The World of Grandpa Don
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Merry Chriesmas |
What's New In the world of Grandpa Don |
Week Ending Friday |
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Go to the Current Event for ..
Archive
Or to learn more of Grandpa Don and his remarkable family ...
Many of the quotes found on this page are from the daily messages I receive from Covenant House  |
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Last Friday afternoon Marc came by after work to see what he could do with the snice on my driveway. "Snice" is a mixture of snow and ice. It has nothing to do with "nice". And, there wasn't much he could do with it. A village plow had pushed some slush up into the driveway and he got rid of that before it froze in place and with great difficulty he cleared a path to the mail box. But there was a layer of snow which was saturated with snain (snow & rain) and then covered with ice, followed by a light coating of snow. The snow blower was useless. He made a valiant effort of it but I told him to leave it be. It will be gone by July. His return to the Tinley park Menards store has him now working in the "front end", the checkout counters and customer service. His manager-in-training duties entail the learning of what to look for in check approval, and the rest of the operation in that part of the store. More information is found at "Manager Trainee Program "
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If you want God to hear your prayers, |
Again, the big storm missed the south suburbs of Chicago leaving us with a dusting on snow on top of the two or so inches of frozen snow and ice on Saturday. But then the temperature really went to the basement. I received a phone call from my big brother in Cleveland. Jim suggested that he would come and live with me and run for Governor of Illinois. Then he would appoint me to the vacant US Senate seat and we could put all our relatives on the payroll. Wonderful idea. He reports that their winter has been a series of small snows followed by thaws, not near as bad as the Chicago experience.
Sunday morning I bundled up for church and left early to get a parking place close to the door. The temperature at 10:00 was about 3 degrees and the wind was a steady 20 mph with gusts to 40 mph, creating ground blizzard conditions and unspeakably cold wind chills. Notwithstanding it all, the big old Buick negotiated the trip and I was never in danger of a chill or anything worse. Anne Marie came by for a B&B and a short visit in the afternoon. She had been out shopping and picked up a little item for me as well. When she mentioned that she needed to get some throw rugs I sent her down to my stash of stuff in the basement. She found what she needed there. Anne changed rugs often when she tired of the color and left a generous supply here. I change them when they fall apart. However, Anne Marie did find some that had been there so long that the backing was all stuck together and they were relegated to the trash.
The Albano's encountered a bump in the basement remodeling. In the section of the basement where the paneling had been replaced several years ago, they were about to lay the new floor tile. When they removed the baseboard rotted wood and moldy plasterboard was uncovered at a section of the wall. The bad materials were torn out exposing a crack in the foundation that was bleeding a small, constant trickle of water. Until the trickle stops and the ground thaws this spring. that area will remain unfinished. After permanent repairs to the foundation can be made they will deal with finishing the wall. Until then, the strategic location of a couch will suffice. A blind man running for his life will never notice it.
My son Dan called Sunday evening just to say HI! (Translate to "check up on me --- Thanks Dan) They had their Buchler Family Christmas gathering at their house and relatives were visiting from all over the country. It was a joyous event.
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Happiness is produced not so much by great pieces of good
fortune |
Early Monday afternoon Nick stopped by to borrow my trusty old trickle charger. His car got him up from school but apparently the cold was too much for the battery and he will attempt to charge it enough to get the car to a shop where it can be determined if it needs a replacement battery. The wind had moderated a bit and the temperature had risen all the way up to the magical Zero of the Fahrenheit scale. Everybody (in the US) gets all excited when the temperature drops to zero as if that means something, other than it is cold out. If we joined the modern world we would know that when using the Celsius temperature scale, at Zero water will freeze, and at -18C it is damn cold out (0F). and at 22C (72F), it is very comfortable. As it is now, science students must learn the two different temperature scales and engineers must learn two systems of measurement. The decimal system is so much more efficient than our almost incomprehensible system of weights and measures that we may as well be using Roman numerals for our calculations. It astounds me that we adopted the decimal system for our money right from the start but insist on retaining an archaic methods of weights, measures and temperatures. If you are a detail nut, like me, you may want to know more. Check out the "Straight Dope" on temperature measurement.
OK ... there was some snow and ice on the driveway and sidewalks ... BIG DEAL! Nick called Monday afternoon to ask if I wanted my garbage taken to the curb for Tuesday's pick up. No, ... I'll take care of it. Then Dan called on his way from work with the same offer of help and got the same answer. Karen had called him because Anne Marie had called her. Like I never saw snow before. (Isn't it wonderful that they care!) The big containers have wheels and when they don't roll they slide so it was no problem for me to handle.
I was up early on Tuesday, cleaning day. A little snow had fallen during the pre-dawn hours so I expected Maria to be a little late. When the van pulled up at about 7:30 I opened the garage door so she would have less snow to go through. About 8:30 I took Mikey to Touch of Class for his Christmas bath and it was snowing a little heavier. On the way home I stopped at the barber shop for my Christmas trimming. When I left the shop it was snowing in earnest ... (In Orland Park, too). It was snowing so hard that it blocked the little electric eye that serves as a safety device for the garage door and I had to clear it and the cobweb that it had collected in so the door would close. That of course was after I dragged in the now empty garbage cans through the ruts the car made in the snow on the driveway. There had been a wait at the barber shop so I no sooner got my coat off when Paula called to tell me that Mikey was ready to come home. I was off again. The rate of fall had increased and I was in back of some person who apparently had never seen snow before, let alone drive in it. When that one turned off our road there were six more just like him. It was a slow trip. But ... better safe than sorry , as they say. And I am sure that some of these little cars don't handle in the snow like my trusty big Buick with it's front wheel drive, traction control and stuff like that. I just turn on the heated seat, heated rear window and heated side view mirror and relax while enjoying the snow covered everything ... just like the Christmas cards.
After lunch, Mikey called my attention to something going on outside. The snow had stopped and Nick was shoveling the driveway. I invited him to use the snow blower but he said it was just as easy to shovel. In a few minutes he changed his mind and we started up the machine. He did as well as he could considering the frozen lower layers. Soon it was done. He was going to make a path for Mikey in the back but the gate was frozen in place. Mikey will cope with the snow until the predicted weekend thaw arrives. The important thing was that when Maria left, with my house all spick and span, she had a relatively clear path to the the van in the street.
This story was sent to us by Mary Moskal ... The Simple White Envelope It is a story of the spirit of the season.
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This is the day the Lord has made. |
The above quote is usually associated with Easter but it is appropriate for any day. After all it was a Jewish Psalm long before there was an Easter. The Lord made every day ... and it is good. We can find good in every day if we open our hearts and minds to it. And ... it is particularly appropriate for Christmas.
To prove the above, shortly after Maria left, the door bell rang. There was a delivery man with a gift ... and ... it was snowing, again ... perfieudiously ... is that a word? (My spell checker says no.) My favorite Buick dealer must have known I was saying good things about the car he sold me in 2000. I did not expect the usual candy because of the situation with Buick this year and it was not the usual but a scaled back, but nun the less appreciated, token of turtles and fudge. After feeding Mikey and letting him out ... he now has to step up into the snow from the back step, we retired to the living room, me with a recently acquired turtle and an oversized snifter of B&B to watch the snow fall and revel in my blessings. It just doesn't get any better than this! There will be no point in testing my blood glucose later but one does need to reward himself with a bit of decadent living on occasion. Turtles and B&B ... you should try it when you want to feel pampered and have a warm feeling of contentment. It lifts the spirit beyond reason.
I should mention that my favorite Buick dealer is Ray of Ray Buick on 63rd St across from Midway Airport and he is a very good friend of the family. He an Dan went to Marist together and remain good friends. He also dated Anne Marie for a while and employed Tom for a while. I have been blessed with a place to buy a car where I see what he has and pay whatever he says it is worth knowing that I will never beat the price anyplace else. And, if he doesn't have exactly what I want in the color I want, he will get it for me in a few days. Another of my blessings ... much appreciated. Thank you Ray and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
God's chief gift to those who seek him is Himself.
~ E.B. Pusey
Wednesday morning brought rain to our corner of the world. The snow that had been overhanging the gutters had fallen in heaps to the ground but everything was still white. After a breakfast of pancakes and sausage (the microwavable kind of course) with butter and maple syrup (heated in the microwave) I retired to the living room with my coffee for my annual Christmases eve get-together with God and Anne. Retired is the operative word here for it soon deteriorated into an early morning nap. It would have lasted all morning except for the ringing of the phone. After I regained my wits I retrieved the phone from the kitchen only to find that it had been National Geographic wanting to sell me something.
When I finally got to my computer and checked the email, the usual morning missive from Frank Schober included Dominick The Italian Donkey. I immediately sent it of to family members to Celebrate a Dominick Christmas. My next task was to send out the "Include-Me" newsletter announcing the parish web site update. I would have forgotten about it if not for Bob Lewis' note that it had been done.
As I was finishing lunch the door bell rang. It was Nick. He had been working on the driveway, removing the surface snow as best he could. The ice would not budge and neither could he get through the frozen slush thrown up onto the drive by the village snow plow. I told him not to be concerned. Nature put it there and she would remove it in good time.
I did my Christmas gift wrapping (putting checks in envelopes). Anne
Marie called to ask if she could bring dinner to my house on Christmas.
Marc had the flew and she didn't want to have little Bella come to her
house ... with "flue in it". Great! Some thing had to be done about that
ice on the driveway. I had some ice melting chemicals and they were
ineffectively scattered over the ice. Later I got in the big old Buick
and repeatedly drove down the driveway into the street and back again.
That did not break up the ice but it did somewhat knock down the mound
at the curb. At least it was reduced to a big speed bump.
A little later, Big Brown delivered a package. It was from my sister Marilyn Copeland. Hurriedly it was opened and in I found the fruit of her creative genius. She had taken a photo of our grandfather, Harvey Louis (lou) Copeland, cropped it with an oval frame and placed it over the photo of his Spanish American War regimental flag. In the upper corners, she included a small photo of him and some of his friends in camp and another of the officers of the regiment in the dinner tent. It was artfully captioned and in a beautiful wood frame. The back of this frame also was a glass covered frame and had the following information:
Harvey L. Copeland, Corporal from Cleveland
Age 22. Detached as Actg. Sergt. Maj. Prov. Regt.
June 25 to July 7, 1898, per Orders No. 2 Hdqrs.
Prov. Regt., Camp Bushnell, Ohio
Ohio 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry,
Company B Cleveland
This Company was enrolled June 23, 1898 by
Captain Joseph C. Beardsley at Cleveland, Ohio and
mustered in June 30, 1898 at Columbus by Captain
Rockerfeller. Mustered out November 5, 1898.
Official Roster of Ohio Soldiers in the war with Spain.
I can not show you the front of this gift because the photo of the regimental flag has strict copyright restrictions. It was a 45 star flag with gold trim and apparently (obscured) the name of the regiment embroidered on the center stripe. So, as much as I would like to share this beautiful work of my sister's artistic talent, I will abide by her wishes, thereby keeping her out of the clutches of the copyright laws. Needles to say, if you visit grandpa Don's house you will find this treasure prominently displayed. My other Copeland siblings are treated as well each Christmas with Marilyn's creative handiwork. It is a tradition, one to be treasured. Thank you Marilyn. I am blessed to be included in the Copeland family and to be introduced into the familyhistory in such a creative way. We can also be grateful the grandpa Lou stayed in Ohio during the conflict. To have lost him as a casualty in Cuba would have resulted in a lot of us not being here. By the way, grandpa Lou's photograph was taken in the studio of his father, photographer James Harvey Copeland (1835-1928)
You can read about this very short war. Theodore Roosevelt declared that from start to finish it had been “a splendid little war”. It may have been short, and not very "splendid" but it launched the US as a world power while it went far in healing the wounds of the US Civil War.
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever. "
— Mahatma Gandhi
Charismas Eve found me at Dan and Karen's where Tom and his girls joined us for dinner and joviality. Gifts were exchanged and I found some creativeness had filtered down to Kelsey. She has been painting and, using a picture of her grandmother downloaded from this web site as a model, she painted Anne's portrait. It to will find a prominent place in my home but after the seasonal festivities she needs to borrow it for the school art fair. Fortified with love and a delicious dinner I was back home about 9:30. At 11:00 I was on my way to St Julie's for the 11:15 Christmas concert and then Midnight Mass. This, for me has become a tradition and a treat not to miss. Some regard going to church an obligation ... something that needs to be done by edict of the church. To me it is like going to a family gathering to be revitalized in faith and love. I go because I need to go for my own benefit not out of duty imposed upon me. That applies to Christmas, Easter, and every Sunday of the year. I also know that the Midnight Mass of Christmas is always extra special with it choir at it's best, the bell choir and added musicians. And last night as usual for these special liturgies, Fr Steve sang the entire Eucharistic Prayer, including the Consecration. I left the church at 1:15 with spirits so elevated that I could not sleep and watched a Christmas Concert on TV until 2 AM.
On Sunday Anne Marie arrived about 1:30 with Joe and Christmas dinner. She put the Beef Tenderloin in the oven and Joe got the dinning room table ready. A little later the rest of her family arrived and Christmas snacks appeared. Dominick, Sarah and Bella arrived to join the festivities. Dan and his family stopped by on their way to Karen's mom and dad's house to exchange gifts with the Albano's and to see Bella for the first time. Glorioskys! Bella passed from one loving person to another, giving and receiving love and joy, everyone remarking on how perfect a baby she is and Sarah protesting that she is never this way at home. Of, course not ... this was great-grandpa's house ... she was on her best behaviure. After the gift-giving and receiving and photos taken, hugs given, Dan, Karen and their brood were on their way and we settled down to another great dinner. All too soon, Dominick and Sarah took Bella home and soon, but after a general clean-up, all but Anne Marie and Joe had gone. They stayed until the dishes had been washed and put away and the tablecloth was in the wash. As they left, my daughter remarked that "if my parents come home, they will never know I had a party".
It was, as usual, a very merry and blessed Christmas. I had requested that there would be no gifts to me from the grandchildren. I did get some. There was a card from my pastor that a donation had been given to St Julie Parish in my name. There was a photo of two of my grandchildren to update my gallery of family photos. There was the portrait of Anne from Kelsey. I had put a wish list of books I wanted to read on Amazon.com and my kids provided new reading material for me for the coming year. I had the gift from Marilyn Copeland commemorating our grandfather and Jim & Peggy sent flowers. My Cecora and Copeland siblings need not (should not) send gifts ... but that is the kind of people they are. The gift of my finding them and now knowing them is a gift supreme. That applies to all my family and extends to all my friends and acquaintances ... for they are all family in the greater sense.
We thank God for the gift of Jesus and, indeed, all His gifts. Our gift giving is in remembrance of His generosity and is done in the same spirit. I have had ... and am having ... a blessed and very merry Christmas.
"May Christ the Lord, the Universal
King, the King of Families,
be present in every Christian home as he
was at Cana, bestowing light, joy,
serenity and strength. . . . I beg of him
that every family may generously
make its own contribution to the
coming of his Kingdom in the
world—“a Kingdom of truth and life,
a Kingdom of holiness and grace, a
Kingdom of justice, love and peace,”
toward which history is journeying."
Pope John Paul II
1981
I wish you a Merry and Blessed Christmas season.
And don't forget ... Christmas day is the start of the 12 day Christmas season. Keep the Spirit with you.
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I am blest |
Grandpa Don
Plefka
. Links
of the Week
Following the link is ...
the name of the person who led me to it.
Dominick The Italian Donkey
... Frank Schober
The First Christmas Gift ...
Bob Clarke & Frank Schober
Email From Jesus ... Bob Lewis
Black Hole ... Alex Kapocius
Ecclesiastes
... Alex Kapocius
Anne wanted everyone to be 'Nice'.
This button was in one of
her dresser
drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004
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