Husband, wife tag-team to get rid of pest

With my last two columns being strictly related to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, it’s time to catch up on some notes or comments readers recently passed along regarding items that previously appeared in “Talk of the Town.”

Those wild animals: Stories swirled through my neighborhood regarding information I shared about the sick coyote parking himself in my neighbor’s backyard. I mentioned that people who encounter wild animals in or near their homes should contact the county animal control, the local police and then aldermen if the problem is not resolved.Turns out, another neighbor had a tricky situation with a squirrel camping out in the home#146;s attic. Apparently, they had heard that loud music scares squirrels, so they blasted #147;Born to be Wild#148; at a high volume in the house. The wife went outside to see if the squirrel would leave, while the husband also screamed #147;Get out!#148; at the top of his lungs just in case the music wasn#146;t enough. The funny twist? It was early in the morning, and the wife was outside in her pajamas, leaving her to wonder what the neighbors thought of her standing outside while her husband screamed, #147;Get out!#148;The happy ending? The squirrel apparently had seen and heard enough of this nonsense, and left that ranch behind. The exit allowed the husband to patch the squirrel#146;s entry hole into what had been its attic paradise.Books and coffee: In making a comment that some key coffee shops had closed in Batavia, I wondered out loud where Batavians would get their morning coffee fix.Michele Martzel, promotional services coordinator at the Batavia Public Library, quickly reminded me the library has a great coffee shop. It#146;s not likely most people would make a quick pit stop at the library on their way to work just for a cup of coffee, but they might. Plus, it#146;s not a bad idea to visit the library and try the coffee when you have a chance.Thoughts on pants: Sometimes an item in this column simply shares my odd observations about things we all encounter. When I mentioned it seemed as if a man on a mission to buy a new pair of slacks needs a degree in physics to figure out the various codes and styles of pants these days, it triggered a few responses.The best came from Carolyn Zinke of Geneva.#147;I agree that shopping for men#146;s pants is absolutely bewildering for both men and the women who shop for them,#148; Zinke noted in her email message.She claimed to have found a solution, while making a pitch to shop in downtown Geneva. She said Victor Erday at the Erday#146;s clothing store in Geneva helps guide her husband Fred through the various choices.She said the clothes they bought at Erday#146;s for Fred prior to a cruise on the Queen Mary made him #147;look and feel like a million bucks.#148;Carolyn felt the extra money they spent at Erday#146;s was well worth it, based on the service and advice they received.Fred sounded a lot like most men when Carolyn described him as #147;the type of guy who doesn#146;t buy much clothing.#148;Playground opens doors: Jackie Olson of North Aurora sent a note to invite area families with special needs children to check out Haley#146;s Playground during an open house from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 15 at the North Aurora Activity Center.The playground concept came about after Olson realized her autistic daughter Haley was having a hard time joining in with other kids on playgrounds. When a few other adults with special needs children joined with Olson to help create a safe environment for kids, Haley#146;s Playground Inc. was born.Olson said the playground activities are based on sensory-play and Fit for Kids teaching models. More information is available at (630) 777-5045. Fighting way back: I thought it was amazing that Geneva Alderman Ralph Dantino was able to muster the energy to compete in the Dancing with the Geneva Stars contest last year with his wife Nancy, on a night in which he had spent the rest of the day in the hospital after finding out he had a second fight against cancer on his hands. His first battle was against appendix cancer a year earlier. This time it was cancer of a membrane covering his stomach.Dantino#146;s willingness to finish the dancing commitment seems even more amazing now, considering he has been away from the city council meetings for several months, putting up a fight against this second round of cancer with major surgery and an intense chemotherapy regimen.He#146;s had several drawbacks, but he was home just before the holidays and slowly trying to regain his strength.Family and friends are grateful he#146;s home.Recession behind us?: The local shopping areas seemed fairly vibrant before and after the holidays, so maybe this recession stuff is moving to our rearview mirrors.Readers have been fairly consistent in their views about what to watch for in a local recovery. It#146;s apparent they have their eyes on the empty business and restaurant locations. We have plenty of them in the Tri-Cities waiting to come to life. When those are up and running, so will we, the reasoning goes.But it won#146;t be easy. In looking at the Mill Race Inn site in Geneva as an example, plenty of work needs to be done on that building for any new owner.Which leads me to something I wish each city in the country could somehow pull off. When a commercial or retail business site closes and becomes an empty shell for a long period of time, it#146;s too bad that cities can#146;t hire out-of-work construction workers, painters and landscapers to keep the places looking top-notch. The properties may sell and new businesses come about more quickly, thus providing the city with more tax revenues, which would offset the costs of having workers keep places looking great.Sounds too easy, so I know there must be city budget woes or property ownership rights issues that would muck it up.dheun@sbcglobal.net