Yesterday was a beautiful day for porch-sitting. We have a lovely screen-porch at the back of our house, where I spent the time before dinner reading Jean Auel’s The Shelters of Stone. It was so nice, I decided to set the dinner table out there, too.

The former pastor of my church wrote an article about her recent kidney transplant for the United Church News. She is a woman of strong faith. I will post the text of the article here when I get time to transcribe it, unless I find that it is in the online edition, in which case I will provide a link.

Yesterday was my daughter Diana’s 29th birthday. I talked to her on the phone, and I think we’ll get together to celebrate on Saturday.

I took a vacation day today, making it a four day weekend with Memorial Day on Monday. My main mission today was to finish planting the flowers in the front of the house. There is a two-tier flower-bed. The top layer has five globe arborvide bushes, eight Missouri Primrose plants (they get yellow flowers in June) and eight green and white hosta. To that I added 7 red New Guinea Impatiens and a border of white alyssum and blue lobelia alternating. On the bottom tier I planted Sizzler Red salvia, Hawaii Blue ageratum and white begonias, along with some of the left-over alyssum and lobelia from what I bought for the top. All in all, if my calculations are correct, there are 139 plants. Now if I can just remember to water them....

I was supposed to go to a graduation party yesterday. The daughter of a friend just graduated from Elmhurst College, my alma mater. But I let Chuck go by himself, because I had a bad cold. It was at the constant sneezing, nose dripping stage, and I was afraid I might sneeze all over the buffet. Also, I think I had a bit of a fever last evening, but I'm feeling much better today.

I finally got my review on Friday afternoon, and it looks like my raise and the retro pay made it to my paycheck. It always amazes me that no matter how good someone is, the reviewer always has to find something wrong. There were five areas on which I was evaluated, and I got "meets expectations" on one, "exceeds expectations" on two, and "outstanding" on two. Under Communications I only got "meets expectations". The reviewer said "Jenny has no problem saying what's on her mind. This is good - yet sometimes Jenny can seem confrontational or negative." I prefer to think of myself as assertive and perceptive. It's all a matter of perspective.

Oh, yes, and while complimenting me on the fact that I recently assumed some extra duties, I was criticized for not bringing it to my supervisor's attention when I had free time on my hands. Never mind that I had to completely re-organize my routine to allow for the extra duties which I got because someone was let go and now I am now doing that person's work as well as my own. I'm not about to go to my supervisor and ask for more work just because I'm more efficient than anyone else in the department.

We went to the Symphony last night and Haydn's Symphony No. 88 - very pleasant. It amazes me every time I think about it how prolific he was. I'll have to look it up, but I think he wrote 104 symphonies, or something like that. Of course, he lived lots longer than Mozart, who probably would have beat his record if he had lived as long. Second on the program was the oboe concerto by Richard Strauss with Alex Klein, the CSO's principal oboist as the soloist. I can't imagine how he managed to breathe in some places - it was just a constant stream of notes for such a long time. Last on the program was Stravinsky's Petrushka, music which tells the story of three puppets which come alive.

I just found out from my programmer buddies that there is some sort of problem with the payroll system. This goes back to a year ago when they forced everyone to take a week of unpaid furlough and spread the "hit" out over several months. Well, the computer "thinks" that when our salaries got back to normal it was a pay increase. It regards that date as everyone's anniversary date, and therefore it will not accept an increase in pay so soon. My "real" anniversary date is April 24, so by the end of this week I should be owed a month in retro-pay for my merit increase. My boss says everything has been signed, and she says she thinks I'll be pleased. That was last week, and nobody has said anything more to me. Maybe this computer thing is the reason. I'm tempted to bring it up to my boss, but maybe it would be more fun to see her try to think of a way to tell me about it. My merit increase has been delayed a full year already "due to the economy," and my boss seemed just as upset as I was when they froze raises for the second six months. She said she was really looking forward to reviewing me.

Maybe this is silly, but I was wondering if there is going to be a huge spike in the birth rate around June 11, nine months after...... I guess it would be sort of a primitive survival type of reaction.

Sunday afternoon I took Bob, an old family friend, to the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Part of the event was a concert by the Skokie Valley Symphony Orchestra, and part was a production of Gianni Schicchi, the one-act opera which features my favorite soprano aria, O Mio Babbino Caro. The opera was performed by L'Opera Piccola, and I know four of the cast members. Sasha, the opera company's founder, starred in Trinity Players' production of Meet Me In St. Louis in 1995, the year I played the role of Mrs. Smith. Sasha was also in Oliver! and Picnic with me. Jerry, who has also been in several plays with me, played the role of the dead body. Madeleine and Thor were the other two, both veterans of Trinity Players.

The reason I decided to take Bob to see it was that when he came over for Christmas dinner last year, he had the name of L'Opera Piccola written down on a piece of paper so he wouldn't forget to tell me about this great opera company that puts on such wonderful performances. He didn't know that I had known about it from the very beginning when they were still using the auditorium at Northeastern Illinois University for their performances. Not only did I know about them, I went to Sasha's wedding last September!

We met our back-door neighbor yesterday. He's been in the house since October. He was trimming the bushes between our two houses, at the back of our property, and we invited him in for bratwurst. I didn't even know that Bridget, the lovely lady with the Irish brogue, had sold the house. Our new neighbor's name is Charlie, and he does computer work for the City of Chicago, in the payroll department.

I got word yesterday that a friend of mine who is a CPA was laid off. Not a good time for a CPA to be looking for work in Chicago, with all those who have been laid off from Anderson Accounting flooding the job market. I hope he can find something soon.

I've been asked to participate in a group which will evaluate my company's returned goods policies and processes. I was really surprised to be included. Nobody at my (low) level was on the list. I suppose they invited me because the customer I deal with is the largest, and therefore generates the highest amount of returns. The kick-off meeting is a conference call tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. (several of the people on the list are from other facilities). I hope I have something intelligent to contribute.

We gave one of the young ladies who was confirmed in our church a few weeks ago a gift certificate to Karnes Music. Here is what she wrote in her thank-you note to us: "Dear Chuck and Jenny, Thank you for the gift certificate to the music store. It was very generous of you. I know I will be able to use it because my piano teacher does not buy my music books, I do, and she will be very impressed with all the new nice music I purchased. Thank you for being so thoughtful." Awwww----warm fuzzies!

Well, I guess it was a good thing that Chuck insisted I fire the cleaning people. We just got our phone bill and found two calls to Mexico placed on the last day they were here, one at 9:20 am and the other at 9:47 am. Sort of narrows it down as to who might have made the calls. I called the lady who owns the cleaning service and gave her the information. She promised to send me a personal check to reimburse me for the total of $74.89.

One of the girls I eat lunch with was talking about a psychic that told her lots of things that turned out to be true. She's thinking of hosting a party where he will do readings. Some of the girls were saying they didn't want to have anything to do with it, but I think it would be fun. I'm not afraid of the future. I'm more afraid of the past.

My daughter Diana and her husband Rick came over this afternoon, minus the grandkids. They stayed awhile, talking about the kids & such. Alex got to see Spiderman as his first movie for his third birthday. Paul, Rick's younger son by his first marriage is having some problems in school. Apparently, when he first came here from Germany Rick asked to have him tested because he was in a special class in Germany. Well, the tests weren't done, and they didn't even put him in a special class for English as a second language. And now the teachers are wondering why he is failing everything. Ugh!

Chuck bought me a nice corsage to wear to church on Easter Sunday, but he left it in the refrigerator and forgot to give it to me. So for Mother's Day he gave me a silk flower corsage. It's a red rose with "dew" on its leaves. It is surrounded by lace, with a bunch of beaded plastic fibers behind the flower and white ribbons hanging down that say "Happy Mother's Day" and "May 12, 2002". It's pretty awful, but I'll wear it anyway.

My friend Bev graduated from Vandercook College of Music this evening, and we went to the Commencement. I’ve been in several plays with Bev, and she is a fellow singer in Lutheran Choir of Chicago. When LCC toured Scandinavia in 1998, before Chuck joined the choir, she and I were roomies. It doesn’t seem like it could be as much as four years ago that she decided to leave her well-paying job with a market research firm and go back to school full time. I’ve been to several of the concerts she has participated in on the way to her B.A. in music education, and the ceremonies tonight were held in the same hall as the concerts. What a wonderful surprise it was to hear her give the Valedictory Address! She was so poised and spoke so warmly of the caring, helpful atmosphere of the school, it almost made me want to go back to school, too. Almost.

I've been reading The Shelters of Stone by Jean Auel, and I came up with this verse:

Sheltering

Mists of ancient mem'ries rise
In scattered morning dreams
In raptured vision mountains spread
And mother icy streams.
The grassy plains before our eyes
Are jeweled with silver dew.
The years behind have long been dead
And now we start anew.

Dust we are and dust we'll be
Remembered but in song.
So leave your handprint on the wall
And bring your spear along.
Home and hearth are but debris
Our treasure lies within
The songs and stories we recall;
The shelter of our skin.

© 2002 Jennifer Bezold

Last night was another meeting, this time at church. I am Church Clerk, so I take the minutes of Cabinet meetings as well as keep the records of church membership. I also publish the church newsletter, The Echo. The meetings are usually pretty boring, just the usual day-to-day business of keeping things going at church. I was somewhat irritated by some grousing that went on last night about people not helping enough. It seems to be a recurring theme. The fact is, our church is quickly reaching what our Moderator calls "critical mass," which means that as old-time members die or become to frail to do the work they once did the responsiblities fall on the shoulders of those who remain. And it's getting heavier all the time.

Our church is currently searching for a new pastor. We've been without a permanent pastor for almost two years now. Our Interim Pastor did manage to run a Confirmation Class this year, and as of last Sunday we have nine new young members. I hope we can manage to keep them involved in the life of the church.

The chairman of the Search Committee reported that two candidates have been interviewed thus far. A question arose at one of the interviews that the chairman brought up at last night's meeting: Do we want a Pastor or a Chaplain? A chaplain would preach on Sundays, perform the sacraments, visit the sick and shut-ins. A pastor, in addition to all that, would lead the congregation to deepen its spiritual life and reach out to the community. For a pastor to be effective, the congregation must be open to trying new things. I like to think that is possible, but considering the fact that the person I am replacing in the job of Church Clerk held that position for 55 years, I'm not so sure that is a realistic hope.

I just got back from the annual meeting for Lutheran Choir of Chicago. I feel so relieved that I won't be Secretary/Publicity chair for next year. That position will be shared by two people. One said she didn't mind doing publicity, but didn't want to write meeting minutes, and another said she'd do the minutes. And our Artistic Director said he would do the programs for next year, which takes a lot of the pressure off the job. Chuck volunteered to be Treasurer, taking over from a CPA who's done the job for eight years. I have no doubt he'll do fine with it.

There are some really exciting things planned for next year. The Fall Festival of Song will feature Weston Noble as the guest clinician and director. We'll do an Advent/Christmas concert and sing at a member's church for the dedication of a new building. In the spring we will do Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus, and in June we will do Mozart's Requiem at Cantigny with the West Suburban Symphony Orchestra. And all I have to do is sing, which is all I ever wanted anyway.

My friend Jim came over on Saturday, and we walked through the Forest Preserve to Barbara's Kitchen for lunch. We took our binoculars and field guide along and tried to spot some of the warblers that are starting to migrate through the area. We did manage to see a few, but I can't remember their names right now. Jim is VERY good at spotting birds. When he was a teenager, his dad was president of the Illinois Audubon Society, and Jim designed the logo that they still use on their stationery---a stylized cardinal head, the cardinal being our state bird. Very clever.

The Dewey Color System
BLUE GREEN BROWN: You're a Dream Maker
You experience a sense of personal harmony when you help people. Your capacity to listen and offer suggestions allows them to become more aware of what they need. They gain a balanced perspective.

I went to see a play called "Hollywood Arms" at the new Goodman Theater last night. (The old Goodman was behind the Art Institute, for those of you who aren't from Chicago) The play was co-written by Carol Burnett and her late daughter Carrie Hamilton. There were humorous moments, and it was well acted and staged, but I was really disappointed in the play itself. It was about a dysfunctional family, not a very entertaining subject to me.

I saw Eugene O'Neil's "Long Day's Journey Into Night" at the Goodman in March. Another dysfunctional family. Ugh!

Does drama have to be about drunks and drug addicts to be considered good? I have one more ticket in this series. If I don't enjoy that play, I won't plan on going to the Goodman next season.

One very important rule for writers is to avoid clichés. Here's a site that lists them all, along with their country of origin.

Yesterday was report card pick-up, so Chuck was working late, and had to do something at church after work. He still hasn't gotten his flat tire fixed, so I was once again without a car. I decided to join the exercise class some of the ladies at work have started. They put a low-impact walking tape in the player in the product display room and bounce around for about 30 minutes. There are all different types of bodies that attend the class, and I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. A few of the girls put a little jump in each step, and some hardly move at all. But every little bit helps, I guess. Then I walked home (about 2 miles) and spent the rest of the evening reading, until Chuck brought pizza home. Oh, well. I walked to work today.

Please sign my guestmap over at the right.

We went to see (and hear) Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble at Orchestra Hall last night. It was a little different. Some traditional Chinese music and some classical music from Azerbaijan (east of Turkey), three newly commissioned works from countries along the "Silk Road" trade routes China, Azerbaijan and Korea), and a Shostakovich Piano Trio.

They used some unfamiliar instruments that had familiar sounds. One instrument was sort of lute-shaped, and had a sound similar to a banjo. There were two instruments that looked and sounded like zithers; the one from Korea was much larger and longer and the instrumentalist was in a full floor-length Korean costume when she played it. Another sort of double pipe instrument had a sound somewhat like a harmonica.

I think Peter Schickele should get together with the ensemble and do a segment of Schickele Mix bringing The Silk Road Ensemble together with some bluegrass. They could call it "Blue Silk", or as my husband suggested, "Grass Road".

My company finally had its annual Service Awards Presentation for those having significant anniversaries with the company (5, 10, 20, 25 years). It was originally scheduled for February 18 this year, but was postponed "due to unscheduled business meetings addressing crucial business issues". Shortly afterward, 23 people were laid off, many of whom would have been celebrating 20 and 25 years of service to the company. I hope the fact that the presentation finally took place indicates that we're done with layoffs for awhile. I wonder when I'll get my raise? My two year anniversary was April 24.