Mother's Day was a beautiful day as was fitting for the occasion. After the 10:30 mass I had a lite lunch and went out to the gazebo to read. After determining that I would be home, Tom and Liz came by bearing some potting soil. I had purchased a medium sized decorative pot for the Gardenia tree that hey had given me and Liz went right to work transplanting the tree into the new pot. In the meantime, Tom brought my wicker chair from the basement, completing the furnishing of the gazebo for the summer. He also brought out the wind chimes and other decorations which we soon had hung in place. We then settled in on the patio for a very pleasant afternoon. I invited them to dine with me at one of the nearby restaurants but being Mother's Day we decided they would be crowded. Tom, instead, went to Portillo's and we had dinner at my house. I was treated to a favorite,  Maxwell Polish Sausage, dripping with mustard and grilled onions. It was a delightful day and the impromptu get-together was enjoyed by all. Thanks Tom and Liz.

One of my desires was to have a garden which would give me color throughout the growing season. It would also need to be populated with perennials for low maintenance. Various plants bloom at different times of the year and so I thought I would share from time to time photos of "Featured Plants", those in bloom at some particular time. Right now it is the red peonies.

Surprise! As I sat in my comfy wicker chair in the gazebo Monday afternoon, enjoying my latest book, I heard the gate latch and looked up to see Anne Marie coming into the yard. She was talking to Anthony on her cell phone and I soon joined the conversation via speakerphone ... a double surprise. My daughter had taken the day off to do some shopping and after a successful trip to the Orland Park Mall she stopped by for a visit. After the phone call concluded she took a tour of the new plantings and brought out the coffee carafe along with a cup. We had a pleasant visit before she had to get the family car home so Dom could go to the ball game for the school team he helps coach.  The California wedding plans are progressing well and everyone is excited. Well, I am as excited as I get and that is difficult to see. The latest news is that Anthony and Joelle have booked their Hawaii Honeymoon trip. But more imminent is the fact that plans are coalescing for their trip to Chicago next month. That trip will serve several purposes and I am not revealing any secretes. There will be a bachelor party for Anthony wherein golf and a baseball game will be featured. There will also be a wedding shower for Joelle. To make things even better and more festive, Joelle's parents Victor and Dale will also come to town and I was just informed that Victor's brother James and his wife Marianne will be driving in from Minnesota for the occasion. We are planning a family dinner at Rocco's and a visit to my house one evening. I look forward to meeting Joelle's family in person. We are Facebook friends now but that isn't the same thing. Besides, James is soon to publish a science fiction book. WoW!

My latest read happens to be a science fiction offering by Nathan Lowel named Double Share. This book has neither space battles nor bug-eyed monsters but is the fourth in a series about a young man who started from the bottom on a space freighter and his day to day adventures as he progresses in learning the ropes, as it were. He has just graduated from officer's training and has shipped on as third mate on a dysfunctional freighter. In this episode he must deal with superior officers who ... well, lets just say are less than professional and more than crude along with a captain who just doesn't seem to care. It is a series about ordinary life that just happens to be set in space at a not to distant future time. Very interesting!

I did not have the maiden name of Dom's maternal grandmother. When they visited  his mom on Mother's Day she was asked what it was and she told them it was Lawrence. Today I added her name, Pauline Lawrence,  to my database and the software immediately offered a "clue" ... actually three clews. The problem is that nothing seems to match up with what Rose, Dom's mom, remembers of her childhood. There are people with the same surnames but they were born or lived in the wrong places. I am afraid that what we have to work with is not enough to identify specific members of the family and trace them back any farther than we now know. But ... I will not give up.

Wednesday was a very satisfying day for me. It was cool so I stayed in the house most of the time. During that time I did more research on Dom's mother's family. I found ...

Steven (Stefin, Stif) & Pauline Lived in Hammond Indiana in the early 1900’s.   Steven Radosa’s wife is listed as Pauline Lawrence, Anna Lanorynes,  Anna Lawrecies, or Anni Lauereniec. They are shown as being born in Czechoslovakia and in Austria.

NOTE:  The ship's purser actually filled out the manifest, using passport/visa information, and then handed it over to the port authority or immigration officials when the ship landed. Because the Empire of Austria-Hungary ruled the land where your great-grandparents lived, they were carrying Austrian passports. That's why they're listed as Austrian on immigration paperwork.  

Their children were all born in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. That is logical because Hammond is on the border of Indiana and Illinois, right next to Chicago and probably the location of the nearest hospital.  

 I find 8 children or maybe just 7:

• Mary Radosa                        03 Oct 1911 - 21 Oct 1915

• Ann (Anastazija ) Radosa  02 Dec 1914 - ?

• Mary Radosa                        28 Jul 1916 - 15 Dec 1916

•  Pauline Radosa                    01 Jan 1920 - Mar 1978

•  Steven Radosa                     31 May 1920 - 18 Dec 1996

•  Rose Radosa                        10 Jan 1926    (Dom’s Mom)

• Helen Radosa                       ? - ?  

 It was not unusual to reuse a child’s name if the child died young. After the second Mary died they probably avoided the name.  
The Birth Dates of Pauline or Steven cannot be right but they are from Cook County records.
I have no birth date for Helen. She could be the child born in Europe or she could be the aunt Helen, Steven’s sister. (Dom's Mom remembers that the family immigrated bringing 4 children but 3 died before they arrived in the Chicago area. She also knew that due to her mother's illness, she was raised by her Aunt Helen, her father's sister.)

I don’t find any census records for the family in 1910, 1920 or 1930. This is strange unless there is a different spelling of Radosa that may have been used. There are records for a Steve Radosa family in Midland, Michigan, obviously a different family.   

I had found a family in Buffalo, NY under Pauline Lawrence but now knowing that Steve and Paulene (Anna?) were married in Czechoslovakia it is obvious that they are not connected at all.

Maybe we will find more information ... maybe not. I did go out to water the new plants and the potted plants. The cool front that ran through the are the night before had brought some thunder and lightning to Orland Park but just enough rain to dampen part of the patio. When I watered I used a bottle of Miracle Grow attached to the garden hose and got all the garden plants in the back yard.

I also finished the current Kindle book and downloaded the next. This one will be 'Star Strike: Book One of the Inheritance Trilogy".

This from Karen Plefka ...

Last night Ana was one of 60 seniors who received scholarships from local community organizations. Her's was the Kevin Clarke Memorial Scholarship given by the Tinley Park American Legion Post 615. Kevin was a graduate of Andrew High School and was killed in Iraq in 2005 at the age of 21. This award was presented to her by Kevin's parents and a representative of the Legion. Kevin's mom spoke to Ana for some time about her son and what would honor his name. What a great honor!!

Congratulations Ana. You are obviously doing something right. You make us proud.

Do you find optical illusions as fascinating as do I?
 How many bars are there?

Look at the left then look at the right.

Marilyn Buchler sent a bunch of these via email and I will be sharing them with you as time goes on.

Final Report ...

My Granddaughter's participation in The American Cancer Society's Relay For Life has come to an successful completion. Those who have contributed on their behalf on line have have raised a total of $840. The girls thank you. I thank you. The American Cancer Society thanks you and so do all those who will benefit from this effort. This sum does not include those friends and family who have donated cash and checks.

The links to Kelly's Page and to Ana's page are right here and at the top of this page. Both girls have done and outstanding job again this year as have the contributors.

Karen says ...
School District #230's Relay for Life raised close to $400,000. The relay took place on Friday from 6:00 PM to 6:00 AM. District 230's relay is the largest in the nation. I appreciate your helping Ana raise money for this important event.

Ancestry,com links birth and death information to the state and county that issues the certificates. Having found the death information for Steve Radosa, Dom's maternal grandfather, I linked to Cook County, Illinois and purchased a copy of the original certificate. Having paid the fee I was immediately able to download a copy. It told me that he was born 02 Jan 1887 in Bistryciony. Czechoslovakia. It also listed his father as Paul Radosa and his mother as Magdalena Kucierka of the same place. They were probably born cir 1860. So we now have gone back yet another generation in Dom's ancestry ... the Bohemian side. We also decided that the Hellen for whom we had no date of birth was one of four children born in Czechoslovakia. Dom's mom remembered that the four had let Europe with their parents but three had died after the family reached New York. It all begins to fit together and I think that the Rodosa branch of the tree is as accurate that we can get.

Thursday was as close to perfect as it gets. I had taken Mikey to Touch of Class and on the way back stopped at the Secretary of State's office in the Village hall. The clerk was waiting for me. Doesn't that make you feel important? I paid the $99 for the privilege of using Illinois roads for another year together with proof that I had auto insurance I was given the little colored sticker. When I got home I affixed the sticker to my license plate and will now be a legal driver for another year. And yes, the government can and does require people to buy insurance ... has for years.

After lunch I made the weekly trip to the grocery store. That accomplished, the gazebo called to me and I started into the new book. This one replete with space marines and a war. However, when I put the book down to rest my eyes and breathe in the delicious air, a nap took me and I was late for dinner.

Lazy? Or ... just well immersed in retirement? I favor the latter. I had let Mikey out just before 7 Friday morning and returned to bed. The sound of the big mower in the back yard brought me back into the real world but did not move me from my comfortable position. After I heard the sound of the trimmer and then the blower, blasting the clippings and such from the patio and then the silence that followed, I turned to the clock and learned it was 9:35. Now, totally refreshed I was ready to meet the day. And ... a another perfect day it promised to be.

After breakfast, I took my coffee on the patio to say my good mornings to God and Anne remembering as I always do to place all my friends and relatives, both living and deceased, in their care. It is, as always, a time to thank God for bringing me through the bumps in life to the wonderful place in which I now reside. Others are still struggling and seem to take a step or two back just when they think it is time to move forward. It is frustrating beyond belief. I ask God to give them strength and fortitude and possibly some relief from their struggles. Maybe a small miracle is in order ... we pray.

A call came Friday morning regarding my diabetes testing supplies. They will send test strips and lancets and it is all FREE! Or ... is it? Medicare will pay for 80% of the cost and my supplemental insurance the remainder. That includes the shipping. I get a chuckle whenever I see the TV commercials telling us what we can get FREE for our health care from diabetes testing supplies to motorized scooters. The suppliers must be making a nice profit on these FREE things and we can only hope that they are not gouging the government in doing so. Reasonable profit is good and necessary but the operative word here is "reasonable".  Individually, our pay checks cover our overhead (living expenses) and profit when we provide services to an employer. To make it just for all, we have an obligation to keep overhead as low as possible and profits reasonable while providing a valuable and necessary service or product. This applies to big business, small business and everybody right down to the individual.

It actually all boils down to honesty and lack of greed in all our actions and dealing with others. Jesus taught that basic principal. When a valuable service or product is provided at a just price everyone benefits. Unreasonable profiteering upsets the delicate balance and will eventually destroy the system. This applies to greedy corporate executives and businessmen as well as union leaders who demand more from employers only to enhance their popularity (and reelection).  It applies to me and everyone else who takes what is not ours or more than we are rightfully entitled for anything at any time. All of these people and institution are good and necessary for the economic system to work but honesty and justice must prevail. If nothing else, I am convinced that there is no place for greed and selfishness in Heaven.

So much for my pontification for the week.

My sleep-in this morning resulted in the delay of "publishing" this update. But it gives the opportunity to report that my lunch was one of the new offerings by the provider of my lunch salads. 6 days a week I enjoy a Bistro Ready Pack salad. This one is a new addition to the variety, a Santa Fe style salad and it was delicious with a wonderful bite to it. It has only 280 calories and just 14g of carbs. It is also low in fat with 0 transfat. But as usual it is high in salt. Well, you cant have it all. All the ingredients are packed separately and it also comes with a little plastic fork if you want to take it to work or wherever. I am indeed blessed to be living in this day and age. Without all this modern food preparation I could not have survived.

But I have done more than survive, I have thrived. I can truly say ...