The Casual Gardener (18)
Shawna Lee Coronado is an author, newspaper columnist, blogger, energetic keynote speaker, and environmental and health correspondent. She is focused on teaching and living a green lifestyle.
Her book “Gardening Nude” encourages healthier living by exposure to nature, greening, and community building. Visit Shawna's prime website for more information on her book and other media - www.thecasualgardener.com. Shawna’s gardening blog is http://thecasualgardener.blogspot.com and her greening blog is www.gardeningnude.com.
Do Try This At Home (in the kitchen) (18)
Margaret, aka Maggie, has written for and edited the foremost online literary food journal, the "Daily Gullet" at egullet.org. Her work is included in the annual anthology, “Best Food Writing 2009.” She lives, writes, cooks and gardens in Warrenville. We are privileged to be able to feast on her writing talent and culinary offerings.
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The Happy Runner (15)
Dwight Sherman writes his weekly column for Village Chronicles and is also a contributing author for other news in the paper.
Neighbor to Neighbor (20)
Bobbie Mignin has been writing since grade school and was first published in Archie Comic Books with an essay that won her a cash first prize. She was hooked on writing and had over 12 “pen pals” (remember those?) in junior high and still writes to one of them. In college, with a journalism minor, she worked at the school newspaper for all four years and started her own column, “Voice of the People,” gathering student opinions on current events and campus news. She was active with the literary writing and poetry groups.
After college, she was an ad copywriter and then went on to work at Merrill Lynch. While working full time, she wrote poetry and a few stories for magazines.
She has lived in Warrenville for 23 years and is a solid White Sox fan. In the early 90’s she became a writer/reporter for the Press Republican Newspaper chain and asked her editor if she could write a column about “anything and everything” and was given the green light. Neighbor to Neighbor was born and over 600 columns later, as a freelance writer, she brought the column back to Warrenville. She has written over 300 feature stories and covered various civic meetings for several years. She continues to freelance as a writer/reporter/publicist.
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Pedal Power (31)
Tom Jones author of the “Pedal Power” column completed a 25 year career in Transportation and Distribution before getting into the Bicycle business. Midwest Cyclery in Downtown Wheaton has been a family operation for 29 years.
Tom and his wife Helen have been married 55 years; have 5 adult children, 11 grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
Tom is a member of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, serves on the Board of Directors of the League of Illinois Bicyclists, and the Warrenville Bicyclists and Pedestrian Advisory Commission. Tom recently retired from several years as a volunteer doing Bike Patrol for the DuPage County Forest Preserve District. He currently is a volunteer for the Bike Patrol unit at the Morton Arboretum., and is a volunteer for the DuPage County Sherriff’s STAR Patrol.
Tom is extremely interested in Bicycle advocacy, which he tries to emphasize in each of his columns.View items...
As a volunteer for the DuPage County Forest Preserve, I ride the miles and miles of wonderful trails that weave throughout the county. This morning, on bike patrol with another volunteer, our conversation turned to our memories of riding bikes when we were youngsters, each relating some of our experiences on our first bike. It really added to the pleasure on a beautiful morning that was already full of sunshine.
Waste Not, Want Not: There’s a Quick Vegetable Soup in Your Fridge
Written by Margaret McArthurPerhaps your fridge is tidy. Perhaps you’re a wise produce shopper and an organized cook. Perhaps when you open your vegetable drawer you don’t find a mere two carrots, a nub of lettuce too small to satisfy a baby rabbit, and a big zucchini your gardening neighbor unloaded on you.
Heat makes me languid, which sounds more elegant than lazy. I refused to let summer slip away without baking a blueberry pie—it was all I could have wished for, and it represents the sum of my time in the pastry kitchen since Memorial Day.
A Trip to the Zoo—It’s Just Not the Same Anymore
Written by Bobbie S. MigninSometimes you just have to go to the zoo. Be a kid again (if you’re an adult) and mingle with the animals. Even if they’re behind plexiglass, fences and boulders, okay, it’s good to see the animals at the zoo. Not mingle with them.
On a cloudless summer day void of humidity, I did just that with two of my three children. Renewed the membership again because it’s more cost effective to join when you visit the place a few times and bring along another pal or two.
I talk a lot about sharing the road in this column, and now that we are well into summer, I thought it was appropriate to talk a little bit about sharing the trails.
First, we should always be courteous and aware of other trail users. We should try our best to be predictable, while expecting other users—especially children, those wearing headphones or talking on their cell phones—to be unpredictable.
Why You Should Get A Rain Water Cistern – A Green and Sustainable Choice
Written by Shawna CoronadoRecently, I had a rain water cistern, called a RainXchange System, installed on my front lawn by Aquascape, Inc.
Above you see a photo of the final product which features a gorgeous water fountain that is made partially from recycled materials.
It is a fantastic green and sustainable solution for my garden—I use it to wash my car and water my front lawn vegetable garden and plant containers.
Do you remember when flank steak was a budget cut? When a beefy tender chuck-eye was $1.99 a pound, before it got renamed “The Poor Man’s Delmonico,” and the price per pound rose overnight to $4.99?
Local Shopping Choices are on the Rise . . Is It the Recession?
Written by Bobbie S. MigninShopping in Warrenville is good for the local economy and conveys a show of support for the city. After years of few choices for a sit-down meal, our city now has in-town restaurants, several at the Cantera location.






