Even though it's summer, it's that time of year where pumpkin spice becomes THE flavor of the season. Starbucks started this craze in 2003 when it launched its Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) and since then this centuries old baking blend has morphed into a cultural phenomenon. From August until Christmas, brands expand the flavor profile to everything from cereals and beers to cookies and pretzels and whatever else pumpkin spice might sell.
This is a post that spans 30+ years.
Many years ago, when my children were in elementary school, the PTA organized a visit with a children’s author I had never heard of: Patricia Polacco.
From the moment she began speaking, it was evident that she was a storyteller. She drew the children, as well as their parents, into her world. She shared the story of how she had struggled to learn to read, endured teasing, and hid her disability. She found relief in expressing herself through art until a teacher recognized that she could not read and began helping her. Patricia was dyslexic.
She also brought a very special prop with her: an old quilt made from a basket of clothing belonging to family members who had immigrated from Russia many years earlier. Patricia was the fourth generation to care for this quilt.
That quilt became the inspiration for one of Patricia Polacco’s first books, The Keeping Quilt:
“And so it was. From a basket of old clothes, Anna’s babushka, Uncle Vladimir’s shirt, Aunt Havalah’s nightdress and an apron of Aunt Natasha’s become The Keeping Quilt, passed along from mother to daughter for almost a century. For four generations the quilt is a Sabbath tablecloth, a wedding canopy, and a blanket that welcomes babies warmly into the world…”
The book tells the story of Patricia’s own family and the quilt that became a symbol of their enduring love, family, and faith.
I bought the book that day, and Patricia signed it and addressed it to my children. As she published more books, I bought those, too. I read them to my children, and over the years, my collection grew and I have kept all of them.
Years later, when I was taking classes for my Master's Education, one of my required courses was Children’s Literature. For my final teaching presentation, I chose Patricia Polacco and focused on the way she wove her family, heritage, life experiences, and art into her stories. I even brought my autographed copy of The Keeping Quilt to share with the class.
During that Children’s Literature course, my professor told us about the Mazza Museum, located on the University of Findlay campus in Findlay, Ohio. The museum houses the world’s largest collection of original artwork by children’s book illustrators.
Fast-forward several years.
My husband grew up in Findlay, and recently, on our way to Coldwater Lake, we needed to stop there so Todd could take care of a project he’s working on with friends. I took the opportunity to take the car and visit the Mazza Museum.
And there it was.
The original artwork from The Keeping Quilt and the Keeping Quilt itself.
I also got to see original illustrations from many other beloved books I had read to my children over the years.
It was one of those unexpected full-circle moments that made me stop and appreciate how life threads connect.
A children’s author I had never heard of became part of my children’s childhood, then part of my education, and now the journey continues as I look forward to reading Patricia Polacco books to my grandchildren.
Coldwater Lake, Michigan, marked our 4th annual gathering of college friends at Mike and Ann’s beautiful home. It was a weekend filled with spectacular sunsets, a full moon, a lunar eclipse, pontoon cruises on the lake, and, most importantly, non-stop stories, laughter, and memories.
All the guys are fraternity brothers, a few of us girls also attended Wittenberg, and the other women joined our circle along the winding path of life. There’s something about friendships that have stood the test of time. They are a blessing. Here’s to another year of making memories, telling the same stories just a little louder, laughing until our sides hurt, and gathering again at the lake.
“…there is a clarity about September. On clear days, the sun seems brighter, the sky more blue, the white clouds take on marvelous shapes; the moon is a wonderful apparition, rising gold, cooling to silver; and the stars are so big. The September storms… are exhilarating…”
— Faith Baldwin, Evening Star
We were at Coldwater Lake for the weekend, and Sunday was our daughter's birthday. Coldwater is only two hours from Chicago, so we thought, why not? Let’s take Lauren to dinner!
A quick call to her husband and he had a dinner reservation waiting for us at Piccolo Sogno, a lovely Italian restaurant in Chicago’s River West neighborhood.
An impromptu trip, a delicious dinner, a wonderful family celebration, and then a leisurely drive home on Monday.
One of the joys of retirement is having the freedom to say, “Why not?” and then those little detours become the icing on the (birthday) cake.
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth moves directly between the sun and the moon, blocking the sun’s direct light from reaching the lunar surface and casting Earth’s shadow across the moon. A friend of a friend took this beautiful photograph of the eclipse using a telephoto lens which allowed her to capture the moon’s details up close.
I stayed up to watch the eclipse until it reached about 50%. There was something peaceful about standing beneath the night sky, watching the moon slowly disappear into Earth’s shadow.
An ordinary day had a extraordinary ending.
