Janet Rossi was known for more than just her writing skill
The place where most people heard her wonderful piano playing is the appropriate site for Friday night's memorial service for longtime local columnist Janet Rossi, who passed away last week.
In all the years I knew Janet, I must confess I never heard her play. It was an opportunity lost, as she invited me on more than one occasion to concerts at Fox Valley Presbyterian in Geneva, where her service will be held.
I have heard plenty of rave reviews about her skills as a pianist, but a comment from Vern Oie, a longtime participant with Janet in the old Playmakers shows, illustrated her unique talent.
Oie recalls one time when he was about to perform with Janet, who lived in St. Charles, and he was concerned about the key in which she would be playing.
"She told me to start singing and then she would just play in whatever key I was singing in," Oie said. "As a performer, you really appreciate that, and not many musicians could do that."
Hide gas-guzzlers: The thought of cruising across country in an RV has always had a certain appeal, but how can anyone stomach filling one up with gas these days?
More importantly, it seems they are a hassle to "hide" on your property because no one wants to see an RV in the front of a home in their neighborhood. That's why cities have ordinances about parking them out of eyesight, especially during the winter months.
Summer addiction: So what bad habit did I develop this summer? I became addicted to Chocolate Extreme blizzards at Dairy Queen. Have you had one? Be careful. They are hard to stay away from.
Familiar PGA name: Area golfers and golf fans were quick to mention to me that golf pro Jim Estes, a former Geneva resident and a player sponsored by Tour Edge golf out of St. Charles, was listed among those in this year's PGA tournament.
His name hadn't come up in a while, so I checked in with Tour Edge to see if he still had their clubs in his bag.
"Jim moved out of the area, and he's not playing as much as he used to, so we've kind of lost touch with him," said Jay Hubbard, vice president of marketing at Tour Edge.
But the golf club company has another local golfer making waves in the pro ranks with their clubs, as Kevin Streelman of Winfield recently finished fourth at the Barclays event.
Cards for the mind: How our minds work for us and against us is indeed an interesting field of study. And it made a news release from DeMask Marketing in Batavia worth mentioning because it informs us of a deck of inspirational cards designed to help people recovering from eating disorders.
Bonnie Buratto, a clinical professional counselor with clients throughout Kane County, created the cards for therapists to use, or for those engaged in fighting an eating disorder.
The cards cover topics such as hunger/full cues, body image, journaling, and 'good job' as reminders and support for users.
The card deck is available online at www.transformology.biz.
dheun@sbcglobal.net