In Dad's Memory

Dad died six years ago today.

Christmas Party at St. Lucian's 1999

As the younger of his two daughters, he liked to introduce me to people as his baby.  One of my earliest memories is of him holding me in his arms and introducing me, as his baby of course, to Myron Kokocinski who worked behind the meat counter at Thrifty Supermarket.

ca. 1955  Dad and his baby

As I grew older, the opportunities for Dad to introduce me became few and far between.  In my 20s I remember feeling mildly annoyed and even a little embarassed when such occasions arose. 

ca. 1978 - baby on the right

By my 30s, I felt vaguely insulted when I was introduced as his baby--after all, I was a competent adult with babies of my own.  But by my mid-forties when dad was living in a nearby retirement home, I finally recognized the unique nature of our bond and the specialness of being his baby.  Yes, I was a wife, mother, sister, aunt, etc.--but no one else in the whole world could claim me as their baby.  With dad in his mid-eighties, I also realized that the time left for him to call me his baby was growing shorter and shorter--and it was indeed a label and part of my identity that I would miss. 

Christmas 2002 with his grandkids

My father was always a deeply religious man, so today of all days, I hope he's up in heaven watching over his family.  And by the way, Daddy, your baby says Hi!

A Study in Contrasts

When this is outside:

It's so nice to see this inside:

Have a fabulous Friday!

First Snow of the Season!

I never realized how hard it is to photograph snow as it falls at night--maybe because I've never tried before!

Here it is accumulating on the grill cover.  The deck is already slippery but we're only supposed to get half of an inch overnight.  I'm not ready for this!

A Favorite Quilt

This quilt design of colorful leaves was hard to photograph because there was usually a crowd of people admiring it!

It was also one of the largest quilts at the show.

I really enjoy inspecting quilts up close to see how they are pieced or appliqued and then quilted.  This really is beautiful work!

Quilt Show Continued

There was one monochromatic quilt that made us do a doubletake:

If you google "one block wonder quilts" you'll find other photos of this design and even the books that made these quilts popular.  Basically, the border is the pictorial fabric that is cut to make the hexagons that are in the center of the quilt.

Isn't the closeup view amazing?  I've seen these quilts using very colorful fabrics at other shows, but I thought this black-and-white fabric had a wonderfully graphic effect.

The quilter told us that she made this for her young son.  His favorite part?  The "Three Stooges" fabric she used for the backing!

Walking Kita

I think the swan has taken up residence in the lower reservoir--it's been there every time I've walked Kita for the past week.

Yesterday afternoon the high clouds and weak sunlight made the shadows softer than usual at 3:30 in the afternoon.

With a high of 58 degrees at noon today, Kita and I headed north to the part of the rails-to-trails section that borders the river.

This kind of weather makes my heart sing--the air is clear and crisp with a stiff breeze.  Kita was happy too and I had to walk as fast as I possibly could to keep up with her.

With a few exceptions, our foliage is less than spectacular this year.

Leaves are covering the driveway but some trees are still green.  Others are already bare from recent rains and wind.

Fall is still my favorite season!

Recent Reads

I recently finished Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes, and I highly recommend it.  Marlantes, a decorated Vietnam veteran, has received a lot of positive press lately for his new nonfiction book What It Is Like to Go to War, so I thought I would read his previous book first.

Highly regarded by critics and veterans alike for its accuracy and attention to detail, at the beginning I felt this was a "real man's book".  I persisted in reading this lengthy story (500+ pages) and soon became very involved in the characters' lives and experiences.  This book gave me a real sense of the futility of war in the same way that the movie Das Boot does.  I passed it along to Ross and I'm curious what he will think about it.

And now for something completely different:  a couple of years ago I enjoyed reading Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan so I picked up a copy of her recent Shanghai Girls.

This story of two sisters from China and their new lives in America is fast-paced and full of action.  I learned a lot about Chinese history and culture in an entertaining way, and I look forward to reading its sequel, Dreams of Joy. Is it Literature with a capital L?  Probably not, but it's a good story!  Right now critics are raving about Haruki Murakami's books and the way he is taking the novel in new directions--but I hated his The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and have no interest in reading anything else by him.  So what do I know?  I know a good story when I find one!