Hi I am glad to join all the Kulkas as a blogger. I live in Arizona now which is a mixed blessing. The good thing is I am close to my son Mark the bad thing ids the heat. But I am getting used to it. David I read your piece about Leo. He never went to engineering school in Europe. Leo was a great guy but hardly the student of the year. That is about all I can tell you right now.Keep on rocking. Licy

Ludwig, Wolfgang and Joey

I've taken a little side trip from my usual Rock 'n' Roll/Americana/Alt Country/Surf Guitar music and am rediscovering Beethoven. I've taken a real shine to his sixth symphony (the first movement is my favorite), and I've also been listening to a long list of his Sonatas.

I've been a Mozart fan because I love a strong strings presence in classical. But I have to admit Beethoven's piano compositions are really interesting, and the perfect soothing background music as you sit at your desk and wade through piles of tax forms, bills and junk mail.

Anyone else care to share thoughts on music - favorites, new finds, recommendations, best Mariachi fusion band...?

To bathe or not to bathe

Looks like it's time for a new topic.
In our paper the other day they had one of those "man in the street" columns where the question was "What is the best thing that happened to you this week". Some people had some serious entries, like getting a new job, or whatever. The last one was my favorite. It ended with "and the dead mouse in the wall stopped stinking".
Does this inspire any thoughts in you?
My best thing was a meeting of some of the people on my Sonoma quilt show committee yesterday. We always enjoy each other's company, and learn from each other. A sewing topic led to my remembering that a client of mine had told me that when he was young, he was raised in one of the colder parts of the country - Minnesota or something. He remembered that as a kid he was sewn into his underwear as it got cold. When it was warm enough, a few months later, he and his brother were unsewn. (I guess part of the idea was that this was the best way for the underwear to keep the kids warm.) As I mentioned this, one of the women looked a bit appalled, until I mentioned that there was, after all, a trap door. And a fly.
My client had also mentioned that the process kept them from dipping into the creek for a swim before their parents thought it was warm enough. "And that's when I learned to sew" he told me.
This reminded someone of the well-known (but not to me) note Napoleon had sent to Josephine when he was on a campaign somewhere. We all had different takes on his reason for it, but the message definitely told her not to bathe, because he was coming home!

All committees should be this much fun!

Favorite Vacation

I was poking around looking at vacations (just in case - one never knows when a vacation might arrive...) and I started thinking about the wonderful places I have been blessed to visit.

I think that my favorite vacation was going to Prague with my immediate family, plus Aunt Licy. We had the most amazing time for two weeks, exploring places I had been before (I got to travel to Prague alone from Rome- scary! but fun) and places I had only heard about (such as Aunt Licy's old home in Brno) I bonded with my family - both those who I have known and those I got to meet out there - and we all have some wonderful memories and funny stories we still laugh about.

So, what were your favorite vacations?

Steal your parking spot, what would you do?

As usual, I went to shopping at Costco three weeks ago. My car and the other car were waiting for our parking spots. At that time I had been waiting on the other side of the alley about 15-20 minutes.

Suddenly, the older couple’s car came in and parked very close to my spot. The owner of the spot backed their car out and tried to block the selfish car for me. Too late, they got it. After they got out from their car. I honked and rolled my window down. I shouted at them that was my spot. The wife told me it was theirs ( Akulka - Am I right?) and kept walking. Until now, I still want to punch them in their faces.

What would everyone think and do if it happens to you?

Ah, spring

I started sneezing the other day for no good reason. It got me to thinking, "What am I allergic to?" I'll start with loud music from someone else's car, "and then I said, and then she said" conversations, a sentence started with "don't you think" and certainly news interview panels where one person talks only until someone else finds something to disagree with, at which point they loudly horn in, joined by other voices, and absolutely no careful listening.

What other family allergies do we have?