Christmas 2009

Santa left Oliver this note on Christmas morning. Oliver left out some oatmeal for the reindeer, and a carrot for Santa. Oliver wanted to give him a break from all the cookies and candy he might get at other houses, but Santa gave the carrot to the Reindeer. Simple mistake. He had plenty of work to do that night!


The sun through the storm on Christmas Day 2009.


After the storm, everything was bright and clear--and snowy!


Snow-covered sumac heads at Garzke Flowage on our annual Christmas cross-country ski trek. The woods looked just like a set from Dr. Zhivago, a literal Winter Wonderland!


And here's a picture of my dad with his brand new thermos on Christmas morning ... with a nod to Steve Martin :

Laughing Luka

My sister, the scrapbooker, asked all of us for our first impressions upon meeting her new baby. He laughs a lot! I've never seen a baby laugh so much! She has even dubbed him Mr. Happy.

Square Pegs and Round Holes : Living with Asperger Syndrome

1972 : My brother, me, and Aunt Cindy (with dog)

When I was pregnant, I bargained with the Universe. You don't know quite what you're going to get until the baby is born and develops ... I said, "I can handle a kid with Down Syndrome. I can handle a kid who's deaf. I can handle a kid with special needs. However, I'd have a really hard time having a kid with Autism." A few years ago, we found out my brother has Asperger's Syndrome. The great irony is that I'd been living with "high-functioning' autism my whole life without even realizing it!

Last year, The Wisconsin Hospital Association was collecting personal stories which provided reasons why people in health care occupations chose their careers, in hopes of inspiring others to join the field. This is the question I addressed :

Has anything happened in your career that reaffirmed your decision to work in health care?

When I was in Library School, I worked part-time in a hospital library. I liked helping people connect with the information they needed to make informed healthcare decisions. I help physicians, nurses, patients, and their families. At some point in our lives, we all need quality health information. This can significantly impact people's lives for the better. Some days, I get to do research and offer the best available evidence for a procedure or treatment, or to help change policies to improve patient care or patient safety. Some days, I help people research a new diagnosis. They find out that others have been through it, and they find a path to get themselves through it, too. That can make a tremendous difference in terms of relieving anxiety.

Consumer health librarians help patients understand their conditions and treatments, help them find communities of support, and help them locate resources for equipment, services, and financial assistance. For one example among many, I helped a patient with a new diagnosis of diabetes find a book written in plain language that told him how to get through the holidays and family gatherings on his new diet! Another patient lost his leg. His prosthesis caused him great discomfort. I was able to get him connected with The Amputee Coalition of America which offered not only support, but also options for a better fitting, more comfortable prosthesis.

I was recently reminded of how my help as a Librarian can profoundly affect people for the better in a very personal way. Last summer, my own family needed some research. At the age of 35, my brother was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. For years my family wondered why my otherwise smart brother wasn’t able to function in the world. He couldn’t hold a job, made poor decisions, didn’t have many friends, just didn't seem to fit in anywhere … Over the years as a hospital librarian, I had collected several books, handouts, and websites on Asperger’s. With this information, the pieces of the puzzle came together. Now, we know that his brain is literally wired differently. We have a whole new understanding of what to expect, what situations to beware of, how we can support him, what he needs to work on, and what he might still be able to accomplish with his life. We know what we’re dealing with now, and we’re ALL learning to cope with this form of high-functioning autism. My brother is currently earning a college degree in Physics. He’s found a community where he fits. Thus the road to recovery started at a health science library.

Me and Gramma Pickles

I love this picture of me and Gramma Pickles. This is one I don't want to forget. You can really see the sparkles on her glasses and her red lipstick. She looks good--even at Grappa's funeral this past summer.

Snow Day!

View out the front door this am. Picture 2 blue-black crows crows flying up through the middle of this scene ... This also doesn't show the red crab apples peeking through the snow-laden branches. I feel an art quilt coming on!


From the back yard. The Arbor vitae and the Joe Pye Weed are so weighted down with snow that they are bent over the pond.




Snow dingle-berries caked on Maggie's legs. Poor thing. She is not a dog who would have done well in the wild. She loves the snow anyway. She sure makes me happy! ;-)


These are Oliver's new boots. They fit me. I wore them quite comfortably on the dog walk last night. I'll have a new pair of boots when he outgrows this pair. He's only 8 years old!

Oliver gets the day off of school, and I'm also staying home from work due to the snow. Hurray!

Goddess Mother to Little Luka

I'm a Goddess Mother!

On her recent trip to the US in November (She lives in Japan), my sister asked us to be god-parents to her new baby, Luka. At first we were wondering, well, what does that mean? What does she expect of us? We're not hugely religious people. I seldom see my own god-parents. In the end, we concluded that our job is to make this little boy feel special, to be a good influence on him. We can do that.


Here we are at the UU Fellowship in Appleton, with my friend, The Rev. Dottie Mathews who did the dedication/naming ceremony for us. Pictured Back row : me, Christian, Mande (holding Ailin). Front Row : Oliver, Yusuke (holding Luka).


Oliver is also happy about this new role. He was really looking forward to meeting his new little cousin. Look at his eyes sparkle (or is that sparkle from Gramma Pickles in the back row?)

I discovered I like being Auntie better than mother to a little one this age. Luka is a jolly little easy-going boy. Easy to make him giggle and belly-laugh.

CL is the nurturing one--as you can tell from this photo :

December for the Senses

A warm fire to sit by. CL finally started a fire! Hurray! This turned out to be a great fire picture, too.

More December Reds.

CL made a batch of what we affectionately call "Cranberry Sludge." We make our own cranberry juice out of fresh whole cranberries. It's delicious! It's thicker than juice after we strain it, so we call it sludge (in a good way).

Happy Thanksgiving

One of my favorite segments from Garrison Keillor's Prairie Home Companion is when Roy Blount, Jr., read a food excerpt from his book Long Time Leaving :Dispatches from Up South. He does impressions of everyone in his family during a big meal. It's hilarious because it reminds me of meals at my Gramma Matucheski's house when I was a kid.

Listen here. the spot is about 23 minutes in.

The Lodger : Beauty Stays

It's been a cold rainy October. Last Sunday, as we were getting our bikes out to go for a ride, we saw this butterfly near the woodpile, struggling along. He was pretty beat up. Since it was chilly, I moved him into the sun thinking he just needed to warm up a bit, then he'd fly off again. When my husband saw it, he ran back into the house to make some sugar water, thinking it needed sustenance to make the trip to Mexico ... He put out a dish of sugar water for it, and we went on our bike ride (with winter hats and mittens).

When we got back 2 hours later, the little butterfly seemed to be doing better. With a cold night ahead, we brought him into the house, expecting to provide palliative care until he died. So we set up a habitat for him, a box with an open top so he could fly if he wanted to do so. He no longer seems able to fly ...

1 week later, he's still with us, sipping sugar water, crawling on the leaves, crawling on our fingers. Content--or wondering why on earth he's still alive, when a bird should have made a meal of him days ago. CL was explaining to Oliver that the butterfly drinks up the sugar water with his proboscis. So I named him Kiss, because it sounds like the end of probo-scus.

I don't think he'll be making the flight to Mexico this late in the season. We'll help him along as long as he wants to stay with us.

Follow-up note : The little butterfly disappeared on the long Thanksgiving weekend. We went away, and couldn't find him when we got back. I suppose someday we'll find a dry and perfectly preserved Monarch behind a box. He was with us for almost 6 weeks. ;-)

Wedded Bliss (or Something ...)

I woke up the other morning thinking about how several of my friends saw themselves (in younger days) as mothers. I can't quite say I had that aspiration, but I did see myself as married ...

Many of the women in my life say they would NOT re-marry if they suddenly found themselves un-attached. They have a variety of reasons --kids, adult children, finances, freedom ... Some people simply had bad first marriages and don't want to be put back into that compromising position again.

Marriage has been pretty good for me and my husband. I would marry him again. And I would probably marry another "right person" again if I were un-attached in future. I like this partnership-thing. I'm a Libra--that's my thang!

So the other morning, I'm lying in bed next to my sweetie thinking these happy marriage thoughts, when he lets out the tail end of yesterday's bacon butter beans ---Rrriiiiippp!

Yes--laughter and bodily functions are indeed part of wedded bliss.

In case you're interested, here are the Lyrics to Greg Brown's Marriage Chant.

Memory Bear for Hospice

This summer, I started volunteering for the local Hospice. Because I work full-time and have a family, I have limited time when I can be available for Hospice patients and their families. Or rather, they tend not to need someone when I'm free to be there (so far). So the Volunteer Coordinator put me to work making a teddy bear out of a lady's clothes. I've been working on it all week so she can see it before she dies. It will be a comfort to her in the time she has left and a comfort to her family after she is gone.

And it makes me feel good to use my time and talents to make such a meaningful difference (however small, however quiet) in their lives. Sigh--I'm getting tears in my eyes just thinking of it now ...

Each stitch is filled with love and prayers for strength and wholeness for this woman and her family. This is a magic memory bear. It is not a toy.



[Sorry--I don't know where the pattern came from. It's hand-drawn ...]

Want to make a difference? Check with your local hospital or cancer center. They often like to give comfort quilts to patients who are under-going cancer treatment. Or soft caps for when someone's hair falls out due to chemotherapy. There are lots of options ...

Nancy Zieman of PBS's Sewing with Nancy and Nancy's Notions has some ideas for Creative Kindness. (She's right here in Wisconsin, so I have to her a nod for this.)

Marriage Equality

Those of you who know me well, know that this is a struggle near and dear to my heart. Yes, I'm enjoying the benefits of a traditional marriage. So why do I care about this? It IS the Civil Rights struggle of our time. It's about people I care about not being recognized by our society at large for the great significant relationships in their lives.

My dear friend Dottie recently spoke most eloquently about this issue.
Listen to "Domestic Partnerships : An Important Step on the Way to Equality" by Rev. Dottie Matthews. More details about her sermon.

She puts it all into perspective. She knows we're making progress, and that it won't happen overnight. She knows there will be setbacks as there are with all social struggles, but it's still a steady push forward. I just wish marriage equality was already here and available for anyone who wanted it. That really will make for a more stable society.

I'm with you Dottie, Rosie, DMJ. I will stand beside you and work until this is a reality in the US.

Milestones : ABCs to Elements

This fall, we replaced the ABCs with the Periodic Table of Elements. Oliver is in 3rd grade now.

He also wanted me to tell everyone that he is currently writing a book about another world, far from here.

How time flies!

Morning Glory Muffins (aka Better than Bran Muffins)

This is another recipe from my old friend, Heidi Huser. These muffins are as delicious today as they were 20 years ago. Lots of fiber from carrots, apples, and whole wheat flour. Enjoy!

Morning Glory Muffins

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour (WW pastry flour works well)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger

2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 raw apple, diced or grated

Combine sugar, oil, egss, and vanilla in a large bowl; set aside. In another bowl, sift together remaining dry ingredients. Add to liquid ingredients and stir. Gently fold in carrots, raisins, and raw apple. Spoon into greased muffin tins about 2/3 full. (Cupcake papers make clean-up a breeze!)

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

These are so good, I've been asked to make another batch today!

Bran Muffin Purgatory

A few weeks ago, I decided I would be good to my gut and make a batch of bran muffins. The plan was to eat bran muffins for breakfast instead of my beloved scones.

So I found a recipe and made enough bran muffins to feed an army. All that roughage takes up space in the mixing bowl as well as your colon. For the recipe I used, my biggest mixing bowl was nearly not big enough.

They tasted just ok. Perfectly nutritious and good for me ... There was just no JOY in eating those things. I missed the blueberry scones--some things are just grandfathered in.

The best way to describe what it felt like eating those bran muffins would be The Loaf.


Illinois Prison Nutraloaf

This American Life did a show on behavior modification (Sorry--I can't find it to link). One of the stories was about The Loaf given to prisoners who exhibit bad behavior. They get nothing but The Loaf to eat until their attitude improves. Slate.com did a story on The Loaf --to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Perfectly nutritious and good-for-you, just not very appealing. Just the threat of eating The Loaf is enough to bring some prisoners into line.

No more bran muffins for me. I'll get my fiber from carrot cake and pumpkin pie!

Nostalgia for Sesame St.

On a recent work / school holiday, Oliver and I were eating our breakfasts at the dining room table.

I said, "We could watch Sesame St. today."

Oliver said, "Sesame St. makes me feel nostalgic."

I asked him if he knew what "nostalgic" meant. He gave me a good definition. He did know ... It makes me feel nostalgic, too. Sesame St. started when I was a kid in the 1970s.

And then we watched Sesame St. for old time's sake.

Beauty Visits

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This morning, we had a little visitor "working" the morning glories outside the window where I have my morning tea. Lovely!

It was the first time I've seen hummingbirds here. So I put out the glass hummingbird feeder for them. It's getting cooler, so I suspect they are gearing up for their fall migration.

Remembering Grappa Eddie

Grappa Eddie died on Thursday, August 20, 2009. He spent his last week in Hospice with the family gathered around. We were looking at pictures and laughing and remembering his adventurous life--or at least the stories he told about it. I hope to post more of hist stories here in the near future ...

I will remember many afternoons spent sitting around the kitchen table listing to his stories. He had a million of them!

I will remember plum dumplings every fall. This is a traditional Bohemian feast. Gramma Pickles actually made them, but Grappa always won the contest for who could eat the most.

I will remember Grappa taking my brother and me fishing with looonnnggg cane poles at Rabes Lake probably before I was even in school. Fishing was important to him.

Grappa drove a yellow school bus for many years. After long days at school, I can remember speeding down 5th Ave. Road at 80 miles an hour. For years, I actually thought there was a separate speed limit for school buses!

I will remember bailing hay on the hottest days of summer, on ridiculously steep hills. My brother and I were still pretty small then. We could pile the bales 2 or 3 high, but Grappa would have to stop and re-stack the bales to get more on the wagons.

After I learned to quilt, I decided that I would make a quilt for Grappa Eddie. When I shared my intentions, everyone in my family said "Why do you want to make a quilt for Grappa? He's not going to be around much longer." This was in 2004. My mom took care of the quilting and the binding. When we gave it to him, we made sure he understood that this quilt was to be used, and not put away and "saved" to keep it nice.

I found some orange blossom fabric and fell in love with the colors and the textures. It reminded me of Grappa. He had a talent for picking the best boxes of Indian River grapefruit and oranges from the travelling truck drivers who sold them on the road in northern Wisconsin. Grappa knew how to pick the fruit at the peak of ripeness, sweet, and fresh, and juicy. He knew what he was doing!

The pattern is called Northwind, however, I softened it to "Orange Blossom Breeze" because Grappa didn't tolerate the cold as he did in his younger days. This quilt was my way of keeping him warm with memories of his cross-country drives down south and the sweet, fresh fruit of Florida--where everyone has a fruit tree in their yard!

After Grappa moved into the nursing home 2 years ago, Gramma returned the quilt to me. They decided the detergents in the nursing home would be too harsh on the quilt. She gave it back to me--it still smelled like their house. Now I get to keep the quilt and remember Grappa Eddie.

I Can Still Cook! : Greek Cheesburger

Greek Cheeseburger (with feta and cumin) topped with Tatziki (yogurt, cucumber, and garlic).
Side order of "fries."

Keune veggies utilized :
Cucumber, potato, greens, garlic

And it was tasty, too!

Bristol Renaisance Faire 2009

A Griffin atop one of the shops.


A lovely day with Lee and Vicki. Lee had a knack for finding these quiet little alcoves.


The attraction of the day was (there for this weekend only) Tartanic, a Scottish Bagpipe and Drum band. Wonderful! High energy. We caught all their performances that day. I even bought a CD and got their autographs. God I love Scotland! Yeah--those are real Highland Pipes in the picture. And they know how to play them, too. And they're all wearing Kilts.


Highland Bagpipes and the rising sun. Tartanic : also known as Men without Pants.


This little elf was watching Tartanic with us.


Even managed to catch some of the May Pole Dance.


I also got to ride an elephant--briefly. Her name was Lady Essex. She's 39 years old, so we're about the same age.

Here's what I purchased : a Mug O' the Woods Mug made by Doug "Doc" Rice. These beautiful and rugged mugs are hand cut from logs, many with the bark still on, and many with moss and lichens, then dipped in polyurathane. Since I am the kind of person who takes pictures of tree bark just to study the color and textures, I was really drawn to these mugs. My Dad would love them, too--as he loves his woods.


Anyone know what kind of wood this is? I forgot to ask ... I was so tickled to find one that fit my hand just right, that I wasn't worried about the kind of wood it was.



An Encounter :
Very nice and unusual pieces, so I bought one at the end of the day. While I was there trying them all out -- I had to find one that fit my hand -- I got into a very nice conversation with a young man who I imagine looked like CL at that age with long, dark, wavy hair (before I knew him). He was very pretty, with a few Avalon braids and a kilt. I'd seen him throughout the day--something Dream Academy about him ... He's another Tartanic Groupie, like me, Lee, and Vicki. He came up from Chicago, and is there most weekends. Would love to just get on a circuit going from Ren Faire to Ren Faire. I told him he could make that happen, many people do just that. He was going to start working for the Mug o' the Woods Man. All the while we're talking, I was touching / feeling /trying every mug in the shop to find one that felt comfortable in my hands. So many beautiful mugs -- Rugged. Natural--like a walk in the woods, minus the mosquitoes. The owner had stepped out for a moment. I had finally found the mug I wanted and set it on the counter, and asked if the young man could take my money. He could take cash, but was not yet checked out on plastic yet. I said, "Well, If I stay a little longer, I'll probably find something else I have to go home with. My Dad would love these. He loves his woods." Just then the owner came back and I was able to purchase my mug. Then this young man gave me a stalk of purple-blue orchids. He said, "I'll give you this flower, too. I've been carrying it around all day, looking for someone to give it to--the right person to give it to. The colors match your dress. Blue and green and purple."

I hope I said "Thank you. Every woman loves getting flowers!" I think I laughed and said, "I've got the dress! I'll see you at the drum jam," and I walked away with my mug and his flowers.

That was so sweet! Made my day, made me wish I was younger, too. (Actually no--I'm much more comfortable with myself now, than I was at 20. I'll stick with my real age.) I probably would have talked with him more, but the end of the day drum jam was about to start. I haven't been able to be part of that drum jam since before Oliver! It was a great day! He made a memory for me. ;-)

I wonder if he knows how talking with him and him choosing me for his flower made my day? As I was walking away, of course I thought of all sorts of other things to say to him/to ask him, to encourage him to live his dreams--whatever they may be. Had he been to Scotland? (He was wearing a blue and green kilt ...) Go! It's like Home! Do you sing or play an instrument? Act? What else do you like about the Faire? If you're working in a shop all day, you won't be able to get out and about the Faire ...