Flotsam and jetsam from the mind of Rob Manker
Random Robservations piling up in the bottom of the notebook... *If the mercury is going to remain at or below freezing, it sure would be nice to at least have...
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Manker: Saturday’s warm weather brings out desire to clean, cleanse, help
The cars lined up to drop off donations stretched from the door of the Naperville Goodwill store all the way to Fort Hill Drive Saturday. You remember Saturday, that rarest...
Manker: Newly minted teen embracing late nights, long sleeps and foraging for food
This week marks one month since our eldest child became a teenager, which by this point is long enough to have seen a glimpse of what lies ahead. Not that...
Manker: Naperville not such a big place, as a death in the family demonstrates
For the fourth-largest city in the state, Naperville can sure feel like a small town. And the world a small place. This hit home for us with the recent death...
Manker: What 2016’s most viewed Naperville stories say about us
Year-end lists always give us pause. There are reasons newspapers and other media outlets continue to do them – they're an effective way to look back on the year that...
Manker: Won some, lost some – time to try again on the resolution front
With the dawn of 2017 nearly upon us, it's time to revisit our resolutions for 2016 and make new ones for the year ahead. As always, we're hitting on some...
Manker: Circle of life never more clear than thinking about Christmas over the years
It's amazing how our perspective on the holidays changes as we get older, and with that the things we do to mark the occasion. As kids, we look forward to...
Manker: Naperville-area blessed with places to rouse the Christmas spirit
Though Christmas remains more than a week away, it seems our family's already had more than a typical season's worth of holiday fun. It's all part of my wife's pledge...
First snow transforms Naperville
That first snow of the season changes everything. Sitting in the house on a cold winter Sunday afternoon sets the mind a-racing – what can be marked off the list...
Manker: Thanksgiving weekend won’t be same without Sunday night ‘Lights’ parade
In a season known for holiday traditions large and small, the last week brought what have become a few of my favorites. First, we volunteered for a couple of hours...