pumilia
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any adults are too young to remember the Terry Schiavo case that began in 1990, after Schiavo, age 26, suffered massive brain damage that left her in a persistent vegetative state. Her husband sought to remove her feeding tube, believing it’s what she would have wanted, but her parents fought him in court for 15 years. By the time her tube was removed, in 2005, the case had seen 14 appeals in Florida courts, five suits in federal district court and extensive involvement by the Florida legislature, Gov. Jeb Bush, the U.S. Congress and President George Bush. Even the Vatican got involved. This painful and expensive slugfest could have been avoided had Schiavo put her end-of-life wishes in writing before illness struck. But what 26-year-old thinks of doing that? “After that case, the living will be-
came a hot topic,” says attorney Jim Meason. “It’s a written directive to your doctor that details your desire regarding medical treatment if you’re no longer able to say it.” End-of-life planning isn’t just for the elderly, as Schiavo’s case proved. A sudden injury or illness can change anyone’s fate in a moment. In addition to preparing a living will, every adult should specify a power of attorney for healthcare decisions and for property. If you live in Illinois and your total assets, including your home, exceed $100,000 ($50,000 in Wisconsin), you should prepare a trust, says Meason. “Some advanced planning can prevent so much heartache and frustration for people you leave behind,” says Meason. “It doesn’t take long to do and is way less expensive and time-consuming than if your estate has to go through probate.”
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It’s easy to avoid thinking about endof-life issues. “None of us wants to deal with our mortality,” says Meason. “And really, a lot of people just aren’t used to paying for the professional services of an attorney. But my typical client is someone who knows someone who just went through a nightmare because someone else didn’t think ahead and left a mess behind for others to deal with.” Meason’s services include family law, estate planning, real estate, business law and environmental law. Find him at 113 N. Main St. in Rockton, Ill., go to measonlaw.com or call (815) 624-6517. ❚
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Patio Dining, Curbside Pickup at Baci’s Kitchen By Janine Pumilia
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s normalcy slowly returns to our region, Baci’s Kitchen is making 14 tables available for patio dining. Each table seats up to five people and it’s a good idea to reserve one in advance, says Nikko Castrogiovanni, owner. “Our 6 and 7 p.m. time slots for tonight are already reserved,” he said last Friday morning. But with meals served daily and all day long, you’ll be able to secure a table with a little advanced planning. “I’ve updated our menu with items like new calzones, pizzas, protein bowls and breakfast sandwiches,” he says. The new menu is posted at baciskitchen. com. Children 12 and younger eat free for breakfast or lunch Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Baci’s has done a brisk curbside pickup service throughout the shutdown and will continue to offer it. You’ll receive a 15 percent discount when you
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ask for it while ordering a curbside pickup lunch. Try a $10 bottle of house wine or a $12 6-pack of beer. Receive 25 percent off all specialty bottles with pickup orders. Specialty coffees and smoothies are available curbside, too. Local restaurant owners hope to see indoor dining resume by the end of June, says Castrogiovanni. “It won’t be exactly like before because we’ll have guidelines for less density,” he says. Baci means “kiss” in Italian. Castrogiovanni opened his spacious and bright, contemporary restaurant in 2016, after learning the restaurant business from his father, Nick, and working in Las Vegas professional kitchens, where he reveled in the creativity of cooking. Weekly specials include a 14 oz. New York strip steak topped with garlic herb butter and served with mashed potatoes and gravy or mostaccioli for $19;
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Halibut, grilled and topped with mango salsa and served with broccoli, zucchini and carrots, for $27; and Chicken Florentine, grilled chicken topped with mushroom sauce and spinach, served on fettuccine with garlic olive oil, for $14.95. Baci’s Kitchen is back to its normal hours of 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Call (815) 329-6922 to reserve a table on the patio or to order curbside pickup. Find the menu at baciskitchen.com. ❚
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