Silver and Gold, and Everything In Between (or How I Spent My Winter Vacation)

Every now and then, when life gets to be too much for me to handle, I have to go home to Chicago to remember who I am. I spent a week there recently, visiting with my aunt, uncle and cousins on the Pluskota side. Such a good visit too. It was a trip of memories, of tears, and of laughter.

First on the list was the visit to Bobak's, a traditional Polish deli on the south side, just a mile or two away from Midway airport. I had never been there, and was astounded to see the butcher cases filled to the brim with all kinds of lunchmeats, cheeses and sausages. With all my knowledge in health and fitness, I gasped when I realized that, for years, my family has been filling myself with these delicacies... and all the fat and heart disease that goes with them. That's when it all started... the flooding memories. I remembered my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents, and how they struggled with their health issues. Now I clearly see the path that they were on, without the knowledge that it would hurt them someday.

As Uncle Jerry loaded up his cart with all the wonderful things from his childhood, I noticed him. I mean REALLY noticed him. I realized that this wonderful man, who I have known since he was a teenager, is living hard. I saw the silver of his hair, the lines in his face, and the light from his eyes, fading but not gone. It made me sad to think I have missed so much of his life, and how much he has missed of mine. We had not always been in contact... but each knew the other was there in a pinch. He grieves, like I do, for a happier time when we were all young, full of piss and vinegar, and always had family to come back to. Time had no meaning. Now it means everything. As I choked back tears in remembrance, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Pat, Dennis and I sat down to lunch at Bobak's. They all had some of the traditional foods, and me? I was so boring with my chicken, rice and vegetables. *sigh* Dennis teased me relentlessly about my choice of lunch, and that's okay. Dennis wouldn't be Dennis if he didn't give me shit about something or other. We are family that doesn't take offense to something the others say, and don't hesitate to let someone know when a line is crossed. I came to Chicago specifically at this time because I knew Dennis would be there as well. (I love you, cuz!)

The next day was Monday... and that meant a full day and Monday Night Football. But before we could sit down and enjoy the game (or not, depending on how the Bears are playing), Dennis and I had planned on an excursion to two cemeteries... both to pay our respects and to find the graves of our great-grandparents, Felix and Mary Cieslak. I was thrilled when Uncle Jerry and Aunt Pat let me know they were coming too. I hadn't asked them previously because I didn't know if this was something that would upset them. I knew what effect it would have on me. It was to complete a circle. So, first up after breakfast at IHOP was Holy Cross Cemetery, and paying our respects to my grandparents, Joe and Sophie Pluskota, who were Uncle Jerry's parents. We trudged through about 8 inches of snow to get to the site, which we all knew by heart. We cleared the stones of ice and snow and stood in tears of remembrance for the two people who had meant so much to us.

We went further... with Dennis and I going in opposite directions to find the stones of Sylvester and Arlene Pyrz, my Uncle Pete and Aunt Shirley. And we DID find them. Only after surveying stakes in the ground that had been numbered according to plots. We were clearing off stones... me on one side, and Dennis on the other. And we found them. Right between one stone I had cleared on one side and one that Dennis had cleared on the other. This was after I had been told to get back in the truck... it was too cold... the snow was too deep... but I kept going. I wrapped my scarf around my head and neck and kept going until we found what we came for. I had never seen my Uncle Pete's headstone. He passed in January of 1967 and the ground was frozen at the time. I loved him to death... and still do.

We had some remembrance time there and got back in the truck to drive out. I wanted to show them my family plot on the Kruczynski side, so stopped at the St. Michael's section and cleared off a couple of stones for Dennis to see. My grandmother, great-grandmother and great-great grandparents are all there. If there is an open spot, (which I haven't found out yet), I will ask if I can have it. Or not. But it's a nice thought.

Next up was the visit to St. Michael Polish National Cemetery in Highland, Indiana... or is it Hammond... never did quite figure that out. We found it though. It's a very, very old cemetery, with an iron gate and a road that hadn't been traveled in quite some time. I said "Do you think we should go in?" Uncle Jerry said "We can handle this." And with that, he put his truck into 4-wheel drive. I said, "We're all going to hell" and we drove in. There is a reddish brown chapel on the left, about in the middle of the cemetery, and my memory of the place as I saw it in 1981, was not reliable. Dennis had been a pallbearer for our great-grandmother, Mary Cieslak (Old Busia, we called her), and remembered vaguely that they had to lift the casket over standing headstones. Uncle Jerry went to the end of the road and turned around. He crept the truck ever so slowly, until Dennis said "I see LAK". He was out like a shot. I looked from my angle and saw "IESLAK". I jumped out and we both ran over to the stone. There it was. Felix and Mary Cieslak, our great-grandparents, who we knew and loved well. The stone is about 3 feet tall (maybe a bit less) and is an orange-brown color. But there is stands. We were SO lucky to have found it. More memories flowed for all of us... more tears... and more happiness. I drew a heart in the snow on top of the stone. We got back into the truck, and Uncle Jerry said "I need a beer." We all agreed that our next stop would be Kilroy's, where we met up with my cousin Tracy, and all shared our memories of the day and the wonderful people we were all privileged to have had in our lives. Right here I would like to mention that Tracy did not know me growing up, but we are soul-sisters in just about every way. We connected on a very deep level, and that girl will always have a special place in my heart.

Our next stop was the clinic where my cousin, Sue, works. She did not know we were coming, and may not have even known I was coming into town. But we waited patiently for someone to come to the front desk, and then waited unpatiently... then I shouted to get someone's attention. A woman came in with her child (obviously the next scheduled appointment) and just as Sue rounded the corner, I said "Whose butt do I have to kiss to be seen here?" She came around the desk and gave me a huge hug. I hadn't seen Sue since my father's wake a year earlier, and I have resolved that it won't take another funeral for me to see these people again. We told Sue about having a Monday Night Football party and she said she would come. She didn't disappoint. I was thrilled to see her, and everyone who came that evening. We had a good time, and it ended much too soon.

The next day was Tuesday, and Dennis had to catch an early flight back to Texas, which is his current residence. It felt empty with him gone, and I have only seen him twice in 20 years... both times in a six month period. DON'T do that again, Dennis! I won't live that long! Rant over. Tracy and I met back up at Uncle Jerry's place in Lynwood and we all talked about what we would do for New Year's Eve at her house. In the course of our planning, I don't know who said it, but it was decided that Tracy and I would come to Uncle Jerry's place and make Busia's pierogi recipe in the morning (since I'm the only one in the family who had it... my brother Don THINKS he has it... haha) and Uncle Jerry and Hank would make fish in the afternoon. Then we would bring it all to Tracy's house and have some drinks with Amy's family. So... Tracy and I went in search of ingredients. We went to several places to find dry cottage cheese and came up empty. What we did find was farmer's cheese with Polish writing on it at a local market in Cal City. We bought up all they had. I kinda figured we had more than we needed, but I wanted to be sure we didn't run short. I remember pierogi going very quickly when we were young. Anyway, after finding our ingredients, we met up again at 2pm at Popolano's in Lansing to see Alfreda (Fritzie) Kurz and Mitzie and Bernie Stone. Fritzie is my grandmother Sophie's first cousin on her father's side, and Mitzie is my father's first cousin, but we all grew up knowing each other, so it's all good. I didn't know if I would recognize Fritzie, but as soon as we got there, I saw her getting out of her car and knew her immediately. I said "Where are you going, young lady?" and she gave me that Cieslak smile that reminded me SO much of Busia.

The next few hours were spent reminiscing with Fritzie, Mitzie, Bernie, Uncle Jerry, Aunt Pat and Tracy. Oh and here's the weird thing... while there, the waitress called my uncle "Uncle Jerry". I looked at her and then at him. He went on to tell me that they (Grace and Dave) had a place across from my parents' place in Wisconsin. She looked at me and said "Wait... are you LYNN???" She went on to tell me that my mother talked about me all the time and they were Grace and Dave LUCK, who I had gone to school with! Oh. My. God. How small this world is getting. (Thank you for the reminder. I will write Grace this evening.) We all got to talking about the spirit world and how my grandfather (Dzia Dzia) saw his parents after they had passed years earlier. I was telling them how I've had visitors as well, and one of the ways I knew was that I would put my glass of iced tea down in a certain spot and it would shatter. Just then, I picked up my water glass and it broke about and inch and a half from the bottom, for absolutely no reason. There was no seam at that spot. The glass was not too cold and the table was not too hot. It just shattered. While the waitstaff hurried to clear the mess, we all sat there in amazement, still shocked at how I had said it and it happened. If there was ever any doubt, it's gone now. Once lunch was over, and before Fritzie got away from us, we moved to the bar area and took a group picture. I will never forget that luncheon, and everyone agreed not to let so much time go by without getting together again. Mission accomplished.

The next day was Wednesday, and I finally got a chance to have some downtime at JJ Kelley's. It's a nice little place, with great food and lots of atmosphere. Tracy works there and it was just like being home. By the way... for the record, JJ Kelley's has a much better fish platter than Popolano's... just in case there was any doubt.

Thursday... and time to make the pierogi. I did the mixing... Tracy and I did the taste testing. I had to alter the recipe due to using farmer's cheese instead of dry cottage cheese. Once we were satisfied that the filling was exactly as it should be, I made the dough... and BOY did I make the dough! I did 4 batches of it... used up all the flour and eggs I could find (went out and got more). Tracy did the filling and pinching (thank God... I was never good at that part) and Aunt Pat did the boiling. We saved the frying for later on that night at Tracy's. And BOY were they good! The only thing that was better was sharing them (and the fish!) with the family. Oh man. What a feast! What great company! What a way to spend New Year's Eve... with people I had not ever thought I would see again all in the same room... bullshitting like we used to. Old friends... good friends... new and old memories... all golden.

Amy and her husband came, and I got to meet Arly, who I knew only through Facebook at this point. Arly is named for her grandmother, my godmother, Aunt Shirley (given name Arlene). Arly is a delightful girl... smart and inquisitive. I also got to meet Rylee, who is Tracy's daughter. Rylee is also a very bright girl and a delight to be around. In the course of the evening, I had given out some amethysts, which were in my purse, but are not normally. I knew there was SOME reason for me to bring them with me, and I knew that reason was my family. The stones were meant to be given out. At one point in the evening, Hank said "We have something for you." I said "Okay" but Hank again said "Lynn, we HAVE something for you!" Tracy came out with Busia's afghan in her hands and put it in mine. Tracy and I both cried big crocodile tears. I remember watching Busia make that afghan in the late 60's or early 70's. It's heavy... made of wool, not that fake wool crap. It's an old lady's afghan... made of granny squares divided by black yarn... and now it's in my home. Again, Tracy and I have a very special bond. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. We all spent the evening talking about old and new things, memories and spirituality. When midnight came, we were all safe in our own homes (in my case, in my room), away from the drunks on the road. I couldn't think of a better way to end the old year.

I was still there in Chicago for two more days, but honestly, other than visiting Amy at her home and having her cut my hair, and sending all my assorted goodies (kielbasa, White Castles and Fannie May candies) back to Memphis, I can't tell you what I did... because I really don't know. The time came and it went. My flight back to Memphis was a saga in itself. But no more for now. I have crops to harvest and Mafia to wipe out. Haha... I love Facebook.

Nazdrowie'

Paczki Puta

P.S. Tracy will get the afghan back when I pass. I love you, Tracy!!!

Chicago - Day Three

Repost from August 7, 2006


Chicago - Day Three and the trip home
Current mood: tired

Where do I start with this... there's so much...

Yesterday (Sunday) wasn't very eventful, which was just fine with me. After the previous two days, I was hurting pretty bad and needed the time to rest.

We did go out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The lunch was the best part. We went to the world famous Gino's East Pizzaria downtown and had the deep dish pizza that Chicago is famous for. This was always our favorite place to go for pizza, and we haven't been there for quite a few years, because whenever we would go visit my family, it seems that if they get north of Route 30, they get a nosebleed. But I digress... we had an absolutely marvelous time there and decided to take some random pictures around town, including the Bartman ball inside Harry Caray's, Marina Towers, The House of Blues, etc. Hope you enjoy them!

Now... for our trip home...

We had an early pickup at the hotel (5 fucking AM) and got to Midway Airport well before boarding, went through security, and found a place to have breakfast (another Harry Caray's... so sue me!). We knew our new-found friends from the Billy Goat and Parrothead Porkers (Gayle and Tommy Lancaster) were going to be on our flight, so we got a chance to talk a little ahead of time. When we got on board, there were a few problems.

First, it seems that the airline switched planes on us and we went from a 717 to a 737, which for some reason caused a whole lot of double booking. This double booking caused us to remain on the ground for about an hour past our schedule takeoff time. When we FINALLY got in the air, the captain told us that air traffic control routed us about 150 miles out of our way, and this would put us in Atlanta at about 12 noon, which was just 3 minutes from our connection. Well, so much for that, I thought. But as we were taxiing up to the gate, we saw that our connecting plane was still at the gate we had to board at, which was just one gate away. So when all the bozos who were blocking us (on the plane) were taking their sweet time getting their carry-ons, I yelled (I've got a 3 minute connection!!!) and quickly the waves parted. I ran out into the terminal, and heard someone say "Connecting flights"... I yelled out our flight number and was directed to the customer service agent who would help us. He started telling me how we had to wait for the next flight, which was 4 hours away, and we couldn't get on the flight that was still on the ground. SO ran over to the gate and started putting the squeeze on the agent there, which did no good. They had already given our seats away and were not opening that damn door for anything! So... everything has an upside, right? We found the Budweiser bar and spent our little comp tickets on Buds and lunch. We had the most marvelous time swapping stories with the Lancasters, and honestly, I hated that we had end our good time to get on the plane. I thought there would be nothing more to report at that time, but I was wrong!

We were having our usual good time with the people boarding, but then the male flight attendant (Bob) came over to us and asked us if we would mind changing seats with this couple in the very back of the plane because the woman was extremely claustrophobic. Bob told us he would comp our drinks if we would do it. Quickly (like a split second) I said sure... sign me up! Little did I know that I would have the same reaction that woman had... I sat down in the rear of the plane... with a wall to my right (no window), a seat in front of me, SO on my left and a wall to my back, and suddenly I had this overwhelming urge to escape or I would die!!! I told SO to move, and if he hadn't, I was going right OVER him! I'm pretty fearless on most things, but this really got to me. I kept apologizing, saying "I'm sorry, I didn't realize it would affect me like this." Bob asked us if we would like a cocktail... that he appreciated that we tried... but I politely declined and tried to get comfy again. The sight of that closed-in area lingered in my mind, so I tried reading. We weren't off the ground yet... in fact, the flight attendants were still trying to fill 4 seats, including the two we had just vacated. We heard this oriental woman giving Bob a hard time about having to move back to where we were before. Poor Bob... he was being as nice as he could be, but this woman was on stand-by, so she should have just taken what she was given and shut the fuck UP about it. Bob came over to us and said, "I'm about to slap Yoko". We just died laughing and it took all the pressure out of the situation for me.

So we finally took off... and this young woman sitting next to me was reading... and I asked her if she would mind opening the window shade so I could watch the takeoff. Actually, I was still feeling a bit claustrophobic, so I wanted to be able to see out. She quickly opened her shade, but it dropped about 1/3 of the way down. She kept putting it back up and it kept dropping. It really got comical. We were laughing about that too, when I told her that it was okay, as long as I had some light coming in. The plane went through a lot of turbulence coming into Memphis, and I sighed a bit as we came in... Memphis is such a downer after being in such a wonderful place all weekend. Oh well...

Going through the Memphis airport pissed me off... mostly because when we were departing Memphis, security took away my leatherman, which I had forgotten was in my laptop case. When we came back, I went to security and demanded to have it back. I didn't get anywhere with the so-called "supervisor" who just wasn't going to go look for it and would rather sit there and stuff his face. I told him that I would write and letter and that that son of a bitch owed me $50 for a new one. Asswipe...

Our sons came to pick us up at the airport, and we took them out to eat... all three of them... my chosen adopted son, Ron, had been staying at our house all weekend, so we invited him to dinner too. Rhys' 18th birthday was Sunday and the birthday boy always gets to go where he wants to go. He chose Coletta's, so we had pizza again... I had to get to Wild Oats before going home so we'd have food for the morning. Now we're doing laundry and settling back in.

Work tomorrow... and I'm so tired...

Nazdrovie'

Paczki Puta

Chicago - Day Two

Repost from August 05, 2006

Chicago - Day Two Another eventful day! After a great breakfast at Houlihan's, we decided to go down to Navy Pier and go on a cruise on one of the tall ships that are in harbor this week. This is something that I've always wanted to do, and I have also never been on Lake Michigan, which, for a native of Chicago that loves the water, is quite unusual. So after some trial and error, we finally found where we were to get the tickets for the cruise. The problem was that we had to wait our turn... which was another 3 hours! So we decided to see what we could on Navy Pier. We came across a stained glass exhibit, which featured astounding pieces of German stained glass, which had mostly been used in churches in the Chicago area which were no longer in existence. I have included some pictures below. I hope you can see them. When it came our turn to sail, we boarded the Windy II, which was the larger of the two sailing ships. My SO was all OVER that ship... trying to get me to come to the other end... which didn't work! I'm not very sure-footed on water, and since I was already exhausted, I opted to stay where I was, and met a very nice couple from Montgomery, Illinois... on the northwest side of Chicago. We took their pictures; they took ours. We exchanged life histories and vowed to get in touch and send pictures their way. Anyway... sailing on... We were on board for about an hour and 45 minutes. The cruise itself lasted an hour and a half, and was the most relaxing part of this trip yet. Away from the city's heat, I was finally able to cool off... with the spray from the Windy II cooling me down. The crew "volunteered" some of us to hoist sails and tighten the ropes. The kids on board had a ball with that! Along the way, we met up with the Windy I and exchanged some staged cannonfire. Again, the kids on board were the ones to help out with that chore, and we turned back toward land when we were certain that all low-down no good yellow- bellied egg-suckin' scalawags were properly put back in their place in the pecking order. My SO took over the ship at one point, and I was certain that I was going to have to enlist the rest of the people on board to mutiny so we would have a safe return. That turned out to be an unneeded precaution, as the captain soon took the reins once again and ably guided us back to dock. After our wonderful experience aboard the Windy II, we (read that I) decided that I was not going to leave Navy Pier without riding the giant ferris wheel. After all, this is a trip for making some long- held dreams come true. So up on the ferris wheel we went, which went around so slowly that you really didn't know you were moving. And for someone like me who really isn't fond of heights, that was perfectly fine. We ended the day back at the hotel, with the lights of the city coming up for the nighttime bustle. Day is done... Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Nazdrovie'

Paczki Puta

Chicago - Day One

This is a repost from August 4, 2006.

Chicago - Day One

So here I am... in the most beautiful city in the world... Chicago. My SO won tickets from 93X to go to Lalapalooza, and we were whisked on a plane and down to the House of Blues Hotel. After getting settled in, we decided to take a walk and see what we would find.

The first thing we found was Harry Caray's Restaurant, which I have always wanted to go to, being the Chicago baseball fan that I am. We had a marvelous lunch... everything was simply perfect. And when we were done, we looked at all the memorabilia in the place. Harry certainly had a long career, and was well loved! One of the items of note in the restaurant was a shattered baseball, touted as the Bartman Baseball. This ball was intentionally shattered, as it was the ball that a fan (Steve Bartman) grabbed out of the hands of Moises Alou, during a game that would have brought the Cubs to the World Series in 2003. That catch would have been the last out of the game. Everything went downhill from there. By the end of the inning, the Florida Marlins had put 8 runs on the board, forcing Game 7. The poor schmuck had to be escorted from the stadium by 3 security officers when fans started chanting "ass-HOLE, ass-HOLE" and pelting him with cups. Ah yes, only in Chicago. The ball was bought at auction by the managing partner of the Harry Caray restaurants with the intent purpose of destroying it. And what did he pay for this honor? A whopping $106,600!!! Ugh... makes me sick to think about it, but hey... REVERSE THE CURSE!!! (We'll come back to this later.)

After lunch, we decided to stroll around downtown and take some pictures of the wonderful architecture that engulfs the city that I call home. I stood at the exact spot where Fort Dearborn once stood, at the Chicago River. I felt a little like Mary Tyler Moore at the beginning of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, wanting to throw my hands open wide, twirl around, and throw my hat in the air. I'm HOME!!! Downtown Chicago has always been my home, even though I grew up in the suburbs. It was in downtown Chicago that I had my first real taste of independence, and it was here that I felt I had a real life. Ah yessssssssss... to be young again and have all that ahead of me yet.

So back to my story about the curse...

We decided to find the world famous Billy Goat Tavern, which I had never been to. (The world MUST be coming to an end, because I'm getting to do things I've always wanted to do, and some of my deepest wishes are coming true.) Anyway... the Billy Goat Tavern was made famous by John Belushi and Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live, as the home of the "Cheezborger Cheezborger". We went into this little place, which really isn't any bigger than the Poplar Lounge in Memphis, and were having a great time with the guys who were working that shift, with them teasing us, and we, teasing them right back. We took some pictures and read up a little on the lore associated with the Billy Goat. This is where the curse comes in. As Wikipedia tells it: "The Curse of the Billy Goat, or Billy Goat Curse (curse supposedly began in 1945) is the name of an urban myth, superstition, used to explain the World Series drought that Major League Baseball's Chicago Cubs have had to endure since their last appearance in the 1945 World Series, and their last World Series championship in 1908. The curse is a classic example of a scapegoat.

As the story goes, Vasili "Billy Goat" Sianis, a Greek immigrant who owned a nearby tavern (the now-famous Billy Goat Tavern), had two 7.20 USD box seat tickets to Game 4 of the 1945 World Series between the Chicago Cubs and the Detroit Tigers, and decided to bring his pet goat, Murphy (or Sinovia according to some references), with him. Sianis and the goat were allowed into Wrigley Field and even paraded about on the playing field before the game before ushers intervened. They were led off the field. After a heated argument, both Sianis and the goat were permitted to stay in the stadium occupying the box seat for which he had tickets. However, before the game was over, Sianis and the goat were ejected from the stadium at the command of Cubs owner Philip Knight Wrigley due to the animal's objectionable odor. Sianis was outraged at the ejection and allegedly placed a curse upon the Cubs that they would never win another pennant or play in a World Series at Wrigley Field again and left the States to vacation in his home in Greece.

The Cubs lost Game 4 and eventually the 1945 World Series, prompting Sianis to write to Wrigley from Greece, saying, "Who stinks now?" Following a third-place finish in the National League in 1946, the Cubs would finish in the league's second division for the next 20 consecutive years, this streak finally ending in 1967, the year after Leo Durocher became the club's manager. Since that time, the cursed Cubs have not won a National League pennant or played in a World Series --the longest pennantless drought in Major League history. Sianis died in 1970."

We were having a great time with everything there, when nature called and while in the restroom, I started having a conversation with this lady I recognized from my flight into Chicago. I couldn't believe it when I heard the things she was saying... she is on the PARROTHEAD PORKERS Barbecue Team for Memphis in May!!! And not only that, I've gotten drunk in their booth more than once! We have been invited to the booth several times, by friends of ours, who no longer live in Memphis. Anyway, she told me that the whole group was RIGHT THERE in the Billy Goat!!! They are in town for a Jimmy Buffett concert taking place in Tinley Park tomorrow night. Needless to say, I grabbed my SO and we spent the next 3 hours with some of the most fun people I've ever enjoyed! The stories they told!!! I think it's safe to say that we will be more than welcome in their booth from now on... in fact, we have been invited to their booth at the barbecue fest in Arlington in October.

So... all that said... enjoy the pics we took today!

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

Nazdrovie'

Paczki Puta