Summer sings its own song – how true that was today – a beautiful day in Dublin Ireland – July 3, 2009

 Diving at the 40 foot in Sandycove

 

  Swimming at the 40 foot

 

  It’s freezing!!

 

  A diver hits the water

 

  This sign speaks for itself – the 40 foot isn’t what it used to be!

 

  Now for the reward

Yesterday I wrote in my other blog  www.willisweaver1.wordpress.com  about economy measures of years ago, particularly with regard to knitting.  The entry is titled Thrifty Knitting.  In today’s Irish Times there is an article by Kate Holmquist, one of my favourite journalists.   Her article is titled The Great Property Famine and it compares the time of the famine in Ireland with the recession now when the property bubble has burst.  At the time of the famine the population was dependent on only one crop – the potato,  and when that crop failed in successive years, catastropic famine resulted.  Many people were forced to emigrate, many people starved to death.  In the 21st century the collective wisdom was to invest in property – this was the Celtic Tiger – our current version of the reliance upon one crop.  Of course there is no comparison between the Great Famine of the 1840’s and the Great Property Famine of the year 2009.  In the Great Famine, a million people starved to death and another million emigrated.  But Kate Holmquist says spare a thought for those in 2009 who have lost their pensions and whose children and grandchildren are emigrating.  When will the Irish people learn – what is the next potato crop?, she asks.

Here’s a link to a fun animal puzzle - id you are in the mood for doing a 48 piece puzzle.  It took me over 7 minutes.  Average time is about 4 minutes.  7 minutes seems to be about my average when it’s a 4 minute puzzle.  You can either view these puzzles as mental warm-ups or time wasters.  Is that like the half empty/half full glass syndrome?

Now that we are so busy packing and getting ready to move to Seattle, we also are trying to keep our house tidy for the many viewers passing through our door – I could wish!  Well, it is true that we are trying to be tidy and that means not having a 1000 piece jigsaw in progress in the middle of our living room.  So I am getting my jigsaw puzzle fix by doing these daily puzzles on the computer.

Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany – a book to widen your horizons

 I bought this book in Dublin but took it with me on my recent trip to Seattle and read it while I was there.  The title and cover attracted me.  I lived in Evanston, just north of Chicago, for a year, 1958 to 1959.  I was attending Northwestern and earned my Master’s Degree in Geography.  I had some feeling for Chicago but hardly had time to really explore and enjoy the city.  Since that time I have touched down in O’Hare many times but still haven’t spent time seeing the many sights that Chicago has to offer.  I always seem to be travelling on to somewhere else.

This book offered a picture of a Chicago I never knew.  It is Chicago as seen from the experiences of a number of recent immigrants from Egypt.  It is actually more about Egypt and Egyptians and the immigrant experience rather than the city of Chicago.  A fascinating topic and a very interesting read.

For a New York Times review of this book, follow this link.  

As followers of this blog and my other blog  Janet’s Thread  http://willisweaver1.wordpress.com  will know, I recently travelled from Dublin to Seattle and back.  My reading for the flight westward was I Used to Be Irish by Blain and I wrote a blog entry about it a week or so ago.  On the flight eastbound I read Fireweed by Mildred Walker.  This is an author I discovered at The Secret Garden book store in Seattle.  Ms Walker wrote during the 1930’s right up to the 1970’s.  I bought and read 2 of her books in April – The Curlew’s Cry and The Brewers’ Horses.  These books were previously published in the 1940’s.  They are very well written and I was eager to read more.  And happy I was to find 2 more on this recent trip to Seattle.  Fireweed is one of the books I found.  It was written in the 1930’s, and like her others, is somewhat autobiographical – that is, much of the material stems from her own experiences.  And there is a great deal of social history.

  Fireweed by Mildred Walker, originally published in 1934, reissued by Bison Books 60 years later in 1994.

The history of the lumber industry and the depression form the background for this novel.  The main character and her husband are the children of Scandinavian pioneers, and the story of their struggles is carefully drawn.

The Solstice Parade

It was wonderful being in Seattle with the family.  I wouldn’t be able to pick a favorite but one of the highlights was the Solstice Parade in Fremont.  We missed the actual Parade which started at 12 o’clock,  but we had a good excuse.  Earlier in the morning we had attended what turned out to be a private seminar on insurance, investment planning, and buying and selling a house.  This was a free community event but there was so much going on that day that we were the only attendees.  It was perfectly geared for our information needs at this point in time.  The presentation was excellent.  Thank you Pauline of Farm State Insurance; Gerry, April, and Leah from Windermere; Dirk from Cobalt Mortgage; and Bryce from Edward Jones.

 

After the seminar we hurried down to Fremont to try to catch the Parade.  Alas, we had to park so far away and walk at least a mile to get to the Parade site.  We were too late but we met many of the Parade participants as we walked along the Burke Gilman Trail.  The girls did wonderfully walking so far.  One of the features of the Parade are the imaginatively body-painted cyclists.  All kinds of colourful designs in critical places!  Susan and I were joking about how we could participate next year.  I thought I would ride fully dressed as a pioneer settler – I would be decidedly overdressed.  James thought my participation might ruin his career prospects.

 

The Fremont Fair in conjunction with the Parade was HUGE.  It was so crowded it was hard to see the various stands.  The girls were drawn early on to dresses at the Designs from Bali booth.  We had a good browse – Caitlin was so excited – she waved me away from the area where she was browsing – then when we finished and decided to look around the multitude of other booths before we decided to buy anything, Caitlin presented me with a lovely painted cat which she had bought for me with her own money.  That steals a grandma’s heart!!!

 

On we went through the crowds.  We began to feel hungry and went to look for a place to eat.  No luck – just too many people everywhere.  We decided to make our way back to the car by way of the music booth where we had seen guitars and then to the Bali tent.  Happily we found both these booths again and made our purchases.  We came away rejoicing and strumming.  And definitely decided to bring a picnic next year.

  Here come the cyclists on the Burke Gilman Trail, after the Parade

  Daddy, Daddy, can you buy these guitars for us?

 

  Caitlin taking a little rest, before bouncing up and skipping on to the next booth

 

  Ashley and Caitlin wearing their new dresses, made in Bali

 

 

  Walking back to the car, new guitar being carried by Ashley, Caitlin has one too.

The Livestrong Cycle Challenge

 We had a busy weekend in Seattle – the Seminar (see next post THE SOLSTICE PARADE), the Solstice Parade,  and Mamma Mia on Saturday.  Then on Sunday we had an exciting time cheering on our hero Christian Cabanero at the Livestrong Cycle Challenge.  Christian is a five times cancer survivor and he was riding the 100 mile Challenge to raise funds for cancer research.  No sign of Lance Armstrong but maybe he was in France getting ready for the Tour only 2 weeks away.

 

 The riders set off at 7 a.m. from the Seattle Center.   We went down to the Center about 2:30 p.m. to see the riders finishing.  Excitement excitement as word reached us that Christian was about 15 miles out and due to finish in about half an hour.  We waited with baited breath.  In he came looking strong as he crossed the finish line and rounded the bend to the recovery area.  We showered him with congratulations.

  Cancer Survivors to the left, Other riders to the right – Christian is on the left

  Christian gets a hug from Susan, James and Caitlin looking on

  Ashley is ecstatic over Christian’s achievement

  Christian after cooling off in the fountain

  

Above is a photo of the cover of the book I read on the flights during my most recent trip from Dublin to Seattle (via Chicago).  Since the year 2000 I have made this trip many times in order to visit one of our sons and his growing family.  As the years have gone by and the family has grown the pull to Seattle has become stronger and stronger.  And now we have made the big decision to move from Dublin to Seattle permanently.  Repatriation for me, emigration for Ian.  This book stirred many memories for me and sent my thoughts in numerous directions.  The author, Angela Kearns Blain, was born in Dublin in 1938.  I was born in Boston in 1936.  So we are close in age.  She left Ireland at the age of 18 to begin her married life in America – Glastonbury Connecticut where one of my sons and his family now live.  I left America in 1966, married and came to Ireland in 1968.  Dublin has been my base for most of my married life.  Now I will be returning to live in America after living abroad for over 40 years.  

When Ian retired and we returned to Dublin in the mid 1990’s, I did quite a bit of writing about the countries we had lived in and the various experiences we had had.  I wanted to publish it but felt rather shy about it and then set it aside.  But now time has moved on and I am looking at that writing again with a view to having it exposed to a wider public.  I just have to review it and get it to the printer.  I’m trying to do that in the midst of all the other things we are doing to get ready for the move. Hopefully it will be available soon for distribution to family and friends and anyone else interested.  Reading Angela Kearns Blain’s book has given me even more ideas for my writing but these will have to wait until I get the first lot out of the way.  Watch this space!

  Paper bag made from old newspapers

I made several purchases today in the gift shop at Airfield – our local neighbourhood urban farm.  My modest purchases were presented to me in a most attractive paper bag made from recycled Indian newspapers.   The main objective of the NGO making these newspapers is to provide education and shelter to street children.  According to the little tag attached to the bag, the organization was started in 2004 by street children who wanted to give something back in return for the opportunities which had allowed them to escape desperate circumstances.  These elder children now married with children of their own, generate an income by making newspaper bags and jute items.  This allows them to take care of 13 street children that they have saved from the street’s surrounding Delhi train station.  Support for this project means that these children can enjoy going to school and playing, rather than pulling rickshows, shoe polishing, rag picking and worse.   Check out this website to find out more.

In my mother’s records I found these photographs taken by her parents when my mother was a baby and the family lived in Minneapolis Minnesota.  My mother was born in 1912 and her older sister, who was a twin,  was born in 1907.

These photographs were in the back of a little book called Baby’s Childhood Days.

 

Family in Minneapolis Minnesota, 1912 

Top picture, the twins – my Aunt Elizabeth and her twin sister Helen, born 1907

Middle picture – my grandmother, one of the twins, and my mother as a baby, on the back of this picture is written I’m not so mournful-looking as in my postcard, you see.  (I wonder if this was written after Helen died – if so, then the twin in the picture would be my Aunt Elizabeth)

Lower picture – my grandfather, one of the twins, and my mother

 

Nearly 100 years ago, in 1912 and 1913 my grandmother made the following notes about my mother’s progress.  She made these notes in very careful handwriting, starting with pen and then switching to pencil.  

My grandmother’s writing

At two weeks follows moving objects with her eyes

At four weeks smiles and coos

At eleven weeks crows a great deal

Laughed out loud a hearty little laugh at twelve weeks, June 26

At 8 1/2 months plays with dolls and rattles, pulls off her shoes, and pulls the ribbons out of them

(Now my grandmother backtracks a bit)

August 17, four months old, is afraid of strangers

September.  Sits on the floor with pillows around her.  Sometimes sits up alone

At 6 months, sat at table in a high chair all through dinner, October 6

October 24.  Two bottles a day

October 30.  Three bottles a day

December 19.  Eight months a half.  Begins eating oatmeal, cream of wheat, baked apple

December 21.  Had the breast milk for the last time.  Weight, 15 1/2 lbs.

At nine months has two teeth.  Eats egg and toast, and sucks bacon.

Jan. 13.  Third tooth, Jan. 16  Fourth tooth

Jan. 18.  Fifth tooth

Jan. 12.  Weight 18 lbs.  Jan. 19.  19 lbs  10 1/2 mos.  (One feels that these notes might have been made in a hurry and there is some confusion here)

One year. Weight 20 lbs. Height, 28 in.  Seven teeth.  Has four meals a day.  Eats cereals, toast, crackers, eggs, orange juice, soup, milk toast, and four bottles a day of modified milk.

Thirteen months.  Begins to stand.  Says “down, how now, meow, pat, bat (butter)

May 28. Rompers

May 30.  13 1/2 mos.  Straight milk.

15 1/2 months.  Begins to walk when held by both hands.  Has eight teeth.  Begins to eat meat.

July 22.  Took the first step of her own volition.

At sixteen months, seldom soils or wets a diaper.

16 months.  Two words put together Dear bowwow

Sept. 24.  17 months.  Bottles given up.  Eats well at table, three meals a day.  Has ten teeth.

At nineteen months, goes up and downstairs.

At nineteen months, first step alone.

(continued from another page)  At 20 months begins to walk quite a little

Here my grandmother’s record ends.

In copying this record I want to clarify when the twin sister Helen died.  My mother once told me that her mother and father didn’t talk about it but she thinks her mother told her that Helen died at age 6 of diptheria.  That was a very common cause of death at that time.  How tragic.