Some random photos from this weekend (Is Spring really here?)

Actually went for a run on Saturday. It was the first morning this month with temperatures above freezing.

On the run back home stopped at mom's tree at Lake Calhoun (Bde Maka Ska). The view of downtown Minneapolis is always so beautiful. And yes, the lake is still frozen.

Downtown Minneapolis across the still frozen Lake Calhoun

Mom's tree

I substituted for a co-worker on Saturday at the hardware store. The sunshine and warmer weather brought a steady flow of customers. We ave pansies but no other plants yet.

Co-worker put made an arrow of pansy petals to the hardware store

With temperatures forecast to be above freezing, I finally brought the geraniums up from the basement. Looks like everyone survived the winter with the exception of maybe one.

Also planted the calla lily rhizomes in the big pot. I have enough for another small pot.

The geraniums are out of the basement dungeon and on the porch.

Christmas Cookies (includes recipe)

Made mom's recipes for light and dark Christmas cookies. I'm biased but I think they are the best. The recipes are below.

Look, a bone spur like me!

Light
1/3 C shortening (I use unsalted butter)
1/3 C sugar
1 egg
2/3 C honey
2 3/4 C flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp lemon extract

Dark
1/3 C shortening (I use unsalted butter)
1/3 C dark brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 C molasses
2 3/4 C flour
1 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

Combine shortening and sugar. Add egg and other liquid.
Mix dry ingredients together. Add in dry ingredients in thirds.
Refrigerate dough for at least an hour. I've kept in in refrig for 24+ hours.

Roll out only the amount you can use. Keep rest in refrigerator.

Bake 10 mins at 350°.

Mom memorial

Some very dear friends donated to the Minneapolis Parks for a memorial tree for my mom. The tree was planted last week and today I met the memorials coordinator to place the plaque.

It is a Kentucky Coffee tree situated near a bench at Lake Calhoun with a view of downtown Minneapolis.

The tree with medallion, bench and Lake Calhoun

Elf on the Shelf

This could be the original elf on the shelf as far as I know. Mom always had this little guy in the kitchen.

He has been repaired more times than you can count including again last night.

Mom-Grandma-Great Grandma Photobook for 90th birthday

Click here to view this photo book larger

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I am really going to miss her

My mom passed away yesterday. I started this blog nearly ten years ago primarily to keep my mom informed while I was in London, England on a work assignment. That project was supposed to last six to nine months but only ended up being three. I’ve kept the blog going to keep mom up to date. I would hear from her if I didn’t keep the posts coming. It seems appropriate that I am composing this on a trip that was intended to see her.

As an adult I can honestly say my mom was my best friend. We would talk every Sunday and traveled together many times. But one of my earliest memories of my mom was when she helped me try to get the electric meter to stop spinning. I was probably five or so. We would check the meter and if the dial was still spinning, we would run back in the house to find another thing to turn off or unplug. I asked her several years ago if she remembered that and she said she did.

Mom came to Minnesota many times including multiple times for my birthday which is at the coldest time of the year. Her first visit included a day when the high temperature was -1.

Mom also visited me when I was in London. My sister Betty had been sick and mom went to South Carolina to help out. She flew home from my sister’s, repacked her bag and flew to London. She was in her 80’s! And I found out that it was not her visit time through London. She had driven from Germany to Scotland with three children and another one on the way. That drive took her on a ferry across the English Channel to Southampton through London to Scotland.

We took multiple trips to Kansas which is where mom is from. She was always proud to be a Kansan.

My last trip with mom was just this past May. We went to Shenandoah National Park and Luray Caverns. We had a blast. We laughed and teased each other the entire time.

I am really going to miss her.

Visit with mom

Some of you may not know that my mom has been in the hospital lately. She is home now and on hospice care.

She first went in the hospital about 3 weeks ago for 3 or 4 day. She was sent home with medication for coronary heart disease. She has two major blockages and an aneurism. She was only home for a few days and had to go back to hospital.

The second hospital stay was a total of 7 days. She is home now with my niece Kathy staying with her and a hospice nurse and aide visiting occasionally.

I visited her while she was in the hospital the second time and the first days of this last home stay.

Sunrise at the MSP airport waiting to fly to DCA

I picked up my brother John from Union Station downtown DC

We passed the new Museum of African American Culture and History

For the first time ever, I stopped to see the Abingdon House site at National Airport.

I have passed the site dozens of times over the decades. The moments of reflection were very welcomed.

Mom's birthday

Me, Jasmine, Lotus, Carol

 I flew to Virginia on Saturday and picked up my rental car.

Sunday morning my sister Carol came over to Mom's with her grandkids, Jasmine and Lotus. There isn't a lot of room in mom's apartment so the girls and I went for a walk and gathered fallen leaves.

My brother Spade came over, too. Mom, Spade and I met my friends Judy, Lance and Tony at IHOP for brunch. We spent a few hours catching up and sharing stories.

Sunday evening Mom and I went to the church service at her apartment. The pastor, Nellie, is also a docent at the US Capitol. I had not been to the capitol since I was a congressional intern in the 1970's and mom had never been. Nellie said she would give us a tour on Monday if mom wanted to do that for her birthday.

Nellie holding up the dome.

Mom and Nellie in front of the casting for the statue at the top of the US capitol dome.

 We were able to get a parking space less than a block and half from the visitor center entrance. Nellie met us right outside of security and had us with a small group of college students from Honduras. With our small group we were able to take the elevator to the rotund. Nellie had it all planned for mom.

We toured the rotunda shrouded in fabric and scaffolding during the restoration of the dome and hall of statues (former house of representatives) then went down one level to the crypt and to the old Supreme Court Chamber.

On the way back to the Visitor's Center, Nellie told the students that the elderly woman with them was celebrating her 91st birthday. All of them spontaneously started singing Happy Birthday right there in the Capitol Building!

 After the students departed, Nellie took us back to see the Old Senate Chamber and the Visitor's Center Museum. It was truly a special tour and special event for mom's birthday.

We drove out of downtown D.C. during rush hour to make our way to Waldorf, MD to have dinner with my sister Lea and brother-in-law Tim. It was a long day but so worth it.

The trip home on Tuesday was okay. It was raining in DC but the flight left on time. The flight out of O'Hare was not so uneventful. There wasn't even a plane until almost two hours after we were supposed to have departed.

I used the two hours to eat familiar Chicago food. Tri-flavored popcorn and nuts from Nuts on Clark and a Chicago-style hot dog from the secret place on the L concourse.

Fall Sisters

Mom, Aunt Donna and I went to Warrenton to find some fall color. We found it on the site of the old elementary school.

A Celebration of Ninety Years

My mom, Gracie, celebrated her birthday on Sunday November 9th. She is 90 years young.

Family and friends gathered in the party room of her apartment building. Lots of balloons. Lots of stories. Lots of food.

Mom's sister Donna came from Kansas.

Looking through the picture book.

Mom and her children - Carol, John, Jeff, Lea and Loyd

Grandma and her grandchildren - Kevin, Kristine, Ken, Raymond and Kathy

Great-Grandma and her great grand-children - Jasmine, Anoka, Lotus and Austin (great-great-grandson) 

Christmas with Mom

Mom came for Christmas this year. I was so happy she decided to spend Christmas in Minneapolis. She has been here before for the holidays so she knows of Martha's Polish Christmas Eve gathering.

We have had a very cold December with just enough snow. Mom arrived on Saturday and that evening we went to 'Sisters of Swing' at the Minnesota History Theater. We met Amy, Loretta, Kathy, JT and Linda there. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the show. It is about the Andrews Sisters who were born on Minnesota.

Sunday we met Amy, Loretta and Bunny at Old Chicago in Plymouth to watch the Vikings game. Monday I worked from home and we cooked. We made meatless chili and apple cake. Monday was a particularly cold day so mom didn't go out.

Tuesday morning we baked Christmas cookies. We made the light and dark dough recipes that I had gotten from her. These make a lot of cookies. We set up an assembly line to get them all done. Tuesday evening was Christmas Eve at Martha's. I won't go into the details. We had a wonderful time with great food, great friends and great laughs.

live tree from Lea and Tim

Wednesday, Christmas day, we made an apple pie with frozen apples from my apple tree. And we made eye of round, dinner rolls, celery and carrots and heated up the meatless chili... for dinner with Rose and Roxie. We all watched sappy Hallmark Channel movies. It was a great Christmas. I was exhausted.

Thursday I worked from home again. I did get mom to take a little walk to my barbershop. The sidewalks were well shoveled and it wasn't too cold. I think she was glad to get out for a bit. In the evening we went to the movies. We saw 'The Secret Life of Walter Middy'. I enjoyed it tremendously. We had dinner at the movie house.

Friday, mom returned to Virginia.