With pen in hand, Garlands member, Vivian O’Neill, 93, took a leap of faith during COVID-19 and entered a poetry contest sponsored by Barrington’s White House on the topic of “House and Home.” She hadn’t written poetry before but, in the spirit of ever-growing and learning, she thought “Why not?!” Vivian scored a spot…
Garlands member, Charlie Foos’s grandfather built a workbench to house the magnificent wood-carving tools he curated over a lifetime. Upon his passing, the workbench went to the only family member who showed the slightest interest: high-school student Charlie, whose only qualification was that he had taken a shop class once. The workbench remained untouched…
On the Need for a Project I am working on the theory that having a project makes people happier. By “project,” I mean something that requires a person to make plans and carry them out. The plans are for something they do freely rather than being assigned or forced to do. I first thought…
Photographic Exhibit at The Gallery at The Garlands Garlands member Bill Lawton got his first camera in junior high, and he hasn’t stopped taking photos since! “There is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t take a photo of something,” says Bill. “If I haven’t taken a picture, it hasn’t been a…
A guy like Garlands Member, Sam Jeffers, who, for example, designed warheads for the Pershing II and Trident weapon systems, is unlikely to sit around watching movies all day during a global pandemic. As soon as he saw PPE shortages on the horizon, Sam set about engineering effective, comfortable, cool, and good-looking face masks for…
A Sneak Peek Garlands of Barrington Author, Dorothy Winsor, shared a reading of the first chapter of her soon-to-be-released fourth young adult novel, The Wysman, virtually via Zoom with her friends and peers at The Garlands. The book is about a street kid turned advisor of a king who is determined to hunt down the person…
Garlands of Barrington Author, Dorothy Winsor, Publishes Fourth Young Adult Novel Barrington, IL . . . At age 72, Dorothy Winsor moved to The Garlands and took up a second career as an author writing young adult fiction. She has published three books and is releasing a new young adult novel, The Wysman, this…
The Garlands of Barrington’s New Director of Hospitality A career healthcare and hospitality professional, Nancy served in many seniors housing capacities, including activities, social services, sales, marketing, administration and operations. Prior to The Garlands she oversaw new construction, hiring and leadership training and developed the assisted and independent living side of a family-run, Illinois- based organization…
Mahjong is a tile game that originated in 19th century China and links back to Confucius and his love of birds. The “twittering of the sparrows,” or shuffling and tinkling of the tiles, signals the start of the game. At The Garlands, the Mahjong bird metaphor continues, as in “birds of a feather flock together” to…
Dorothy A. Winsor In February, I went to a Chicagoland SFF conference called Capricon. Among the engaging panels, I attended was one called “Book Reviews vs. Literary Criticism: But is it good?” Panelists included a publicist, a couple of writers, and a book reviewer for a newspaper. The topic they started with was the difference…
THE BEST ADVICE I EVER GOT Dorothy A. Winsor Back when I was writing academic books and articles, I conducted a five-year ethnographic project at an engineering center. My area is professional communication, so I hung around the center watching engineers try to communicate in their natural habitat. It was a lot of fun, and…
You want to know what I’ve learned about writing during a pandemic? It’s hard. And for me at least, maybe impossible in any sustained way. That’s what I’ve learned. For the first couple of weeks, I felt guilty because I had all this extra time while I was locked down at home, and yet I…
Like most of you, Garlands of Barrington members are closely following CDC guidelines and referring to local, state and federal protocols as we hunker down and shelter in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As difficult as this situation is for all of us, over the course of the last few weeks we have…
Teddie Kossof entered the beauty industry in the late ‘60s and in 1975 opened the doors to his namesake salon and spa in Northfield. Forty-four years later it continues to be among the nation’s top salons, serving Chicago’s North Shore. In 1998, Teddie’s son, Alan joined the salon business and co-owns the salon, overseeing the…
NEW Virtual Reality Bike Exercises Body, Mind and Competitive Spirit for Garlands Members By Dr. Sandra Sieber We all know that exercising is beneficial. However, thinking and engaging the brain during exercise boosts Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which substantially encourages brain growth. That’s exactly what the Garlands newest piece of “exergaming” equipment delivers! The interactive…
Special thanks to Garlands Play Readers, John and Barbara Seaman, Garlands Grandchildren of John and Jackie Matecki and all our Winter Wonderland guests for lending their time and talent to The 2019 Garlands Holiday video. Set to the following “Garlands-ized” adaptation of The Night Before Christmas, the holiday greeting captures the magic of the holidays…
It is 1922 in New York City, and a young Millie Dillmount has just moved to the Big Apple in search of a new life – what’s a small-town girl to do? But, in real life, it is 2019 at The Garlands of Barrington and the actress who is playing Millie is a mere 81…
The artwork of lifelong artist and Garlands member Nancy K. Wilson is on display in collections and homes throughout the United States and Asia, but her private pieces will be featured in an exhibit now through December 31, 2019 at The Gallery at The Garlands of Barrington, 1000 Garlands Lane, Barrington. The public is invited…
Karen Stathakis is moving in a healthy direction at a pace of 4,000 steps a day – as tracked by her Fitbit! Be FREE After years of caregiving, raising two sons, maintaining a home and juggling a career, Garlands member Karen is free at last to pursue her passions and step into the spotlight: on…
The days grow darker, yet the sun shines brightly on the gardens at The Garlands of Barrington, which was recently honored with a 2019 “Integration of Native Plants” award from The Council of Barrington Garden Clubs.
“We were floored at how beautiful the landscaping is here at The Garlands,” said Maureen Doessel of the Country Home and Garden Club, who visited the campus in August and decided on the spot to nominate The Garlands for recognition.