CHACONIAC's Blog

Greetings all:

Hope you are making the best of these glorious days. Have been out working in my garden and watching the birds go by. Saturday was thrilling, spent a morning at Montrose point near the Magic Hedge and was not disappointed. The hedges were lousy with yellow warblers, also saw ovenbirds, veerys, blue-gray gnatcatcher, red-winged blackbirds, baltimore orioles, white-crowned sparrows...the place was a tangle of birdsong and whirring wings. Lots of people with binoculars, parents teaching their kids, just a lovely scene.

Back in the garden the early tulips and daffodils are starting to fade, muscari holding on, allium and parrot tulips coming in. Got a new weeping pussywillow for the deck, the clematis and astilbe made it back for another year, and my trowel isn't sharp enough to break up the grasses and hostas. I'll be looking for some new tools at Costco.

Peas and beans are sprouting, hot peppers and tomatoes happy in their containers, the arugula and herbs growing vigorously, and the pansies are nodding their happy faces in baskets and on the deck.

These days the sun comes up early and forces me out of bed...when I go for a short run it turns into a long one...and I feel like I'm surfing a great wave of energy and optimism. Good things are coming, to the garden and the kitchen, and to those of us willing to look for brightly feathered creatures flying through our town.

Go out and play!

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

Tonight's story on the Kids Off The Block is one of those pieces that really hit me in the heart. These young people struggle against such overwhelming obstacles...and yet they keep hanging onto their dreams. The day they stop dreaming we are all in deep trouble.  But I'm afraid these kids won't live to make their dreams happen.

Marches are not going to help stem this tide of bloodshed.

Every one of these kids mentioned over-crowded schools and overwhelmed teachers as a factor in their inability to learn.

 They said they need after-school programs and sports activities to keep them busy and burn off energy. They need work programs and music and art and culture.

They also crave adult attention and guidance.They need grownups to show them how to act, how to think, how to go to work and take responsibility. They need adults to teach them how to think about consequences and make critical decisions. But so many of them have been abandoned by parents with their own problems, and no time to raise their own children.

That's where people like Diane Latiker come in...people who listen and love and mentor the kids who've been left to raise themselves.  I'm so glad we were able to take the time to listen to her and her kids...and let them tell their story, each in his or her own voice. It's something we don't do often enough on television news.

Thanks for letting us in, and thanks to our viewers for paying attention.

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

Have been trying to get outside as much as possible (on my own time, not those brutal live shots) but spring seems stubborn in coming and at least a couple of weeks late. The garden is definitely behind schedule, I have not so much as a crocus! But out on the rivers and lakes the waterfowl are on the move.

Spent the weekend near the Rock River and saw thousands of birds in awe-inspiring strings and flocks. At least half a dozen bald eagles, rafts of diving ducks like canvasback, merganser, redheads, scaups, and those adorable buffleheads. Also great blue herons, redbreasted nuthatches, robins and chickadees.

Here in the city I like to jog along the lakefront and come back around North Pond: there has been a beaver living there but I have never seen him when I take a camera. Wood ducks are already nesting. Also mute swans on Diversey Harbor. Swans!

I find these persistent acts of nature in the heart of the city just thrilling.

But here's a sad note. The falconer who was featured in a story I did on hawk migration last fall was targeted by thieves. His lovely goshawk was stolen 2 weeks ago from his backyard. He put an alert out to falconers across the country so the thief was unable to sell the bird...it was probably released back into the wild. He says he's okay with that, but he's lost a fierce and beautiful animal.

Go out and play, and if you can, take some binoculars. You can't see if you won't look!

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

I've just returned from an early press briefing at Obama's Hyatt headquarters. It's so cowded the Fire Marshals are checking credentials. Reporters from every corner of the planet are setting up to cover an historic race for the American Presidency. As you drift through the room you can hear a variety of accents. The early spin coming from the Obama camp is 'don't expect too much'...that way we'll all be pleasantly surprised if he continues to tighten this race. Of course he'll carry Illinois...but how close can he get to Hillary in California? Has he started too late trying to woo the Latino vote? None of these questions matter to rapturous supporters who want to be in the room so they can witness history. We'll be there and will continue to post updates.

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

Television stations around the city are gearing up for the February 2009 debut of high definition broadcast. And personally I think this may not be such a great idea. Certainly not for me...I want low definition, nothing much beyond two glistening eyes and a smear of pinkish pout. And Hi Def may not be so good for you viewers. There are things you do not need to see...the damage done by immoderate sunbathing...the nose-cicles growing during a winter weather liveshot. These things are horrifying to consider and even worse to observe. There are merciful reasons our eyesight begins to fade just as body parts sag and drift in unappealing ways. I see no good reason to fight nature's plan with technology. Are you with me here? Just say "No Def".

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

Just a note on our story tonight about the 19-year-old girl stuck in Mexico.

I am fortunate to be the daughter of parents who came to this country from other countries and always played by the rules. But I cannot imagine the heartbreak and disorientation of being separated from my family, and being forced to stay in a country that was for all intents and purposes a foreign country.

Should the sins of the parent be visited upon the child? In this case both parents are legal United States residents...the father is a U-S born citizen who adopted the girl when she was 8...the mother applied for and was granted U.S. citizenship in 2002.

There are tens of thousands of young people caught in a similar legal limbo...they came here illegally so young they don't even speak their parents' native language. Most of them don't realize they are in trouble until they try to get their driver's permits. Others are unable to continue on to college because they lack legal documentation.

Should we just abandon an entire generation of immigrant kids? Should we ship them back to countries they never knew, to people they don't even recognize? I know many of you feel that's exactly what we should do...but my heart says it's much too harsh a solution to a situation in which they had they had no choice.

I guess life is like that...luck of the draw.

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

A week ago I shared an extraordinary story with you, about trapping and releasing birds of prey. I just wanted to write about some of the background that didn't fit into the story.

It was incredible to be so close to these hawks, to see their glittering eyes and and meat-tearing beaks and razor-sharp talons. Most of us see them circling in the skies above, or perched on telephone poles, so this was as up close and personal as it gets.

Rob Sulski is one of several scientists and volunteers who were taking part in the project. He's a licensed raptor rehabber and also a longtime falconer. That means he keeps hawks, and practices the ancient art of flying a hawk from his fist.

His hands are scarred from his many encounters with wild hawks, and he says the talons are the business end of these birds, even though their beaks look like can openers.

Despite their formidable equipment 1/2 of all hawks die during their first year...another half die before sexual maturity. Predation is a difficult endeavour, and requires a tremendous investment of energy for the hungry hawk... too many misses and the bird gets weak...and sometimes what they're trying to eat fights back, and injures them. They are also very susceptible to West Nile virus, and scientists are studying them to see how some resist and survive.

In our area there are some redtail hawks and snowy owls that'll stick around for winter, bald eagles will stay as long they can find open water and fish. Most of the rest of the raptors are headed for warmer climes

Take a look at some of the pictures from that day, and you can also check links to see what birders are seeing around Chicago.

Click here to watch a recent story about hawks.

There's always something that makes the binoculars worthwhile.

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

What a bittersweet time of year for all of us gardeners. The days grow short and the harvest is in, the plants we've nurtured so lovingly since May begin to fail, their colors fade and their blossoms wilt. 

Certainly there is something in the cycles we see in our gardens that remind us of our own mortality. The Bible says "to everything there is a season," and it helps to remember that the season that brings a killing frost also brings promise, especially in the way of bulb catalogs. Page after page that offer nodding daffodils and exuberant tulips, sweet-smelling hyacinth and even sweeter lilies...more flowers than I could possibly fit in my postage stamp garden.  

What an act of defiance it is to stick things in the ground when it will soon be frozen solid and covered with snow. And how those first tender green shoots of crocus give us the strength to carry on through Chicago's miserable weather, knowing better days are on the way.

 It helps us face the winter when we know we've planted something beautiful for the future.

Regards,

Lilia

Hello everyone:

Craig Wall's recent story on an escaped snake reminded me of my own misadventures with a reptilian pet. When I was in high school I had a lovely 4-foot snake, a South American reticulated boa constrictor. It was a good-natured animal that subsisted on a diet of a live mouse every week or two. At some point the local pet store caught on to why I was routinely coming in to buy a single mouse...and they refused to sell me anymore. Being a resourceful child I managed to trap a wild field mouse, a little brown creature. But when I tossed the wild mouse in with the snake...the mouse beat the stuffing out of the snake! When I checked back a few minutes later I found the snake curled up in a corner with bleeding scratches! This critter had fought valiantly and I set him free. But the snake had been permanently traumatized...after that he would not touch any mouse that had even a hint of brown on him...he associated the brown ones with food that fought back.

The snake was quite the escape artist too...I once found him after weeks on the lam, curled up inside a stereo speaker. Eventually he got away and disappeared for good at a friend's house...my pal was supposed to be watching him while I was on vacation and forgot to put the brick on top of the cage. After that their cleaning lady carried a golf club and insisted on wearing shin guards for months...she eventually quit. The snake never did turn up.

Here's to the many creatures great and small that we have loved...and lost.

Lilia

Greetings all:

The strongest reactions to the teenaged driving story was not from young people, it was from parents.

They told me that the hardest thing they had ever done was to send a child out to solo with his or her new drivers license.  These are parents who spent months of seat time next to their teens, watching their reactions and judgments...letting them rack up experience and watching what kind of mistakes they made. They told me that the most frightening thing was that, even after weeks of careful and competent driving, their teen would suddenly pull a bonehead move that defied explanation.

Every parent I talked to is convinced that teenaged brains are just different, half-baked, still in the process of building important neurological pathways...and apparently subject to occasional hiccups.  These new laws are aimed at getting those hiccups out of the way before they turn into disastrous wrecks.

Another note: one father of 6 said his kids have widely varying degrees of driving aptitude...and even with the same levels of instruction there are people who simply are never going to be good drivers. How's that for scary?

One of the best ideas I've seen is in a story I did a few months back called "Crash-Proofing Your Teenager".  Driving instructors at the Autobahn Racetrack in Joliet have a program that puts young people through skidding maneuvers, emergency braking and obstacle avoidance...all in a safe and controlled environment.  They say getting comfortable with the way cars respond to snow, ice or hard braking or steering can save lives.

I happen to have been one of those kids that loved driving from the get-go...always the kid in charge of driving the rest of the group... had a good sense of direction, knew where I was, enjoyed the mechanics of driving and have never lost the joy of it. I hope your kid is the same way.

Regards,

Lilia

Greetings all:

It's certainly midsummer and that's bringing a veritable avalanche of produce to my humble garden...the first wave of tomatoes is coming on line, the sweet pear-shaped yellow ones. This year I also planted Romas and some mystery seeds from Florence Italy that are yielding large corrugated fruits but nothing red yet. The last of the greenbeans and peas will get picked this week. I like to steam them for 2-3 minutes and then dunk them in ice water...they stay green and crunchy...and I toss them with some of the fabulous lettuce I still have, including arugula,  and some tuna or salmon. Yum.

See photo below: a garden lunch with the last of the legumes and the first of the tomatoes.

As promised, here is the recipe for roasted tomatoes with garlic and onions. It was originally clipped from the Chicago Tribune October 2003, but it's easily  modified by adding whatever's available in the garden. You can add zucchini or squash or even eggplant, green or hot peppers and make soup or sauces.

ROASTED TOMATOES WITH GARLIC AND ONIONS:

2 pounds small Roma tomatoes or medium tomatoes, seeded, about 4 cups. (I like to make a small x on the butt end, then dunk them in boiling water, pull the skins off and squeeze out seeds and excess juice).

1 sweet onion, diced

1 clove garlic minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (a little brown sugar adds a mellow zing)

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (I use home-grown hot peppers)

freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, sugar, salt, red pepper and black pepper in a single layer in 9 x 13 Pyrex dish.

Bake uncovered, stirring a few times, until juices have reduced and mixture is thick and fragrant, about 1 hour.

The resulting paste is easily frozen (I just pour it into baggies) and provides a surprising taste of summer in the heart of Chicago winter.

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My friends are already asking for invites to dinner featuring home-grown tomato soup!

Regards, Lilia

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy;
      they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom."
Marcel Proust

I've had the most amazing visitor in my garden of late: a one-legged robin has been eating centipedes and worms in my little garden. He doesn't seem to have any trouble catching food, altho when he tries to fly he's a bit slow on the lift-off. But the most amazing thing is he balances on my bird bath and sings his heart out. I look out at him while I'm drinking my coffee in the morning and it makes me think there's a life lesson in all of this. If a one-legged robin can find something to sing about most of haven't got reason to complain.

I'VE GOT TWO NEW PHOTOS OF THIS AMAZING LITTLE BIRD, WHO IS APPARENTLY OBLIVIOUS TO HIS OWN DISABILITY!

In other garden news, I planted lettuce from seed in with some of the annuals and it looks fantastic...all bushy and green and so...ebullient. It tastes so good too, especially the arugula. Also have peas and string beans so I make myself a healthy home-grown salad for lunch.  I am such a farmer! I'm going to change my W-2 tax form and apply for some subsidies. The homegrown flavors are just so much more intense than anything in the supermarket. The tomatoes should be coming on line soon. They start slow and then there's too many to eat or even share. That's when I break out a recipe for slow-roasting them with onions and garlic and olive oil. It makes a great soup or sauce, and I promise to share.

Regards,

Lilia

What a thrilling weekend for birdwatching! Everything is coming through town...following their ancient urges through our modern landscape. Here's a partial tally of sightings at North Pond: lots of indigo buntings...if you've never seen one it is a small but insanely blue bird. Also, flocks of american redstarts, with bright salmon wing patches and a nervous way of fluttering before they land. Myrtle warblers, black and white warblers, white-crowned sparrows, white-throated sparrows, kinglets, song sparrows...and lots ducklings trailing after mom.

Go out and play!

Lilia

I'm a gardener and a birdwatcher and this is my favorite time of year. The tulips and daffodils, hyacinth and muscari are bursting forth in my garden, and the birds are rioting in the bushes. North Pond and the Magic Hedge at Montrose Beach are my favorite spots to spot migrating birds. Here's a partial talley of recent visitors: Rufous-sided towhees, hermit thrushes, brown creepers, fox sparrows, belted kingfishers, bufflehead ducks, wood ducks, pie-billed grebes, coots and black-crowned night herons. Two of the herons are nesting on North Pond, several more are roosting on South Pond in Lincoln Park Zoo. I think it's just thrilling that wild things continue to follow their ancient rhythms right here in the heart of the city. It's a powerful reminder that we're part of nature and nature sustains us too.

Go out and play!

Regards, Lilia

My dad has a saying: "se tiene que cuidar la maquina"...in Spanish it means "you gotta take care of the machine". He used to say it when I was a teenager and he thought I was driving his cars too hard. But it also applies to how we take care of ourselves. This winter I've learned a couple new tricks that help keep me running.

I'm a morning person by nature, but I've worked nights for a decade. On top of that  my bio-rhythms get out of whack during the winter, what the doctors call "seasonal affect disorder". Typically what happens as soon as the days get shorter, as early as October,  I start waking up later and later and then have trouble getting to sleep at night. I'm groggy and irritable during the day and have trouble focusing.

But not this year! I started using a full-spectrum light. It's a bright desklamp with a reflector: you can find them for sale on the Internet, about $150. During the short days of winter I wake up and sit in front of it and read the paper and drink my coffee, for about a half an hour. It helps me wake up in a good mood, and when bedtime rolls around I'm ready to crash.  It's really made a difference and has taken some of the misery out of our long winters. (It's also really good for doing your nails: you can see everything!)

The other good news is I rarely get sick. I do take good care of myself, eat right and get regular exercise, and I'm a genius at getting enough sleep. I can nap at the drop of a hat,  just 10 minutes to shake the grogginess, and I wake up alert and frisky. (don't tell my boss). I haven't been sick in a long time, and here's what I think helps. At the first sign of a cold coming on I go to bed, and start taking Airborne, that fizzy vitamin immune booster you see advertised on late night t.v.  I take it every 4 to 6 hours and by the next morning I'm feeling 100%. I think it really works, and for insurance I take zinc lozenges too. I might miss one day of work (rarely) but I never get laid out for a week, and no one else gets my germs.

These are some of the things that really seem to work for me. If you've got any more ideas please feel free to share...we can't be too healthy!

Regards,

Lilia