As Holy Week begins....

the scene is evening mass; the recently turned-3-year-old twins, Molly and Micah, are with their parents. It's just after Communion when Molly pipes up "Can I get a 'chip from the guy, too?"  (this from their Dad's fb just a few minutes ago). Molly's Christmas message last year was also timely and spot-on. She's a BlogStar!

Outside the Office Window...

...the male American Goldfinches turn (as they do each spring) to bright, gleaming Yellow!

Happy Birthday, Blonde-Kid....

The Birthday Boy, a few months past on the pier at Manhattan Beach, CA; years ago on our backyard deck enjoying his Breyer's Yogurt. (1986?)

WarPaint! and the "Madonna of the Driveway"

World'sMostSerious Baby and her sister, Alice (who's still in Wonderland) came to visit their G'Parents to help celebrate their Mommy's birthday last week. WMS-Baby was a little under the weather, and thus subdued.  But Alice chalked up the driveway and herself then ran herself silly, up and down the drive, making "wet footprints". Later, I had a chance to speak candidly with her about the relative merits of Culvers Restaurant vs. Steak & Shake (local mid-west US higher quality fast-food). Alice is "fee-and-half" now, likes to have her dinner and "usually a few fwies" and part of a shake. At Culvers, there is "ice-cweam" instead. She told me how "our Culvers (at home) closed, then opened again and looked all diffewent on the inside and the outside!"  "Re-modelled?" I asked. And explained. She registered that, and agreed: that's what they did!

Here and Now...And By Request

 Our wonderful neighbor to our north side--house on the left in photo below-- was nice enough to suggest I
put photos of the (Suddenly!) Spring color on the Blog. So, that's our house, too.

 So, People, I'm not complaining. Most of the World's had horrible weather, cold, tornados, etc. But never in all my life have I seen a Spring this hot, this long, this early. Normally, there is a progression of the early Spring blooms; this year they are blooming altogether, all at once. It's been in mid-80's for days now; tho it may cool down soon. Mid-March in Chicagoland? Sometimes you have to "shovel it".

I "Heart" Yellow!

Survivor... (Nostalgic Family Stuff)

My intrepid Aunt Betty is now high in her 80's; this photo was taken in 2005. She was on track for a career as a concert pianist, perhaps, in the 1940's. As so often happens, a handsome young man came along---and she was smokin' hot (as they did NOT say then). As it was, she raised two kids, had a great career as an elementary school teacher, held an elected public office in CO.    The china hutch on the left and the treasured platform rocker are part of a vast collection of Victorian era furniture that graced and cursed the family (ever try to move a houseful of Victorian furnture? dust it? keep it polished?). I'll find a "younger" photo of her, eventually.

Blonde-Kid said: More Family Nostalgia Photos, Please...

....Here's one. It's a photo of painting. My Mother, the lady in the previous post, had twin younger sisters. This aunt I hardly remember, since she passed away in the early 1950's. I have one or two vague images of in my head. The painting was done to help her three young children (age 5, about 2 and 6 months at the time) remember her.   The other sister, fortunately, is still with us! And she, in former days, was the loveliest of the three, imo. I'll have to find a photo of her.