This photo, taken from Ethereal Confections Sunday,shows the blizzard that hit Woodstock in full bloom. It’s good to be prepared. Some people in Woodstock had put their scraper and snow brush away already when Sunday’s blizzard hit. They may have discovered that they were premature to do so. It’s difficult to be prepared for any situation but it’s worth the effort to try. Having the means

The headlines say it all: “Senate bill would double Illinois state gas tax” and “Proposal (from Illinois Senate) bill would double Illinois state gas tax.” These are ominous indications of what you may be paying at the pump in McHenry in the near future. And there isn’t much you can do about it. Well … there is one thing you can do. The more you pay at the pump the more imperative it is

Last week, this blog discussed the season of the pothole. Every Spring, the potholes appear as winter’s damage emerges from the slush, snow and ice. But this is the rebirth of another season here in McHenry. This is known as the season of the roadhorse. This equestrian animal doesn’t require water, a bail of straw and some oats every day; rather, this horse stands rigid from dawn to dusk and back

One sign of the arrival of Spring is the advent of baseball season. This is an especially pleasant time of year for Cubs, Sox and Brewers fans in the area since baseball generally means warmer weather and the end of winter weather. But this is also the season of the pothole here in McHenry.Potholes are the product of winter weather but don’t put all the blame on the season; you and your car, truck

You’re in a hurry. You grab your coat, purse and keys and rush out to the car. There, you fumble to get the key in the ignition. You fire up the car and you’re off. How many times have you done this? What’s missing? When’s the last time you’ve looked your car over to see if everything is good to go, whether you’re in a hurry or not? Do you have a tire that’s low on air? Are your lights

And unsafe tires are against the law, too If you were driving in McHenry County Wednesday, you may have noticed that the roads were a tad icy. In fact, it was hard to miss. There were accidents and cars in the ditch. For those drivers who avoided those unsavory outcomes, traction accelerating, and decelerating were impaired. This was not the day for bald tires. On this blog, we have previously pointed

... or your locks from freezing This Wonder Lake winter hasn’t been so terribly cold yet. Of course, ‘yet’ is the operative word. Who would like to lay a wager that we won’t see sub-zero weather this winter? Few would even consider such a bet as it’s all but inevitable that the temperatures will fall below that mark – not below freezing (we’ve already done that plenty) but below zero. When

Rub your hands together. Faster. Press them together as you rub. Feel the heat? Now put some olive oil (it’s healthier than vegetable oil) and rub your hands together the same way. Feel the difference? That’s the principle of oil in your engine. The difference is that instead of the soft, supple skin of your hands, your engine has metal-on-metal rubbing together. Additionally, unless you’re

It’s cold in Wonder Lake today – really cold. The temperature at 1 p.m. was -15-degrees Fahrenheit. Now that’s cold even without considering the windchill factor (-40 degrees). This means that frostbite is a real concern when you’re outside and your skin is exposed for even one minute. Bundle up. And even then, the cold will penetrate your gloves, hat, boots, coat, etc. The best bet is probably

McHenry was on the receiving end of a snow storm last weekend. All this snow has made driving a more treacherous adventure than usual. It helps, of course, if you know how to deal with driving on icy, snowy, slippery roads. Slippery roads create the biggest problem when you have to stop. Your car is liable to slide on the ice or snow rather than stop as quickly as you intended. One way to avoid this