quilt, 2005 |
Akiko Matsumoto On the last Sunday, 16th of September, I went to our church, ASCT, almost half a year after Easter. Michiko showed her album containing your photos there. I cannot identify you immediately for your different image. Maybe because the time I saw you in the US, was quite far behind. Michiko might say no words of any Akiko's appreciations for your kindness and hospitality. However your smile and figure on the chatting table and outdoor tells me full of your warmhearted attitude. How's Bob? Wasn't he there? Really I wished I could go there, too. Now we have had unusual weather (strong typhoons, heavy rains and Government crash!) Too strong heat wave still stay here even in September and it crashed many people.) Hoping you both are well and your quiet and peaceful place are able to be kept for a long time. With best regards. [Ed. Note: Photo is from Akiko's September 2005 visit. See Nov-Dec 05 Muse. Michiko is Akiko's sister, my hostess in Tokyo in 1990, when Akiko was my translator.--NAM] |
Gallery photo |
Margery Aukstikalnis Oct. 25: We have lights, water, sewer, TV AND Internet!!! Phone is working and we still have lots of unpacking to do. I LOVE my new kitchen! My office won't be ready for a week or so, because the phone line to that room needs to be replaced, and there's a bunch more important things to do. But my computer is in the living room for now, so I'm all set. Shopping is on the menu for today, and more moving of supplies from the RV and the shed. Jack is restoring function to plumbing fixtures. And we got TV just in time for game one of the World Series!!! GO SOX! |
|
Charles Frost Sept. 15: Have taken a vacation from the weekly newsletters this summer but have been thinking of you all. Trust you have had a relaxing summer wherever. Summer Activities: Janice and I had a very good time during the six weeks she was with me in Maine. She arrived in early July with some trepidation, taking over what had been another woman’s house but quickly making it her own. Our families enjoyed getting acquainted with each other at a reception later that month. Then spent several days on Nantucket at the project her son John and his partner Gregg are developing. Later visited John and Gregg again after John's ankle surgery in New York City, which afforded us the opportunity to visit the Museum of Modern Art. We had the pleasure of visiting the Pandolfi Farm in Enfield, CT, and my sister Katherine's assisted-living development in Concord, NH. Among local things: toured the Old York Historical Society Decorator House, where each room was renovated by a different interior decorator; viewed one of the showplace gardens on the Garden Club circuit; saw The King and I at the Ogunquit Playhouse; and had several seafood meals at the Ogunquit Lobster Pound (which, for me, was like walking the halls at York High School, so many were my former students at work there). By the end of the summer Jan had come to love Maine. She especially soaked up long walks along the dunes at Ogunquit Beach. That was so relaxing as she had a lot of work to do to keep her student help at Truman focused on her Korean math project and to develop a new course. For her it was rather of a working summer. Deferred for another time, hopefully next summer: visiting the Peabody-Essex Museum in Salem, MA; and a trip to my ancestral roots at Frost Cove on Passamaquoddy Bay, where the sun first rises on America. Moving Back to Missouri: Janice flew on ahead to get her courses started at Truman State. I decided not to sell “High Ledge” at this time because of the depressed state of the real estate market. Rather, I’m putting it up for rent with an agent in Maine. The packing out was nevertheless extensive: emptying drawers, discarding course files I won’t need, distributing furniture, rugs, paintings and family photos to my children. The dumpster in the photo contains 1.01 tons of things thrown out -- paper and moldy books other than a few packs of roof shingles and a recliner. So when one says, "I moved a ton of stuff," that's what it looks like. According to Frost's Law, things accumulate to fill the space available. Janice and I wish you a gorgeous and pleasant fall. Let's keep in touch, Precious People. Sept. 22: Just returned from shopping at the farmers' market. Thought you might get a chuckle out of this report. After the big "heave-ho" I hauled a trailer with over 500 pounds of course files and books -- and some winter clothes. The greyhound traveled well and is enjoying her other home here in Missouri. Enjoy the weekend. |
|
Daniel Leskinen ROBERT “ED” CALDER< Dear, Robert, Pop-Pop, Ed I tried to write, while you lay in bed. Words would not come to me, how I tried. It was not till word came down, and I cried. Box or file, you gave it a label. Have a cup of tea and sit at the table. Your engineering mind was tough to beat. When a problem arose, you were the one to meet. When it came to peace, you were the dove. The words you spoke were of love. You taught us what we had to know. As you watched your family grow. From shelves to houses, you designed them all. Putting lives together, you were the one to call. Liquor or beer you had none, At a party you knew how to have fun. To be the favorite child everyone sought, In your presence the favorite, everyone thought. Your love, honor, and inspiration, Will be passed down thru every generation. If you can hear me, Ed, listen for your name. Without your guidance, it won’t be the same. How long your legacy will last, this I will say, You will be remembered in my lifetime, every day. These words I say next, I do dread. I will miss you, my faithful Ed. A good life, you lived them one by one. My words may end here - I’m still not done. OBITUARY: Robert Edward Calder, 80, was called to his eternal reward at 1:20 p.m. Thursday, September 27, 2007, at Hanover Hall. He was the husband of Beatrice Jean Foley Calder, to whom he was married over 55 years. Born in Springfield, Delaware County, on June 6, 1927, he was the son of the late John W. and Rebecca Moore Calder. After graduating from Springfield High School with the class of 1945, Ed attended the Merchant Marine Academy in California. In 1947, he returned to Pennsylvania, was accepted at Penn State University, and in 1951, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering. In October of 1951, Ed joined the Air Force and during the same year met and fell in love with Jean. On March 8, 1952, 2nd Lt. Calder and Jean were married. On April 7, 1953, he was appointed 1st Lt. and served his country during the Korean Conflict until his discharge on September 30, 1953. v Following his military service, the Calders returned to Delaware County where Ed began a career in construction, first with W.P. Foley Builders specializing in residential and commercial development, and then on his own as a developer, builder, and real estate broker. In 1976 they moved to Doylestown where he continued his trade specializing in restoration and remodeling. He also founded a drug and rehabilitation center in Bucks County which is known today as the ALDIE Counseling Center. Following his career as a builder, developer, broker, restorer, and remodeler, Ed did what he really wanted to do - he sold cars at Lansdale Chrysler for 10 years. Along the way, Ed and Jean managed to raise seven children, which eventually brought the couple to Hanover when they came to "babysit" the home of one of their sons. They decided to stay in Hanover and bought their own home. Ed continued to work part time as a receptionist for Leister's Furniture and then for Hanover Hall. He was a member of St. Vincent dePaul Catholic Church. Ed loved his family and will be missed by his daughters, Linda Calder of Mt. Joy, Geraldine Fiore and husband, Michael of Roanoke, Va., Carolyn Leskinen and husband, Daniel of Roanoke, Va., and Maureen Herron and husband, Matt of Duryea, Pa.; sons, Robert E. Calder, Jr. and wife, Nancy of Richmond, Va., and Terrence M. Calder and wife, Mary Beth of Hanover; 14 grandchildren; and two greatgrandchildren. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Nancy Calder. |
|
Charles Frost October 9: Jan's College Classmates: Jan was informed Friday morning that one of her college classmates Judith (Belucci) Horowitz, had passed away. Judy and her husband Abraham had a successful interdenominational marriage. She was true to her Catholic faith throughout her life, while Abe remained a practicing Jew. Their three daughters were brought up in the Catholic church. Always the outgoing personality, Judy never lost her sense of humor. On the day she died, she said to her children gathered at her bedside, "I don't want an open casket. No one would recognize me with my mouth closed." Judy, Jan and other women had remained close friends since their undergraduate days at St. Louis University. The bonds of friendship were all the tighter because theirs was only the sixth SLU class to accept women. SLU purchased a rundown downtown hotel to accommodate their women students. What the University didn't tell them was that this establishment had been a house of prostitution. After the funeral service all gathered at Abe's residence for snacks. There the surviving classmates recalled with peals of laughter the startled reactions of taxi drivers when given directions to their "dormitory." And about some of the callers who came knocking on the door! Photo: The photo shows the SLU classmates who attended Judy's funeral. Left to right: Jan, Joanne, Tess, and Pat. The Unexpected Weekend Excursion: We made plans to go to St. Louis for the funeral immediately after the Community Theater play Friday night. We drove about 90 minutes to Hannibal, where we stayed overnight at a motel that I picked out from the Internet. The reality on the ground doesn't always correspond with the serene image on the website -- trucks roaring by using their engine brakes, with freight trains blowing their whistles as they approached the grade crossing. Hungry for a late evening snack, we could only find some stale donuts in the vending machine. Left Saturday morning at 7:00 and saw a beautiful sunrise, heading for the northern suburb of Florissant. Afterwards we headed for Columbia at my suggestion to do some shopping. We so enjoyed ourselves there that Jan suggested we stay overnight and go to church the next morning. I said fine if we can find a motel. That evening Mizzou (U of MO) was playing its football archrival Nebraska, and the place was mobbed. (The crowd was estimated at 70,000 and everyone was in a festive mood.) After five tries on the cell phone, Jan found a Fairfield Inn that had a cancellation. (It was more than a cut above the one I picked out the previous day.) The people at the church were most friendly, and we discovered we had mutual friends from Kirksville and Columbia. After church we drove back to KV arriving about 2:00. I did most of the driving so that Jan could read student papers. This was Jan's first real break since the beginning of school. She needed it, and she really enjoyed it. And, by the way, Mizzou won the game 41-6. Hot Summer in North Carolina: Joan Meek writes that the heat in the Trion area was above 100 degrees for at least a month this past summer. That left outdoor activities limited to the 7:00AM - 10:00AM period. "Even at that I had quite a few flowers and was able to grow some tomatoes. And I am very lucky to get many plants in because the ground was so hard." Her daughter Sandy has gone back to college and is enjoying it very much. She is studying horticulture, especially garden design. Another daughter Susie is busy as a transcriber. Wood Family Notes: Stuart and Nancy's daughter Sheila flew to Ireland with a college girlfriend last month. They will be part of the WWOOF program (World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farms) near Cork in the southwestern part of the country. Later they will go to Spain to help with the olive harvest before returning home in mid-December. The girls will return to Earlham College for the spring semester. Kay's daughter Beth Ruiz has begun her graduate accounting program at the Whittemore School of UNH. This is a big commitment for Beth, but Kay will support her on the home front. "Katie and I get along well and Tony is quite independent at 17," she writes. As for bird feeders in an assisted-living community she reports, "The birds at Heritage Heights are offered a perpetual banquet. There are so many bird feeders about that I feel fortunate to get a handful of visitors. So different from Maine, where it seemed we were feeding the whole avian world." Derek's Family: While Maine was sweltering in 90-degree heat last week, Oregon was experiencing fall weather with its attendant colors. Derek and Rosalind went to a Greek play out there, which was also a musical. They are involved in planning another Christian Science lecture for the Portland area. Jeremy spent the weekend at the family house in York, ME. Alexis works at the public library in Rochester, NH, and drives one day a week to White River Junction, VT, to teach at the Center for Cartooning Studies, where he graduated in May. His ultimate frisbee team, Gratuitous, has advanced to regional competition. Alexis and Kristen have also been staying at the Maine house while putting a new bathroom in their house on Little Bay in Dover, NH. Kristen is actually doing the plumbing! |
GALLERY PHOTOS Four at Vegas Three at Knott's |
Natalie Murdock I went to Las Vegas last weekend, and had the best time of my life....we did Vegas right - VIP treatment, partying with rich, known people, and lots of sight-seeing!! So, the first picture is of my friends and me standing in our hotel hallway, on the way to the club.... The second pic is of Dad, Robert and Me - Robert took his kids to Knotts last weekend and we met up for ice cream afterwards....I have some other great pics of his family....but those will have to wait for the next email : ) |
enjoyable solitude. |
Gene Murdock A little solitude is a great thing, but too much solitude can be a bad thing. I found this out while living alone in an apartment here in Glenwood. It was a great place to live, well maintained, convenient to town and main roads, yet out in the country enough so that the deer and wild turkeys were my frequent companions. But what was missing was the social intercourse. Oh, I enjoyed my circle of friends out at the aviation museum and my time with the grandkids and family, but these events were frequently weeks apart, and the only conversations I held in between were those with store clerks and waitresses. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it had put me in a mild form of depression. (Two of my sisters realized it, but that is another story in itself.) After moving to Linwood Estates and having people around me every day, and finally learning to say “I love you” to my dear friends and relatives, I snapped out of it, and started enjoying the social interaction again. But I do love solitude in small doses. To me the greatest solitude is to be out in nature with no vehicle noise, no idle chattering, no screaming or yelling - just the sounds of nature, which are music to my ears. My favorite place for solitude is out on the prairie, out of sight, out of sound, just me and the natural surroundings. Here I am at my spiritual best, and the higher the hill I can walk up, the more I enjoy being alone. There is a different type of solitude that I enjoy - that of the darkened room when I get into bed at night and turn out the lights. The darkness, to me, is comforting and I am disappointed when my eyes rapidly adjust to the low light and it is no longer totally dark! I’ve often thought I would enjoy being in a sensory deprivation chamber - a locked darkened room, soundproofed with no lights or windows. Some would panic totally in such a situation, but I would make an adventure out of it by using all of my senses to the maximum - not out of desperation, but simply out of curiosity and the desire to know and understand my surroundings and the limits of my senses. I would first measure the room in all dimensions, and measure and feel any items in the room other than the floor, ceiling and walls. Then I’d check out the acoustics - whisper, talk, and shout to see the effects they have; My eyes would naturally dilate, so I would search the room for the tiniest sliver of light. I would feel every inch of every surface with my hands and fingers for tiny cracks that give away the location of doors, receptacles and vents. Then I would exercise my sense of smell all around the room to detect the tiniest variation in smells. Finally, assuming someone eventually let me out of the chamber, I would return to my friends and neighbors and resume my daily task of creating smiles and laughter to ease their enforced solitude. |
|
Top /
Muse Home /
Who's Who / What's New |
