Arlene Jones

Chicago, Westside

Contributing Columnist at Wednesday Journal of Oak Park and River Forest

Walking the walk and Talking the Talk.

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Articles

Pride of ownership vs. procrastination

Nov 4, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

I am a natural-born procrastinator. Putting off what I should do today for tomorrow is my modus operandi. It is a habit I have to actively and intentionally overcome. My downfall is not the television, but this darn smartphone that brings everything I like to do to my fingertips. I don’t need a 65-inch TV to watch movies. I have become perfectly content with the tiny screen. I have watched 10 years of a television series on it without a hitch.
Tyler Perry, you can do better

Oct 28, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

Growing up, my exposure to the outside world came via film. Be it television or the movies, that is how I learned about life outside of my immediate reality. It wasn’t until I was grown that I learned movies were more fantasy than reality. Everybody in California was not like Gidget — living at the beach and surfing. Not every white person had a house like “The Beaver” with a mom in a shirtwaist dress and pearls.
From Duchess to D-List

Oct 14, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

When Meghan Markle (“MM”) first married Prince Harry (“H”), I too was like the rest of the world. We were in awe that a 1,000-year-old monarchy, which at one time was the biggest supporter of slavery, had progressed to the point that a descendant of an enslaved African could become a member of it. After the wedding, MM was never really on my immediate radar until she did the Oprah Winfrey interview (an interview, by the way, that has literally been scrubbed off the internet).
Traffic woes on Laramie

Oct 7, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

This is the first time I’ve ever written an opinion column where I pray that I am wrong. I bet many of you are wondering why I would write something and at the same time, negate my opinion. Well let me give you some background. For quite a while now, Laramie has been under construction. Starting from Lake Street on the south all the way up to North Avenue, there has been lots of curb work going on.
Winter is coming, time to get ready

Sep 30, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

It’s October. And as the headline to this column states, winter will be here sooner than later. It is inevitable. It comes every year without fail. Some like it, but it can be rough on our homes. Time to get prepared. Chicago might have a mild winter or a horrible one. Either way, being prepared is essential. I recently filled my huge plastic container with ice melt. I’m going to give my lawn one final cut. After that, the grass will not see the lawnmower again until spring.
Time to organize those pictures

Sep 23, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

If you’re like most of us, one of your biggest weaknesses is taking tons of pictures and keeping them on our cellphone. However, if one doesn’t download the pictures to their laptop or desktop, and the phone is either lost, damaged or stolen, the memories are lost forever. Some folks have, and pay for, cloud storage. I think I have a certain amount of free cloud storage, but every time the phone tries to get me to buy more, I’m so cheap I don’t wanna pay for it.
Calvacade of Homes is a must-see

Sep 16, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

I don’t know if it was because of an email, or an ad on Facebook, but I learned that the Calvacade of Homes would again take place. After a two-year hiatus, because of COVID, they’re back. What is the Calvacade? It’s a grouping of many homes, located all over the different suburbs, that are available for viewing. Normally all the homes are newly built, but this year they even included a 25-year-old home that had undergone a major renovation. The Cavalcade lasts for two weekends.
Build storage under stairs

Sep 9, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

I am always looking for storage space. If there is one downfall we have as Americans, it’s that we tend to keep a lot of things we don’t want to get rid of. Thus, finding a place to put them becomes a chore. I considered renting a storage unit, but paying money for one just is not in my budget. I was browsing Facebook Marketplace when I was inspired by a storage system made out of 2x4s. It was a pretty basic, simple, structure that even I, an amateur carpenter, could do.
Sadly, summer is over - Austin Weekly News

Sep 3, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

I can’t believe it! Labor Day has come and gone. Summer is over (unofficially) and though I feel like it just got started, I did manage to accomplish a lot of things. Especially when it came to my second-story deck. I have created within this urban environment a wonderful, calm, serene mental-health getaway. For the first time ever, I would purposely go out and sit in the hanging chair and just let all the stress of the day fade away while swinging/floating in the fresh air.
Granny duty is a joy

Aug 26, 2024 | austinweeklynews.com | Arlene Jones

I am so grateful that the DNC convention is over. With both my daughter and son-in-law being CPD, they had to work 12-hour days, I was on granny duty overtime. Three grandchildren wanting three different things for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plus all the idiosyncrasies that go with it. I tried to pull the “I’m the granny in charge” stunt one morning. I wanted French toast. One wanted waffles and the other wanted pancakes.