Through the Keyhole - May 2025

 

Through the Keyhole May 2025 Take a break from your day... Not your typical company OR newsletter "Pictured here is "Uncle Joe's Cathedral", a rather interesting building located in this Capital City.  Over 1.7 million people live here after 90 percent of the city was destroyed in WWII.  Home to culture and science, the people are strong and proud and the country is beautiful..." Can you guess the location?   May in Chicago: The Great Weather Tease   Ah, May in Chicago — that magical time of year when the city finally thaws out, people cautiously emerge from their winter dens, and everyone collectively pretends it's summer... even though it might still snow.   One day you're sipping iced coffee on a patio in 75-degree sunshine, and the next you're digging out your parka because Lake Michigan decided to throw a tantrum. The weather in May is basically like a game of roulette: Shorts in the morning  Hoodie by noon  Full-on regret by dinner  The parks start to fill up, the grills come out, and someone’s uncle already has their shirt off in 60-degree weather shouting, “This is nice!” Meanwhile, Cubs and Sox fans start arguing in beer gardens again — a true sign spring has officially arrived.   Also, pollen. So much pollen. It’s the one thing falling from the sky more than the chemtrails they spray every day in the skies.   But hey, we’ll take it. Because after surviving Chiberia and the April fake-outs, May feels like a warm hug from a city that was just roasting us two weeks ago.   Patios and rooftops start filling up fast in May, and for good reason. Whether you're sipping a drink at Cindy’s with the best view in the city or grabbing brunch in Logan Square, the vibe is pure “we survived another Chicago winter.” Picnicking in Lincoln Park is a classic move — maybe wander into the zoo (it’s free!) or lay in the grass pretending you’re not a little allergic to all that blooming nature.   May also kicks off festival season, and Chicago doesn’t mess around. You’ve got neighborhood fests like Mayfest with beer, brats, and bands, or the colorful Polish Constitution Day Parade downtown, which brings out the best of Chicago’s deep cultural roots. If sports are more your thing, a sunny afternoon at Wrigley Field watching the Cubs with a hot dog and overpriced beer is peak spring energy.   And don’t sleep on the boat tours — yes, they’re touristy, but also genuinely cool. The architecture river cruises are a favorite even among locals, especially when the weather is just right.   For something low-key, you can explore chill neighborhoods like Andersonville or Hyde Park for boutique shops, indie bookstores, and cozy cafes that are perfect for lazy spring afternoons.   Basically, in May, Chicago turns into a giant playground where everyone’s just happy to feel the sun again. Whether you’re brunching, biking, or just sitting somewhere with iced coffee and watching the world go by — it’s the perfect time to fall back in love with the city. copyright Getty Images Get ready to replace a lot of PCs Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. After this date, Microsoft will no longer provide free security updates, technical assistance, or feature updates for Windows 10.   We will be installing many new computers this summer and fall as a response to this event.  All of the PCs that are replaced will be properly recycled whereby no data will be present.  We will be accepting any and all recyclable hardware.  There will be a charge of $10 per pc to perform this service. Guess the Location Game Last month the winner of the guess the location game was Ed Coyle who guessed the right answer.  I appreciate all of the participation.  THANKS FOR PLAYING! ANSWER: Bucharest, Romania "This location is the birthplace of one of the most famous female gymnastics athletes in the world.  Home to the Tate brothers (for now), "Dracula" and a whole lot of natural and man made beauty." Did you know that Romania is home to the world's heaviest building? The Palace of Parliament in Bucharest contains 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze, 1,000,000 square feet of marble, and 3,500 tonnes of crystal. It's also the second-largest administrative building in the world, right after the Pentagon 1.  The funny thing is that they built this massive structure using chisels, horses and rope. Nah...there IS NO WAY this was built like they say.  I have no idea how it was done but I have a really hard time thinking that we just can't build like this any more...   Romania is also known for its unique round-shaped village, Charlottenburg, built by German settlers in the 18th century. The houses are arranged in a radial pattern around a plaza, creating a perfectly round shape that is visible only from above.   If you're a fan of Gothic architecture, you'll be thrilled to know that Romania is home to the largest Gothic church between Vienna and Istanbul. The Black Church in Brasov is a stunning example of Gothic design.   And for coffee lovers, Romania has a special place in the history of espresso machines. Francesco Illy, the founder of Illycaffè, was born in Timisoara, Romania, in 1892. He invented the first automatic steam espresso coffee machine.   Romania also boasts the most beautiful waterfall in the world, Bigar Cascade Falls in Caras-Severin. Its unique beauty and the way the water falls have earned it the top spot in The World Geography's rankings.   Romania was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's famous novel "Dracula." The character of Count Dracula was inspired by the Romanian prince Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler.  Sounded like a nice guy...   Nadia Comăneci is a legendary Romanian gymnast who made history at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games by becoming the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10.0. Born on November 12, 1961, in Onești, Romania, Nadia began her gymnastics career at a young age and quickly rose to prominence. Her flawless performances at the 1976 Olympics earned her three gold medals and six more perfect 10s, making her an international sensation.   Throughout her career, Nadia won a total of nine Olympic medals and four World Artistic Gymnastics Championship medals. She was praised for her artistry and grace, which brought unprecedented global popularity to the sport in the mid-1970s. Nadia's achievements earned her the title of "the most iconic gymnast of the 20th century" by El País and one of the Athletes of the 20th century by the Laureus World Sports Academy.   After retiring from gymnastics in 1984, Nadia moved to the United States in 1989, where she continued to contribute to the sport through various roles, including coaching and philanthropy. She married American Olympic gold-medal gymnast Bart Conner in 1996, and their wedding was televised live in Romania.    ~ 2 minutes  A little tour ~ 2 minutes Oldest Restaurant in Bucharest ~ 2 minutes Well this is Random... Chicago in the Springtime  ~ 4 minutes Wendella Boat Tours A good way to see the City. ~ 3 minutes Tron: Ares - Trailer   ~ 2 minutes Things Mom Should Have Told You.   1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! 3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 4. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 5. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. 6. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in a double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. 7. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if you want a stronger taste of garlic. 8. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm! 9. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. 10. Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up, mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw the bag away when done easily. 11. Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 12. Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 13. Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. 14. Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 15. No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 16. Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 17. Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 18. Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place the pin in the seam of slacks and ... guess what! ... static is gone. 19. Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry the cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. (Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using) 20. Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! 21. Re-opening envelopes If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 22. Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair. 23. Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dishwashing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 24. Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have to worry about pets or small children being harmed! 25. Dryer Filter Even if you are very diligent about cleaning the lint filter in your dryer it still may be causing you a problem. If you use dryer sheets a waxy build up could be accumulating on the filter causing your dryer to overheat. The solution to this is to clean your filter with a toothbrush and hot soapy water every 6 months. Well That's Random. More Stuff. Edgy. More Edgy Stuff... Creamy Parmesan Italian Sausage Soup Ingredients: – 1 lb sweet Italian sausage – 2 tablespoons olive oil – 1 large onion, diced – 3 garlic cloves, minced – 6 cups chicken broth – 1 cup heavy cream – 1 1/2 cups ditalini pasta – 1 teaspoon dried oregano – 1 teaspoon dried basil – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) – Salt and pepper to taste – 4 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped – 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish – Fresh parsley, chopped for garnish Instructions: 1. Brown Italian sausage in a large pot over medium heat, breaking it up as it cooks. Once cooked, set aside. 2. In the same pot, sauté onion in olive oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute. 3. Pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in heavy cream, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. 4. Add ditalini pasta and simmer until al dente, about 8 minutes. 5. Return cooked sausage to the pot and add chopped spinach, cooking until wilted, about 2 minutes. 6. Off the heat, stir in grated Parmesan cheese until melted and well combined. 7. Serve hot, garnished with additional Parmesan and fresh parsley if desired. Enjoy! All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 210 S. Milwaukee Ave. Wheeling, IL 60090 USA