Happy New Year

1 January 2014, back home in Minneapolis MN USA

The year is looking up already — I was upgraded to first class on both flights home from Reno, and my car was right there at the airport, where I asked Tomery to leave it.  My niece made a very short trip back to Minneapolis, then drove to LaCrosse WI to attend a college friend’s wedding.  She used my car, and to save time for both of us, I had her leave it with valet parking.  Best $30 I ever spent!  

3 January

My friend Lois in Northfield isn’t feeling well, so I’m not going there today as I had planned.  I worry about her health, which has never been the best, and now she’s 88.  I’ll call her from DC to see how she’s doing.

It was nice to have some unscheduled time to work around the condo.  Also did a second interview about the project in Kosovo.  Seemed to go well, but I’m still not sure this is the right time to take off again.  

I've started to knit regularly and completed a hat for myself, to match my white scarf ... and to be sure I'm visible when I walk at night.  My down coat is dark.

5 January

It’s winter, therefore the main topic of conversation in Minnesota is the weather.  As well it should be at the moment.  Prediction is that the wind chill will be -50F (-46C) in the morning.  At the moment it’s -15F, and the wind is howling, and I’m sure the wind chill is far below that.  This arctic blast is going to be here for a while.  Glad I leave for DC tomorrow afternoon.

Eating out is a good way to forget the weather, once you’ve traversed the sidewalk from car to restaurant door and ordered an Irish coffee or good red wine.  So, your weather and dining report for the week:  

Thursday evening Jan and I went to Red Stag to celebrate her birthday albeit a bit late.  I had the most exquisite scallops, and scallops aren’t my favorite seafood.  Her small steak was a bit more than the medium rare she’d ordered.  The waiter was very gracious about getting another and did so quickly.  

After water ex yesterday, I went to my nephew Chris’ new apartment where he made me a light eggs-and-toast breakfast and a great pot of coffee as well.  The kid can cook!  Didn’t get a chance to see Jen as she works on Saturdays.  But the apartment is beginning to look like a home.  They bought a lovely L-shaped sectional sofa that’s the same color as Lily, the cat.  

For lunch yesterday, Marilou and I did “Christmas” at the restaurant at Macy’s/Ridgedale, a favorite of both of ours.  Since I had a gift certificate we could use, we shared a flourless chocolate torte after our salads.  In the evening I went to Linda’s birthday open house, always a crowded and fun evening.  I only nibbled fresh hot veggie pizza and a few cheeses, no sweets.  And since I was driving and the roads can be treacherous at this time of year, I stuck to water and a diet cola.

And tonight my sister and I had small plates at Marin downtown, which is becoming a favorite spot to both of us.  She had a delicious, thick mushroom soup and flat bread; I opted for ginger lentils and roasted veggies.  All very tasty, well presented and with wonderful service.

I made a hat for Alijah, my nephew Craig and his fiancee April's son.  Craig took this photo of Alijah modeling.

7 January, Arlington VA

Well, I’m not getting much of a break from the cold here in the metro DC area, as I had hoped.  While I waited five minutes for Inga to drive from the cell phone lot to the airport last night, the wind nearly knocked me over.  And it hasn’t improved much today.  Arlington schools started two hours late.  When I walked Mickey, my 8-1/2-year-old charge, to his bus stop this morning, it was a major brrrrrr despite how bundled up we both were.  Aideen, his mom, actually leaves tomorrow.  I came a couple of days early to get oriented to school schedule etc.  

Spent some time on the phone with the NGO that’s bidding on the Kosovo project.  They’ve asked to bid me as chief of party, and I’ve agreed after being assured they can work around my commitments.  The woman I talked with doesn’t expect much “action” before April, which will help.  I should be able to do all, or at least part, of Scotland in June … all this assumes they get the contract and USAID approves my nomination.  

9 January

Nothing like having a kid around to make a person prepare a real dinner!  No more hummus and tabouli or popcorn for me.  Tonight we had lamb burgers and mashed potatoes, two of Mickey’s favorites.

10 January

After much waiting on hold and explaining to a Help Desk voice that sounded 10 years old, someone finally returned my call from my former employer.  I need my past basic wages for the 1420 form for the USAID project.  Completed the form and emailed.  They want to include me and suggested an agreeable salary.  One of the project people called to congratulate me and said that he’d send the proposal for my comments.

I picked Mickey up after school, and we had dinner at a nearby restaurant, then walked over to Ballston Mall to see the animated film “Frozen.”  The theater was closed due to a “burst pipe.”  Would’ve been nice if they’d posted that on their website where I checked for viewing times.  We returned to the building, got the car and drove to Potomac Yard where the film was also playing at a slightly later time.  The navigation app on my iPhone is great.  Despite traveling during rush hour and in the rain and dark, we made it safely, wasted some time on playing solitaire on my iPhone, then enjoyed the film.  It was 10 pm before we got home.

11 January

3:50 am and we were blasted out of our beds by loud intermittent whoops.  It took a minute to concentrate over the noise and hear a calm voice announce that a “fire incident” had been reported in the building, and we were to exit to the outside via the staircase and not an elevator.  The blasts and message kept repeating as Mickey threw on some long shorts, his shoes and coat, and I grabbed the mobile phone from the table and put my fleece and coat on over my nightgown.  Thank heavens for slip on shoes.  The apartment door is self-locking, and I’ve taken to placing the keys on the security lock so I don’t lock us out.  We’re next to the staircase, so locating and walking down was easy.  Kid, keys and wide awake now, down to the main floor and out the front.  Surprisingly not many people there, considering this is a 10-floor condo building with 20+ units on most floors. 

We heard the fire trucks as more residents came down and out to the sidewalk, trying to stay warm and chatting amiably for such an early hour.  Fully prepared fire fighters entered the building and took an elevator to the 9th floor.  Ah, that must’ve been where the “incident” originated.  I wondered if only 9 and 10 were evacuated until the fire department could verify the problem.  After about 15 minutes, we got the “all clear” and an elevator full of people took an express ride to the 10th floor.  Back to bed until Mickey came bursting in to announce it was 8:10.  His mom was to call … and in fact had called.  I didn’t hear the Skype ring because I forgot to disconnect the earpiece last night.  

We spent several unproductive minutes trying to get a good connection; we could hear her, but she couldn’t hear us.  I instant messaged her several times.  She finally called on my mobile, and Mickey had a chance to chat for about half an hour.

Later in the day, Mickey and I took Liam and Roan, my friend Regina's sons, with us to the Air & Space Museum out by Dulles.  Then we went back to Regina's for dinner.  Mickey had a great time making two new friends. 

Mickey, Liam & Roan

12 January

What a gorgeous day!  After talking to Aideen on Skype, we walked to IHOP for breakfast, then drove to the supermarket for a few necessities.  Later we drove to a shopping plaza with a Target store and walked from there to a bank ATM.  With Target’s hacking problem, I decided I’d use cash for my purchases.  And it was a nice day for walking the couple of “blocks” to the bank and then back.  Purchases in the car, we walked back to Target for a thirst quencher, bottled iced tea for both of us.  One of my purchases was a Scrabble board game.  Mickey had shown interest in my online/iPhone Scrabble games, but I thought that would be too challenging for a start.  Better a good, old fashioned board game.  We played in the evening with me showing him some words he could use that he might now have thought of — qi, xi and xu being among my favorite two-letter words for Scrabble. We also discovered ae which I’d never thought to try before, but there it was in the dictionary on my Scrabble app.

15 January

Mickey and I returned to school last evening, and he participated in “Kids’ Marketplace,” a game that teaches children about money.  Each child is given an envelope with a photo of their occupation, their money take-home in Monopoly money and a card on which they can allocate money to expenses.  Various shops etc. are set up around the room — housing, food, health, fun, even chance for those unexpected things.  the kids get a sticker for each allocation and write in the amount to be spent.  Mickey was a carpenter with $200 to spend.  He did a nice job and even allowed some funds for a car breakdown.

Tonight I picked him up early and we traveled just south of Alexandria to see Ewa and her baby daughter Amelia.  I worked with Ewa at Women for Women.  Recognizing her name as Polish early on, I emailed her in my basic Polish, but we never met until today.  It was a lovely time talking and seeing the baby.

16 January

Heard about the Minnesota Orchestra settlement on the news yesterday afternoon, and this morning it’s in the Washington Post.  And saw it online in the New York Times.  Nice to know that acrimonious disagreement is over and that something other that something other than our weather and Michele Bachmann can make the right coast news.

18 January, Baltimore MD

Windy and colder than I’d expected.  I had a free night in my hotels.com account, and decided to bring Mickey here to see the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Center.  Also arranged lunch with Glenn and his girlfriend.  Glenn and I worked in Macedonia at the same time and have kept in touch.  He was most recently in South Sudan, leaving just ahead of all the trouble.

Off to the hotel pool for a while …

Mickey at the Science Center

20 January, Arlington VA, Martin Luther King Day

I think I’ve broken a toe.  Yesterday, as I was drying my leg while resting my foot on the toilet seat, it slipped onto the ceramic tile floor.  Ouch.  But not a huge pain.  Later in the day, while we were waiting for the start of an introductory film to the “Mummies of the World” exhibit at the Science Center of Maryland, Mickey stepped backwards right onto my sore toe.  Very big ouch. It continued all day as I hobbled around.  When we got back to Arlington, I took off my shoe and sock to find a very swollen, blackish toe next to my left big toe.  No wonder I’d been in such pain all afternoon.  I used a back of frozen mixed berries to reduce the swelling, and it felt much better by bedtime.  Today it still hurts but I should be up to our field trip — a visit of the Mormon Temple in Kensington MD.  The temple is an awesome structure that you see from the freeway.  Looks a bit like Cinderella’s castle in the Disney films.  I passed it many times driving to Baltimore with David and Inga and have always wanted to see it.  Mickey expressed the same desire.   My friends Alexis and Marcus who live in Silver Spring may go with us, and we’ll all have lunch too.  They have the day off.  So off we’ll go shortly.

Tomorrow I’m hoping we can go to the Mall, the one in DC with all of the Smithsonian museums and memorials, on the Metro.  Mickey has another day off … but a “winter storm” is predicted for Arlington — 2 to 4 inches of snow!  Hear that, Minnesotans.  Since it was so cold before I left Minneapolis, I am actually prepared with boots, hat and flannel-lined trousers.

22 January

No school today … too much snow for this part of the world where plows are scarce and drivers all seem to be from Wisconsin.  (That’s a Minnesota joke.  We blame all bad driving on Wisconsinites.  But when snow flies, the MN natives also seem to have forgotten that snow and ice require slowing speeds.)

Mickey made a beautiful snow angel

Yesterday Mickey and I ventured via Metro to a movie house in Clarendon to see “The Nut Job,” a new animated film, and connected with a friend of his.  Cute movie for kids but the best part was the closing credits.  An animated Psy-like character as well as all the animals from the film danced Gangnam style throughout. South Korea had been a supporter of the film.

When I went online to buy tickets, I noticed that the eight-plex theater, part of a big chain that also has theaters in MN, had only seven or eight rows.  When I arrived, I was saw why — rows of extra wide leather recliners with two cup holders built into the flat, wide arm rests, not the usual rows of theater seats with attached plastic cup holders.

This morning we did some housework, then Mickey played at a friend’s house in the afternoon.  Oh, and we did get to see the Mormon temple on Monday, after lunch with Alexis and Marcus … not the temple itself, which is closed to visitors, but a replica in the Visitors Center.  Then we went to the Audubon Sanctuary and walked the nature trails for a while.  Nice to be outdoors in reasonably good temp and weather before the cold front hit us again.

24 January, Bethesda MD

Aideen returned from Africa this morning with a bug of some sort.  No, not roaches in her suitcase, something more sinister in her gut.  She was in excruciating pain, so I insisted on a trip to the ER, where we spent the afternoon getting her examined and treated.  Probably a parasite but won’t know for sure until Monday.  In the meantime she’s on antibiotics and pain killers.  We picked Mickey up at school, ordered Chinese for dinner, then I took a cab to Inga’s in Bethesda.  Aideen was in no shape to drive, and Inga was out with the girls.  The cab was far less expensive than I’d anticipated.

Inga and the girls were at home when I arrived, having shopped the closeout sale at Loehmann’s in Friendship Heights.  I’ll be here until I leave on Sunday.  I think Antonia has grown an inch or two since I saw her last, and Franciszka has started driver’s ed.  Inga seems to be doing well and will start an interior design course at the Corcoran next month.  Good move — she has an incredible design sense.

25 January

Inga, Tosia and I went to the cemetery where David's cremains are buried.  It's a beautiful spot, even with all the snow.  Afterwards we met Adam, an artist friend who emigrated from Poland about 25 years ago, for lunch.  And after that, Antonia and I went to the Newseum where I took her picture in front of a section of the Berlin Wall.

27 January, Minneapolis MN, amidst Polar Vortex 3

Sounds like a sci-fi film, but it’s a weather phenomenon which is why at 8:38 am, it is -17 F (-27 C) here with an expected high of -8F (-22C).  Someone please remind me why I returned here to live?  Ah, yes, family and friends, all of whom like me are huddled up at home keeping warm and thus we’re not socializing much.

28 January

No school today.  Too cold.  And I think every family was at the downtown Target.  Having totally forgotten about school closings, I ventured there by car after my water ex class and breakfast with friend Ted this morning.  The parking lot was full!  I drove up to Northeast and ordered new glasses — Kevin will put new lenses (something digital) onto an old set of bows and nose pieces.  He also repaired my favorite pair with the purple bows, which I’m now wearing again.

Ted has introduced me to a couple of new listservs for books.  I especially like the most recent one called “BookBub,” since Bub is my sister’s nickname.  It offers inexpensive books for Kindles and other e-readers.  He also recommended a biography of the late actor Robert Mitchum that I’ve ordered.  With all the books I ordered while in DC, I should be set for this long, cold winter!

30 January

Snowbound … or at least, not taking the car out today.  We got about six inches of snow last night and this morning, but the sun is shining now.  Lots of radio warnings about poor driving conditions and not driving unless absolutely necessary.  Nice to be retired; my sister’s drive time this morning was more than an hour, not her usual 20 minutes.

I’ve used the indoor time to catch up on two hate-to-do tasks — shredding months of mail and cleaning off the dining room table of mail, sorting and filing.  Also did a load of laundry so I could dry some pieces and increase the humidity in the condo.  I don’t like the sparks that were flying too often when I flip a light switch. 

31 January

Today was a snow emergency day, and the plows came down my street fairly early.  Unfortunately the guy who plows our driveway didn’t.  The snow pile in front of the exit was too tall and wide for my low-to-the-ground Ford to traverse without getting stuck, and I missed water ex.  Later I was to meet nephew Chris for breakfast.  As I went to the garage, I checked out the window and a neighbor’s van was stuck on the icy snow mound.  I grabbed a shovel and between us, we got her dug out.  Then I stopped traffic so she could pull out safely.  I dug away the rest of the snow to ensure I could get out to breakfast.

In the afternoon the sky was clear, the sun was out and the temp was cold.  My niece Michelle picked up her mom at the airport, then me, then we drove to Cambridge to pick up her husband Jon at their cabin.  Off we went to nephew John’s wedding in Brainerd. 

If winter comes …

1 December, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport

Thank you to my sister for the drive to the airport today!  This is my idea of how to start a new month ... feeling 1000 percent better after four days of mostly clear liquids and on the road, or more precisely, in the air.  In a couple of hours, I’m off to Poland for my semi-annual board meeting of the Center for Promotion of Entrepreneurship.  I’ll stay a couple of nights in Warsaw with friends Dorota and Jacek and their son Franiu, then head back to the airport to meet the other US-based board member, Steve, and our driver for the 200 km (160 mile) trip to Sandomierz.

4 December, Sandomierz, Poland

The drive to Sandomierz was pretty uneventful.  Steve and I had a chance to catch up while the driver Piotr moved steadily toward our destination except for one 8 km missed turn.  Since we’d been driving for a while, I had closed my eyes but opened them quickly when we pulled over and I heard Piotr ask for directions to Radom.  That’s a city south of Warsaw along the freeway.  We would drive through it if we hadn’t wanted to stop in Piaseczno to check out the Bolesławiec (Polish ceramic dishware).  And we’d stopped, purchased less than usual, then gotten onto the “old” road to Sandomierz.  It’s been paved and upgraded and is actually a quite acceptable route now.  The drivers like the road to Radom because it’s a multi-lane highway and they can drive 150 km/hour.  Anywayz ...

I disavowed him of heading toward Radom, we backtracked to his wrong turn and only lost 30 or so minutes.  

Had a lovely time with Dorota and family as well as lunch with Gina and Dorota and dinner with Iza.  Lots of soup and tummy-gentle food.  Gina seems far less harried that usual at work, no more 12-hour days, and Dorota’s a bit more harried with her 500 Ukrainian university students who are learning Polish through her efforts.  It’s a new contract and concept for her, and she’s learning a lot about administration in the process.  Iza’s enjoying her job and living in Warsaw but gets to Kraków and the mountains on weekends.

6 December

A ferocious and freezing wind has made its way across Western Europe to Poland, and ironically it arrived just as our board was discussing the possibility of investing in new windows for Hotel Basztowy.  Our newest board member was cautioning against the expenditure just as a fierce gust hit the window behind my chair, creating shivers over my already chilly body.  

Ryszard J., board chair, and Hala

9 December, Kraków, Poland

Hala, Steve and I drove to Kraków yesterday afternoon for a few days of R&R.  We’re staying at Hotel Pod Wawelem, where I stayed on my last visits to Kraków.  Unfortunately this time the elevator is broken and we’re on the 4th floor. (For my American family and friends, that’s really the 5th floor.  Europeans usually don’t count the ground floor.)  The receptionist carried our bags but still, climbing all those staircases (two between each floor) took my breath away.  Time to get back to water ex!

Hala had gotten us all tickets to the opera, resulting in an invigorating walk to the new opera house and only getting lost once briefly.  I wasn’t familiar with “Elixir of Love,” a comic opera by Donizetti but read a synopsis on line.  All in Italian with Polish subtitles, which I understood enough to know what was being sung.  Gorgeous costumes, lovely voices and the humor was played very broadly and well.  Wonderful way to spend the evening.  We taxi’d back to the Old Town in search of supper since we hadn’t eaten since breakfast, other than coffee breaks.  Not much open at 9 pm but we finally ended up at an Italian restaurant where I’d eaten good food before.  We’re committed to introducing Hala to new cuisines on this trip ... Chinese and Mexican are on the menu before she returns to Sandomierz.

Hala & Steve at opera

Hala & I toast a good day

10 December

Well, we got Hala her Chinese meal at a hole-in-wall place that was recommended by the daughter of a Center manager.  Although not as spicy as it should’ve been in my case, the food was hot, fresh and tasty.  

Hala and Steve visited the Schindler Factory Museum today while I wandered the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) in the Old Town square, looking at jewelry for my friend Ted’s daughter for Christmas.  Simple, sophisticated and more silver than amber.  Not much luck so far.  The only pieces I’ve seen and liked were more than $300 -- prices have really gone up here!

We met at one of the Ariel cafes in Kazimierz (there are two, cousins or brothers, I can’t recall which, who had a falling out).  I had wanted some fresh air and despite the rain, walked the couple of kilometers from one old town to another, this historic Jewish quarter.  After tea, we set out on foot to find the Chinese restaurant that was on the route back to the hotel.  We were on a roll of only two meals a day ... hurray. 

12 December, Belgrade, Serbia

Fog in Warsaw delayed our departure and made my transit time in Munich about 30 minutes once the wheels hit the tarmac.  Then there was deplaning, taking a bus to the actual terminal, traversing to another concourse, getting through passport control.  I literally ran through the airport to passport control as I heard the gate agent calling my name.  Several lovely people let me go to the head of the passport control line and the passport officer directed me straight ahead to my gate, couldn’t believe my good luck.  It was through a duty-free shop where I dodged baby strollers and luggage carts.  The gate agent was still looking for errant passengers and directed me to process my own boarding pass on the scanner and head down to the bus.  En route I helped a young mother who was walking a two-ish genderless child down the six flights of steps.  I carried the folded umbrella-style stroller so she could carry the kid.  Three people hurried onto the bus behind us and we were off.  Phew!

Once I changed money, bought a SIM card and called Aleks for a meeting spot, I was on my way to see the new baby.  I worked with Aleks on a USAID project here, and since my departure he and Ivana have married and now have a beautiful almost-three-month-old daughter Katja.  Although she’d been sleeping when I arrived and peeked, she later awoke and I got to meet her.  Aleks is totally smitten with this bundle of pinkness.

Now I’m settling into the apartment that the hotel I booked gave me.  Quite nice -- plenty of space and no extra charge for Iva when she arrives from Skopje for the weekend.  It’s not too far from where I used to live.  I’m off to the supermarket so I can have coffee in the morning!

13 December

Violane

Last night I enjoyed an evening at a musical with Violane, her language teacher and a friend of the teacher.  Violane’s with IFC now.  We both worked for Booz in Belgrade at the same time but on different projects, then on the same one in Kosovo.  I didn’t understand more than the odd word of the musical, but it was very well done -- exceptional costumes and staging and the dancing and singing were superb.  The young man who sang the lead reminded me of Ashton Kutcher and his lady love, a little of Nicole Kidman in the film Moulin Rouge.

Today I awoke to three messages from “amazon.com” about “my orders” ... which I didn’t order and which are actually addressed to three someone elses whose names begin with “suzi”.  I dispatched the messages to amazon’s spoofing address and deleted them.  Will keep an eye on my credit card next.

Just returned from a walk down my old street and around the neighborhood, then up to the pedestrian mall, Knez Mihailova, and on to lunch at Tribec, one of my favorite restaurants.  The “Cesar Salata” and freshly baked breads are almost as good as I remember ... and the cigarette smoke from the bar still drifts easily into the non-smoking dining room.  Ah, yes, back in the land of smoking in airports, exit doors that open in and dog poop on the sidewalks.  Surprisingly I don’t see that much has changed here, unlike Skopje or other cities I’ve re-visited.  

14 December

Iva arrived from Skopje on time yesterday, and our friend Aleksandra joined us for dinner at a new woman-owned vegetarian restaurant that Aleksandra recommended. The restaurant is really tiny — it’s actually in an apartment — but has an outstanding menu and delicious food.  I had an array of tasty and interesting salads, Iva and Aleksandra had the quesadillas, and we shared a mezzo of hummus and such.  Violane and her husband Stephen joined us at the end; they’d been to the symphony.  We all agreed it’s definitely a restaurant we want to support.  I’ll do a Trip Advisor review.

This afternoon Violane hosted a bunch of my Belgrade friends — Aleks M. (of the new baby), Aleks S., Slobo and Olivera from my old Serbia project, Nenad and Aleksandra that I know from Booz’s Serbia competitiveness project that ran at the same time as mine in Macedonia, Iva from that project.  Lots of “where is …” but also some interesting discussions about what’s happening in the Serbian and Macedonian economies.  Aleksandra did some fascinating research of entrepreneurship that she shared.  I’m waiting for the final report, then may write here on what she learned.  I don’t want to trust my two-glasses-of-wine memory!

Slobo & Aleks M.

 (I cannot get the photo of Iva, Aleksandra and Nenad to load ... argh!!!)

Olivera & Aleks S.

15 December

4:35 am … Major panic.  Dressed, packed and doing last minute check and I cannot find my passport ... anywhere.  I went through all of the likely places and the unlikely ones in the carry-ons and had started to unpack my big suitcase when I called out to wake up Iva.  She was calm, asked where it normally would be -- zippered part of my Kangaroo tote where I keep the laptop, mobile phones, wallet, and such.  And there it was ... I do not know how I could’ve missed it.

Re-packed everything and was out the door at 4:50, and the driver was waiting.  Whew.  Violane was right that I shouldn’t worry; he’d be on time.  But I confess.  I am a very nervous traveler.  I have missed planes and I’ve boarded the totally out of breath from running their lengths (eg, O’Hare in Chicago as well as the aforementioned Munich sprint).  So I am at the airport with lots of time to spare for walking, having coffee, walking, buying a dead-tree book, walking.  I get lots of exercise when I travel.  

My first de-icing experience of the season.  We had a slight freezing rain as I left for the Belgrade airport, meaning the plane had to make a brief stop at the de-icer before we took off.  Although we left late, we arrived on time and my layover was a couple of hours.  The transition was smooth ... plus I got a free International New York Times and coffee near my gate, compliments of Lufthansa.  Two Sunday crosswords, one from Violane’s husband’s paper from last weekend and yesterdays.  I am set!

18 December, Minneapolis MN USA

Home again.  Fell asleep at 8 pm last night and got up at 4 this morning.  Lots of time for miscellaneous tasks before water exercise.

The trip home was a good one.  Did some last minute shopping in Warsaw and walked Aria before heading for the airport.  She is still a puppy but an English sheep dog who  thankfully can walk down the stairs now.  (Last time she was under three months old, and I had to carry her down the stairs.) 

Aria

Flight to AMS was uneventful, and I found Ana and Archie easily.  We had a lovely dinner in a small Italian restaurant that Archie said was his “kitchen” before Ana.  They have a best guest room bed, nice firm mattress, and I slept well.  The flight to MSP was equally uneventful, and the movie system even worked.  I’ve had lousy luck with those in the past.

Off to water ex boot camp, then to talk with my brother Dan.  We’ve been playing telephone tag since he left a voice message on my iPhone on Sunday while I was still overseas.

19 December

Finally talked to Dan. I knew something was up because his voice had been uncharacteristically somber on the voicemail.  It is.  He’s having a most-likely-benign tumor removed tomorrow.  Dan had had pneumonia before I left for Poland.  That resulted in a chest x-ray that identified the mass in his chest.  Lots of tests indicate that it’s slow growing, been there a while and not likely cancerous.  Dan opted for one surgery to remove it rather than a biopsy, then surgery.  He has confidence in his doctors and the hospital (Renown, on which campus there was a shooting on Tuesday). He’ll be in the hospital about three days.  I’ll talk to Ann after the surgery to determine if she’d like some company while he recuperates at home.

If that isn’t enough, I’m trying to remember if I shopped at Target after Thanksgiving.  They’ve had a major security breach that could jeopardize tens of millions of shoppers.  Nice to read that American Express is on top of things since that’s the card I would’ve used.  Now to add, “check credit card purchases” to my To Do list for today.

20 December

After mulling it over, I decided to go to Reno on Christmas Day and return on New Year’s Day.  I travel far and wide to help friends in need and want to be there to help my brother and his wife too.  I called them this morning, then made the reservation.  Thought about using some of my many miles … but that itinerary was eight hours and four airports!  

Since I’ve been back from Poland, I’ve followed the news on South Sudan with much trepidation.  I checked with a friend who’s still working with Women for Women, which more than a year ago, moved to Yei, a few hours from Juba. So far, they are okay there.  I’ve emailed the lawyer we used in Juba but gotten no response yet.  He has a nephew in college in St. Paul that I actually met in his office one day, but I don’t recall the young man’s name.  They are Nuer, the same tribe as the ousted vice president, whose wife lives in Minnesota.  I wish it were hard to understand the rapid escalation and rush to violence, but unfortunately it’s not.  That’s how issues are dealt with in that part of the world.  

24 December, Christmas Eve

Dan’s surgery went well, and he should be home today.  I got an upgrade to first class on the MSP-SLC leg of my trip — yay!  My friend Bob is home from Kabul and in Reno with his son and family.  He’ll pick me up at the airport so Ann can stay with Dan.

Last night Barbara, Chris and Jen came over for prime rib dinner.  Like last year, I found one at Lund’s ready for the oven.  Also bought their twice-baked potatoes.  Used some of Jean’s pears and Diane’s pecans with a bit of store-bought gorgonzola cheese for a salad.  Cookies by Ada and Lydia, shortbread by me, ice cream by Ben & Jerry.  Thanks to everyone who contributed to our Christmas dinner.

Today, after a bit of running around in the morning (water ex, deliver gifts to niece Michelle, unsuccessful try at car wash), it was off to Roseville and lunch with Mary, an old friend from my corporate days.  We spent a couple of hours enjoying big salads, catching up personally and talking about South Sudan.  Mary works for a foundation that does work in East Africa.  From there, it was directly to Westminster where I ushered for the early “family” service.  My friend Anne, also of my corporate days and more recently of Baltimore, and her husband Peter have returned to northern MN in retirement, but both daughters and their families live in the Cities.  And they all attend Westminster.  Great to see them all.

After church Barbara and I drove through the snow and cold wind to Marin, a newer restaurant that she hadn’t tried yet.  My one experience with the food there had been very enjoyable, but the server was a bit ditzy. (My friend Susan and I celebrated our birthdays there, and as always, split the check.  The server put both haves on my Amex card, which we didn’t notice until my statement arrived.)  We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner of shared small plates and small bites for dessert.  Barbara warmed herself on Irish coffee, and I sipped a nice white wine.  A wonderful way to spend the evening.

Alijah says Merry Christmas

25 December, Merry Christmas from Reno, Nevada

Minneapolis is definitely having a white Christmas.  Hope my flights are on time.

And the first one isn’t.  After waiting for connecting passengers and their luggage, we left the gate about 20 minutes late only to sit in the de-icing line for another half hour.  I was glad to be in first class, makes for a quicker dash from the plane.  Sat next to David who owns his own bar tending business in Syracuse.  A friendly, chatty fellow who made good company during the flight. 

Dashed to my connection thinking I had about 40 minutes.  I had forgotten about the time zone changes.  As I boarded the Reno flight, I noticed that I was at the top of the Upgrade List … heading for economy.  A few minutes before the door closed, the flight attendant came to move me to Seat 1B.  Nice.

Welcome to Reno

Bob met me at the airport and drove me to my brother’s.  He stayed for wine and cheese with Dan and Ann, while I ate delicious turkey leftovers.  

27 December, Reno

Dan had a great follow up visit with the surgeon yesterday.  The tumor that was removed, though big, was a “solitary fibrous tumor” and benign. Hurray.  His recuperation is going well, minimal pain and discomfort.

After the good news. we all went to Peppermill casino for some video poker and delicious lunch in its seafood restaurant.  Ordered fish tacos, one of my favorite entrees, and they were fantastic.

Today we drove up to Truckee and had breakfast at Jax at the Tracks, traditional diner with some nontraditional breakfasts.  Ann had crab cakes benedict, spicy corned beef hash with biscuits, and I had a Great Start Breakfast (macadamia nut granola with dried fruit, fresh strawberries and plain low-fat yoghurt).  

When we returned, I had a few minutes to prepare for a job interview by conference call.  Someone I’d interviewed with earlier in the year recommended me for a chief of party job in Kosovo.  I decided to follow through; the project meets my criteria — in a place I’d enjoy working and a project that interests me. We’ll see. The proposal is due next week and a decision is expected fairly quickly.  If the NGO got the contract, I’d have to postpone Scotland, disappointing but not life threatening.

29 December

Had a fun lunch yesterday with Bob, his son Ian and family.  Bob grandsons sure have grown since the last time I saw them.  Last time (about three years ago) they were shy and didn’t participate much.  This time they were outgoing and charming.  We had real conversations about things they were interested in.  Bob’s off to see his daughter Alexis and fiancé tomorrow.

Being with my brother is always a gastronomical tour.  He enjoys good food and knows where to find it, including at home.  Ann is a wonderful cook, not only healthy but delicious.  Today we to the northeast side of Lake Tahoe for a late lunch at West Shore Inn Cafe in Homewood CA.  More great food and a gorgeous view of the lake and mountains.  Tomorrow we’ll go to Heavenly in South Lake Tahoe for the ice sculpting.

30 December

One of the things that’s so surprising to me about Reno is the amount of public art in the metro area but more interesting, along the highways.  The freeway around Reno has concrete noise barrier walls that are decorated with contrasting landscape silhouettes of mountains and lakes adorned with birds, fishes, trees depending on where they’re located.  A highway intersection just outside Carson City is overseen by a small herd of metal deer.  It all makes for a far more pleasant drive.  

It was a heavenly day in Heavenly — perfect weather for wandering the ski resort, watching the ice sculpting and just relaxing outdoors in the fresh air.

Ann & Dan take a photo

Gondola lift at Heavenly

Preparing ice

Sculptor

Finished ice sculpture

31 December, New Year’s Eve

As usual, I’m off to bed before the new year arrives.  Tomorrow it’s back to Minneapolis where the temps are arctic.

A gift from Iva -- looking ahead to the new year

  

I am thankful for all of you

1 November, All Saint’s Day, Roswell GA USA

Flew to Atlanta this morning to spend a long weekend with my friend Kathy whose husband Chuck died of cancer on 31 July.  Kathy and I met in the mid-1980s when she attended the Y’s Way to Fitness class that I taught every Saturday morning at Northwest YMCA.  I started doing that so I’d exercise during grad school and continued with it to help manage my stress during my divorce.  Kathy and I bonded going through our divorces and starting to date again.  Ah, the stories.

Despite predictions of rain, the Atlanta weather was beautiful.  Kathy met me at the MARTA station which was near her office.  After a brief stop there, we headed into rush hour traffic for the drive to Roswell, where she lives.  Dinner tonight will be at Mambo Jambo, a seafood restaurant with a Latin flavor.  Sounds wonderful.

I knew that Chuck had spent his entire career in the music industry.  After I met him, I discovered that I had several tapes of music compilations that he’d produced.  Kathy showed me his music room in their house, and the walls are lined with many thousands of tapes, cassettes, CDs, LPs, 45s ... with gold records for songs that I didn’t know he’d produced, like Paul Simon’s “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” and Johnny Mathis’ “Too Much Too Little Too Late” among others ... with photos of Chuck with clients and friends like Wolfman Jack, Liza Minnelli and Lucille Ball, Lorrie Morgan.  And he kept meticulous records.  For now, Kathy’s left everything in tact other than moving a comfy settee in for quiet reflections and moving his desk to another room.

2 November

Finally met Kathy’s “Ya-Yas,” after hearing so much about them. I managed not to get lost driving Chuck’s CRV to the cafe where they have breakfast after their Saturday run. They are a wonderful supportive group of women that I really liked (and you never do know if you’re going to like your friend’s friends!).  Wish I could run again.

Kathy

3 November

I’m pooped.  We walked for about 90 minutes in a forest preserve near the Roswell Mill, very hilly but a beautiful place to hike.  Kathy organizes a trail run in this park, which I cannot imagine running.  I had trouble walking over the roots and rocks.  But we encountered a friend of hers who was on a trail-run workout.

Kathy and Chuck’s church had a remembrance service this morning that we attended.  Chuck was part of a photo montage of members who’d died in the past year.  When they asked about non-members who’d died, I stood in remembrance of David.  I’m glad we went.  It was a lovely way to remember old friends.

This has been a weekend of beauty.  Yesterday we went to Gibbs’ Gardens about 45 minutes north of here.  Jim Gibbs, the developer, owned a landscaping company.  Having decided he wanted to design a world class garden, he traveled the world for 15 years looking at gardens.  In the 1980s he found the perfect site in the mountains of northern Georgia -- nearly 300 acres on which he developed three “feature gardens” -- a Monet lily pond, a Japanese garden and the terraced gardens at the manor house.  Given the variety of deciduous trees, the range and intensity of colors we saw were incredible.  The Japanese maples in particular were remarkable and defied my ability to get a good photo.  Kathy had a special app on her iPhone that allowed her to make this postcard from shots she took.

Kathy's post card

That night we met Jan and Mike, David’s brother and wife, for dinner in Old Roswell.  We wandered the quaint town before going to the restaurant that Kathy recommended, Table & Main.  It’s so popular that we couldn’t get an advance reservation, but the intrepid Jan got us to the top of the waiting list.  The cioppino that I had on Friday was fantastic; the vegetarian plate that I assembled from the eight or so local and fresh offerings was equally excellent.  The mac and cheese was made with Velveeta!  We had a delightful evening of wine, food and good company.

Jan & Mike with me

     

4 November, Atlanta GA

Had coffee with Joy this morning before going to the airport.  Joy worked for IBM which allowed employees to do volunteer work.  She was a volunteer expert on the USAID project I led in Macedonia.  Since I had an afternoon flight, Joy offered to meet me in Buckhead, where Kathy’s office is located.  It was great to see her and catch up with what she’s been doing since retiring from IBM.  

5 November, Minneapolis MN

After all of the delicious food I’ve eaten in the last days, it felt good to be back in Lindsay’s power water ex class this morning.  I need to weigh myself on Saturday to see if I’m anywhere near my goal.  (I only weigh on Saturdays so I don’t get paranoid.)  It’s been more than a year since I did the cleanse/detox that started me on this weight loss, and I am determined to make it permanent.  So far, so good!

11 November, US Veterans Day and Poland’s Independence Day

My friends Bonnie & Gary's front yard

Originally Armistice Day, marking the end of “the war to end all wars,” the holiday morphed into a general day for remembering and honoring war vets in the US.  In Poland, it’s independence day since, after more than 100 years of being partitioned, Poland’s three parts were reunited into one nation after World War I.  

It’s been a busy week.  Celebrating birthdays (mine late and friend Susan’s early), seeing old friends (Cathy R. and Marilyn R.), visiting my oldest MN friend Lois in Northfield and starting to organize her memoir stories completed, lunching with my late son’s friend Hans at the gorgeously renovated Union Depot, cleaning up and organizing niece Tomery’s apartment for the move to New York, enjoying fish and chips with friend Marilyn C.  Whew. And people ask how I keep busy in retirement.

Picked my sister up at the airport on Wednesday afternoon; she was returning from New York where she had deposited Tomery and a car loaded with clothing and shoes.  Have I told you enough times that my niece got a huge promotion to help open a new “diamond” LifeTime Fitness in Westchester?  Ok, I have.  But I am so proud of her and what she’s accomplished, not always under the easiest of circumstances.  As I predicted, the road trip was an adventure; I followed on text messages while in Atlanta.  After getting a late start, they drove all the way to Indiana on Friday night ... but made a wrong turn leaving their hotel on Saturday.  The “Welcome to Michigan” sign was a good hint that they’d gone almost an hour the wrong way.  But they made it and Tomery is getting situated at her cousin Jessie’s for the time being.  And Barbara had some time in NYC with a college friend.

12 November

I miss Lily.  Chris came for dinner on Sunday and took her home with him.  I know I can’t have a cat right now, much as I’d like one.  I’m traveling too much and am not ready to give that up.  But it was awfully nice having someone waiting at the door when I came home.

My friend Hala’s mother died yesterday.  Close to 90 with dementia, she got up in the middle of the night one day last week and fell down the three stone steps to the front door.  She was hospitalized, had had surgery and died peacefully after having a good meal and animated conversations with her daughters.

Mrs. Kozłowska epitomized the warmth and inclusiveness of Polish hospitality.  She always made me feel welcome.  I remember when I was living in Sandomierz the first time, she was raising turkeys.  She got very upset because Hala wouldn’t let her kill a turkey for me for Thanksgiving.  Hala knew that I was going to Kraków for the holiday.  So instead, she gave me homemade white cheese and the thickest cream I’ve ever seen.  It’s going to seem strange to visit next month and not have her around.  Yes, she could be pain in the patoot in recent years because of her strong independence despite her deteriorating mental and physical condition, but she was also a kind, friendly woman, and I’ll miss her.

15 November

What month is this?  We have had such glorious autumn weather the last few days, it feels more like early October.  I just walked back from downtown in my fleece jacket.

Yesterday I met the movers at Tomery’s and watched while they packed the remainder of her worldly possessions.  They were quite efficient, even though I forgot to reserve the loading dock and freight elevator.  Didn’t know I had to and someone else had.  They refused to use the front entry with their UHaul ... so that’s were the moving van parked and they used the regular elevator quite handily.

16 November

My bakers, Ada & Lydia

A rainy dreary day is a fantastic day to bake cookies.  I am so glad that I’d arranged for my friend Jodi and her daughters, Ada and Lydia, to come over to do that today.  Ada and I made ginger bread people dough from scratch in the kitchen while on the dining room table, Jodi and Lydia cut sugar cookie dough that Jodi brought from home.  We cut and baked and frosted for almost three hours, then took a pizza break.  After decorating the final dozen cookies, we tasted our efforts and declared them definitely acceptable.  Then played the Minnesota game that Lydia found on an end table.  It’s just a simple plastic box of small cards with Minnesota questions on them (a gift a year or so ago from Sabrina, Mark and Christopher).  A delightful day.    

17 November

A blustery winter day weather wise but made enjoyable by spending time with friends attending a concert by the St. Catherine Choral Society.  My friend Sabrina sings alto with them.  I ran into her husband and son, Mark and Christopher, as I arrived, and we joined friends of Mark and Sabrina’s for the concert and dinner afterwards.  Now I’m at home in my sweats with my feet up after finishing the ironing.  Time to relax and watch a couple of my favorite television programs, The Good Wife and The Mentalist.

Sabrina's concert

I tried to call Hala this evening, but the connection was awful.  We could barely hear each other through the loud, heavy static.  I did hear Hala say their land line was “broken.”  Will try her at work tomorrow.

21 November

Can’t believe this week.  I am rarely this scheduled.  Had an awesome ego boost at a Tuesday morning breakfast meeting.  I went to a Minnesota Trade Office event because the presentation was on Macedonia and I know two of the presenters from my days there:  Zoren is now the Macedonian ambassador to the US and Vlado is deputy prime minister for economic affairs.  Wasn’t sure if they’d remember me and to my surprise it was a bit like old home week.  Zoren even introduced me when he opened the session.  Made lots of good contacts and am having lunch next week with one.  He’s interested in exploring overseas expansion for the firm where he works.  Lunch with friends Ted and Patrick meant lots of good conversation, early evening condo board meeting at which we finally decided to do something about our lackadaisical management company rep.  Yesterday I enjoyed a delightful lunch with Marilou to belatedly celebrate my birthday.  We went to Outback Steak House since we were both craving meat.  I’ve already put to work the cute wine-bottle stopper she gave me.  Spent part of the afternoon with friend and former client Julie whose antique shop may be put out of business when Central Avenue closes while a railroad overpass is redone.  Then dealt with Comcast because my Internet was slow and On Demand wasn’t working at all.  Believe it or not, I’ve had good luck with Comcast in the past.  But this time was a nightmare …the service tech was on time and great, but the process of setting that up … but it’s working again.

Today I overslept so I walked for exercise — home to downtown Target, bus to the post office, walk to St. Anthony Main for a Meetup called Get Out Get Social.  We saw 12 Years a Slave. It was to be a triple treat, movie, walk and happy hour.  However, the intensity of the film just didn’t square with happy hour at Whitey’s, a nearby bar/grill that I normally would enjoy.  Another woman in the group felt similarly, and we went to a cafe near the theater for coffee.  On the walk back home I stopped to see my niece Michelle and to pick up a few groceries at the new downtown Whole Foods.

22 November, 50th Anniversary of the day President Kennedy was shot

Can’t think of anyone in my generation who can’t answer the question, “Where were you when you heard that President Kennedy had been shot?”  For us, this was a defining event, not unlike Pearl Harbor for our parents.

At about 1:15 pm CST 50 years ago, I was crossing Sheridan Road in Evanston Illinois (just north of Chicago), going from the main Northwestern University campus to University Avenue.  A dorm friend, Ann, who was in the same 12 pm freshman English class, and I heard the rumor from students passing in the other direction. We thought it was some hot head who’d taken a pot shot at JFK and joked about her Texas friends who might’ve done such a dumb thing.  A block closer to ivied Willard Hall,  we learned the truth, that the president had been shot and was likely dead … and along with so many others, were glued to the television for days.

I won’t wax poetic about Kennedy’s life-cut-short, presidency, legacy.  I don’t know what he might have accomplished or not if he’d finished his term, been re-elected and lived to a ripe old age.  He will forever be 46, vibrant, charismatic, and inspiring hope in millions.

24 November

My nephew John is getting married in February!  I met his now fiancee Heather when I was in Brainerd last month, and she’s a lovely young woman.  I’m excited for them and for all of us to celebrate such a happy occasion.

26 November

Have I told you that I’ve taken up knitting again?  My Granny taught me way back when I was a kid, and I’ve knitted at various times since then.  Even made a fisherman’s knit sweater for my then husband back in ’69.  I re-started knitting on a baby sweater for Hadassah, the Jewish women’s organization that lost its money to Bernie Madoff.  My friend Jan, a beautiful and prolific knitter, was making a scarf, so I volunteered to help too.  Finished the sweater today and have decided I’ll give it to my friend Aleks’ new baby daughter (we worked together in Belgrade).  I also made a rainbow hat for my nephew’s son for Christmas and another for Franiu in Warsaw.

28 November, Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Chanukah

An unusual convergence of two holidays that make celebrating double the eating!  Unfortunately that’s something I won’t be doing.  I was so looking forward to dinner at a favorite St. Paul restaurant, Pazzaluna, with my sister, nephew and his girlfriend.  And Barbara reported this evening that their dinner was spectacular, just the right portions of turkey, dressing, etc. leaving room for a to-die-for white chocolate tiramisu for dessert.

Yesterday I felt yukky, no specific symptoms, just all-over yukky, so I went to water ex, thinking that would help.  It didn’t; I still felt miserable.  And shortly after my usual rice-cakes-with-almond-butter and coffee breakfast went down, it came back up.  It was coupled with severe (baby-delivery level) abdominal pains.  And that’s when I realized that my diverticulitis was acting up.  I cancelled my day’s plans and divided my time between bathroom and bedroom.  Today, while I feel better, I know that continuing clear liquids is the best path to recovery before I get on a plane Sunday afternoon.  Am I having fun yet?!

30 November

Feeling lots better.  A few days of clear liquids has helped the gastrointestinal system, along with just laying low.  By yesterday afternoon, I needed to replenish supplies and noticed the car badly needed a wash.  I made a quick trip up Third Avenue South/Central Avenue to my favorite car wash, then back down to Lund’s where I got a big bowl of plain mashed potatoes for dinner along with a couple of soups, then a side trip to my sister’s to pick up packages that I’ll take to Marta in Warsaw.  That was enough outing for the day.  Back home, the mashed potatoes never tasted so good.  I ate the whole bowl.

Today I had brunch (bland but enjoyable) with Sabrina, Mark and Christopher, and two other Peace Corps friends whom I haven’t seen in 20 years (Paul and Krysia) and their three sons and Krysia’s brother Dan.  It was great fun seeing them.  Dan, who’s in nurse anesthetist training here, lives just a few blocks south from me but not in a very good building.  He wants to find another apartment in May, and I’ve offered to help.  

Sabrina, Paul, me, Mark, Krysia

The Whole Gang

Back home for some R&R and a visit mid-afternoon with Jan and her son Matt, him of the south of France.  Another great catch-up time but I forgot to take a picture.

And tonight I went to Words by … Ira Gershwin at Park Square Theater with Linda.  We’d planned on dinner at a great Thai restaurant nearby until we found a 30 minute waiting list.  Wandered around a bit and found Fuji Ya, offshoot of a famous Minneapolis restaurant, and dived into wonderful Japanese cuisine.  I had soup with udon and veggies, way too much even if my stomach hadn’t shrunken.  The delight of Gershwin music wrapped around details about the Gershwins and their musical cohorts was a lovely want to end a crappy holiday weekend.

(And since I am late posting this, and will be even later doing written holiday greetings, let me add 

 Happy Holidays 

to one and all.