Happy Valentine's Day

I hope everyone is having a great Valentine's Day. Sure is nice to have it be bright and almost sunny outside--that certainly helps. My memories of Valentine's Days are pretty vague but I do recall being told that I was home sick on Valentine's Day in kindergarten and Russell Stebbins came to the house to deliver his Valentine for me.

Thinking of Valentine's Day brings to mind the smell of paste and cut paper as you design those heartfelt construction paper hearts for your parents--and others if you had a special someone! I remember being pretty careful in selecting which of those teeny tiny paper valentines would be addressed to whom. What I don't really remember is if I looked at the ones I received to see if there was any hidden meaning between the Goofy valentine or the Fred Flintstone one. I do remember we always had to make sure to include everyone in the class so very updated lists would come home with us. I don't know if such lists are still sent home with the expectation that a child will bring in a valentine for each classmate. This was something that was done at home when we were in school. I have a feeling such work is now done right in the classroom if done at all. Funny I don't have a clear recollection of what Amy and Ryan did for their classmates. I think I tried to send in 23 pencils or something like that.

Anyhow, sweet wishes to you today! It was Julia's 3rd birthday this week!! We can't wait to see her again. Amy is almost 5 in this picture and Ryan's about 1 1/2 and looking thrilled.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday wishes Ryan P! You've come a long way baby!

Pure grace!!

Baryshnikov Dalpiaz in action. The kid has a future. And they won!!

January is ending (yeah!) and the days seem to be getting a little teeny tiny bit longer. Although February is a short month, it's usually the month that seems to drag on for me and I get especially tired of winter. I can't say I have many particular memories about winter storms or such. I think I remember trying to make caves or tunnels in the snow from mounds like these. I do remember taking the toboggan down the big hills at Tri County club. That had to be quite the outing for Dad to undertake! This is taken in 1966 and I think it must be Mary Jane, Paula, Kathy and I (and Longfellow).

Fifty years earlier : here's Nanny Flynn --she looks like she is having a grand time! This is 1916 when she was about 6 years old.

Such is Life

Thinking about Dad today. Today is kind of a nice day but I don't think it was such a nice day six years ago in Walton. I am not sure I remember clearly but I think it was bitter cold and windy. I think it was a Thursday.

This picture says February '68 on the back, making Dad 40 years old. The head is cut off, which makes me think of Mom and her trouble taking pictures and often cutting the heads off. Alas, I think this might have been taken by me as I am pretty sure it's my handwriting on the back. I believe I have improved a bit as a photographer. I don't know what event this might have been for but I am guessing it's his costume for another Barbra Streisand song at one of those variety shows. One legacy of Dad's is that I can never hear Barbra sing without thinking of him and "Sam, You Made the Pants too Long". I also think of Dad when I hear "Impossible Dream".

So many things have changed in these last six years making it seem like such a long time. But six years doesn't seem very long when you are sending your child off to school maybe already in first grade. Or you remember the day she started 7th grade in your building as you watch graduation. Six years seems like the blink of an eye. But as I reflect on Dad's final illness, it seems an entire lifetime ago.

Well, " 'Such is life'" said Hugh". That's from a book Kathy and I both loved. Can't remember what it was right now but we would often say that phrase with a sigh and a nod.

Inauguration Day Jan 20 2009

I hope everyone took the opportunity to witness history today for the inauguration ceremonies. No matter your political view, there can be no question that today will be one of those days you will remember. We were lucky enough to be able to gather all our high school students together in our auditorium to view the broadcast on our big screen and help them understand the history that was being made. I hope Ryan remembers this day--of course, he isn't old enough yet to see it in its historical context but someday he certainly will. His view was more along the lines of "Don't they do this for every inauguration?" Well, yes, but.......

I couldn't help but notice how many times our ancestors came up today both in speech and in imagery. President Obama called upon the efforts our ancestors made to come to this country and to build a life for themselves. Some of those efforts, he noted, were to make this country a better place so that we could get to a point such as we did today.

Honestly, I don't think our ancestors had such broad national goals in mind when they boarded those ships and found their way to other relatives or community members who had immigrated previously. I believe our ancestors were mostly concerned with many of the same things we are thinking about today. We hope the world is better for our children than for us. It's just about that simple. And that's not such a bad national call to attention.

Just my 2 cents on the day for posterity. What are your thoughts?

What's on your plate?

It shouldn't surprise you to learn that I read other bloggers and one of my favorites is called Passing It On by Larry Lehmer. I just happened to stumble across it somehow and his posts very often hit close to home for me, such as a recent posting he calls Your Life as a Plate: Handle with Care. He advises readers to consider their lives being a great deal like a plate--sometimes full, sometimes empty and so on.

Of course, I have to take that analogy a step or two further. Experts caution that one of the reasons we all eat too much and too poorly these days is because our plates have grown by perhaps as much as 25% in size from the plate our parents and grandparents used. This certainly seems to bear out as I compare the relative sizes of my Depression glass collection and our everyday china. I also am somewhat larger than I used to be--I've grown in size physically right along with those plates. I have also grown emotionally and intellectually at least that much--I hope. (I could live without growing sideways though)

Plates are generally held close yet often treated as if easily replaceable. Like our lives. We might admire how pretty they make the table look yet we kind of throw them back in the cupboard without much care or thought. They are just there when we need them the next time. Like our health. If you've ever dumped your food into your lap from a flimsy paper plate, you appreciate the sturdiness of decent china. Like our friendships.

These are pictures of Nanny's china (Winterling Bavaria). I believe it was a wedding gift. I love having this china since it makes me think of Nanny. It's pretty and appeals to my taste for such things. I use it whenever I think of it because I think it's important to bring it out, admire it, talk about it and think of Nanny. Larry Lehmer says "Above all, make certain that your kids and grandkids know and understand your plate’s history. It is your legacy." Indeed, the stories will be my legacy.

So take good care of your plates, big or small; old or new.