What a week!

I have neglected this blog lately. But this week takes the cake!
We've had a bunch of minor disasters and I hope they are done with. This is no way to enter a beautiful Fall season. First of all, my computer screen went blank, then the sewing machine bobbin holder jammed, Jerry's electric razor wore out, Laurie and Mark had a minor, could have been major, upset at their house, Barb's briefcase was stolen from her car while she attended the Christ Child Society luncheon, Jerry found out that his beloved bike was damaged beyond repair,Tom "ran" the Portland Marathon and got a flat tire making him at least 20 minutes over his expected time and after all that, on his way to Wisconsin, a deer walked into Tom's van as he barrelled down the highway at 75 miles an hour.
Was there a full moon? The good news is that all is in the process of being remedied. New computer screen (and the guy cleaned up my computer!); new razor (and Jerry likes it!); new bike (?? I think he should get a better one...we're talking); Bigsby's is going to fix my sewing machine (and CLEAN it! YAY!); L&M still don't know what caused the weirdness in their house, but the fire department with its bells and whistles and nice firemen checked the house and it's fine; Barb replaced the window in the car and thanked God that her 'brain wasn't taken; and TOM- Tom arrived home three hours ago safe and sound with a banged up car. He's sleeping now, having only 3 hours of sleep last night.
At one point in my life, I told someone that "The Perils of Pauline" had nothing on MY life! It certainly is exciting...if that's the catchall word for exasperation, anger, frustration, worry and sympathy all in one week!
In times like these, I just sit back and grin. I think about the victories and defeats that we've witnessed with our extended family. We've managed to survive the major ones and laugh about the minor ones.
My good friend (and Barb's mother-in-law) celebrated her 78th birthday last night. She's an 'only' child, just like I am. When we get together, we chuckle about the differences in our lives since we have acquired the husband/families that we have. We know just how lucky we are. We've known each other since 1970 or so...meeting when Andy and Dan swam together at Nicolet and sharing lots of our children's lives. Now...we feel like we are all an extended family. I worry about her kids and grandkids and she share at least ONE family of mine. So when a week goes like this last one has, it's time to take stock and count your blessings.
Happy Fall.

 

It’s Spring in Glendale…
and I have a new perspective. I just returned from a river cruise through the Netherlands and Belgium. After seeing one of the largest (if not the largest) gardens in the world, the Keukenhof Gardens just outside of Amsterdam, I have come home to appreciate Glendale and all it means to me.
Keukenhof Gardens is not to be missed. From the welcoming fountain at the entrance, spraying a pattern that resembles a giant puff ball, to the sailboats floating serenely on an internal pond, this beautiful venue has stunning layouts of red, yellow and white tulips, blue, pink and white hyacinths and waves of yellow and white daffodils. Spectacular is the best word to describe the Garden. The size and extent of these fields is mind boggling.
The weather cooperated with our visit. Throughout the entire two weeks we had only one day of rain. I expected to see ‘real’ windmills. What I didn’t expect was to find that hardly any of them do the work that they were cut out for. Most are historical monuments to a different time and need in the Netherlands, when pumping water out of the land was most important. Now the ‘real windmills’ are the modern silver and white three armed behemoths that dot our landscape and theirs, churning out energy from the wind. We saw LOTS of cows!
Cheese is a staple in this dairy-rich country. One afternoon I was treated to an unpronounceable pastry, only to find that I was going to eat a cream puff! We were introduced to Stroopwafels…a cookie with a smooth caramel filling that melts in your mouth…great with tea or coffee. Pickled herring was on the luncheon menu several times and potatoes were a staple with every meal.
Now I’ve come home…and taking a look at my beloved Glendale, I don’t find a lot of differences surprisingly.
Walking through Clovernook Estates this morning, I found that although there are not ‘fields’ of tulips and hyacinths, I reveled in the tiny, hopeful signs of spring as I found blooms nestling close to trees that are umbrella-ed with new citrine green growth. Violets peek through the woods near the ravine, nodding their tiny purple heads in agreement with being Wisconsin’s state flower. The smell of newly cut grass is always a welcome harbinger of our short summer season.
The Netherlands has its windmills – and the North Shore has its water filtration plant. I’ve passed this macaroni pipe-filled yard thousands of times. Now I have a better respect for the fact that this unassuming plant filters water for all the surrounding communities. It’s kind of like those windmills in Holland. Unless someone points them out to you with an explanation of their importance you begin to pass them over.
We went out for a fish fry last night, and found ourselves thinking about the common ground that all cuisine seems to have…or maybe the German background in Milwaukee is close to that of the Dutch. We had cheese and crackers before dinner and could have ordered an hors d’oeurves of good ol’ Ma Baensch’s pickled herring! I’ve now had two versions of potato pancakes, two versions of cream puffs; similar, but from different countries...
I dearly love travel. I love thinking about a new country, its people, the landscape, the food. But the older I get and the more I travel, the more I realize commonalities and the fact that there’s no place like home.

Tristan Orion

When Spring brings a new baby, the earth is renewed.

Through the late snowfall in Wisconsin, we have anxiously anticipated this little one’s arrival. It’s been a long and sometimes heartbreaking trail that Dan and Zoe have followed, hoping to increase their family and have a sibling for Tashi. And Tashi, our delightful 11 year old jumping jack of a little girl, now has a baby brother!

What a joyous addition to Spring a new baby is! And that’s especially true when the little guy has been so eagerly awaited by his concerned family. Dan, our thoughtful and history minded sixth child and his lovely poet of a wife have presented us with our ninth grandchild. The e-mails have flown fast and furious over the past days as we first worried with Zoe about the fact that this baby is a month early, and that she might have to have a Caesarean. As is the usual case, everyone in this far flung yet so close family had to give advice, form a cheering section and assure Dan and Zoe that we were with them every minute. And now, all that apprehension has disappeared.

He’s here! Tristan Orion. A wondrous name, worthy of a warrior, and yet centered in the stars. Star-blessed, he arrives welcomed by all of his aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents with a sigh of relief.

We had a star named for Dan when he graduated from college. We knew that he, of all, would be looking to the stars as he made his way through life. Dan has always been thoughtful, history minded, detail oriented. His luck in finding and joining with our beautiful mahogany-haired Zoe, who thinks in poetic mysticism and yet works in absolute practicality, is a blessing not only to him, but to us. Zoe writes with such emotion about the earth, her surroundings, her life, in her blog “Vale of Evening Fog.” She loves to garden, cooks up a storm, and will defend her beliefs vociferously!
How could these two find such compatibility? Ahh…you see it when they listen to music. You find it in the myriad of books lining their walls. You see it when they smile at Tashi, the love of their life. Their house is a tranquil place, surrounded by woods, filled with warmth that is most engaging. Their kindness to the seven nieces and nephews is palpable.

And now, Tashi has a little brother. Tashi, of the easy grin. Tashi, who loves fairies and takes such gentle care of Luna and Loki, her beloved cats, now has a small sibling to watch over and to smile about.

And we? We see a tiny red face, almost a duplicate of his father’s baby picture. We see a life of love, caring, smiles and wondrous potential for this dear little boy.

When Spring brings a new baby, the earth is renewed.

Spring comes to Door County slowly...

Spring reaches Door County
We never tire of coming to Door County. The little ‘thumb’ of Wisconsin has enthralled us since the first winter weekend that we spent investigating the concept of ‘timesharing’ and making the decision to spend at least two weeks here a year. We now come to this land of refreshment five times a year, in every season.

The sun just seems a little brighter here. Shining over icy waters, it reflects a silvery blue that is unmatchable. I look for tiny signs that the green of summer is coming…trillium shoots, bravely pushing through the melting snow. Black water overcoming the ice in the lake as the spring melt begins.

The sound of water dripping, running, swishing, lapping – that’s the sound of spring in Door County. The trees are still bare, awaiting the pale green leaf-out and the wonderful pink and white blossoms that herald a new cherry crop. That’s ok. The anticipation is a part of being here, too.

I joined the water aerobics class this week. Jerry would think that the exercise is a little lame, but the camaraderie is just another benefit of being here. We meet such interesting people. Last night at the weekly Wine and Cheese party a family told us that they drove 19 hours from Texas to spend their spring break here. Now that’s a switch! Many of the folks here have been coming to the Rushes (or as my kids call it, The Weeds!) for many years. We’ve been here since 1984. Two of the college kids were introduced last night as “Rushes Babies!”

I’ve jumped back into the walking habit…35 minutes, up the hill and past the woods, all the way to the Brothers’ St. Joseph Retreat House. The friendly cows aren’t out…and the woods stand bare, waiting for sun to warm their brown gullies and hillocks. Hah! My ‘transforming’ glasses have made the sky look incredibly blue and have made the birches look like big pencils – pointing their way to spring, I hope!

Wicked Old Songs

Wicked Old Songs... WOW! My day spent coaching ...
[Photo] Wicked Old Songs...
WOW! My day spent coaching middle schoolers in their forensic performances ended with my attendance at this wonderful play put on by In Tandem Theatre. First of all... the theatre company has relocated to the old red church on Wisconsin Avenue, a perfect venue for small theatre productions. It's historic, inviting and small enough for you to feel as if you are part of the production. Chris and Jane Fleiler live in Washington Heights, and I have seen several of their productions. Cudahy Caroler, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, etc.

\Secondly, the stage set was perfect for a scene set in present day Vienna.
I have been to Vienna several times and have enjoyed that lovely city immensely, from the Sacher Torte tradition to seeing the glorious Opera House and travelling the Ringstrasse. This tastefully done set of an older apartment of a vocal coach was done so well. The piano dominated the room and a window gave you just a glimpse of an imaginary Vienna, waiting outside the drama that would unfold.

I won't spoil the story for you, in case you ever get to see this interesting play, but I can tell you that it is a contraposition of teacher and pupil that I found fascinating after my afternoon with the junior high crowd. The young man who played the student was so natural in his disdain of the older teacher while he tried to keep some respect. The teacher was done wonderfully by a seasoned actor/director/conductor who is a big part of the Milwaukee Theatre scene.

I can only hope that I can keep my sense of humor as well as the mentor in this piece did. It's fun to see that same expression (that I have seen on many occasions) pop up on this talented actor as he reacts to the 'unreasonable' requests of his teacher.

The unfolding of the training of an accompanist as he learned not only about what a singer feels and thinks was enough to recommend this play. But the German music - oh the German music! I learned so much about the emotion of singing this music and the difference in translation. And somehow, it reminded me of Professor Baer in Little Women!

The denouement of the play is a somber one. I have been to Auschwitz. I don't care to ever go back there. The sadness and tragedy that surround those awful events was reflected in the older man's performance.

And frosting on the cake? We had an unexpected 'talk-back' at the end of the performance with the actors and Chris (the director) sitting down and visiting with the attendees who were smart enough to stick around.What a charming way to get to know the performers. All in all, the evening was a success. I'm thinking of buying TWO season tickets next year and taking a friend with me!

I'm a coach!

I have loved the field of Forensics (public speaking competition) since I was in high school. The highlight of my high school career was taking private speech lessons, daily. My teacher/coach (Miss Link) was tough and determined that we would learn as many of the little hints that she could give us to be successful in public speaking and acting. I competed in Forensics all through high school and was able to be part of the school plays every year. What fun! I even earned an award for "Dramatics" as a senior. I love the little comedy/tragedy mask charm that I was given.
And now...now, I'm having the time of my life, coaching middle school kids! And to make it even more rewarding, I'm coaching at the grade school that I attended years ago.
The real fun comes when you can give a kid a direction, have them follow it and then see the light dawn when they figure out that they have the audience in the palm of their hand. We keep track of the scores that they are given by judges at the various meets that our head coach has arranged. We compete in several before the end of the season which culminates in a Statewide Meet. Last year this small parochial school took FIRST PLACE at the State Meet! This year, of the 41 kids on the team, only 8 have not qualified for state...and after this past weekend, perhaps that will have been remedied. This is quite an accomplishment, when you realize that some teams never qualify anyone for the State Meet. And the kids... the kids are enthusiastic, supportive and so much fun to work with.
I must be the oldest coach/judge in the middle school league. My claim to fame is that I have the time to go over to the school every afternoon and LISTEN! Retirement gives you such freedom to do things you love. I spent Friday night and Saturday at two different meets, judging categories from "Group Acting" to "Impromptu Speech."
The other benefit is having something in common with grandchildren. Meggie, our 12 year old, is competing for her school in "Group Acting" and hopes to qualify for State. I get to compare notes with her about our common interest. What a bonus!
I'll keep you up to date with the progress of my team and that of Megan's. Wish us luck!