JakeParrillo.com

German Queen Tomato Plant - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:53:28 PDT

I've never grown German Queen tomatoes, but like a Sharpei dog, they're so darn cute so I figured I should give them a try. I know I said that I wouldn't be doing too many tomato plants this year, and I'm not....Just going to limit it to just five or 6 varieties. Hopefully, I'll get this one in the beds before the calendar turns to June.

Our Crab Apple Tree Flowering - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Wed, 15 May 2013 07:00:10 PDT

For but one week each Spring, the Crab Apple tree in our backyard turns into a spectacular pink beauty. It gets covered with these flowers and really shows off. Unfortunately, the show isn't very long and the petals fall into the landscape beds and the tree leafs out.

When we moved in, I wanted to take the tree down, but Nat pushed back. She really likes the size/shape of the tree while I hate the location. It is still standing. And isn't going anywhere.

Black Cherry Tomato Plant

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Tue, 14 May 2013 07:37:32 PDT

Over the weekend, I couldn't resist picking up a few tomato plants. I typically wait until the pickings are thin and the heirloom varieties are few and far between. I usually plant at least one cherry/grape plant, but it isn't typically an heirloom. This year, that changes with this Black Cherry beauty.

The beds aren't quite cleaned up yet, but by June 1st, we'll hopefully be able to plant these in the ground. Until then, I'll do my best to keep it happy in the peat pot.

Fireworks Goldenrod - Via Western Springs Garden Club Plant Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:07:46 PDT

On Saturday we made our normal run to Kirsbaum's for doughnuts in the early am hours when we came across the Western Springs Garden Club Plant Sale which was taking place under the big tower on the Village Green.

This species will find a home in our plan in our backyard as it can tolerate some heat. There are two spots that it would work: on the southside by our butterfly bushes and in the front yard by our anemone. I'm thinking it would work well in the front.

If you ask some gardeners, they'll tell you that this is an allergy attack waiting to happen. Good news: they're wrong. Consider me the Snopes.com of Goldenrod. From the source:

Don’t worry about it causing long-lasting sneezes, either. Goldenrod is often blamed for aggravating hay fever, but the real culprit is ragweed, which blooms at the same time.

Freshly Laid Mulch - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Sun, 12 May 2013 09:12:00 PDT

We had 7.5 yards of mulch put down in our beds yesterday and I'll tell you that there's nothing better looking than a freshly mulched yard. It makes the our plants look healthier, our shrubs look bigger, and even makes the spots on our grass look a lot less barren.

This year, we got the mulch in a lot earlier than in 2012. It wasn't until mid-July until we had mulch last year. As I noted last year, I was about 2 months behind the neighborhood schedule, so I think we're right on track this time around. At least now Nat will be able to pull out of our garage without our neighbors frowning at her. (I'm kidding! Our neighbors don't frown at us because of the mulch....it is more about when they see me gardening/mowing the grass in my socks/sandals garb.)

Baskets of Gold (Goldentuft)

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Sat, 11 May 2013 08:50:59 PDT

Last summer, per the recommendation on our landscape plan, I moved a small perennial plant called "Baskets of Gold" from the front yard - on the south side, to the back yard on the north side. I moved it some time after it had bloomed in the spring and it didn't like the move too much. I wasn't sure if it would make it though the year. To my surprise, it came back this spring and bloomed already. This little plant is a spreader and sounds pretty versatile:

Basket-of-gold is one of those plants that loves to grow in the least likely of place -- cracks between paving stones, the edge of gravel paths and patios, rocky outcroppings, between the stacked stones of a retaining wall, and more. It loves a baked spot with excellent drainage but will struggle in hot, humid areas and tends not to do well in the South.

But where it does well, it's a showstopper. It will reseed prolifically in little cracks, filling an area each spring with dazzling neon yellows. After it finishes blooming, the grayish-green foliage makes an attractive mat in the perennial garden.

Hotdog Photographer: Me

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Fri, 10 May 2013 09:53:49 PDT

Head over to Conde Nast Traveler and take a peek at the hotdog slideshow they have up today and peek at who took the first photo of the "Depression Dog" from Gene & Jude's.

The team from CN Traveler reached out to me to ask if they could use my photo in their slideshow. Of course...they could! They even put in a nice link back to my site - which was awfully nice. This isn't the first time that someone has reached out. Here's one of my tomato photos on a plant sale site and my post about that process.

9 Years of Blogging: Plugging along on JakeParrillo.com

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Thu, 09 May 2013 10:55:00 PDT

It seems that the 9th anniversary of this here blog came and went in mid-February without me giving it much thought. In fact, it seems that I mostly forgot about the 8th anniversary, too. I posted in 2011 to celebrate the 7th anniversary here, but have skipped the past two years.

Well...because we're (now) closing in on ten years of *stuff* on the web, I thought it would be meaningful to at least take a pause and reflect on 9 years - even if it is three months late.

As of this post, there are 1387 posts in the archives of JakeParrillo.com. Across 111 months, that leaves an average of 13ish posts per month. With the past few years providing almost a post a month, that tells me that there were some lean years (months) in there. I'm looking at you 2008.

My life has come a long way. From a political hack to a daddyblogger (and political hack), my interests have clearly morphed to focus on gardening, pizza, family, and my community.

For posterity sake, here's what JakeParrillo.com looked like on this 9 year + 3 month birthday.

Glam Nails - Elmhurst: Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Wed, 08 May 2013 06:27:33 PDT

Glam! Nails - which was at 206 N. York Road, right across from City Hall - is closed and there is now a For Lease sign in the window. This spot is right in between the Edible Arrange and the newish building that houses an eye doctor and the Koening and Strey office.

Seems like a hard spot for walk-by retail as the parking situation is unknown? City Hall has plenty of parking, but most of it is used up during the day. Could we get a kitchen products store? Or a store that guys like me would want to go in and spend 30 minutes?

Burning Bush - Front Yard - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:43:08 PDT

Just to the north of our front stairs, we have a Burning Bush shrub. I planted it there 2 summers ago late in the season after finding the little thing at Home Depot for $0.99. It was a runt. Two years later, it is starting to fill out and have a little bit of shape. We didn't get a very brilliant fall last year, but that was mostly because it was so small. With the "leap" this year in the "sleep/creep/leap cycle", we *should* have a nice shrub that will take on some color in the fall.

Ostrich Ferns Poking Through - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Wed, 08 May 2013 06:22:11 PDT

See those green things popping through the mulch? Those are my favorite plants in the whole yard: our ostrich ferns. What started as some left-overs from when the Wicked Witch moved out of our house and took with her what she thought was ALL of the perennials, became a few hostas and two of these ferns. They're multipliers, so we now have about eight bunches of them and I've even managed to give one away.

They've quickly become my favorite plant in the garden and I can't wait for them to spread out even further.

Elmhurst Newcomers and Neighbors Club: A Night at the Derby

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Thu, 02 May 2013 07:42:56 PDT

This Saturday - May 4th - from 3 to 7 pm at Flight 112 in Elmhurst, the Elmhurst Newcomers and Neighbors Club (ENNC) is hosting their annual fundraiser. This year, the organization that they're supporting is Special Kids Day.

Tickets are $40/head and can be purchased online or at the door. There is food, drinks, live music and a silent auction that has at least 2 things that I've been lusting after: a collection of Werner ladders and a bunch of free stuff from Home Run Inn including gift cards and free frozen pizza coupons.

The reason I've been lusting after them is that Nat has been involved in putting this whole thing together. "Involved" might be an understatement? She's really dug in and helped bring this event to life and I'm really proud of her for all of her hard work. Nat has so many talents, but it seems one of the things she really enjoys (and does well) is pulling together these type of activities. I guess that's why she's in the business, eh? Need an event planner? Or a wedding planner? She's your gal.

Anyway...if you are in Elmhurst, you *should* be going to the Derby party on Saturday. It is a great organization supporting an amazing cause. Besides...who doesn't like cheering on the horses in your fancy clothes?

108 W. Second Street - Elmhurst - For Lease

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:13:01 PDT

Looks like the Dejavoo Boutique has closed up shop and their space is up for lease at 108 W. Second Street. This spot is just down Second Street from Starbucks and just east of the Nail Bar. I've always had a hard time finding parking right there on Second when we run to Starbucks, so I have no idea if that has an impact on the value of this location.

With so many vacancies in the Elmhurst City Centre, it seems like there's a big opportunity to transform our downtown from a service (salons/banks) to a stronger retail-based economy.

Last week, Nat had a meeting at a restaurant and I took the Bird out for a walk around the City Centre for an hour. It was Saturday evening at 5 pm and I tried desperately to find a store that I wanted to go in. Granted...a lot of things were closed for the night (the toy store), there isn't a place that I wanted to head into and linger. I would have wasted time in a kitchen products store or a more manly store (like a hybrid hardware/project store). Could we get one of those?!?

Snuggery Coming to Elmhurst

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:05:17 PDT

Word came out this week that the Elmhurst City Centre is about to get a new bar/restaurant called the Snuggery. According to the Tribune:

Another new restaurant is coming to the city's downtown. Ala Carte Entertainment based in Schaumburg, is planning to open one of its Snuggery restaurants in the space formerly occupied by the Embers restaurant at the southwest corner of Adelaide and York Streets, according to city officials.

The company operates a number of area restaurants under such familiar names as Finn McCool's, Moretti's and The Snuggery.

Plans call for the new place to open around mid-summer. The Elmhurst Snuggery will be the latest in a long line of restaurants at that location, a list that includes McNally's and Charlie's as well as Embers.

I'm no prude, but taking a look at their site, it appears that the last thing this place is selling is their food. At least based on the visuals/layout on their homepage - even though they say they're "serious about food". The market will bear out whether this place is a good fit for Elmhurst and if they do indeed have good food and good service, we'll be a customer. (Ideally...they have tasty, tasty chicken wings, too!)

Smoothie Factory Elmhurst: Closed

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 11:48:00 PDT

Goalie's Goodies - moving into the old Bleeding Heart Bakery - isn't the only change on the east side of York Street south of the tracks. The Smoothie Factory has their blinds pulled down, the store emptied out and it looks like someone is picking flooring for whomever the next tenant is going to be.

I don't know how long the Smoothie Factory has been closed, but they haven't updated their Facebook page since last September. That post - which talked about soup - might help tell the story of why they're no longer open? Of course, competing with Jamba Juice couldn't be easy, but....it is far too easy to move further away from your core offering when trying to make profits. Panera offering pasta comes to mind. Just focus on what you do best and make it the best in the area.

The space that the Smoothie Factory occupied is HUGE, so I'm looking forward to seeing what moves in next.

Boxed Flower Seeds

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 11:41:30 PDT

I found these two boxes of flower seeds in the garage today and figured it was well past time I put them down. If I remember correctly, I bought them last year at Menards when they were on some sort of killer deal....like $0.25 a box or something.

I put down the zinnias in the back yard in the sun on the south side of the beds. And the shade mix? It went east of our fence on the north side behind some boxwoods.

So Long La La Land...

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 17:47:17 PDT

We hardly knew you. Actually...I *never* actually knew you. But...I think Nat had been in there both before it moved from across the tracks to this location on the east side of Addison Street. This vacancy is right between the coins/gold shop and Splatters - the art store.

Let's hope we're not going to get yet another Yogurt shop, right?

Goalie's Goodies Elmhurst - Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 18:00:44 PDT

A poster was put up this week in the front window of the old Bleeding Heart Bakery on York Street in the City Centre for a new store called Goalie's Goodies. They're touting their wares as Popcorn, Candy, and Ice Cream. On their site, they just have an email address up so far, so there isn't any details about what they'll be offering or what the hockey connection might be (their logo is a hockey goalie).

Might they serve up Garret's-style popcorn? That'd be nice. Other downtown's out our way have successful (seemingly?) corn shops like Well's Street Popcorn in Downers Grove. If that's the direction this place is headed, I'm excited. If they're going to lean on the ice cream side of the business, not so much. After all, we already have Brain Freeze and Cold Stone in the ice cream category and the two - soon to be three yogurt stores.

Hops Vine Peeking Through - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:20:06 PDT

Last year, I planted just one Golden Hops vine in our sideyard. It didn't bear any fruits, but that was anticipated. Year two is supposed to be the year where we can start to see the vine shooting upward and bearing fruit. I'm hoping we can actually harvest enough hops to have my brother-in-laws brew something with them!

With Spring barely sprung here, I'm happy to see the vine peeking through the mulch this morning.

I have to get the larger trellis behind this small one because it looks like it will be moving fast.

The Peonies Are Back - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 07:24:59 PDT

In a sure sign that I need to get going on the yard cleanup, most of our Peony plants have their red tips popping through the mulch. I've chronicled this moment in 2010, 2011, and 2012.

Seems like they're right on track. One year, they were up in early April. One year they were up in early May. This year? Mid/Late April.

Palmer Underpass - Flooded 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:09:52 PDT

This is the main route around Downtown Elmhurst. As you can tell...it is un-passable. The last time I spotted the Palmer Underpass in Elmhurst flooded was back in July of 2010. Here's the photo of that flood.

Can't tell, but I *think* this time the water is higher than back in 2010.

Plass Appliances Elmhurst Closing

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:39:08 PDT

Anyone who has spent a moment in our City Centre the past week has likely seen the sad signs hanging up in the Plass Appliance store on York: they're closing. It isn't just the Elmhurst location, but everything up here in Illinois including Elmhurst, Geneva, Naperville, and Addison.

This is going to be a massive street-level hole right in the heart of Elmhurst's City Centre. Both a huge problem, but also a HUGE opportunity. There are *at least* 2 storefronts they're leaving behind and what looks like either offices/apartments upstairs. What can we recruit to set up shop?

And...what is going to happen to the big neon sign?

Estate Sale Vintage Christmas Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 04:30:22 PDT

This weekend, we stopped at 3 Estate Sales all in Elmhurst. Maybe it is the season for such things? I picked up these two Christmas ornaments for $0.25 for the pair of them. They're in really great shape and are super clean. They have a great set of "Japan" stickers on them, too.

I think they'll go great on the tree next year. Now, I have to figure out a way to store them for 7 months - and locate them - when we need them. With our Christmas stuff packed away, that's easier said than done.

TCBY Coming to Elmhurst City Centre

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:46:02 PDT

Because....you know....what Elmhurst totally needs is another frozen yogurt shop.

This one is going in on the west side of York Street in the old video game store.

I'm a free market-kinda-guy, so these guys coming to town is fine with me. It seems like a more logical place (size-wise) for an ice cream shop compared to the enormous space the fine folks have set up across the street.

2013 Faux Chocloate Easter Bunnies

noreply@blogger.com (Jake Parrilllo) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 04:48:17 PDT

For the first time, we made some 'white chocloate' faux Easter bunnies. The mold (here) was the smallest one I've worked with of the three years. In the photo above, the white ones almost look matte, but they have the same shine on them that the chocolate ones do.

Here's the 2012 edition.
Here's the 2011 edition.