Sunday Update . . . Life on the River

Well, the jewelry box glue was dry this morning, and I put it back together this afternoon. I think it's going to work. What's your opinion? Do you think Melanie will like it?


We've had a very cultured weekend. Friday night we went to the opera to see Samson and Dalilah. We aren't usually into the opera . . . having only seen The Barber of Seville previously. It was okay, but we weren't really thrilled with the Barber of Seville. Greg bought a couple of 'sampler' tickets from a telephone sales person this fall, so we picked this opera and La Boheme to try. La Boheme is in March; we're going on my birthday. :-)



We REALLY liked the Saint Saens music in Samson and Dalilah; and the VOICES WERE WONDERFUL. It was an amazing production. Today we had our subscription concert for the symphony. We went to brunch after church and then headed downtown. We had a little extra time, so we walked down the waterway under the Convention Center and out to the river.



The pathway from Tenth Street goes down the middle of the street when it passes under the Convention Center. The sides are like a waterfall along the walkway with pools of water cascading down to the dock area along the Allegheny. I have been seeing it when I go for walks at lunchtime, and it was fun to go down and look. Here is a picture of Greg along the walkway this afternoon.


There is a beautiful, paved park area on both sides of the Allegheny all the way to the point. You can also cross several of the bridges on foot and go to the North Side where the PNC Park (baseball stadium) and Heinz Field (football stadium) are located. This is a busy place for restaurants and all kinds of activities, including a controversial casino that is being built. I have enjoyed walking along the river at lunchtime for exercise this fall. There is always a lot of foot traffic during lunch time as people stroll or sit by the river to eat or chat.


There is, of course, a homeless population in Pittsburgh like any other city. When you walk the river walk, you see evidence of many people literally living under bridges. But one thing that struck me about these humble abodes is that there is order to them. For example, some of the people have accumulated some serious bedding. It is not unusual to walk under an overpass and see a bed on the concrete, neatly made with the pillow in place and the flowered comforter spread out to cover everything. These people are so close to us every day, yet their world is drastically different. Living under a bridge . . . .

Back up at street level, there is Point State Park with its beautiful fountain and lights. This month the water in the fountain is pink for Breast Cancer Awareness. People in their cars sit on the double decker Fort Duquesne Bridge and complain about the traffic and the cost of parking. The contrast is maddening.

One time I packed some food and took it in my car to give to a man who hung around my parking lot all the time. When I offered him the food, he laughed at me and asked me for money. I said I didn't have any money to give him and went away. Does the insanity come from living on the street, or do they live on the street because they are mentally ill? How can I help them and still be safe?

"Chip off the old block . . . ."

As some of you will remember, Melanie's apartment was burglarized about a year ago; and one of the things that was stolen was her jewelry box full of her total accumulation of class rings, bridesmaid necklaces, and earrings. We have been slowly adding things to her jewelry collection, but jewelry boxes are either really big and expensive or little, portable things like Vera Bradley makes. I have been looking for one; but no luck.

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try eBay for a jewelry box, and there was a used, wooden jewelry box that looked kind of neat for a really reasonable price. On impulse, I bought it for the "buy it now" price with only 10 minutes left on the auction. Well, the seller shipped it; and it arrived yesterday. It was tightly wrapped in bubble wrap with lots of padding, and the box was marked "FRAGILE" and everything. However, the glue was evidently old and dry; and the shipper didn't take any extra care from the look of the box. The jewelry box literally fell apart when I removed the bubble wrap. At first I was kind of angry and feeling like I got gyped, but then I looked more closely and decided it probably was not the seller's fault.

Today I found the wood glue out in the garage and got some books and rubber bands and a sheet of paper for the kitchen counter-----and I got to work! Here's my work in progress. I think this is going to be okay with a little elbow grease. What do you think? The compartment behind the glass door has a little rotating hanger for necklaces.

When Greg saw my handiwork with the books and the rubber bands, he told me that I had to take a picture of it and put it out here so my dad can see it. He said it was pretty impressive and definitely has the McHenry stamp on it. Here's to you, Dad! You showed me how to fix things . . . a least with glue.

While I'm at this post, I also went out to Bed, Bath and Beyond this afternoon for a couple of things. I am a fire bug, you know, and my "Autumn Leaves" jar candle from Yankee Candle is getting low. I needed some more fall fragrance . . . especially when Greg was in his bacon-frying mode this morning! I digress. When I was shopping at BB&B, I saw a wall full of clocks. I have been wanting another wall clock for the family room ever since I repainted. The one we had was too small and kind of plain, but it told the time and served the purpose. It just didn't have any . . . personality!

Well, I found a clock on clearance and used a 20% coupon to buy it! I think you will agree that this clock has a personality. You can't really see it too well from the picture, but it has kind of sparkly, cut glass looking things around the outside. It also stands out a little more against the new paint. I like it. When I asked Greg if he liked it, he said, "It's a CLOCK." I guess he doesn't get the personality thing. Oh, well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GREG!

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear Greggie!

Happy birthday to you.

Here is your birthday pumpkin pie with the candles on your special day. And we had those crab cakes you like so well with baked potatoes and veggies to go along with them.

Greg is shown pictured here in the new flannel shirt and singing bow tie, which were a present from his BFF, Bill. Doesn't he look swell?

Below is a picture of Bill and Susie with the birthday boy as they joined us for Greg's birthday dinner. By the time I got home from work, Greg had already opened his presents that came in the mail. He got some great loot, like gift cards for books (always a hit). The birthday santa got him an IPOD and the DVD series on "The Truth Project." And yesterday he got personal birthday wishes from Mary by phone. So I would say he made out pretty well, don't you think?

Bill, Greg, and Susie . . . what a GREAT tie!

JAZZ EXPLOSION AT LEMONT!
Last night was the Sojourner House second annual Jazz Explosion at LeMont! It was a great success, and I couldn't wait to share this press photo with all of you. This was sent to WHIRL magazine here in Pittsburgh to talk about our event. The people in the photo with me are (L-R):

Anne Crawford, president of the Sojourner House MOMS board

Susan Seitz, board member and Committee Chair of the Jazz Explosion

(me)

Joann Cyganovich, Executive Director of both Sojourner House and Sojourner House MOMS

I am so honored to work with these great women. We have a great team of board members and volunteers who worked very hard to bring this fund raiser together. We had over 100 people at the event, which featured a wonderful dinner by the LeMont chefs and entertainment by The George Heid Trio, a world class jazz ensemble.

This is my REAL job, folks. The other stuff is a living. :-)

Columbus and the Babes!



Well, Oma has really been slacking in the blog department! There is a lot going on with our home group; we've added some great new people! Besides that, the Jazz Explosion at LeMont event for Sojourner House is this Thursday, October 16. So I have been trying to help out with some last minute things there. And the Pittsburgh Symphony season has started! YAY! Greg and I got a few more concerts this year by changing our day and our seats. There are just lots of things going on.

We went to Columbus this weekend to see the chillun. Brian and Emily wanted to go together to the OSU vs. Purdue game on Saturday, so Opa and I got some quality time with Katy and David. It was a bunch of fun.




David is 6 months old and sitting up all by himself. He is such a smiley little guy. Even when he's "fussy," it hardly counts; it's more like mild complaining. Rarely does he have a problem that food and a clean diaper will not correct. You can see that he is a charmer just like his daddy.


David is now enjoying rice cereal for dinner each evening. This is quite an experience for both the feeder and the feedee. Every time I put some cereal in his mouth, he grabbed the spoon and tried to wrestle it away from me. I finally gave up and got another spoon so I could alternate and let him have one and then switch when he grabbed the next bite. I forgot to ask Emily if this is why she put two spoons out on the counter when she left. Maybe this is a common problem. Regardless, David ate almost all the cereal . . . well, except for the part that got on his face. I think they can get nutrients through the skin, too, can't they?



Katy, meanwhile, was keeping Opa busy reading books and taking walks. According to Opa, there was a lot more going on than walking out there! There were rocks to pick up and berries on bushes and cats to chase and all kinds of things to find. Who would guess that the neighborhood was so interesting? Oh, and Barney is kind of annoying, you know? I still like Elmo better in spite of his slightly squeaky voice.















Katy also managed to go upstairs and sneak up to her parents room and turn on the TV when we weren't watching. And there were some beads in a Ziploc bag inside a drawer in a nightstand in the guest bedroom that Katy ALSO found and managed to spill ALL OVER THE FLOOR. Opa and I had fun sweeping up THOSE puppies and trying to get them back into their bag. But it was a great reminder of how much energy a 2-year-old has and how quick they are.












On Sunday, I went along with Emily and Katy to the toddler gymnastics class over at the RPAC on campus. This was a lot of fun, and I got to see Craig and Pam and Jack. The class only lasted 30 minutes, but it was amazing to see how the instructor keep 10-15 toddlers busy and active and distracted the whole time.

Katy seemed to really like the running and jumping and climbing and walking on the balance beam and hanging by her arms from the bar. I got one good picture of her tuck and roll practice here. Things moved so fast that I had a hard time getting into position and snapping a picture before it was over.



Wheeeeeeee!!!!!!

Wasn't that fun?

Where's Jack?

UPDATE!

I got a card today from Sharon! You remember . . . the friend who made my darling Alison print. We are looking forward to getting together to catch up on my next trip to the Dayton area. In the meantime, I'm adding the web site for the shop that Sharon and Lisa manage in Clifton. It's called Herbs and Lace. I can't wait to check it out in person.

I am off to the convention center tomorrow for the Pennsylvania Governor's Conference for Women. I will be working at the Zonta booth a couple of hours tomorrow, and then I hope to attend some of the workshops. They have so many good topics. I'll take my camera and post some pictures for you tomorrow. Stay tuned!