Spring Quarter

Philip starts Spring Quarter today.

Deena's Visit to Patty Lekawa

Patty Lekawa lives in Crystal Lake.  It is a long drive from Albany Park, Chicago.


Deena and a friend made a day of it, with 2 appointments back to back.

Deena  thought it was a very good experience, and would like Ray, Alek, and Philip to see Patty, too.


Over to the Remembering Maris Blog for the rest of the story.

Happy Spring

We celebrated Spring Equinox on March 20.  Aries. Mars.New creative cycle.  May this be the year everyone on the planet awakens to something higher....in a good way....

Welcome,  Spring!

March 17, 2011

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Here is Deena, waving "Hello" to you through the library window..

Hope you are having a fun St. Paddy's Day.

Next year, 2012, it will happen on a Friday or Saturday...so plan on a big green bash at our house then!

Alex: Promotion

Alex Butta was promoted to 1st Lieutenant today, March 8, 2011!  we are so proud and happy.  But so sorry we were not there.

Alex Butta, March 8, 2011

Promotion Ceremony Pictures on Facebook.

Auntie Ev

Eveline Pabisinski

An old picture of Auntie Ev, probably from the 1940s.  I will try to get her to tell me when it was taken.

Check out our family tree, and other family photos, on our Tribal Pages website

Yesterday at Light Source

We visited Light Source Church on March 5 because we wanted to see their presentation by a girl named Kendall, whose sister Hillary  took her own life 3 years ago when Kendall was 9 years old.  Kendall wrote a book about her experiences, and her mom started a foundation called Hillary's Hope.


It was interesting to see how people deal with suicide, and how they respond to it. 


 Rev. Patty Lekawa shared some statistics about suicide, which is the third leading cause of death among young people.  Third is pretty high.  Patty refers to it as an epidemic, and something needs to be done.  

The presentation seemed to be more about education, awareness, and prevention.  But it also offered some comfort to survivors by explaining that the decision to take one's own life may be a necessary part of that soul's journey, and an agreement made before they incarnated.  It is very important that the person must not be judged or condemned in any way for their decision.   

Patty  played two music videos that portrayed different aspects of the experience..  The first one was How Do You Get That Lonely by Blaine Larsen.  

This was a powerful song, and comppleted expressed our experience.

The other video was F**kin' Perfect by Pink.  

Two different outcomes.

The Tunnel of Healing was also very powerful.  Not a good idea to resist the urge to allow the energy to knock you down, because you end up with a crick in your neck.  The alternative is to allow trained helpers to catch you before you hit the floor. 


There were no  messages for us, and we were really tired by the time we left at 11:45 pm.  But I dreamed about Maris that night.  He was very little in the dream, which seemed to be about rediscovering and sorting toys from when they were children.  He was playing with a white plastic toy stroller with lavender and pink flowers on it.  It had been purchased for him to help him learn to walk better.  when I work up, I realized we never had such a toy, although we did own a white and blue toy stroller that was decorated with a smurf.  I do not recall who we purchased it for...perhaps the daycare?  as it had come from a resale shop.  They used to enjoy putting their stuffed animals in it for a ride.


The meaning of the dream?  not readily apparent.  But I hope it will come to me.

Nathaniel Vieux 1st Birthday

Philip, Nathan, Julie, and Ray.

 To see our full set of party pictures, click HERE.

cupcakes from More.

Birthday party for Nathan on February 19, 2011 at Marc and Juilie's home on Sheridan Rd.  Cousins from out of town (Marc's siblings and families from Ohio and Kansas.) The theme was Popeye the Sailor 
Man, because Nathan is becoming a regular sailor man.  He travels the oceans on his mom and dad's boat.  Spinach was an ingredient in some of the appetizers, and Wimpy hamburgers for dinner, with Popeye cartoons to watch.  But oddly enough, no bottles of Olive Oyl!   And the world's  best cupcakes from More.

Land of Painted Caves

32 days until Jean Auel's next book is released!

Earth's Children Series  The Land of Painted Caves.

Bridge To Forgiveness

A am reading another amazing book: The Bridge To Forgiveness, by Karyn D. Kedar.

On the second page it says, "The first twenty years, you grow up.  The second twenty years, you heal from growing up...By the time you're forty, get over it.  We are human, and many mistakes were made in your growing up.  Take the next twenty years to heal, and then move on.  By the, you are what you are and you aren't what you are not."

I have actually spent the first forty years growing up and making mistakes.  At an age when I should be accepting myself and moving on, I am trying to heal from the first 59 years.

I remember learning that if you do not learn the lessons of the first Saturn Return, your second Saturn Return will be worse.  I didn't, and it was.

I need this book.  The only person I am having trouble forgiving is myself.

Valentine's Day 2011 cont'd

See's chocolates..the best!

very cute things on North By Northwestern:





13 sad, sad ice cream flavors to smother your Valentine’s blues

Beautiful roses, and rose wine

Heartbreak or lovin’? Pick a Valentine fate

Black Kitty enjoys his valentine ribbon

my favorite romantic recipe...from Gourmet, January 1994

 Ray and I prepared our traditional Valentine's Day Dinner, pasta with scallops mushroom, and spinach.

Vaalentines Day 2011

Philip paid us a surprise visit for Valentine's Day...the best possible gift!  He brought a special treat from the Swedish Bakery.

We had a great dinner at Semiramis Restaurant.  The food is really tasty and extremely afforda ble, and within walkimng distance.  Semiramis is a very pleasant place  with a comfortable and welcoming  ambiance, perfect for any occasion. After dinner we made coffee with orange peel and cardomom, and shared the best red velvet cupcakes, white champagne truffles, and strawberry almond heart pastries.

Next morning we wanted to try Prince Creperie, a new restaurant  a couple doors north of Semiramis.  We thought they open at 6:30.  Ooops, that is only Monday through Friday.  On Sunday they are supposed to open at 10 a.m.  We stood outside with one of their waitresses until after 10 a.m.,, and finally headed off to Ann Sather Restaurant, where the food is always delicious and they never keep you waiting outside  in the cold.

We had a lovely visit with Philip, and took him back to school after brunch.

Thank you, Philip, for a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration!

February 14, 2011 will be the first Valentine's Day in years that I have not taken the day off for a Valentine's Day Dinner.  Guess it will be Ray and me this year, enjoying our traditional Valentine's Day pasta dinner with rosé wine.  I dropped off valentines and candy with Aunt Doree and aunt Ev. on Saturday after work.  Alek is in North Carolina, and Philip is extremely busy at school.  We are looking forward very much to reading his Valentines Day stories at North By Northwester.  Ray and I look forward to a quiet Valentine evening and a DVD.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

May the blessings of Eros and Aphrodite be yours.

Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

Currently reading Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Lisbeth reminds me of Maris. 

I will let you know how it goes.

Year of the Rabbit 2011

Click HERE to see pictures from our trip to Chinatown for this year's lunar year parade.

We met Helen and her Aunt Alice for a tasty dim sum brunch at Three Happiness Restaurant.


It was cold, snowy, and damp.  Philip covered the parade for a photojournalism class assignment.

After being outside for a couple hours, we felt chilled to the bone.  We  had to leave suddenly without visiting all the shops because Aunt Doree called to say Aunt Ev's furnace was not working.  

Thankfully we had managed to visit Hoypoloi Gallery, what a fun place!  I love the glass quotation plates by Steve Schlanser.  But I did not see the very cool, very mystical  huge gold one we saw the day we went to Chinatown with Alek and his friend Jeff.


Hot Irish coffee at the Fire House Grill in Evanston made me feel better.  The furnace was easily started by popping a couple AA batteries into the thermostat.

We took Philip back to Rogers House.  The campus is beautiful in the snow.

Glenview Library Article

In the February 2011 Illinois Library Association  magazine, The ILA Reporter, there is an article about the Glenview Public Library where I work.

Click HERE to see the magazine.  That is our picture on the cover, and other pictures are scattered throughout the issue.  But the actual article starts on page 8.

Blizzard 2011

I came to work at 1 PM on February 1 because I was planning a Tuesday evening genealogy discussion group.  We wondered if the predicted blizzard would really come, or if it would just bllow over.  At 2:30 pm, it began snowing hard and blowing hard.  At 3 pm, we were told the library would close at 4 pm.    I got home around 5:30 pm.  The next day it snowed and snowed.  I was not feeling so great (flu?) so I slept most of the day.  Someone rang the doorbell and said they would shovel my snow for $15.  Diane (my boss) called around 6:30 and said we were going to stay closed another day because the furnace was not working, and also the sidewalks needed to be plowed.  I was so grateful   By Thursday I was feeling better and ready to go back.

See the rest of my blizzard 2011 pictures. 

Nathaniel Vieux

Here he is at holiday time! Julie and Marc's baby.  Guess this makes Ray a great uncle! They are enjoying winter in the tropics.  (Postage stamp from the Philippines.)

The Lacuna

Currently reading The Lacuna, by Barbara Kingsolver, one of my favorite authors.  She takes images from nature and uses them as metaphors for conundrums within her characters that they need to explore.

A lacuna is a (...)

Yes, that!  a mysterious space.  An underwater cave through which you are pulled by tides.

Or the part of the story which is left out, which is of course the most important part.

Frida Kahlo and Leo Trotsky are characters in this book, which is partly set in Mexico in the 30s and 40s.

Departures

Beth stayed with us a couple nights because of car trouble.  We watched a great movie called Departures.  Strongly recommended!  Explores a topic we rarely think about but that is extremely important.

Protagonist loses job as a cellist in a symphony orchestra.  The only job he can find is as an undertaker.

This is a beuatiful, thought-provoking Japanese film about a young man who bravely does what he must do, and grows a lot in the process.  There are some awkward, unpleasant moments in the beginning, where you wonder if he will give up. He has so much to lose.  There is also some inevitable dark humor.  But by the end of the movie, many parts of the hero's life have come together and re-connected through his new profession. 


As with so many other Japanese disciplines, such as  ikebana, chanoyu, etc.,  this one is austerely beautiful.  It serves to bring dignity and beautiful memories to grieving families.


There is a learning curve for the young man.  But his mastering of this new discipline has much in common with his cello playing, which he has had to stop doing professionally but not in his personal life.  In fact he has returned to his roots by giving up his professional cello and re-connecting with his first cello.


This is a wonderful movie about  going home.


Everyone should see it.

Wear Purple On Friday January 28

Northwestern University was officially established on January 28, 1851 when its Act of Incorporation was passed by the Illinois Legislature.


NU alumni around the world used to light candles on Founders' Day to honor the anniversary of Northwestern's founding. This Friday, January 28, Founders' Day 2011, remember to wear purple clothing and light a candle in recognition of our 160th anniversary.

Learn more about the history of Northwestern University here and remember to wear purple this Friday!