Imagine having a job that is either walking distance or a short drive from home, where you get to breathe fresh air every day, where you have pleasant mornings and pleasant afternoons, encounter very little stress and have people thank you all day. Such is the life for three of the neighborhood crossing guards, Mary Ann Dziewinski, Diane Hull and Ron Podlesak.

One of the fondest remembrances of days past is the corner candy store. Neighborhood children would bike to the shop, pore over the goodies and fog up the display case before parting with their pennies. They would then be seen happily chomping away, their mouths filled with Mary Janes, bull’s-eyes, Lik-a-maid, Turkish taffy, Swedish fish, Chuckles, Boston Baked Beans, Pez and sometimes sporting a pair of wax lips.

Education. I don’t think a day passed in my home without my dad saying, “An education is the only thing they can’t take away from you.” This was the credo by which he lived and raised three children. There always was and still remains a reverence about education in our home.

Knitting seems to have grown in popularity within the past few years.

To the casual observer, gardening seems to be a seasonal pastime — something you do when the weather is favorable. But local gardeners do not let a little cold, snowy weather stand in the way of their passion.

Nettie J. McKinnon, principal of Ogden Avenue and Oak Avenue schools from 1930 to 1960, has long been a name frequently mentioned by parents, children and community members. When children first entered Ogden Avenue School in the late 1970s and ’80s, a tour of the Nettie J. McKinnon art collection was part of the open house for parents. The collection was housed at the time on the second floor of the school and visitors were always welcome to come and view the works. In the fall of 1979, two open houses and a holiday party become annual events.

Last week my daughter looked over my shoulder and said, in that inimitable way daughters have of talking to their mothers, “MOM” exasperatingly sighing and shaking her head. This reaction from her was because of my inability to manipulate the “joystick” on my new cell phone. It is a teeny button that jumps around with the teeniest of motions that is practically impossible to control — especially within the first hour of possession.

Though it should not be a surprise to any of us living in the Chicago area, it is that time of year again. The bright colors of the summer geraniums have faded and the more subdued colors of mums are gracing peoples’ gardens. The pumpkins, squash and gourds are in abundance at farmers market, the air is crisp, the leaves are falling and the days are shorter.

Zumba is the newest and, according to many sources, the most fun workout program around. The Zumba concept was created by Beto Perez in Columbia in the mid-1990s when the former aerobics instructor forgot to bring his exercise tapes to class. He went out to his car and got his “listening” tapes, which were high-energy Latin tunes, and he winged it with the music. Zumba quickly became popular in Columbia and in 1999, Perez brought Zumba to Miami and it since has grown considerably throughout the U.S.

When she was a young girl of about seven years old, Laura Huth would gather her siblings Caroline and Jason along with other neighborhood kids with a directive to clean up trash in the forest preserve along Brainard Avenue. A long time before recycling and cleaning the environment were on people’s minds, Laura thought it was important.

There is a new flavor in downtown La Grange. Recently named Executive Chef at Café 36 Bernard Smith, a.k.a. Chef Barney, brings a distinct flair to the familiar but fresh Calendar Court restaurant.

Who would have thought in mid-September we in Chicago would still be watching baseball? ESPN Magazine did not think anyone would be interested in baseball at this late point in the year, so opted to put Jeremy Shockey of the New Orleans Saints on the cover. The other choice was a photo that accompanies the article “Why Chicago Baseball Rules” appearing on page 50 in the Sept. 22, 2008, issue. The page features a full-page photo of Nick Swisher and Geo Soto.

The Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society Inc. is the official philanthropic women’s organization of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese in America. The name means “friend of the poor,” being derived from two Greek words philo (friend) and ptochos (poor). The Society was formed in 1931 and currently has grown to more than 500 chapters and 25,000 members, making it one of America’s largest Christian women’s philanthropic organizations.

To have one member of a family who is a celebrated artist is amazing, but to have to entire family successfully involved in the arts is phenomenal.

Lyons Township High School football is so much more than winning and losing. Each player takes away something special that helps him grow and mature in ways that have nothing to do with the gridiron. The football players, coaches and families for the past 16 years have had the opportunity to know and love Jimmy Reynolds, the official ball boy and No. 1 fan of LT football. Everyone in the LT community mourned the loss of Jimmy in 2006.