Like puzzles? Then you’ll love sudoku. This mind-bending puzzle will have you hooked from the moment you square off, so sharpen your pencil and put your sudoku savvy to the test! Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!
CLUES ACROSS
1. This regulates cortisol production (abbr.)
5. People of northern Vietnam
8. Employee stock ownership plan
12. Regions
14. The center of a city
15. Hindu serpentine deity
16. Roared
18. Sun up in New York
19. “Sir” in Malaysian 20. Shrimp dish 21. Muckraker Tarbell
22. Apex 23. Harmonic effects
26. One of Babe Ruth’s nicknames
30. Groups in organic chemistry
31. More pleasant-tasting
32. Spring forward
33. Noted writer
34. Building occupied by monks
39. “The world’s most famous arena”
42. Colorless liquid hydrocarbon
44. Long or fast speech
46. Things you can eat
47. Substance in which magnetic moments are not aligned
49. Actor Idris
50. I (German)
51. Taxes
56. Indonesian island
57. Nuisance (slang)
58. Shawl
59. Digits
60. Moved on foot quickly
61. “For goodness __”
62. Facial body part
63. Russian river
64. Urinates
CLUES DOWN
1. Partner to “oohs”
2. Scaly water dweller
3. Pueblo people of New Mexico
4. Music producer Teo
5. Greek mythological goddess
6. Got together to discuss
7. Acquires
8. Involve
9. Some are tomato-based
10. Old Irish alphabets
11. A sheet of glass in a window or door
13. Blood poisoning
17. A moon of Saturn
24. Neither 25. Sums
26. They follow “A”
27. Satisfaction
28. People of southeastern Burma
29. Small amount
35. Guy (slang)
36. Sound unit
37. Midway between northeast and east
38. Affirmative
40. Almost at the top
41. Extremely slow
42. Pearl Jam’s debut album
43. Influential mid-century playwright
44. Martens
45. Approval
47. Dallas-adjacent Texas city
48. African nation
49. Dark brown or black
52. A place to get caught
53. Large-headed, elongated fish
54. Type of sword
55. Scottish tax or levy
VIEWPOINT
Shards of grief, like sea glass
I’ve written much on grief. In writing class they tell you to write what you know, but this isn’t why I’ve written about the subject. I’ve felt compelled. Driven to do so, in an attempt to share my hard-fought knowledge and maybe, perhaps, help others to understand a nonunderstandable topic – to create order from chaos. To bring clarity from the fog. To communicate about the uncomfortable.
So I write what I know. And wish I didn’t know.
I wish I weren’t an expert on the topic. But I can only grow and live through my experiences, and one of the most transforming ones in my life so far has been grief.
Writing about it is hard. It hurts. Even now. But I think it is important. For sure for me, but hopefully also for others who are struggling with the same painful void that comes from losing someone dear. I hope maybe it helps, to know others (like me) struggle to breathe and still continue to survive.
In that, I hope you will allow me an analogy.
Grief is like sea glass. Both start out as something completely fractured and broken. Simply shards – pieces of nothing that used to be something.
The edges are sharp and hurtful. They can cut in an instant without the recipient even realizing it happened until the blood is overflowing and the pain is unbearable.
At this stage, grief isn’t pretty. It is most often ugly. Shattered. Fragmented. Splintered. Nearly destroyed and unusable.
Much like broken glass.
In the midst of its brokenness, unusable and destroyed glass (just garbage at this point) is carelessly tossed aside, into the waters of the ocean,
By JILL PERTLER Columnist
and becomes an unwilling participant in the tide. In that it is pummeled and tumbled by the sands and the shells and the sea – over and over and over as the tide moves in and out and in again.
During this process, the glass is transformed –magically and miraculously so. Slowly. Gradually. Painstakingly. On the atomic level – one shard at a time. One wave at a time.
Edges, once sharp and hurtful become rounded, soft and gently curved. A bright and shiny surface becomes muted, matte and frosted.
And somehow, to the naked eye, this new look is revered. The sands of time take the sharp, broken and ordinary glass and transform it into something beautiful. And that’s not all – the sea water and sand chemically alters the glass. It is transformed, on a cellular level, into something it never could have dreamed of being before.
A similar transformation comes from deep grief. Upon impact, it cuts you to the quick. But over time, the jagged edges become smoother, soft even. It transforms you on a cellular level to something you could have never dreamed of being before.
Mind you, this change, while good in a number of ways, is not something you ever would have chosen. You still long to be a beer bottle or vase or wine glass. You still long to be intact. But that is no longer possible, because somewhere you were broken
Weekly connection
The blessing of horses and ponies
A few years ago, I bought a pony and also a mini horse for the grandkids to enjoy. I never really was around horses or ponies much, but I figured… how hard can it be to take care of a couple more animals? To be honest, it hasn’t been that hard, but it has been a learning experience, to say the least. One thing I have learned is how unlike cows the horses are in so many ways. First, horses and ponies are wired to be friends with humans. It’s been put in their DNA by God to want to connect with a human and become friends. Now every once in a while, a cow with a very friendly disposition will tolerate a human patting them on the neck and scratching their foreheads, but for the most part that is not in the nature of cows.
By SCOTT CERNEK Columnist
When I first got my pony and mini horse, I was afraid to turn them loose on the pasture because I assumed it would take three or four adults to round them up when the grandkids came over to ride them. Well, that was not how it worked at all. In fact, they wouldn’t let me herd them at all. Instead, I just walked right up to them with the halter in my hand and they let me put it right over their heads and lead them away. Now, to you horse people out there you are probably laughing
and thinking how silly this might sound. Well, when a person grows up around all the other kinds of livestock, they have no idea about how different and gentle a horse is compared to the others.
A few days ago, I noticed that my mini horse’s hooves were getting quite long and so I walked out to the pasture and gently put the halter on her and started leading her in to the barn. When my pony noticed, he came running over and wanted to come too. So, I haltered him up as well and led them both into the barn for some hoof trimming. I had seen the farrier do the job a few times and I had watched a couple YouTube demonstrations and so I decided to give it a try myself. I started with the back feet and lifted each
leg up and trimmed off the excess. Again, I was just amazed at how patient these animals are when a person is working around their feet with hoof trimming shears. Whenever a cow needed a hoof trimmed it was a huge chore to get the cow in a headlock and then lift the leg up with a rope and tie it to an I-beam or rafter. The cow would tend to kick and struggle, but a horse will just let a person lift that leg right up in the air without any ropes and trim away until the job is done. I have even seen videos of these great big Belgium workhorses having their feet lifted up by some little person and then worked on without any struggle whatsoever.
See WEEKLY, Page 4
• Slices
(Continued from page 3)
by grief and thrown into the tide and in that something unexpectedly beautiful – and beyond your own control –occurred. And even though you never would have chosen it, and still wouldn’t choose it now, you accept it. It has become a part of you
•
LARGE LIVE PUBLIC AUCTION
SATURDAY, JAN. 25 • RUNNING TWO RINGS! Lunch by: Moni • 9 A.M. • Comfort Station Available
LOCATION: Boone Co. Fairgrounds, 8847 IL Rt. 76, Belvidere, IL 61008. VEHICLES, ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, HOUSEHOLD, YARD, TOOLS & MISC. VEHICLES TO BE SOLD AT 11 A.M. SHARP!
OWNERS: I. Dye, S. Velaquez, B. Backe, A. Dawley, R. Hanson, C. & M. Cunningham. TERMS: See website.
LEE AUCTION SERVICE Belvidere, IL 61008 - Cell # 815-988-0249
AUCTIONEER: LYLE LEE, IL State License #440.000200 / WI #2863-52 CLERKS & CASHIERS: LEE AUCTION SERVICE
Visit our website at www.leeauctionservice.com for terms and check out AuctionLook.com or AuctionZip.com for pictures and more information.
TWO ONLINE AUCTIONS
Both Hack’s locations • Hacksauction.hibid.com ‘Hack’s
Winter Antique Auction’
OPENS: SATURDAY, JAN. 25 at 8 A.M.
PREVIEW: SATURDAY, JAN. 25, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Hacks Antique Center II: 440 W. Third St., Pecatonica, IL
Featuring Stoneware Incl. Eastern Salt Glaze, Western, Red Wing, Monmouth, Etc.; Art Pottery –Van Briggle, Roseville, Red Wing, Etc.; Sleepy Eye Collection; C.I. Banks & Toys; DeKalb Seed & Chicago Stock Yard Adv.; Adv. Crates; Antiques; Primitives; Country Store; Art Work; Furniture; Fine China & Glassware Incl. Sets Candlewick, Tea Leaf, Hall’s Autumn Leaf, Peach Lustre, Fire King Coppertint, Cat Tails, Fry Ovenglas, Stangl; Much More!
‘Antique
Pocket Watch and Jewelry Auction’
OPENS: SUNDAY, JAN. 26 at 8 A.M.
PREVIEW: SUNDAY, JAN. 26, 9 A.M. to 2 P.M.
Hacks Antique Auction Center: 400 W. Third St., Pecatonica, IL
Featuring The Richard A. Sunko Estate of Lanark, IL – Extensive & Quality Pocket Watch Collection. Hundreds of Fine Rockford-Illinois-Hampden-Elgin-Washington-American WalthamHamilton-South Bend-French-Other Makers-Railroad-Key Wind-Jeweled-Gold & Silver; Watch Cases & Parts; Watch Makers Tools & Precision Accessories; Vintage Wrist Watches; Pocket Watch Fob Collection Incl. Adv. – Chains; Gold & Sterling Silver Jewelry-Rings-Precious StonesDiamonds; Many Other Old Pocket Watch Related Items.
and that will never change. You realize it is how you were meant to be all along. That this transformation was planned all along. And as hard as it is and was, you know and understand that sea glass is beautiful in its own right. And you
Weekly (Continued from page 3)
My dad never wanted a horse around because it didn’t have a useful function on the farm for making a monetary profit. What I have learned is that they are a very useful animal for teaching a person about God’s unique creative power. A horse is almost human in many ways, and it definitely brings a type of comfort and peace as the relationship between it and its owner grows.
In Revelation 19:11 we read, “Then I saw heaven
opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.”
We are told a little further in that passage that following behind Jesus on His white horse will be the armies of heaven on their own horses.
Verse 14 says, “The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen, followed Him on white horses.” Those armies of heaven are you and I if we
long and hope for the same transformation for yourself.
Jill Pertler is an awardwinning syndicated columnist, published playwright and author. Don’t miss a slice; follow the Slices of Life page on Facebook.
are believers, the bride of Christ, the church, which He will have raptured to be with Him during the sevenyear Tribulation. We are waiting for that day when the trumpet sounds and we are caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord in the air (I Thessalonians 4:17-18).
I can’t wait to have my own white steed to ride at the side of Jesus when He comes to rule and reign.
Until next week, God bless!
Page 2 puzzle answers
MOBILE LIFT SALES AND SERVICE
FORKLIFTS: Clark LP 4,000 lb. forklift, Toyota 4,000 lb. with side
approx 6’ lift Onan powered, large selection of forks.
CRANE: Brodereson IC-80-ID 8 ton carry deck.
TRAILERS: Spyder transport trailer, 6’ x 12’ 7,000# tilt bed trailer, 6’ 8’ tilt bed, 8’ x 12’ homemade trailer.
WELDERS: Millermatic wire welder, Lincoln Pro Core 135, Lincoln Pro Mig 135, Lincoln Weld Pak 100 HD.
TOOLS/EQUIPMENT: Lowe hydraulic auger with bits and forklift & skid loader mounts, Emglo portable Honda powered compressor, electric/ hydraulic pipe bender, power hacksaw, Bridgeport model 110, drill presses, Famco 12 ton ratcheting arbor press, paint shaker, parts washers, Atlas 2 post car lift, AaLadin hot water pressure washer, chain break, Onan generator, numerous DeWalt cordless, Milwaukee power tools, multiple Binks paint guns and equipment, large heavy duty steel fab tables, tool boxes, Coats tire machine.
SMALL ENGINES/ENGINE PARTS: 20+ small engines including numerous Onan twin cylinder, numerous Kohler twin cylinder, Honda twin cylinder, Kubota diesels, huge assortment of NEW Onan/Kohler/Kubota small engine parts.
MISC.: large selection of hardware, hydraulic hose fittings, chains, chain couplings, electric motors new and used, large flammables cabinets, chains, tie down straps, large selection of wire, HUGE selection of steel stock, heavy duty rolling industrial carts, metal shelving, Lawson parts organizers (loaded), shipping materials, hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic repair kits,
WHEELS/TIRES: NEW & USED skid loader/Spyder tires, lawn and garden tires, trailer tires, new and used rims.
AUCTIONEER’S NOTE: This is a very partial listing.
We
seeking a Part-Time Advertising Sales Representative to serve new and current clients in our Belvidere market. If you like a fast-paced environment and enjoy a challenge, this is the opportunity for you! For immediate consideration send resume /job history to: Vicki Vanderwerff, Director of Advertising Email: vicki@southernlakesnewspapers.com Fax: (262) 725-6844
VAN DRIVERS NEEDED. Must be hard working, reliable and customer service oriented individuals that can provide world-class service experience in a positive and compassionate manner. Drivers must demonstrate a high level of resourcefulness and flexibility. Must be professional with excellent communication skills. Contact ryanshmaltz@gmail.com for more details. 466677
Help Wanted
EXTENSION ECUCATOR, 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS EXTENSION is seeking an individual to provide educational leadership for program delivery in Boone, DeKalb and Ogle Counties. Master’s Degree is required. full-time, benefits eligible. Deadline: 6PM Feb. 5. For more information, call 815-732-2191. EEO Employer.
Announcements
CLASSIFIED IN-COLUMN ADS cannot be credited or refunded after the ad has been placed. Ads canceled before deadline will be removed from the paper as a service to our customers, but no credit or refund will be issued to your account.
DISCLAIMER NOTICE This publication does not knowingly accept fraudulent or deceptive advertising. Readers are cautioned to thoroughly investigate all ads, especially those asking for money in advance.
Burial Needs
7 CEMETERY PLOTS Willing to sell as a group or individually. Located at Roselawn Memory Gardens 3045 WI-67, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. This is a private sale. Contact Randy, the seller at randy@slpublishers.com.
Misc. For Sale
CORVETTE TRAILER HITCH VALLEY 368 B Fits 1963 - 1967. $25.00. 815-624-7214.
Wanted to Buy
I BUY OLD STEREO EQUIPMENT Vacuum Tubes & Testers, Large & Small Speakers, Records. Rick 815-871-2538.
Automobiles
V-6
Automobiles Wanted
FOR YOUR FULL SIZE JUNK TRUCKS & SUV’s. HAUL AWAY 7 DAYS A WEEK! CALL 262-758-1807.
