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🇺🇦✏️✒️📚📔🌜dreamer 🌕 thinker 🌕 aspirant📱📷🚴‍♀️🏕🍄🌻

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Category Archives: Life

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Hodge, 2001 – 2013 (cat)

These are from a previous post in which photos of already questionable quality were resized. Some of the originals are lost, but I hope I can find at least a few. Hodge was a character who thought he was a lion to my antelope.

Hodge tribute
Hodge tribute
95 photos
Another long, hard day on the job
Back from a week at the animal clinic, er, spa
Better the caterpillar than me
Big furry shrimp
Break out the insulin
Cat and caterpillar
Cat yoga
Caterpillar friend
Closeup
Closeup
Comfy
Contemplative Hodge
Don't disturb me; I'm channeling Blofeld
Don't just stand there; get me a bigger bed
Don't take off my legs and tail
Enough with the photos
Every home has a remote hog
Evil is hard work
Eyes wide shut
Family portrait
Flexing paw
Footwarmer 2
Footwarmer; he has my foot pinned down for the count
Good morning, Sunshine
Have you been telling lies about me on Facebook again?
Himself
Hodge has a head cold and found a cozy spot
Hodge stars in Taxi Driver
Hodge succumbs to gravity
I am working; I am keeping the pillows warm
I don't care about your torn meniscus
I'm looking for the Tahitian women
I'm not allowed to go anywhere
I'm not ashamed
I'm not dead yet!
I've found my purpose in life
If looks could kill — ZAP!
In bed
Just Photoshop X where the eyes would be
Keeping at arm's length
Like my monkey face?
Little do I know I'm about to be boarded
Loafing
Look, ma, no head
Lord of all 700 square feet he surveys
Meaty thigh
Meaty thigh
Morning nap
My head . . .
My job is to hold down the floor, which I do well
Nap
Napping position 647
Not as sweet as he looks
Not my head again!
Notice my nose and pads color coordinate
Oh, the temptation to knock him off
Passed out
Peaceful coexistence is possible at naptime
Peek-a-boo
Pose
Relax
Relaxed
Roused
Sharpening his claws with his teeth
Stretch
Stretch
Taking a rest from peeing on the carpet
The Amazing Feline Pretzel
The afternoon nap
The better to bite you with
The devil assumes a fetal position
The end to a long, brutal day of napping
The last thing Diane saw before the end
The paparazzi
Thoughtful nap
Three minutes in the life of Hodge, minute 1
Three minutes in the life of Hodge, minute 2
Three minutes in the life of Hodge, minute 3
Toe beans
Trust
View from the sofa
Vigilantly guarding the hind legs
Was it necessary to rouse me?
What a dream
What aspect of MY BED don’t you get?
Who, me nip? Snap.
Window guard
With me and my bad shoulder as backstop
Woe is me
Yawn
You can't see me now
You can’t seriously think I’m going to move
You didn't want to get into the kitchen, did you?
You talking to me?
You weren't thinking of lying here, were you?
January 27, 2023 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Life Tagged cattitude, Hodge, life, photo Reply

Lessons and Carols, 2022

This is the first time since 2019 that Lessons and Carols, a Christmas Eve tradition at Rockefeller Chapel, has been held in person. I remember in 2020 and 2021, it was streamed. This year it was both in person and streamed. I attended, but within a few days had developed my first bout with COVID-19. I held out almost three years.

Rockefeller is always an experience. The snow was a great touch.

I love that the children don’t have to make or buy costumes to be farmyard animals. These days they can wear pajamas. My favorite was the Holstein cow (possibly an anachronism).

Lessons and Carols, 2022
Lessons and Carols, 2022
4 photos
IMG_5421
IMG_5423
IMG_5428
IMG_5438
January 6, 2023 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Life, Music, Video Tagged Chicago, health, holiday, Hyde Park, life, music, photo, video Reply

Postcard books

In my younger days (1980s through 1990s, which, sadly, don’t seem that long ago), I’d collect certain things, like Renaissance music CDs and bookmarks. I also collected postcard books from 57th Street Books and other bookstores. After all these years, I’m finally returning to sending postcards, some yellowing, to friends and family.

The Sierra Club books were among the first I bought. Just looking at them reminds me how the photos took me away from what was then a tedious life. Sadly, I don’t see postcard books on the Sierra Club’s website, and now that I think about it I’m not sure when I last saw a postcard book in a store. I suppose I’m one of the few left who sends postcards.

Sigh.

Postcard Books
Postcard Books
22 photos
February 16, 2021 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Life, Reminiscence Tagged nature Reply

Lessons and Carols at Rockefeller Chapel, 2020 style

Normally I’d have taken a couple of Amtrak trains to Pennsylvania for Christmas, but 2020 isn’t normal so here I am in Chicago. Normally if I were in Chicago I’d attend Lessons and Carols for Christmas Eve at Rockefeller Chapel on the University of Chicago campus. But it’s 2020, so here we are. I lit my own candle.

December 26, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Chicago, Life, Video Tagged Chicago, holiday, Hyde Park, life, music, video Reply

Covid Chronicles: Telemedicine visit

words and images Posted on October 8, 2020 by dlschirfOctober 24, 2020

Rheumatologist: Blah blah blah

Me: Blah blah blah

Rheumatologist: Blah blah blah

[Petunia climbs onto shoulder]

Me: Blah blah blah

[Petunia switches to chest and stares at me]

Rheumatologist: Here’s what I recommend . . . Hey, I feel like you’re not listening or paying attention because you’re too busy petting your cat.

Me: Look! [Holds up both hands] I’M NOT EVEN TOUCHING HER.

Posted in Blog, Life | Tagged health | Leave a reply

New wheels

I picked up my bike yesterday from GoodSpeed Cycles in Homewood. They did a great job with what they had (the wheels and tires available relatively quickly).

Untitled
My baby, ready to come home from the bike hospital
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I preferred the Bontrager tires I had, but these offer less resistance
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On the Metra Electric line
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Tucked in for the night, with both wheels locked
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Out for a first ride
July 3, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Life Tagged Chicago, Hyde Park, life, photo Reply

Follow-up to “Someone stole my wheels. Literally.”

words and images Posted on June 19, 2020 by dlschirfJune 22, 2020

J. took my bike to GoodSpeed Cycles in Homewood, where I met him after taking Metra for the first time in months. You’re supposed to wear a mask on the train. Most people did. Some, however, sported them on their chins. I’ve never known chins to spew droplets, but there are many things I’ve never known.

I’m getting new but different wheels and new but different tires, WTB ThickSlicks without tread. This will be . . . different. I also asked for new pedals since I knocked off a reflector a while ago. The woman at GoodSpeed is throwing in a new magnet for the speedometer. She didn’t see any problem with fixing the bike. It’ll take up to a couple of weeks to get the parts in (shortages thanks to COVID-19, which is why I’m getting new but different wheels — they’re what’s available). This is setting me back more than half the original cost of the bike, but it’s not optional for me.

Like me, the woman at GoodSpeed isn’t shocked by the theft of the wheels but by the idea the thief replaced them (with bad ones). I’m still gobsmacked by that. As an aside, the imposter front wheel is bent. No wonder someone needed new wheels.

Untitled
What’s left of my baby

As an aside, I found what I am sure are my wheels and tires on a bike in the Flamingo’s bike room, but that may be a story for another day.

Posted in Blog, Life | Tagged Chicago, Hyde Park, life, photo | Leave a reply

Meet the Schirfs, updated

Beginning with my paternal grandparents, we move on to my parents, my dad’s family, and my brother — characters, each and every one. Arranged roughly in chronological order.

Cast of characters:

  • Nicholas Peter Schirf and wife Anna Marie Shank, married c. 1910
  • Children Mildred, Ralph (my dad), Marietta, and Thelma, plus a possible appearance by Harold
  • Thelma’s husband John Conner and granddaughter Erin
  • Daisy (my mother), Virgil (my brother), and yours truly
  • Possibly a few unidentified family members and/or third parties
Meet the Schirfs
Meet the Schirfs
72 photos
Wedding, Nicholas Peter Schirf, Anna Marie Shank
Thelma, Harold?, Marietta
Thelma Schirf,  23 May 1940
Ralph Schirf, Army Air Force
"To a sister I love Marietta from Ralph"
Ralph Schirf
Ralph Schirf
Ralph Schirf with dog and guitar
Ralph, Marietta Schirf
Marietta Schirf keylining
Ralph Schirf with car
Ralph Schirf
Marietta at Lake Laure, Marlyand, Sep46
Grandmother Anna Marie, Mildred, Thelma, Ralph, Aug48
Grandmother Anna Marie, Mildred, Thelma, Marietta, Ralph, Aug48
Mildred, Grandmother Anna Marie, Thelma, Ralph
Ralph, Thelma, Aug1948
Ralph, Marietta, Aug48
Ralph, Marietta, Aug48
Ralph
Ralph
Ralph at Lincoln Park Zoo
Marietta, 24Aug1951
Daisy, Virgil, Diane
Virgil
Virgil, Ralph
Daisy, Virgil, 15Apr1956
Ralph, Virgil, Daisy, 1957
Virgil, Hamburg, New York, winter 1959
Virgil
John Conner, Virgil, Thelma, Jim Conner, Ralph, Marietta
Daisy, Diane
Ralph, Diane
Virgil feeding Diane
Diane
Diane, 4May1962
Diane and Virgil, December 1961
Diane, Virgil with sprinkler
Ralph and Diane, April 1965
Virgil and Diane, 7Sep1966
Diane and Virgil, November 1966
Virgil and Diane, March 1967
Diane in checkered dress, 4June1967
Diane, June 1967
Virgil birthday, 1967
Thelma and Marietta in matching dresses, 16Sep1967
Diane, Virgil, Christmas 1967
Thelma, Erin Conner
Mildred, Thelma, July 1971
Diane, Virgil with encyclopedias, January 1972
Virgil in Okinawa, November 1972
Virgil in uniform, January 1972
Virgil and Diane, January 1972
Diane, 6th grade graduation in 1973(?)
Virgil with wig
Daisy, Diane with Donna, 1977
Ralph and Daisy, 25th wedding anniversary
Virgil, Marietta
Marietta, Erin Conner
Virgil and Diane, 1981
Ralph, Diane, Daisy at Christmas
Ralph, October 1982
Virgil, Mildred, June (May?) 1983
Diane at convocation, 11June1983
Marietta and Diane in DC
Ralph, Marietta
Marietta and Ralph, August 1984
Ralph
Ralph
Diane and Courtney Lenna, November 1989
Diane and Virgil
Diane by Courtney L. Schirf, 28November1997
June 9, 2020 by dlschirf Posted in Blog, Life Tagged family, photo, Schirfs, vintage family photos 3 Replies

Someone stole my wheels. Literally.

words and images Posted on May 30, 2020 by dlschirfJune 2, 2020
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My ride in its happy place at Perennial Garden, pre-desecration

On the afternoon of a day that will be one for the history books (if there are any), I went out to fill my bike’s tires for the first time since my last ride in the autumn. Out to the building’s locked bike room, that is.

I unlocked the bike and moved it off the rack. When I started to fill the back tire, the gauge shot to 80, although usually it takes muscle, effort, and time to get it to the target of 60. Something didn’t feel right. It was similar to the scene in Star Trek‘s “That Which Survives” in which Scott says, “Mr. Spock, the ship feels wrong . . . it’s something I can’t quite put into words.”

I couldn’t spin the front tire to find the valve. When I found it by feel (most of the lights in the bike room aren’t working), it was missing the cap. The tire was flat, which was odd — my tires lose air over the winter, but they never go flat.

It was then I noticed the tires didn’t match.

And the wheels didn’t look like I remembered. The spokes were missing shine in a lot of places, and there was writing I didn’t recognize. I peeled back the front tire to find “Ritchey” underneath.

It hit me. Someone had stolen my wheels. While my bike was locked to the rack. They’d gone to the trouble of replacing them with old MTB wheels and mismatched tires. While my bike was locked to the rack. Someone with access to the building and the key to the bike room.

Unreal.

My beautiful heavy-duty wheels and fat Bontrager tires (to support my fat weight) — the ones that had carried me at least 400 to 500 miles. Gone. Forever.

I depend on my bike for transportation and mental health. I could have cried.

I did cry, later, when I double checked photos to make sure I wasn’t somehow mistaken.

It feels . . . wrong.

Later I went out to check both bike rooms, curious to see if my wheels had appeared on any of the other bikes. No, although they could have been out in use at the time I checked. I don’t know if I’ll have the heart to look again.

With the front wheel locked, I can’t walk it over to the Metra station to take to the bike shop in Homewood. Accessibility was part of the reason I’d chosen that shop. I’d have to ask J. for his help. If I didn’t know him, I don’t know what I’d do.

The bike shop’s site said they are open, but an appointment is required. I assumed this is to manage the number of people there and “social distancing” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I thought I’d take an afternoon off later this week.

The woman who answered shot that down before I mentioned it. She volunteered that the next available appointment was June 18. JUNE 18. Nearly three weeks away. Three weeks of glorious spring weather away.

I made an appointment for the afternoon of June 19. I already know that if the bike can be fixed, I won’t be able to get the same wheels and tires. Sigh.

“If the bike can be fixed” is a question. I don’t know where damage was done or how much. I asked her if they have a comparable model to replace it. She came back with, “Possibly, but you may not be able to get one for quite a while. There’s a global bike shortage.”

Global. Bike. Shortage.

Later I looked it up.

In March, nationwide sales of bicycles, equipment and repair services nearly doubled compared with the same period last year, according to the N.P.D. Group, a market research company. Sales of commuter and fitness bikes in the same month increased 66 percent, leisure bikes jumped 121 percent, children’s bikes went up 59 percent and electric bikes rose 85 percent.

By the end of April, many stores and distributors had sold out of low-end consumer bikes. Now, the United States is facing a severe bicycle shortage as global supply chains, disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak, scramble to meet the surge in demand.

Thinking of buying a bike? Get ready for a very long wait by Hilary Swift

This shouldn’t surprise me. Maybe it’s what led some lowdown varmint to steal my wheels.

My wheels from my locked bike. In a locked bike room. Behind a locked gate.

An infinitesimal thing in a world gone utterly mad. It’s going to be a long summer with who knows what at the end?

2020-06-01 20:31:31
Flat tire on fake front wheel (MTB)
2020-06-01 20:30:45
Fake back wheel (MTB) and tire
Posted in Blog, Life | Tagged Chicago, Hyde Park, life, photo | 2 Replies

Marietta Schirf, WAC editor

words and images Posted on March 22, 2020 by dlschirfMarch 22, 2020

Marietta Schirf was my dad’s youngest sister. He said he didn’t know how she snuck into the Armed Forces because he was sure she didn’t meet the minimum height requirement.

At a 1980s July 4th concert on Capitol Hill, E. G. Marshall officiating, veterans by branch were asked to stand up. When the turn came for the Air Force, she stood and whooped, to the surprise of our neighbors on the grass. I asked why Air Force, and she answered she’d been in the Army Air Corps. That’s the first I’d heard that.

Aunt Marietta died in the mid-90s. How she would have appreciated the resources of the internet. She once took me to the Library of Congress to look up articles on sugalite.

I will have to look up Front and Center. On the internet.

Marietta Schirf
Marietta Schirf at work on Front and Center
Posted in Blog, Life, Reminiscence | Tagged clippings, family, news, nostalgia, Pennsylvania | Leave a reply

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