Boy cousins

It's another boy cousin weekend at our house. Let's get those chicas here from NC soon!  E and O came on Thursday with their mommy. While she did some daycare scouting and other errands, we played outside and waited for the mail to come. The very nice mail carrier gave E and O suckers, which they loved, but she also honked the mail truck horn for them without warning -- which they didn't love so much. They forgave her for startling them because she was so nice.

 Unfortunately, the mail carrier didn't have a sucker for the older children, 

just for the toddler set.

On Friday evening we were happy to see Mr. Weston, who did a little crawling in the sun room after supper. Looks like he's trying to make a get-away.

He managed to make some repairs on the toy vacuum cleaner, too. 

What a great helper!

Big brother Miles did some serious playing this afternoon. He looks like he's contemplating a chess move here, but he's actually trying to decide whether Mr. Hooper or a fireman should drive the garbage truck.

Here's a classic Miles-smiling-with-a-crinkly-nose shot. Looks like the fireman won the front spot on the garbage truck, with Mr. Hooper in the back, and a clown is delivering the mail.

Time to stay cool. Is it possible?

P.S.

On Sunday Annie, Miles, and Westy played and napped at our house while Tanner golfed and Grandpa Dave & Grandma Doreen visited a niece who is in the hospital. Here's some of the action..

We finished off the afternoon with a Skype session. The NC contingent appears ghostly here, only because I haven't checked to see how to take a screen shot on Skype. I promise to learn for next time.

 

 

Reading is fun

Ethan and Owen were here for a couple of days with Charlie and Angie. Charlie started his new job (HOORAY!) on Monday and Angie took the boys to her new classroom to look around, have some snacks, and play while she got a start  on sorting and organizing. While they were visiting, Owen took a couple of visits to the doctor to have a nasty bug bite examined that had caused swelling on his face and anxiety for the rest of us. He's reportedly doing much better now -- thank goodness -- after meds, a CT scan, and two shots. He's a brave little boy.

This was supposed to be about reading being fun, so here are some pictures to show I'm not a liar. 

Everybody enjoys a good book before bedtime, even the grown-ups!

While Owen and Angie were getting O's bug bite checked out, 

Ethan helped Dad/Larry/Grandpappy figure out why 

"A is for zoo" in the mysterious book Q is for Duck.

Bertha Amelia Johnson Potts

Jill asked me to write something for her blog about Grams, my paternal grandmother, as we approach what would have been her 120^th birthday on July 23^rd. She didn’t make it to 120, but did make it to 89, when she died in January 1981. Our kids and Don and Janet’s boys were all very young when Grams died, and so barely knew her. Don and I grew up with her living in our home near Buffalo, and we of course knew her very well.

Grams was Bertha Amelia Johnson Potts, born in 1891 in Chicago, the child of Swedish immigrants Nils Carl Johnson and Augusta Nelson. She had four sisters, Hulda, Emma, Edna, and Nellie (Helen). Hulda and Emma died young, and only Nellie outlived Grams. Nils was in the carting business (using a trailer bed drawn by horses to move furniture and other goods) in Chicago, and eventually ran a boarding house (which Augusta really managed, and in which the girls worked). Grams remembered clearly back to about the mid 1890s, and early electrification, coal burners with eisenglass (mica) windows, and Christmas trees with REAL candles (and fire buckets close by in case something went horribly wrong). She remembered clearly when her uncle Monty (Robert) returned home from the Spanish American War and surprised everyone by coming in a window at night in his uniform.

Bertha with her father Nils, and Lawrence Donald (Larry/Dad's father) in 1917

Grams went to public schools in Chicago, and then to a school of commerce to learn technical office skills. She met and married Walter Lawrence Potts (1875-1945) in Chicago, and they were married there in 1912. Grams and Walter had four children, Marjorie, Lawrence Donald (my dad), Doris, and Walter Francis (who died at age 10 months). They started out in Chicago, but later moved to Buffalo, Cincinnati, and Columbus. Grams was a homemaker, and raised three kids to adulthood, all of whom went to college.  She and Walter lived on the west side of Columbus in the 1940s, and he died there in 1946 from complications of a broken femur suffered in a fall. Grams, not even 55 then, packed up and moved to Buffalo to be close to my parents, and lived in an apartment until she moved into my folks’ new home in 1947-48. She worked for a while at a small shop in Buffalo, and then from time to time as a babysitter and a live-in companion for older women. Don and I can’t remember a time in which she was not part of our home family. Every year she would travel south to visit Doris and Ed Jones and cousins Linda and David, and then (usually in late winter) go out to California to visit with Aunt Marge and Uncle Johnnie Lowrie.

Grams was a temperate woman in all respects. I don’t recall ever seeing her angry. She was proud of taking and being faithful to the temperance pledge of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). She never knew it, but she accidentally violated her oath when she once took some orange juice out of pitcher in the ‘fridge without knowing my mom had mixed vodka into it for “screwdrivers”. She told my mother, “Lil, that orange juice is really good. What kind is it?” Mom couldn’t bring herself to tell Grams. Part of Grams’ mild demeanor might be due to being raised in a Swedish-immigrant household; most of the Swedes I’ve known are confrontation-averse and pretty much mind their own business (not so much aloof as non-social). She was very careful about how she dealt with family matters and my parents, and often seemed apologetic about living with us. Having a live-in grandparent was much more common then than now, and it seemed completely normal and even comforting to Don and me. She was a loving and caring person, and Don and I have very fond memories of her. Until the very end of her life Grams was not a burden to her family (although my mother experienced quite a bit of stress connected to memory troubles when Grams was in her 80s). She was always eager to find out what Don and I were doing, and I know that being around us kept her young. Well, that and a mild crush she had on Jack LaLanne, the TV Hollywood exercise guy with whom she did daily exercises until her early 80s.

Grams was fortunate to know and enjoy three of her five great grandchildren, Elisabeth, Dan, and Charlie. Mike and Annie were born too late to be held and cooed at by her. The nearby pictures show her in her last years with the kids. She was a lovely, sweet lady who was an important part of our families. Happy Birthday, Grams.

Grams playing solitaire in her bedroom, with Elisabeth's help! (December 1977)

Grams holding baby Charlie, Elisabeth, Danny, and Janet (July 1979)

If you give Dad/Paco a sharp blade...

Dad/Larry/Paco bought himself a wicked sharp pruning saw recently, shown here with a gizmo that guarantees to polish scratched-up headlights. Not sure why it's in the photo, other than that he bought them both on the same day. On with the story. 

The pruning saw folds up like a pocket knife, which is pretty slick. The teeth are indeed "razor sharp", as noted on the label, and I'll get to that soon enough. The most interesting thing about the saw is that it is made by Fiskars, which I strongly associate with the many pairs of Fiskars scissors I have owned over the years, purchased almost always to use for cutting fabric. Yes, I used to sew. Everything. But that's a thing of the past, and once again, on with the story.

My friend LaVonne, who is a Master Gardener (by virtue of having taken many, many Master Gardener courses from the U of MN Extension Services) is helping us improve the appearance of our back yard vegetation-wise. She's amazing. She took a look at the magnolia bush/tree outside the sunroom, and with a sweep upward of both of her hands, said quite firmly and authoritatively, "Limb it!" 

Dad/Larry has trouble hacking away at trees and bushes, not for any physical reason, but because he likes lots of green. But give a guy a razor-sharp blade, and suddenly limbs and leaves are flying everywhere.

It was hard to get a worthy angles of the bush/tree as it looks after being pruned, and we're not sure it's done yet, but it's neater and tidier now. We'll decide later, after it "rests", if more should go. Actually, if LaVonne sees it and says another limb has gotta go, it's gotta go!

Hot weekend, and it's just the beginning...

The current sultry July weather requires an adjustment of play plans so little kiddos don't over heat. Outside is good for a while, but when the adults start to pant to cool down, it's time to come inside.

Here's a series of Owen and Ethan on a blanket in the living room, enjoying an indoor picnic snack. Their summer haircuts helped with the cool-down.

For entertainment, the circus came to our house for a private performance.

Here are the flying Pottsaboyz in full swing.

 Side view...

And of course there was the ultimate cool-down activity,

nudie ring-around-the-rosies. 

(Photo cropped to give it G-rated content.)

I'll add one more, just for fun as we wait for the heat and humidity 

to subside so outdoor work and play is tolerable again...

Until then, keep cool!

Martha Lorraine Schmitz Kirsch

Dad/Larry/Paco reminded me this morning that today is the 110th anniversary of Grandma Kirsch's birth. She was born on July 13, 1901. I have a million and one memories of GK, but not the typical ones associated with a sedate, gray-haired old woman. Yes, she had gray hair, but she was anything BUT sedate and old-seeming.

Mom, Grandma Kirsch, Uncle Mike Kirsch in 1984

 Here are a few memory flashbacks I had today...

**For many years Grandma Kirsch lived in an apartment at 5501 Nicollet Avenue. She didn't drive, so she hopped on buses to go to Dayton's in downtown Minneapolis and to visit TCF Bank to check on her money. When I'd go on one of those adventures with her, she'd clutch her handbag (a purse to the rest of us) close to her chest to protect it from bus vandals. We'd get downtown and she'd say to me, "I have money in every bank in downtown Minneapolis," and then chuckle. Who knows if that was true or not, but it was an intriguing thought to a kid. Grandma Moneybags. We'd invariably make a bathroom stop in a classy marble-decorated bathroom in some big building on  the Nicollet Mall and that handbag would once again be protected rather than hung on the hook provided inside the stall door. "I've seen a hand reach over to try and grab my bag more than once," she'd offer as a reason. That was my warning to follow her example.

**Grandma Kirsch's response to the heat of summer was to tell my dad it was "gin and tonic weather", which prompted him to break out the appropriate ingredients for a cool drink.

**She was a neat and tidy person, and because of living through the Depression, was exceptionally mindful of taking good care of clothing and household goods so they would last. I can hear her saying, "One spot and it's ruined!" at least a thousand times about getting a grease spot on a skirt or sweater or on couch or chair upholstery. For my entire childhood I lived in fear of getting a spot of anything on my clothes for fear of having to shamefully toss a favorite wool skirt or sweater into the garbage because I'd ruined it.

**GK always described the latest purchases of her nephew, the well-to-do  Duane Nathe, to my envious mother.  My parents had their share of financial struggles, so hearing about her cousin's apparent wealth, especially when embellished as it was by GK, made Mom seethe. Yes, Duane Nathe worked for Dayton's, and his wife Mary Kay, with the glamorous shiny black hair and deep red lipstick, had a huge home and five or six kids to fill it. GK seemed to know the price of everything Duane and Mary Kay purchased. I remember in particular her telling Mom about the thousand dollar dining room table they bought. In the early '60s, that would have been one spiffy table-- and it was!

**GK was generous to my siblings and me. She gave us piles of Christmas presents, mostly clothes because she knew my parents were on a tight budget. GK had been widowed rather young--before age 50-- and she went to work as a housekeeper for the Goldenberg family, who lived in what seemed like a mansion in south Minneapolis. I don't think I have any photos of their home, but I found this black and white photo online of the house at 4545 Fremont Avenue South, near Lake Harriet.  

**The Goldenbergs encouraged GK to have us stay with her when they were on trips from time to time. My brother Mark and I loved climbing the winding staircase, going into the wine cellar, and climbing up to the top floor to the maid's quarters. The house was fantastic. The Goldenbergs followed some kosher guidelines, and so it was the first time I'd seen a kitchen with two ovens and two refrigerators, or realized some people owned two sets of dishes to use depending on what kind of food they were serving. The whole notion of being Jewish was magical and mysterious to me, especially when described through the eyes of the very Catholic and German GK. I think it is remarkable that she and the Goldenbergs had a relationship that went  well beyond an employer-employee relationship, and in fact they considered her a part of their family. She felt the need to pass along some of the Goldenberg family's traditions to the Reps family, including a hearty "Happy Hanukkah!" to accompany "Merry Christmas!" when she showed up for the holidays with (big) Uncle Mike. She made us Manischewitz  Matzo Ball Soup, too, and would have enjoyed tasting Evan's version. Even more than that she'd have enjoyed Evan's love of pork products!

**My grandma was a knee slapper and she laughed with enthusiasm and energy. A favorite expression of hers was, "Gott in himmel!" which she exclaimed in good situations and in bad. She was a force of nature, and my mom didn't always appreciate that, but thanks to my dad, who got along supremely well with "Mart", as he often called her, her visits were fun and entertaining. 

**She met Larry/Dad on Mother's Day in 1970, and they got along very well. A few weeks later I called her to tell her we were getting married. She told me she didn't think that was a good idea because I'd probably have to clean houses and scrub floors for a living if I married him. I never figured out what inspired that vote of confidence, but I know she was relieved when we both finished at the U of M and got jobs teaching. She didn't bring up the floor-scrubbing after that.

There is more to tell, but it will have to wait. I do wish I remembered more stories from Grandma Kirsch about Lake Henry, working in the bank in  Paynesville, and about my mother and her siblings when they were children, but the details are vague because I wasn't so interested in hearing about that old time stuff when I was a kid. Grandma, it will be gin and tonic weather this weekend, and I will think of you, but will likely drink a beer instead. You liked beer, too!

What's behind door #1?

With all the hustle and bustle of getting their house ready to go on the market, some of Ethan's and Owen's favorite toys are in new locations. Their kitchen and cooking supplies are in a cool little area of the basement that they enter through these really fun swinging doors. 

When they get tired of baking cupcakes, they take turns flying through the doors and running to the steps. Here's some of the action:

Grandpappy/Dad/Paco and I had lots of fun with the boys on Saturday and Sunday while Charlie and Angie absconded temporarily to Fargo for a concert (see CP's blog). Okay, "absconded" is overstating it, but they definitely needed a break from all the moving prep work they've been doing.

I didn't take too many pictures while we were with E and O, not because they weren't cute and fun--they certainly were all of that and more. But, THEY MOVED TOO FAST! Ha ha!  I got several of back-of-the-head shots and plenty of arms moving out of the frame of the shot, but not many pics in which you could actually identify the subject. 

Even without pictures to prove it we had a great time playing, reading, going out in the horrible heat and humidity for a walk (boys were comfy and shaded in their stroller), and answering a lot of WHY questions. When you're two, there's a lot to find out about the world!

Speaking of finding out about the world, Owen and Ethan read some of the newspaper with Dad/Larry/Grandpappy. They were quite interested in a story that they noticed, and asked a lot of questions. True to form, Dad/Larry/Grandpappy answered their questions in detail, and they soaked it all in. 

After naptime on Sunday, the boys decided they needed their blankets and matties out of their beds so they could wear them. Here's how it turned out. We think they look like they could have beamed down from the Mos Eisley Cantina on Tatooione, for those of you in the know. E and O ran and shrieked and sounded quite Star Warsian, as well as looking the part.

 

Mommy and Daddy came shortly after these shots were taken, and we enjoyed 

watching them all greet each other with lots of kisses and hugs.

Sisters

There's something familiar about the beach babes in the first picture and the huggy sisters in second one, don't you think?

Happy 4th of July

The fireworks are over and Americans are done celebrating the 235th anniversary of the U.S. We may not have had fireworks per se at our house over the weekend (too loud and scary for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers), but there was plenty of noise and action anyway. Here are pictures and captions of some of the highlights. One highlight we didn't capture in a photo was a crazy Skype session with E, E, h, and v to hear about Hannah's participation in a kiddie parade and all the excitement of the 4th of July in NC. we miss you all!

After a failed attempt to keep the whale pool inflated and the realization that the back yard was gnat heaven, the decision was made to have a run-through-the-sprinkler party in the front yard. It was shadier and occasionally breezier, helping the bug situation from time to time. Notice there are no photos of the adult onlookers. Although we were in the background of several photos, we all looked grumpy because we were swatting at the pesky gnats!

Three playful cousins

Ethan, flying through the streams of water...

Owen, looking over the situation...

Miles, encouraging a full run at the sprinkler...

 Make that a full BACK-IN to the sprinkler!

 Bros, liking the water...

 It's fun to fill hats with water, too...

While the big boys took a bath, Westy and his daddy enjoyed Cheerios together.

Yup, I like Cheerios!

Here are the bigger boys showing off their wet hairdos and squeaky-clean but somewhat bug-bitten faces. Westy didn't join them in the sprinkler or the bath, but he already had the bare shoulder look (and a rather presidential hairdo), so he asked to be photographed, too.

The 4th of July is an annual milestone that has forever signaled the beginning of the end of summer for me, and I'm sure for lots of folks who have spent their lives in school the way I have. It's no different this July, except that I don't have the worried feeling in the pit of my stomach that I won't be ready to face my students, since I won't have any this fall (with the exception of that unsuspecting Luther student teacher I'll be supervising in New Prague).  I'm sure I'll find other things to worry about!