Special Report #1

Everybody is doing okay.  I talked to them yesterday.  I am in Tanzania right now for a while.

I'm now working on my Swahili.  I don't know if it is working better or worse than Greek, but I am certainly immersed.  I'm in a town called Morogoro (you can look it up on Google Maps).  I've included a pic of the mountains nearby.

My other personal goals are Quarterly Dates, New Job and Gold Award for the BSA district for which I'm the District Commissioner.

We are absolutely determined to have a very serious date when I get back.  I'm looking forward to that.

Working on my new job is on hold for the time being.

I'm going to try to get in touch with the Scouts here in Tanzania.  They are coed and called the Tanzanian Scout Association.

My internet connectivity has been building up and I am getting in a better rhythm.  I hope to be able to make more regular posts.

Report from Mundelein for the Week of 18-24 Aug 13

I have a lot to report this week, but no pictures.

Evee was selected captain of JV Volleyball team.  I'm hoping she will grow into the leadership role.

Sophie tried out for Volleyball and didn't make it.  Personally I don't believe in cuts at all in grade school.  What is the point of sports?  Is it to win?  That seems worse than shallow and pointless.  The point of entry level sports should be to teach sportsmanship, teamwork, healthy physical activity, responsibility and leadership.  The sports should be the fun vehicle to teach that.  How can you possibly teach it if you cut kids who are really trying.  If they are goofing off or are disruptive, then I can understand, but not based on skill level at this point.  I think when you cut at this level you are only teaching the kids that they aren't worth teaching.

Teeny is home again.  She was in Montana for a week, but she's home now, preparing to return to school.

I rode my bike to work twice last week.  For the past several weeks I've only managed to ride to work one day each week.  I'm working my way back up to three bike commutes a week.  I want to average that.  I have about 40 bike commutes this year, and I won't make 75, which I consider my standard goal.  The first year I had only 33, then 76, then about 50 last year.  I should make 50 again this year, even with my trip to Tanzania.

I'm so proud of my lovely wife.  Maria attended a banquet this last week where she received a President's Award.  This is a very high honor (the "President" being the president of Abbvie).  She took a lady that worked on her team that did not receive the award, but who Maria thought should have.

I'm going to try to learn some Swahili for my trip so my Greek lessons will take a back seat.

End of Summer and a Goal Report

Summer ended this week for us in Mundelein.  School started for the middle school and high school on last Wednesday.

Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday we got new siding all around our house.  The new siding is vinyl and insulated.  Let's hope it helps with those bills.

I spent the day at my in-laws while they got new gutters installed.  It was nice.  I got fed pretty well.  I asked my mother-in-law to call me every day and talk Greek to me.  I don't know, but I think it might help.

My goal report is thus:

1. Learn Greek - as I said, I spent the day with my in-laws and asked for daily calls.  I still need to work harder on it though.
2. Gold JtE - we had our first Commissioner meeting on Tuesday.  We are closer than we were last year at this time.  It is still looking good.
3. New Job - no change and NSTR (nothing significant to report)
4. Quarterly Dates - we're making plans to take Teeny back to Boston and we are going to drive back alone, with a hotel stop in the middle.

I have no "official" writing goals this year, but what writing I'm working on and what I've done will be reported on Illini6.

Welcome Back - Grand Re-Opening

I've decided something.  I need to make Illini6 my "Professional" blog.  I need to make that a website I can point strangers to and show off my writing work.  That needs to be the showcase of my writing brand with stories, essays, world building, and excerpt of finished works.  I will put professional goals and plans up there, but not personal ones.

I'm going to be using this blog more extensively and focused on personal as well as family matters.  Obviously I don't have to regurgitate things that are already on the web through facebook etc. but I can put goals, feelings, family events and such.

One thing I won't be doing here is using the flower code names anymore.  That was too cumbersome and kept me from posting more.  I'll be using first names and initials to keep the full and real names off the web as much as I can.

As part of re-opening I'm going to restate my personal goals here (I'll be tracking them here from now on).

By the end of the year I will:

1. Learn Greek - be able to hold a conversation in Greek
2. Guide the Aptakisic District Commissioner staff in achieving a Gold level on the Journey to Excellence program
3. Get a New Job
4. Go on Quarterly Dates

Also, not related to goals, I am going to be going to Tanzania as a volunteer mentor from work.  I'm going to hold off on some of the details for now, but I will be helping the technicians in a regional blood diagnostics lab to learn to use the computer.

Christina just successfully completed LTC for ROTC and we are very proud of her.  I'm sure most of you have seen her pictures on her facebook page / wall / thingie.

Shaggy ~2001- 27 Nov 2010

Goodbye old friend.

The other day I went down in the basement to check on the sump pump and I smelled something just a bit off.  I checked in the tank where I thought Shaggy was sleeping and, well he wasn't sleeping.

I'm not really sure when we got him, but I ordered him on-line and he came in a box.  He was very small back then and either Tulip was either very new herself or yet to land.  We expected him to only live for about seven years, but when we got him Bearded Dragons were fairly new to the pet industry.  Now they say they live about ten years, which is about what he lived.

I buried him in the backyard behind the young maple that sprouted from one of the other trees we have.

He was a step up from the fish I had.  I could actually hold him, though I rarely did because the kids were small when he arrived.  He also interacted with us more.  He watched us and genuinely seemed interested in us when we were in the room even if we weren't bringing food.  He never hurt us or even tried to hurt us.

In all, he was a pretty good pet for something that isn't a dog and only has a lizard brain.  I think I would get another one (since we haven't advanced to mammals yet), but Tulip wants a Greek Tortoise, which I think would be cool too, except they live like, um 1200 years or something.  I don't think I could wait that long to move up to a dog.

On a similar note, I think this will be the very last post for Flowers Of Mundelein.  I don't want to shut it down, but I just don't post here.  The idea was to share family stuff here while being descreet and not divulging any actual names, but I find that my daughters have already been plastering their names and faces all over Facebook, so any internet anonymity that I might have salvaged is gone.

Goodbye Shaggy

Goodbye Flowers of Mundelein

Orchid's Back!! And Other Weekendy Things

Our little Orchid went on her first plane trip alone this weekend to Washington D.C.  She went with people from school, but it wasn't an official school trip because the Catholic Archdiocese has some sort of rules against that sort of thing.

She got back late last night.  I'll get some pics from her and post them here soon.

Tulip was sick Sunday morning and we didn't go to Wisteria's birthday party, church or my in-laws.  She's better now though.  I think it was from the swimming.

Oh, I didn't mention that Tulip and I went to Key Lime Cove in Gurnee on Friday to Saturday with her Girl Scout Troop.  Gardenia and Star were supposed to go with us, but Star came home very sore and hurt from Track practice on Friday and Gardenia didn't want to leave her.

Star had a big track meet all day on Saturday (which was also why she couldn't come the water park) and met Uncle Marigold and Aunty Apple Blossom there.

Goodbye Papa

This last weekend we had the Memorial for my Father. On Friday we had the Visitation, Firefighter and Police Honors and the Celebration of Life. On Saturday we had the Memorial Mass, Military Honors and a lunch.

My In-Laws went with us and stayed in Rochelle on Friday night. I have to say that I am very grateful; it was a hardship on them.

The Visitation started early. Before we even had everything set up there were people there. The firefighters were a huge presence. We all mingled around and looked at the photos and memorabilia, but most of the visitors formed a line to talk to my Mom. The line went out the door of the room and at times I think it may have even gone out the door of the building. That went on from 15:00 when the doors opened. At the time we were supposed to have the Honors there was still a big line.

We started the Honors with a bagpiper from the Chicago Police Department playing some tunes. All I could think of was Braveheart ("Sayin goobye in there oin whey, playin outlawed tunes on outlawed pipes).

The Fire Department filed in. The room was full to start with and they packed it. There were about 30 men and women, and this from several departments in a rural area.

The Chief gave a very moving introduction. He said that many of them had never heard of the Firefighter tradition of the Bell Ceremony until my Dad taught them. Dad insisted that they have the material and be prepared to perform the ceremony in the event they lost one of their own. As it turned out, he was the first to be so honored. The Chief was impressed by the turnout and he couldn't keep his voice from breaking a bit at times.

They rang the bell three times, and three times again, and again.

Afterward they opened the mic for people to come up and give testimonials, a Celebration of a Life.

I went first. It was hard, but there were three funny things. I had been thinking about what to say since my Mom and Dad first said that they wanted that ceremony to be part of the memorial. I had chewed on what story to tell, how to present it. In the end I started telling the story of how "We" took one of my Dad's Literature tests, and I threw in a few other things that just came to me. Once the story started flowing it became easy.

The second funny thing was, I mentioned how I had always tried to be different than my Dad; I never wanted to be like him because it was too easy to be a chip off the old block, hide in the old man's shadow, Junior, Little Bill. I always tried my hardest to be my own man. Afterwards many people told me that I looked, sounded and acted just like him while I was up there. They said it was scary.

The third funny thing was as I looked out into the crowd, and I had thought that I wouldn't be able to look out into the crowd because it would have made me cry, but as I said the story just took me. As I looked out into the crowd I thought I saw his face. He was there between other people watching me, smiling.

Of course it wasn't him; he wouldn't have been hiding in the back anyway.

Others got up to speak, some several times. Friends and family spoke. Friends and family didn't speak as well, but it was clear that no one had nothing to say, it was just the right thing for some and silent respect was right for others.

My brother Rose spoke last. He gave a moving speech as well and it was a good ending to the ceremony.

I don't know how long everyone stayed after and talked, I had to get my young ones and elders back to bed.

In the morning we went to mass, just as my Dad requested, and to my Mother's consternation. It was clear that he homily was directed to my Mother, that my Father was a good Catholic and he would have wanted my Mother to be too. I don't think she bought it.

The grandchildren and my sister, Lavender brought up the gifts and roses.

In one of the side chapels they set up three of the poster-sized photos of my Dad and had Firefighters "guard" them. It was a very nice touch. Beside the altar they had the poster of my Dad as a Firefighter.

The Fire Department also brought out the old fire truck and had it outside for people to see.

When mass was ended we went out to the parking lot and the local VFW gave him a 11 gun salute and played taps. The bugler really hit some of us hard and my Dad's sister worst of all. My brother Rose, who was in uniform, received the flag and presented it to CW2 Don Proven, who in turn presented to my Mom with a tear-filled thank you.
The lunch was in the church basement and was very lovely. Another line formed to talk to my Mom.
In all I thought it was a fitting and excellent send off for a great man. We will see him again when we get the ashes back in a couple of years.