The Liesborn Prayer Wheel

This pen-and-ink drawing was found on the inside of a medieval Gospel book. The book dates from 980, when it was commissioned for a well-to-do convent in Germany. The drawing is probably not original – it seems to have been added later. It reminds me of a labyrinth but really it’s more like a puzzle or […]

The Most Colorful Kneelers in the Chicago Suburbs

In some ways, St. Benedict is like most newer churches built in the exurbs. It looks a bit like a medical office building. We sometimes wonder if people driving by even realize it’s a church if they don’t see the sign (not shown here). We have a simple, mostly unadorned interior. Even on Christmas Eve, it’s got […]

Beast of the Suburban Wild

Who knew? Bolingbrook has its own Mastodon! Construction workers dug up this enormous jawbone when I-55 was under construction in the early 1960s. It’s now at the Field Museum. One of my readers – my friend Emily – brought this to my attention and took these photos for me. The Bolingbrook Mastodon Jaw sits under […]

Paper Cutter Love

Adam: (my husband, looking around the church office) Hey, where’s the paper cutter? Did someone get rid of it? I can’t find it anywhere. Heidi: They better not have. That paper cutter is part of my soul! Maybe I was exaggerating a little. But not really. I’ve written posts about manhole covers and our local […]

Who is Anne Stentiford? Part 2

I saw Anne Stentiford’s name on this sign in January, wondered about it, and decided to do some detective work. (Sort of like my obsession with manhole covers last fall.) I found her address online and I wrote to her.  She was very kind and wrote me back. This NO SWIMMING / SKATING sign is the […]

Who is Anne Stentiford?

On a dog walk, I noticed this sign for the umpteenth time. There’s just something about a person with three holes for eyes and a mouth… My husband took some family pictures for some folks at our church and he took one of them standing around one of these signs, holding their arms in the air, […]