The World of Grandpa Don
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Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works
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What's New In the world of Grandpa Don |
Week Ending Friday |
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Caitlin's graduation pictures should have been included in last week's
page. They were sent to me in time but I didn't realize I had a problem.
Many people access their email on line, convenient when you want to
access it from different computers, and sometimes their mail boxes fill
up and their mail is rejected. I always say I don't have that problem
because my mail goes right to my computer into my "Outlook" program.
Well. I discovered that my Outlook file also has it's limits. They are
not near as limited as the online mailboxes but I save most of my mail
from my friends in case I ever want to review something. Well, my
Outlook file finally hit it's limit a week ago (Thursday) and there was no
warning. I tried to add an item to my calendar and it said the file was
full and I must delete something. I finally figured out that it was all
those old emails that were clogging up the system and when I started to
delete them I heard the sweet voice saying "Master, I have mail for
you." And ... there were the graduation photos. So, here they are ...
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Caitlin Plefka Graduation 2009 Marist High School |
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| Graduation | ||||
| The Graduate | ||||
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Caitlin and Parents | |||
| Caitlin with grandparents |
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Caitlin with sister Kelly and parents | |
| Just some poses I would like to share: | ||||
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What a great looking bunch of people, even if I do say so myself! Again, congratulations go to Caitlin. Extended congratulations go to Tom and Diane because their daughter could not have done it alone. And ... lets not forget William (Chico) Marx and Marilyn Marx as well as (grandpa) Don and Anne Plefka who had just a little to do with it all. Just look at those faces! Can't you tell this is a happy group of people. (It's your turn next year, Kelly.) By the way, most of these pictures were taken in front of the Tom Plefka home standing along side the official family "photo tree". Even the tree has a unique character. Caitlin will be going off to the left coast to attend Pomona College in the fall. Would you let this girl go to California unattended? Not to worry. Read her note to me from a couple years back. "To Grandpa" She has her head on straight.
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Last Friday morning, one of my helpers arrived for a much need chore, or rather two chores. The helper is "Pane Free Window Cleaning". Paul did my windows inside and out. He is quick and efficient and does a streak free beautiful job. When he is finished you need to look close to see if there is glass there. (Marie, unfortunately, leaves streaks) With the type of windows I have, the outsides can only be done from the outside and so the upstairs windows only get done when Paul does them. He also cleaned my gutters and they really needed help. The large Bradford Pear tree at the NW corner of the house doesn't loose its leaves until well into winter and so my gutters were completely clogged in several places. I had considered replacing the windows with ones that tilt in for cleaning and replacing the gutters with the "leaf-guard" kind but both of those would be very expensive. Paul solves both problems for only $110 per visit. And besides, it provides him with work and gives me a very pleasant visitor in spring and fall.
I visited my primary doctor Friday afternoon and told him that the cardiologist had recommended an endocrinologist, Ayesha Akbar, to get my diabetes under control. He agreed and told me to have her contact his office and he would send her any information she needed from my history file. I suspect that Dr Akbar, if she seems right for me, will become my primary doctor. We shall see what develops. I definitely need help. The cardiologist feels that I am on too many medications and they are not doing the job. My blood tests are now showing signs kidney problems and the glucose and some other levels are much to high. I am also noticing numbness in my feet.
In the first chapter of "How I Became Grandpa Don" I have the following:
I was Baptized on June 7, 1931 at St Clare of Montefalco by the Rev. N. L. Egan, O.S.A. The church is located at 55th at Washtenaw and so we must have lived in that parish at the time. I also now know that my God Parents were Belmont J. and Irene Harrison. I remember my mother mentioning an old friend and neighbor, Irene Harrison, but I have never heard the name "Belmont" before. But wait, this had to be the "Bell" that rings a bell in my mind. Yes, "Bell & Irene". I wonder what ever happened to them. But then that was a question I heard my mom and dad pose many long years ago.
Peggy Cecora saw that and as a consummate solver of mysteries had to find out more. She sent this:
I happened to read about your godparents and thought I would see what I could find out about them. Your godfather's name was actually Belmont J. Harrison. He and Irene had one daughter age 5 in the 1930 census. A Fred Bily, his father in law, and Alice Good his sister in law lived with them. Belmont died in November, 1974, his death notice appeared in the paper on the 24th. It mentions, he was married to Mae and had two sons, Evan and Benjamin Jr., six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Chicago Tribune (IL) - November 24, 1974
HARRISON
Deceased Name: Belmont J. Harrison
Belmont J. Harrison, husband of Mae; father of Evon Harrison and Belmont J. Harrison Jr. of Chicago; six-grandchildren; two great-grandchildren. Funeral Monday, November 25, 1 p.m., in Convenant Luth. Church, Stoughton , Wisc. Visitation at the Holzhuter Funeral Home, from 4 to 8 p.m., Sunday. Employee of Chicago Tribune for 28 years.
Belmont Jr. was born in Dec, 1930 and possibly resides at 5742 N Avondale Av, Norwood Park, Illinois. Shirley may have died in November, 1931 and therefore was not mention in the obit. Irene may have died in May, 1944 and Belmont may have remarried. But that's about as far as I have been able to go in my research.
And so now I know a little more of my God Parents and their family. It is interesting to note that I was brought home from the hospital on Friday June 5th and baptized on Sunday June 7. My parents were not taking any chances. Belmont's name was misspelled on the Baptismal records as Belucont. This also tells us that Irene's maiden name was Bily. At the time, my parents had a home at 5227 S. Francisco in Chicago, a home they lost during the great depression.. Bell and Irene lived on Mozart. a half block east at 5530, 3 blocks south. My mother's father, Daniel Simousek, was living with my parents at the time but he died later that year. Most of this information is garnered from the 1930 census. In any case, "Bell" and Irene Harrison are two of the people that have touched my life in a positive way and no mater how brief or gentle a touch it may have been they are remembered in my prayers for having done so. They were friends of my parents and were there when they were needed. Thanks go to my brother's wife for filling in some of the details. Aren't I glad I found my Cleveland family.
Peggy is also delving into her own family, searching church and cemetery records in Chicago as this is where her mother was born and raised not too far from my adopted parents. It is a small world.
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A friend sent some information that was startling until I thought about it. He said that if you are a Catholic, you are a member of the largest Pentecostal Church. And so last Sunday we celebrated the feast of Pentecost. It is often regarded as the birth of the church. At St Julie we also gathered recent converts after the 10:00 mass for Mystagogia. As a sponsor for Sarah I attended along with Sarah, Dominick and Bella. We Catholics tend to have some strange names for things but this is simply an extension of their being welcomed into the church and inviting the new converts into deeper participation. The fact is that our converts tend to be more involved than most "cradle Catholics". As in any church, membership must be more than just showing your face every Sunday. That was not the goal of the Holy Spirit when he (or she) inspired the Apostles on the first Pentecost. They were really fired them up and went out to spread the word. You don't get to be a Christian just by sitting in church for an hour once a week any more than sitting in your garage will make you a car. You are a Christian when you go to church to get recharged and than go out and live your faith in a way that everyone knows you are a Christian.
Sunday afternoon provided time to read in the gazebo and for general relaxation which included a brief nap that snuck up on me and whisked me away. It was that kind of day. When supper time rolled around I decided to go to Lang Lee's where I got their spicy and succulent Mongolian Beef. Half of it was brought home for Mondays dinner. After I came home I sat on the patio for a while enjoying the sounds of my neighbor's party. It must have been a graduation party with people of all ages. As could be expected, the younger ones were in the pool. I love parties, even the ones watched from a distance. It makes me happy to see people being happy.
In my youth I was an avid model railroader. It all started with Lionel trains. Then in my high school years I had an HO gage layout that my dad helped me build in our basement. It was complete with scenery and structures. When I went to college I joined the IIT Model Railroad Club and learned more there than I did in class, ... when I went to class. This was my introduction to control circuit design, a knowledge that became part of my life's work. I loved it. We had an extensive train layout in the attic of the Main Building on the IIT campus. I tried getting back into it after marriage but there were too many conflicting demands on my time. I still have some of the TT gage engines and cars that I "played" with. But, A friend sent a clip of the largest model railroad in the world and it is more than that. It is a world to itself. I invite you to visit this wonder below. Just click on the start arrow.
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On Monday afternoon Mary Ann came to the house. She is the very efficient and pleasant notary and signing agent who collected my signature on a myriad of papers to "close" the Reverse Mortgage. In addition to my signature, she also collected a thumb print, now necessary for all real estate transactions in Cook County Illinois. This law went into effect on Monday June 1, 2009, just in time for my transaction. I almost laughed at the thought of Cook County politicians passing laws to prevent fraud. Reminds me of the fox in the hen house. Now that I have signed, nothing will happen for three days, another law that gives me the chance to change my mind.
There was an attempt to give me a bad day. It started with a call that I thought was from one of my credit card companies. Indeed, they had some information about my account. I have no idea what they were selling because I could not understand the lady and she would not stop talking so I hung up. A second call came from a different person who apologized that they had "technical difficulties" and had not recorded the previous call and it was very important. She then went on to her spiel and was unstoppable. I hung up again. The third call came from a man who again apologized. I told him that I could not understand the first two but whatever they were trying to sell me I didn't want any. He then tried to go into their sales pitch and I could not slow him down. Once he got into his memorized routine he became unintelligible and I tried to interrupt him finally saying "do not ever call me again", and hung up. There were three more calls within two hours which were not answered when I saw Innovative Mark on the caller ID. Instead, I called the credit card company to report the problem. The kind lady lavished sympathy upon me and took all the information. She would insure that I was taken off all their marketing lists and report the problem specifically about Innovative Mark(eting) to the corporate office. The calls continued to come that evening, four more, to be exact, the last on being at 8:54. I still have a record of all of them on my phone system in case I need to document further abuse. I had, after all, a good day. There were three more (unanswered) calls on Tuesday but the last one stooped with only two rings. I imagined a supervisor running over to the telemarketer saying, "Stop ... stop ... I just was told never to call that guy again!"
I was paying too much for auto insurance. My daughter saw that on a recent visit when I showed her the renewal bill. The car is 9 years old and she pointed out that I could save by increasing the deductibles. I contacted my agent and the revised policy included a saving of over $200 annually. I drive a lot less than I used to and so the likelihood of an accident is much reduced. But of course, there is a statistic that claims that most accidents occur within 5 miles of home. There was the guy who, when he heard that, moved.
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Sometimes we are all too quick to jump on the bandwagon. We get caught
up in the spirit of the thing when it all seems so logical and it
conforms with our views, at least somewhat. Someone sends an email about
something and asks us to forward it to our friends. We don't realize the
the facts of the matter have been manufactured to sound reasonable or
distorted to fit an agenda. The latest one to
arrive into my mail box is the one about all the immigrants coming to
America to take our jobs or worse yet live on tax payer provided
welfare. It just isn't fair, is it? The email told of how the immigrants
of the early 1900's were all hard working people who learned our
language and were proud to be American, not waving their homeland flags.
Wow ... they were really great! They didn't go on welfare and gobble up
all our social security money. True, but at the time there was neither
of these available to be gobbled up. Instead, when they could find work,
they worked in sweat shops for almost slave wages. They also lived in
little national enclaves and continued speaking their native languages.
I happened to be in an old Gas Company plant in which all the signs were
in Polish, the only language their employees understood. Unwelcome
immigrants came in droves as evidenced during the potato famine in
Ireland when American businesses included in their employment ads,
"Irish need not apply". I lived in neighbor hoods where shop
keepers greeted you in Polish or Bohemian and switched to broken English
only if they had to. My own grandmother came here in 1884 and died in
1944 never learning English ... she didn't need to, having lived in a
Bohemian neighborhood all the time. My mom learned all her prayers in
Bohemian at the Catholic Bohemian parish. My natural mother's ancestors
worshiped at St John's Lutheran Church in South Euclid Ohio, founded in
1853 and it wasn't until we had entered WW I in 1917 that they decided
to hold their services in English, replacing German. It was only about
15 years ago when St Casmir Lithuanian Cemetery dropped the "Lithuanian"
from their name. Even in death the families wanted to be with their own.
And from whence came these wonderful American institutions such as the
Mafia? Many from Europe came to the land of opportunity to make a quick
buck with shady schemes and outright theft. I am told that in the early
1900's my mother's cousin was shot to death by police during a holdup
attempt. (It was a cousin through marriage so I am not related.) My
point is that the immigrants of the 1800's and early 1900's were not
perfect either but they are part of us. As far as "them", the new
immigrants, taking "my" hard earned Social Security benefits ... did I
miss something? If you have not paid Social Security taxes, you don't
get benefits.
It takes one, maybe two generations for a family to become Americanized. It did years ago and it does now. But maybe we should tear down the Statue of Liberty now. Maybe we should disavow the poem in which we once took pride and which is on a plaque in the base of the Statue of Liberty. :
Maybe we need to amend our Declaration of Indepandance and take out the part that says "All (men) are created equal" or change it to say some of us are created equal, but I am more equal than those foreigners. We make a big to-do about identifying ourselves as Christians and claim to live by Christian principles. But do we remember who Jesus identified and our neighbor? (Luke 10: 25-37.) And how are we to treat our neighbor? I refer you to my favorite passage ... Matthew 25: 31-46 . Maybe I have it all wrong and I am misunderstanding what I have learned in church. I am sorry guys if I sometimes go against the grain. But, I like to live in The World of Grandpa Don. Unfortunately it is not the "real" world but I wish that were not so. I tend to take seriously the the teachings of Christ for if I don't, there is no purpose in being a Christian. Besides, I have enough confidence in my knowledge and abilities and along with help and support from family, friends and the help of God, I am not concerned about not being able to survive through a little competition from those who only want an equal chance in this world. There is enough for everyone as long as it is shared justly ... I am confident that God made it so.
And, Yes ... there are laws and laws should be obeyed. But laws must be applied with justice and at times with mercy. Would it be that all nations were as attractive as ours. Maybe we should expend our efforts to make that so. Then the problem would be solved and we could take down our fences. There ... now I feel better and can step down from my soap box.
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The following was received from Marilyn Buchler and it is well worth
sharing. The original was resplendent with graphics but in the copying
they were lost. Sorry. Every point made is a good one and #4 is what I
attempted to do while I was on my soap box above. There is a delicate
balance between #3 and #4. Of course #1 is #1. Having a good day is a
conscious choice and not a state of affairs. #2 follows closely after
#1. #5 and #7 are very closely related and are an affirmation that we
depend on God. And ... #6 is very important. Take the high road
rather than wallow in the swamps.
Rules from God
for 2009
1. Wake Up !!
Decide to have a good day.
"Today is the day the
Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad in it"
Psalms 118:24
2. Dress Up !! The best way to dress up is to
put on a smile. A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
"The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward
appearance; but the Lord looks at the heart."
I Samuel 16:7
3. Shut Up!!
Say nice things and learn to listen. God gave us two ears and one mouth,
so He must have meant for us to do twice as much listening as talking.
"He who guards his lips guards his soul."
Proverbs 13:3
4. Stand Up!!...
For what you believe in. Stand for
something or you will fall for anything.. "Let us not be weary in doing
good; for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give
up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good..."
Galatians
6:9-10
5. Look Up !!..
To the Lord.
"I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians
4:13
6. Reach Up !!...
For something higher.. "Trust
in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own
understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, And He will direct
your path."
Proverbs 3:5-6
7. Lift Up !!...
Your Prayers.
"Do not worry about anything;
Instead
PRAY ABOUT EVERYTHING."
Philippians 4:6
Send this to the people you care about.
I thought this was mighty special, just like you.
Pass this on and brighten someone's day, and remember:
God answers prayer.
I would like to be out in the gazebo but it has been too cool from Monday to Wednesday ... when it wasn't raining. Wednesday afternoon I went to the store for groceries. It's a good time to go because there are few people. That is of course, until you get to the checkout, where the lines are longer because with fewer shoppers, more lanes are closed. But then that is good because you get to talk to more people. There is also more open parking places in the lot and you can park closer to the door. But I always park near a cart return coral far from the door. My doctor tells me to walk more and it is less crowded. Of course, then I don't have to walk far to put my cart in the designated place. Life is full of contradictions and oddities. That is what makes it fun.
My reading has turned lighter. The new book is another by C. S. Lewis, this time fiction. It is "Til We Have Faces", set in very early pre-Christian times of gods and barbaric villains. Did I say it was lighter reading? Well yes, in that it is not a book that must be studied and it is one which stirs the imagination. It is a world of petty kingdoms and superstition, a place different from the world in which we live. Or, is it? Life is full of contradictions and oddities. That is what makes it fun. (Where have I heard that before?)
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Thursday's bible study was, again, spirited and interesting. The video commentary provided by Little Rock Bible Study is always informative and goes well beyond the printed commentary in its insights. Of course there are always significant questions brought up by the attendees. We are fortunate to have a former priest included in our numbers and he always has some information and thoughts to add to the mix. After returning home I relaxed for a while on the patio with a cup of coffee. We are entering a warmer series of days and they will be welcome. After lunch I took care of some tasks, ... ordering some prescriptions on line, checking the email and watering Biscus (Say, Hi Biscus) Biscus will move to the patio this weekend as night time temperatures should be staying above 55F. After feeding Mikey we retired to the gazebo for some reading and blatant malingering. At my age and station in life that is not only permitted but expected. That is what Grandpa's Guardian Angel Garden is designed for. Thoughts may enter and leave unfettered but occasionally one will be grasped firmly and dissected, mulled about, and re-assembled before being discarded. Sometimes it will lead me off in a specific direction and at other times my mind will wander aimlessly, thoroughly enjoying the trip. Again, the prerogative of a person of a mature age. It is a time when a person may renew the imagination of his childhood, something that had been stifled for many decads.
One of the things my imagination heard was the voices of several of my older plants. These were some that I had planted a couple years ago. Most of their species had died but a few survived ... just barely ... and so I had planted the two weigela plants right in front of them. They must have realized that they were being replaced and in self defense decided to make themselves noticed with increased foliage and are now sprouting flowers in earnest. They were saying, "Look, we can contribute to the garden!" ... "Those new plants are much larger than us and will soon overpower us ... please don't abandon us." It is a good thing I heard ... (and saw) ... them in their renewed effort to save themselves. I have found another area of the garden where they can contribute some beauty and the next time one of my garden angels come by we can transplant them to a less secluded place. The fact is that although the spring was not what we humans would have liked, the garden plants have thrived. Most are larger and hardier than they have ever been. I look forward to a glorious summer.
Maybe there is a lesson here. It has been said that difficulties and challenges that don't kill you, strengthen you. Is this another example of the survival of the fittest? If we don't give up, and if we hang on through difficult times we emerge stronger than before. Another good thing is that we appreciate the good times even more, having been through the bad. We also learn to appreciate a challenge. It stimulates the sense of adventure.
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It was almost 8 AM when Mikey coaxed me out of bed so it was while I was dawdling over breakfast when the lawn guys arrived. After they finished I took my prayer book and coffee out to the patio. It was in the low 60's but the sun was very warm and the maple tree and the big umbrella tempered it just enough. The fragrance of the freshly cut grass was delicious and all was right with the world. When I neared the end of my visit with God, I picked up the little book of inspirational poems that I cycle through, the ones left for me by Anne and those which I have since acquired. The one for this morning fit my reverie to perfection. It was one of my favorites. I invite you to read I'm Having The Time of My Life. This poem by Grace E. Easley fits my state of mind perfectly. As a matter of fact, I stole the title when I wrote my article for the Willard Scott book, The Older The Fiddle, The Better the Tune.
This day is indeed a gift from God, one of over 28,500 days in my life. This one is in particular one that seems perfect but just a hint of what heaven must be. I pray that you have a good day too. ... Make it so.
Indeed ....
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I am blest |
Grandpa Don
Plefka
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Anne wanted everyone to be 'Nice'.
This button was in one of
her dresser
drawers I cleaned out in August of 2004
