Pongee was raised on the south-side of Chicago, a political-science graduate of Southern Illinois University of Carbondale. I embarked on my real estate career as a college student in 2005 at the age of 20, buying my first condo in Chicago. After buying 2 condominiums during the most recent tumultuous real estate market collapse, I was able to endure and purchase flips and rentals.

  As of late I have done both rentals and flipping, my current portfolio consists of properties with a mix of multi-family, commercial and single family. My competitive edge is building a real estate portfolio by buying undervalueddistress properties in urban areas. I am passionate about real estate, but most importantly inspiring millennials to invest in real estate.

This passion birthed my first book “Real Estate & Chill “ which was released in February 2018. My zeal for educating millennials on real estate investing led me to teach in Andre Hatchett’s “Black Real Estate School” and I was featured in Crain’s Chicago Business Newspaper. I was also featured on Dr. Boyce Watkins Intellectual Chocolate YouTube Channel as well a radio interview with 1690 AMin Chicago and recently published article for XoNecole and featured in Medium.

I have added the title author to my two sons Benjamin 9, and Franklin 6. Together, we have creating a series of children’s books, Little Owners focusing on entrepreneurship, financial literacy and community leadership.  “Ben the Banker” and “Franklin the Franchise Owner” released December 2019 and “Riley the Real Estate Investor” and “Robert the Real Estate Investor” released January 2020. I enjoy raising my two sons in Chicago with my husband, who is also my business partner.

 

To learn more about Pongee Barnes and her books and services visit the following  

 IG: https://www.instagram.com/little_owners/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/littleowners/
Website: littleowners.com

 

This blog post is the 25th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date.  To keep tabs on new posts, sign up for the “A Daily Miracle” email list at this link. To order a tshirt raising awareness for breast cancer, fill out this form by Friday, July 24th–shirts are $20 and $8 goes directly to support Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota!

On Monday, July 6th, my twin sister had her third infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. This is the “chemotherapy-light” regimen she started in May 2020 that will take place every 3 weeks for 14 infusions total (approximately 10 months). She does this in addition to a daily dose of Tamoxifen, a drug to keep estrogen levels low, which lowers the risk of estrogen-positive cancer returning. All of this follows six infusions of TCHP, a chemotherapy regimen she completed before her double mastectomy with reconstruction that removed all of her cancer in March 2020 (WOOHOO!!!).

Thank you so much for your continued prayers for 1) No reactions to her new chemo drugs 2) Her complete healing and 100% effectiveness of the treatment so her cancer never ever comes back!! 3) Side effects to be minimal / nonexistent!!

So far, everything is looking fairly good with a few exceptions: First, her eyesight took a turn for the worse last week–she all of a sudden realized that she can’t see things far away very well like street signs while driving. She has an eye doctor appointment scheduled this Monday morning, so stay tuned for results of that! It’s our hope that she simply needs an updated contact lens prescription and there’s nothing serious going on, but there is a possibility her vision got worse as a result of her chemo and Tamoxifen regimen. Side effects of Tamoxifen can include cataracts, so we are hoping it’s nothing like that or something more serious. Your prayers for her eyes and eye doctor appointment are appreciated!! 🙂

Also, her platelets and neutrophils are on the low end, so we are definitely asking for prayers that her levels recover before her next infusion coming up this Friday, July 24th. In addition to praying fervently, my twin sister is going to eat lots of healthy foods rich in Vitamins A, K, and B12 in addition to lots of folate-rich foods and iron to help with that! According to her oncology team and the director of Mayo Clinic’s integrative health clinic that we went to see at the beginning of my sister’s chemo journey in October 2019, she is not allowed to take mineral supplements at this time because there is not enough research to support how supplements interact with and potentially change the effectiveness of her chemo treatments. We went to see the director of Mayo Clinic’s integrative health clinic in Rochester in October 2019 and he said that eating healthy right now along with maintaining a healthy lifestyle emotionally and mentally is the best thing my twin sister can do during her chemo treatments.

With regard to healthy foods, here is a page out of the book Beating Cancer With Nutrition that we’ve all been going through and trying our best to follow together, in addition to a page from Eat to Beat Disease that one of my best friends shared with me this week:

My sister’s third infusion of T-DM1 at Mayo Clinic Rochester

My twin sister and her husband headed in on July 6th for her blood test at 1130am and headed to a meeting with her NP about blood levels after that. It turns out that my twin sister’s platelets and neutrophils are on the low end, so we are definitely asking for prayers that her levels recover before her next infusion coming up this Friday, July 24th!

After her checkin with her NP, she and her husband went upstairs to Gonda Building Level 10–where Mayo Rochester does all chemo infusions–and had her half hour chemotherapy infusion! This third infusion went well!, and my sister even got to chat with one of her favorite chemo nurses for a half hour while she waited for her chemo drug order to be placed! It’s all about the little things and silver linings on this journey and we are so grateful for some of the nicest most wonderful doctors, nurses, and technicians we’ve ever met that work at Mayo Clinic in Rochester 🙂 We are convinced some of them are angels in disguise 🙂

After her third infusion, she headed home with her husband and was feeling pretty tired. She told us she prefers having her chemo infusions on Fridays instead of Mondays because that way she has the weekend to rest and recover. This time around her infusion was on a Monday, so on Tuesday she went back to work (from home) and was tired and a bit nauseous in the sense nothing really sounded good to eat. Even in the midst of these adverse physical circumstances, she’s maintaining a positive attitude and giving glory to God in the process.

One example of her faith that never ceases: We are going through the book of Colossians as a Bible study, and my twin sister recently shared that a major lesson she’s learned during her cancer journey is about how God is supreme over her health and her cancer diagnosis, and that no matter what cancer diagnosis she gets, God is good and knew it was coming. God knew every single chemo infusion was coming, and He is still good!

Her faith in the Lord and the providence of God is an inspiration!!!!!!! We love her soooo much!!!

My twin sister’s three-month plastic surgery follow up appointment

My twin sister went to see her plastic surgeon on Thursday, July 9th, for her three-month follow-up at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

At her three-month follow-up appointment, rather than seeing our plastic surgeon, she saw one of her residents, who was “very knowledgeable.” Because Mayo is a teaching hospital, residents and fellows often pop in and out of procedures for training. For example, an anesthesiology resident started my IV before my double mastectomy with reconstruction operation, and radiology residents/fellows conducted my stereotactic core biopsy and MRI biopsy respectively while overseeing physicians oversaw both procedures.

At her three-month follow-up appointment, she got all good news! She also found out several things:

• First, the average life of our implants is 7.8 years, so we get to go in and have MRIs to check on the viability of our implants around that time and have them replaced accordingly.
• Second, at my twin sister’s one-month follow up appointment, she had a stitch sticking out of one of her incisions, but that has cleared up now and she is looking and feeling good!
• Third, she had some pain on her left side and a very small bump on the bottom left side of her implant, which she was slightly concerned about. But the doctor let her know that it’s nothing to be concerned about because it’s simply the edge of her implant that she can feel under the alloderm hammock that holds it in place. Because it isn’t causing a huge issue or discomfort, it is totally fine. As plastic surgeons, they can’t guarantee 100% smooth edges, BUT they offered my sister the opportunity to have a fat graft anytime to smooth out that one edge. However, the resident said everything looks symmetrical and the risks of doing that would likely outweigh the benefit, plus, he mentioned that my twin sister has no fat to graft. What a great problem to have! Ha!
• Finally: Her scars are looking good and she has no physical restrictions!

Like many other hospitals worldwide, because of delays due to COVID19, the plastic surgery department is backlogged like crazy. For example, TRAM-flap reconstruction surgeries are booking 18 months out! When we asked why she didn’t get to see our actual plastic surgeon at the appointment (because it’s always nice to see the actual doctor!!), my twin sister said the resident told them that our plastic surgeon is in surgery/the operating room four days per week making up for all of the surgeries that were postponed in March and April due to COVID19. My sister said: “She is very busy and everyone says there are no areas of concern!” Praise the Lord!

Superfan tshirts!!

If you are reading this blog you probably noticed the matching pink tshirts we wear to a lot of our appointments! They are “superfan” shirts that I made before my double mastectomy with reconstruction operation back in December 2019, in honor of our amazing team of doctors. The tshirt text reads: “When life gives you breast cancer, join up with Team Mayo Clinic: Rochester, MN!” with a list of our doctor names in cursive at the bottom. I made them for our whole family and our doctor team and had the whole family wear them as I headed into my surgery on Tuesday, December 3rd!! We also packed shirts for our doctors in gift bags and brought them along to the hospital. Our doctors loved them when they opened them!!! We wore the matching tshirts to my twin sister’s surgery, too 🙂 and whenever we go to the Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic on Gonda 2, the checkin staff recognize us and ask how we are doing!!

We got a few requests from friends who wanted tshirts after we made our initial order, so we are ordering another batch of them!! T-shirts are $20 each, and $8 each goes directly to support Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota! If you want to join us in raising breast cancer awareness and funds for Mayo Clinic, fill out this form by Friday, July 24th! 

Next steps

My twin sister has her eye doctor appointment to figure out why her vision is blurry this Monday, July 20th; and has her fourth infusion of T-DM1 this Friday, July 24th! To be honest, I’m not sure how my twin sister has done it. I’m still kind of fatigued six months after my surgery and all I had was a double mastectomy with reconstruction surgery.

My twin sister had a double mastectomy with immediate reconstruction operation, PLUS six infusions of TCHP, PLUS she’s on Tamoxifen for five years, PLUS she’s going through T-DM1 now, AND she had to go through Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome as a result of fertility treatments that allowed she and her husband to harvest 28 eggs that they will have children with after her treatments are all over 🙂 In addition all this, she has been working full time as a lawyer basically this entire time (she LOVES her job, which is amazing to see :)).

I just have to sit and wonder at the awesomeness of God being her joy and strength through all of this. My sister is a living example of God’s promises and purposes for us laid out in 2 Corinthians 4:

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Thank you all for your continued prayers!!!

This blog post is the 25th in a series about my (and twin sister’s) preventative breast cancer screening journey that began when we were 30 years old in July 2019. Here is a list of all of the posts written about our journey at Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to date.  To keep tabs on new posts, sign up for the “A Daily Miracle” email list at this link. To order a tshirt raising awareness for breast cancer, fill out this form by Friday, July 24th–shirts are $20 and $8 goes directly to support Mayo Clinic’s Breast Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota!

Today, in Part II of our 5-part series, “Dining al fresco on Chicago’s North Shore,” Show Me Chicago showcases Lake Forest.

Lake Forest is a 26 mile trek north  from Chicago.

Getting There

You can take the expressway, but if you have a little extra time you may want to consider the more scenic route through the historically significant, tree-lined communities of Chicago’s North Shore.

The Journey Begins

Take Lake Shore Drive north to where it ends at Hollywood and connects with Sheridan Road and continue north.

Stay alert on Sheridan Road as it twists and turns its way past impressive estates and significant landmarks.

Once in Evanston, you’ll pass through three downtown business districts  before coming to the lakeshore campus of Northwestern University at the northern border of Evanston.

From there, you’ll enter Wilmette where you’ll see the Bahá’í House of Worship (100 Linden Ave). The massive structure surrounded by gardens and the lake is hard to miss.

As you continue on Sheridan Road you’ll drive through Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe and Highland Park where you’ll see many large estates and occasional glimpses of the lake.

You know you are almost there when you reach Highwood. Highwood has been called the playground of the North Shore with its many bars, restaurants and live music venues.

At the northern border of Highwood you’ll get a glimpse of historic Ft. Sheridan–established as U.S. Army post in 1887 (to 1993). In 1984 parts of Fort Sheridan were designated a National Historic Landmark District.

Although it is now home to the “Town of Ft. Sheridan” many of the original structures remain.

Almost There

Stay on Sheridan Rd. for another 2 miles, past the Lake Forest College campus (and Halas Hall) to Deerpath Road where you’ll want to turn left (west) to Western Avenue.

Lake Forest

Known as an affluent community with a rich architectural history and home to many of the captains of industry, Lake Forest offers natural beauty along with a rich heritage and a diverse mix of dining choices.

The city spans 17.246 square miles from the lakefront on the east side to the Tri-State Tollway (I-94) on the west side.

The heart of Lake Forest is Market Square (on Western Avenue just north of Deerpath Road).

Heralded as the first planned shopping center, Market Square was designed by architect Howard Van Doren Shaw in 1916.

Show Me Chicago will be covering restaurants in Market Square and surrounding area covering a 1/2 mile radius.

The Deer Path Inn

If you are looking to soak up a little history of Lake Forest along with an elegant meal, head to the Deer Path Inn (255 E. Illinois) for breakfast, lunch, dinner or afternoon tea.

Just named the 2nd best resort hotel in the Country by Travel & Leisure magazine, the Deer Path Inn–is an elegant Tudor Style hotel with three different dining venues (two have outdoor courtyards) open to hotel guests as well as the public.

It’s hard to beat the courtyard (or the garden) for alfresco dining. They also have a casual pub and bar as well as the fine dining English Room.

Recently we had a leisurely breakfast in the garden among the greenery with a delightful backdrop of  chirping birds and music.

The Lantern

The Lantern (768 N. Western) is a longtime favorite of both Lake Forest College students and locals. It’s a great spot for burgers, beer and much more.

Upon entering the Lantern you’ll see photos of Chicago Bears from the 1985 Super Bowl Championship team who spent a great deal of their off-field time there. Even today don’t be surprised to see some of the former Bears as well as players from other teams gathering there.

If you look up you’ll see model trains circling the dining room–a popular feature with families (as is the balloon lady who’s currently on hiatus due to the coronavirus).

The Lantern offers both indoor and outdoor dining.

Left Bank

The Left Bank (659 N.Bank Ln.) has been around in one form or another since 1963 when Bob Pasquesi and his wife Gert founded Left Bank  

It’s a great spot for hot dogs, tacos, pizza and burgers. And you never know who you might see from neighbor kids to celebs including Lake Forest native Vince Vaughn who likes to stop by when he’s in town.

 Sweet’s

Sweet’s (280 E. Deerpath Rd.) has been part of the Lake Forest landscape since 1982 when local residents Susan and Jonathan Dick founded  the family run business as a quintessential penny candy and ice cream shoppe. 

Through the years it has expanded nationwide distributing original gift baskets and corporate gifts while still attracting kids and families.

Its welcoming atmosphere featuring wooden floors, cheerful yellow-stenciled walls and their iconic oversized copper kettle along with quality sweets keeps people returning again and again. 

Amidei Mercatino Open-Air Market

Thirty-one years ago, Amidei Mercatino (235 Southgate) opened his open-air market in an alleyway behind the Marshall Field’s Store on Market Square. Since then the charming marketplace has become a favorite with residents and visitors alike for fresh produce, healthy plants, local honey, jams, jellies and much more.

The Market is open daily from April to December. Every year, following Thanksgiving, the Market offers holiday decor and trees.

Gerhard’s

Gerhard’s (20 N. Western Ave.) Square is a delightful place to take a break from shopping and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee and an elegant pastry, a mini-quiche or a healthy yogurt and fruit parfait. 

For three decades, Gerhard’s owner Mary Greub has meticulously adhered to what she calls “Swiss standards” in preparation and presentation.

There are desserts for every taste and price range from doughnut and croissants to chocolate chip cookies, and  beautiful cakes. Perhaps the most popular dessert of all just might be the Dark Chocolate Mousse (pictured here)

Market House on the Square

The former Lake Forest firehouse was converted to the Southgate Restaurant back in 1980’s.  Upon opening, it became an instant hit with its large patio outdoors and charming garden room, bar and dining room inside.

In 2012, it became the Market House on the Square. The restaurant focuses on farm-to-table while still offering many of Market House’s popular legacy dishes.

Market House (655 Forest Ave) sits on the southeast corner of the Square.  

More

Craving Mexican? Head to Authentico (770 N. Western Ave.), which bills itself as a traditional Mexican restaurant with a modern twist.

Looking for Italian? Francesca’s Intimo (293 E Illinois Rd.) fills the bill serving up a, zesty earthy cuisine accented with the flavors of Rome.

Foodstuffs, (255 E Westminster), a high quality gourmet food store also offers a sandwich, salads and soup menu to go or to be enjoyed at their outdoor tables.

The Gallery (202 E Wisconsin Ave) combines fine art with fine food. The revolving menus reflect the art displayed on the walls.

The Peanut Gallery (950 N Western Ave), a sibling of the Gallery offers a more casual atmosphere along with great burgers and more.

Lake Bluff Dining

To see Part I of Dining on Chicago’s North Shore featuring Lake Bluff, click here.

Sidewalk Sale

Check out the unique shops and bargains  and grab a bite (make reservations) Lake Forest and Lake Bluff shops. The sale runs through July 18

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There was a big change in the 2020 presidential campaign last week when the dems suddenly decided to run Bernie as their nominee.

The latest political bait and switch.

When Biden’s poll numbers start to drop (and they will) the dems have an ace in their hole.  Bernie.  They want everyone to believe Bernie is really running.  Bernie’s popularity (not to mention his mental health) is more stable; his supporters more committed.  He is a far better man.  And a far better candidate.

And he will be used.

But nowhere did I, an ardent Bernie lover and supporter, hear from Biden anything that really sounded like Bernie.  Nothing clear and outspoken and honest.  Nothing that Bernie really promulgated over his last two campaigns, or what he stood for during his long and thoughtful career.

What I heard was lip service paid to Bernie.  Not to mention AOC’s Green New Deal.  (She endorsed Bernie in the primary, saying she was uninterested in going backward with Biden.)

Nowhere did I hear Medicare (for all), public college tuition (for free), or get the bums on Wall Street out (of the political mix).

Not the way Bernie says it.

But the transcribers of history told a story of the newly conjoined Bernie-Biden twins.

Bernie the enabler?

Biden also said, “Buy American!  Get our manufacturing back home!”  Or some such.  And plagiarist that he is, he also sounded like Trump.  Hard to know who the real Biden really is.  Bernie?  Or Trump?

Perhaps Hunter Biden the son will have to come out of his drugged crack-haze and re-create his job of getting dad to give China whatever will make it happy.  “Scowling at China is Trump’s job, dad,” he’ll say.  And voila!  The Chinese will have to give Hunter an even bigger cash payment to get his father to stop saying what Trump says.

The administration of which Biden was a part for eight years gave China whatever it wanted from us–beg, borrow or steal.  Lunch-bucket Joe was a phony.  He could have spoken up for all this stuff for eight years as Obama’s vice.  But he didn’t.  But now he says he will.  Yeah, sure.

Did Bernie hear something Biden said that was really like Bernie?  Or did he just hear what he wanted to hear? Because the only real thing that indicated Biden would be conducting a platform like Bernie’s was Bernie said he would.  In fact, Bernie said Biden would be the most progressive president since FDR.

Bernie the enabler?

Biden was the exact opposite of Bernie in his career up until last week. Not to mention FDR.

Poor Bernie doesn’t want to be Ralph Nader in his old age.  Or in his grave, once he’s in it.  So it seems to be very important for his personal legacy to play along, no matter what he hears from Biden.  So it won’t be Bernie’s fault if Biden collapses and doesn’t win.  Like Hillary.

For the second time over four years, Bernie’s going to beat the drum for a neo-liberal phony who thinks nothing of declaring war (or gassing up the ones we’re already in) or giving banks back tons of stolen money because they’re too big to fail.

But if Bernie’s ideas are so great, and Biden is so eager to pretend to be Bernie, why were the powers that be in the democrat party so eager to get rid of Bernie in the first place?  He was the real deal, and winning, scandal-free, totally corruptionless, honest, committed to fairness, enthusiastic, energetic, straightforward and a true mensch.  Unlike who they really have: the exact opposite.

Because that’s not the kind of candidate they really like.  And right now, they’re putting us on to get the Bernie voters under false pretenses.

What was wrong with keeping Bernie in the primary (as well as everyone else who wanted to stay) and let the chips fall where they may, even if it led to a drag out fight on the convention floor?   Now there won’t even be a convention floor.

One thing we learned this time around.   Tom Perez’ shark like tendencies make Debbie Wassermann Schultz look like an angelfish.

So after months of Biden hiding in his basement because it’s too scary to let him out to gaff, gaff and gaff some more, or give him an opportunity to tell a few whoppers, or plagiarize some memorable lines  written by someone else (even Trump) or remind everyone he’s a harasser and corrupt, and an ineffective insider–and violent to boot, the way he was challenging anyone during the primary who disagreed with him to a fistfight in the alley, they finally let him out to tell everyone he’s really Bernie.

Biden is no Bernie.  Bernie won’t gaff, challenge, threaten, lie, plagiarize, or be corrupt or creepy or a touchy-feely.  But Biden will.  And has.  So he stays locked behind a mask in front of bookcases, keeping his dirty little secrets in his rec room.  He’s an empty Biden, hollowed out–and now falsely filled with Bernie.  Like a gas tank in an old car that gets filled with Premium.

Biden is Bernie only because he is wearing a Halloween disguise.

He’s not Bernie.  He’s only pretending to be Bernie so he can maintain his high numbers and win.   He knows that eventually Trump will mount a campaign and he will use Bernie as a (false) sword and shield.    And then, if he wins, and after he’s through cutting a few ribbons, and taking a few trips to Europe and being made fun of at the White House Correspondent’s dinner (which all presidents love to be), he’ll say he’s getting old and he’ll retire.

Biden has nothing to offer but nothingness.  He will be an empty vessel that all neo-liberal democrat leaders will have their way with.  Which means maintaining the status quo and keeping their deep, rich gravy train choo-choo-chooing from Wall Street, Big Pharma, the Arms Manufacturers, Big Insurance Companies and many, many other big donors they shouldn’t be having anything to do with.

And for vice they’ll pick for him the person who was unable to compete on her own and win, failing  dismally as the actual candidate.  But you’ll get her anyway.  Even though she couldn’t get it on her own.  Lick those chops and rub those lascivious palms, dems, because Barack wants his female counterpart in line to be president in very short order.  (You can read all about the Harris plan here.)

Trump the Chump will probably go down the escalator of history as a mere seat warmer for the next phase (s) of the Obama administration.

And Biden, the  empty (lounge) suit can let everyone who hasn’t thought things through project onto him their favorite three words:  Anybody But Trump.

And what will we get?  A lot of meaningless virtue-signaling.  Sorry for the redundancy.

In the end, Bernie wasn’t good enough for the mainstream dems; and Creepy Joe with all his baggage (forgot to mention Anita Hill, but remember her, too) is going to be their guy.  But if it had been played straight, Bernie would be the nominee–and the president, too.  Going on twice.

Bernie’s ideas–as stated by a mushed up gaff machine like Biden–are the dems’ new platform.  So mushed  up, they sound like Trump.   Bernie with a side of Trump.  (Or vice versa. )  And in the end, all you get is Creepy Joe.

And Bernie–a wishful thinker hearing only what he wants to hear.  He may go down in history, at least this time, as NOT Ralph Nader, but he he will also go down in history as a convenient lackey and a total pushover.  And he’ll see his simple, fair and much-needed ideas vaporized by this group of liars and fakers.

But that’s the way “If you don’t vote for me, you ain’t black [unless you’re Corn Pop]” Biden rolls.

And Bernie got rolled.

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Last week, I blogged about the end of the world surely being upon us, since the Vienna Beef Factory and Store closed its doors. While the store and restaurant did indeed close at their current location, the Vienna Beef company is still very much around and so is Hot Dog Univeristy –  in fact, they are thriving in these Covid-19 times.

I had an opportunity to speak with Hot Dog University Professor Mark Reitman, PHD (Professor of Hot Dogs), recently, and he spoke about enrollments being on the upswing – what with a deep discount on tuition for distance learning, and people reinventing themselves in the hot dog business.

“Depression Dogs” became a great, cheap meal in the Thirties – and now the skids are being greased for the same need, especially for Americans. Vienna thrived then. They are thriving again.

“We’re way busier now than we were before,” Reitman said. “We were very lucky that we had no layoffs and no sickness, and we’re in a new building at the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, on 2501 W. Fulton Street, and things are going well.”

Ah, what a sense of relief this was. But what about the old restaurant in the store? Reitman simply pointed out that there are 600 carts and 400 restaurant trailers serving Vienna Beef hot dogs. If you’re in Chicago (and even out of town) there are places you can get your fix and your fill of the juicy and snappy. The 40,000 square foot property on Fulton will be more than enough space to keep producing Chicago’s most beloved and historic dog.

How has the hot dog business adjusted with Covid-19 in the picture? In some rather creative ways, as it turns out. Apart from people taking the vacuous Ivanka Trump’s “Let Them Eat Cake” style edict to “Find Something New,” some go-getters are doing just that, by enrolling in Hot Dog University.

Reitman provides learning modules that students can do remotely. You get the shirt, the hat, and the apron, as well as a series of videos and some hard-to-come-by inside information on cart setup and operations. It all  can be yours as a student at Hot Dog University, backed by a very supportive Vienna Beef structure. Reitman compares it to “getting a franchise without paying a franchise fee.”

One recent grad of Hot Dog University noticed a lot full of truckers at rest stops. She set up a drive-up hot dog business there. Truckers are usually good for purchasing multiple dogs, and they have the benefit of not having to look for truck stops that are shut down. They have begun to look for the food truck and plan for lunch there.

Another enterprising hot dog trailer owner set up shop near a stream of cars waiting to get tested for Covid-19. This has also proven to be successful. It’s American ingenuity at its most basic – find a need and meet it, just like the early purveyors. It’s an idea catching on nationally. Reitman recently offered the course of instruction in Florida.

As we propel headlong into a major recession and probably another major depression, what better time could there be to bring back the classic “Depression Dog?”

I’m back ya’ll! Though I wish I was camping and familiarizing myself with a new park, I’m home, in the Windy City.

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My favorite new release this week is “Monster,” by Half Moon Run. They have been on my #RADAR for a while, progressively getting better with each and every single. “Monster” is a glorious slice of emotional pop music.

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Runner up is The Regrettes, “I Love Us.” They are new to me and I like the sound of this female-fronted outfit that reminds me of Sylvan Esso at times. I’ll be keeping an eye on them.

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Father John Misty returns with a slow-burner, and, holy cow, another remix of “Dark Days?” Unbelievable how this track by the Local Natives continues to have legs.

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It started with Nina Persson singing on the original version back in 2016. Then, randomly, in 2020, it got a makeover with Sylvan Esso singing the female lead. Now, of all bands, Foals has remixed the song, adding some new darkness to it. Pretty incredible the journey this tune has had.

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Lewis Del Mar continues painting their masterpiece on “Do You Need Me.”

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While Joey Bada$$ shows us his grillwork on “Shine.” I never really understood the “grill” phase, but I love Joey Bada$$, especially his Mr. Robot reboot!

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Several Bob Marley remixes are surfacing and I’m shocked to see “Sun Is Shining,” circa 1971, as one of them. What a peculiar song, but a cool one. BTW, what’s that weird instrument that you hear in the background?

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Grammy-nominated DJ and producer Robin Schulz says, “It is an absolute honor to be chosen to do this remix. Bob Marley is a true legend. It is a privilege and a highlight of my career to have the opportunity to add my individual note to this magnificent song. I am really looking forward to the release.”

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Boy Pablo releases another great song, “Honey,” and Faded Paper Figures gives us that new sound we didn’t know we were looking for on “Count It Out.”

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Who’s ready for a mission to Mars? Here’s your jazz clip of the week.

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Jon Minnis has owned his own athletic training business in Iowa, served in the Navy overseas and grew up in a small town in his home state.

Now, he’s back in Macomb for the second time.

Minnis, who has a master’s degree in kinesiology from WIU, returned in March to take over as the school’s director of strength and conditioning. He works closely with the football program and has a staff of three graduate assistants. During the pandemic, he built a squat rack in his backyard to enhance his own workouts while working virtually with WIU athletes.

In this edition of Prairie State Pigskin’s Moving the Chains, Minnis discusses how a Rocky movie help shape his career, the best attributes of his hometown of Morning Sun, Iowa, and the foods he would like all of his athletes to eat on a regular basis.

As a student, you earned your master’s degree at WIU. What drew you to Western and Macomb?

I’m from the Iowa City area and I knew about Western growing up and that they had a good football program. After the military, (I knew) Western had good veteran benefits and they work well with veterans. That appealed to me very much. Western’s kinesiology program is top notch.

What was attractive about coming back to Western as a strength and conditioning professional?

When I was here as a (graduate assistant coach), I absolutely loved it. The football coaching staff and the other staffs I worked with – women’s soccer, track and field, and men’s basketball – always made me feel like part of a family when I was here. It was so close knit and easy to get along with everybody. When the director position opened up and Coach (Jared) Elliott gave me a call, he asked me if I was interested. I said, ‘I’ll be there tomorrow.’ (Laughs) I was ready to go. This was absolutely where I wanted to be.

What are the most exciting things to do in your hometown of Morning Sun, Iowa?

Probably the most exciting thing is cow tipping. (Laughs) Morning Sun is a very small community. They’ve shut down their high school, which used to have a wrestling program that was absolutely top notch. For how small they were, they were a powerhouse in the state. Because of it’s size, everybody knows everybody. The big thing there is the Fourth of July celebrations. Come Fourth of July, the size of that town is 10 times what it normally is. Everybody comes back – the families, the school alumni. There’s a parade and fireworks. It’s a huge celebration.

My dad still lives there. He was actually the mayor there for a long time. He grew up there and has lived there all of his life.

During this unique time in college athletics with the COVID-19 pandemic, what have the challenges been in terms of keeping athletes on track with their workouts?

This is a whole new realm for every strength coach. I had the football team for a week, then we went on spring break and all of this happened. Luckily, I had a relationship with the majority of the team already. Some guys have full home gyms with everything they need, and other guys have nothing. So I put out a program of everything that we’d be doing in the weight room. I also sent out an alternate home program with body weight stuff (for guys with) minimal equipment. I made them as close as I could to each other. That was the biggest challenge. We didn’t want to overstimulate them to wear their immune system down. That’s a whole other challenge.

Between myself and my three assistants, we did weekly calls with everyone. We wanted to know how they were doing (with the program) and how their mental health was. That’s a big thing because it’s a stressful time. We also need to know about nutrition. Are they eating OK? We’ve learned from it.

Within the strength and conditioning community, networking has opened up like I’ve never seen. It’s very easy to reach out to other coaches at bigger and smaller schools and ask them what they’re doing. We’re all learning from each other.  A lot of us are learning from Division III programs because they don’t get their players during the summer. It has opened up some new knowledge bases.

What sports did you play growing up?

I played just about any sport I could figure out how to play. I was big into Little League baseball as a kid. In high school, I played football and I wrestled. I played baseball. Because Iowa (high schools) play baseball in the summer, I ran track for a couple of years (in the spring). I went on to college at played baseball (at NAIA Culver-Stockton College). I was a middle infielder, kind of a utility guy who played anywhere and everywhere they needed me.

How did your interest in strength and conditioning start?

That was a weird route. I grew up in the 1990s and it wasn’t as well known as it is now. I’ve always been infatuated with the process. A lot of strength coaches I know go back to the movie Rocky IV and the training montage. That’s something I remember as a kid. I always loved watching that stuff. It wasn’t about the big game. It was everything they were doing up to that moment – the training. I loved watching documentaries about that. When I first went into college, I didn’t know about the strength and conditioning field. When I was at Culver-Stockton, we had a football coach who did strength and conditioning, and I would peek in and shadow what he was doing. That got me interested.

Also during that time, the 9-11 terrorist attacks happened. So I made the decision to join the military and did some deployments. I continued to follow developments in strength and conditioning. I got out of the military in 2009 and just went from there.

I started out wanting to be a personal trainer. Then I wanted to train high school athletes. I was working for a high school as a strength coach and a wrestling coach. I opened my own facility (in Keokuk, Iowa) about 45 minutes from Macomb. It slowly evolved into getting my master’s degree and being a graduate assistant.

What did your time in the Navy teach you?

I learned a lot. There were basic things like the discipline to do things that need to be done and to deal with challenges. Obviously, there were different challenges on deployment and stateside, whether it was personal or as a unit. That’s the biggest one. From the lessons I’ve learned from my parents and being in the military, you take 5 minutes to cry about (a challenge) or whatever, and then you move on. Things that I pass on to athletes are things like being able to push yourself through physical roadblocks. When they’re training, you say, ‘I know it’s hard, but you can keep going and do the things you need to do.’

What are the three best foods for athletes to eat?

I’m a big red meat guy. I think red meat – whether it’s quality ground beef or steak – has to be in an athlete’s diet. You get certain vitamins and minerals from meat, along with protein. For a carb source, there’s white rice, which is very easily digested, or sweet potatoes. I absolutely love sweet potatoes. To be honest, I think that salt needs to be a priority. Not just table salt, but pink Himalayan salt or sea salt. It has electrolytes and sodium that you need.

What are three of the worst foods you don’t want your athletes to eat?

I tell my athletes, ‘Don’t eat what I usually eat.’ (laughs) I try not to demonize any foods because I think foods have their place. With a higher-level athlete, they can get away with eating some McDonald’s here and there or a Snickers bar. You look at (Olympic swimmer) Michael Phelps and his (highly publicized) diet. He was swimming six hours a day and burning all these calories. A lot of these athletes are doing the same thing. With college athletes, it’s hard enough to get them to eat in general, so I try not to demonize too many foods.

In every sport your staff works with, how different are the workouts?

We try to differ the workouts to some extent. One of the big reasons I like to do that is it makes each sport and those athletes feel special about their workout. You can train an athlete very similar. It’s what we call general physical preparation.

We want to make them stronger. We want to make them faster. We want to make them more explosive. You can do that in so many different ways. I want my assistants to have their own thought process.

Everything is based on whether they’re in season, out of season, or if they’re right after the season. We can also individualize it based on if a person is coming back from an injury. We have a base model and then it’s individualized beyond that.

What are your favorite spots on WIU’s campus?

I love Hanson Field. I love the way it’s set up. When I was a graduate student, I was a big fan of Malpass Library. It feels very homey. At that time, I lived 45 minutes away. So when I came to campus, I would just stay there for the day. It was easy for me to go to the library and find a nice, quiet spot. They had comfortable chairs, places with a lot of light and some places that were darker. I’d sit and study or listen to a podcast. That was a special place for me.

Who are the most inspirational people in your life?

My parents (Teresa and Bill) have always supported me in everything that I do. My dad helped me set up my business. My parents were 100% behind me when I went into the military. If it wasn’t for those two being behind me all the time — from the time I was a little kid and had some wild ideas … . They challenged me but were always behind me.

When you walk around campus, what’s playing in your headphones?

I’m not a big music guy, but I am a big podcast guy. There are a ton of good podcasts that I listen to. I like listening to (comedian) Joe Rogan’s podcast. (Retired Navy officer and author) Jocko Willink has a really good one that I like to listen to. When I was in the military, I was fortunate enough that we knew each other pretty well. There are a lot of good strength and conditioning podcasts as well. I try to be learning as much as I can while I’m relaxing.

What’s the biggest reward you get from your job?

Just helping the kids progress, whether that’s on the field or off the field. I’ve been involved with high school sports for the last 10 years, and then college as well.

As a high school wrestling coach, I had a couple of guys go Division I, which was fun. But it’s also the guys that go to technical school and bettered themselves and now are making great money and supporting their families (that I enjoy). I had several of my former athletes go into the military and are doing great things. It’s having the opportunity to guide them to something better in their lives. That’s the biggest reward for me.

I’m always interested in news about language. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has an intriguing newsletter called News Daily which occasionally looks at language in various subject headings. Today (July 17) it’s in Worklife, and the story (dated May 24, but in today’s newsletter) is “Why we’ve created new language for coronavirus.”(For the whole story, click here.)

It’s not all coining new words, as writer Christine Ro points out; it’s mostly using older words in a new light or just getting them out into that light. Still, all the new usage has been enough to cause an uscheduled update to the Oxford English Dictionary.

The only new word among all those new definitions and usages, Ro’s story notes, is COVID-19 itself.

Somewhere in the Imaginary Writers’ Room  in my mind, I can hear a warm Scots voice saying “Elementary.”

Margaret Serious has a page on Facebook.