Mary Catherine

Last week, we said goodbye to my father's sister, Mary Catherine. She was a quiet, gentle woman who remembered every occasion with a handwritten note (and usually a $10 bill earmarked for ice cream sodas at Aglamesis or some other small pleasure). She spoke in a low voice, saved her mother's Irish linen, and surprised me a bit by delighting in the chaos that Nora brought into her quiet, orderly home.

My grandmother Peg gave Mary Catherine this Claddagh ring when she was a girl, and she in turn presented it to me when I turned sixteen. When Nora's old enough, I'll pass the ring along to her.

According to Irish tradition, one may not buy a Claddagh for oneself; it must be given as a gift. The heart represents love; the crown, loyalty; and the hands, friendship. I hope that, in addition to those virtues, Nora will inherit some of Mary Catherine's gentle nature and generosity.

A Walk in the Woods

For some reason, it's taken me months to clear out enough space on my video camera to record more videos of Nora. Now that I've got about an hour's worth of space available, I'm shoving the camera in her face at every opportunity. Here's some scintillating footage of our hike in the woods last weekend.

Bamama coming!

Usually when I put on an enthusiastic voice to get Nora excited about something and I say, "Guess what we're doing tonight?" or, "Do you know who's coming over?" Nora's first response is, "Bamama coming!" Nora's happiness at spending an afternoon at the park with Bamama shines through in these photos.

We got there just before dusk, and the late-summer light was positively buttery.

Grown-Ups

In what is probably a telling sign, my daughter thinks M&Ms are called "Grown-Ups." As in, "Sorry, Baby, these are only for grown-ups."

Sunday in Hyde Park with Granddaddy (and a Firetruck) (and Ice Cream)

Granddaddy, photographed by Nora.

She sure does get a kick out of the guy.

I guess she hasn't heard all his jokes yet.


Here, if I'm not mistaken, he's blowing her mind with his favorite Latin saying: "Non taliter qualiter, sed totaliter aliter."

And she's retorting with hers: "Semper ubi sub ubi!"

I'm not sure what's up with this fakey smile.

(On Nora, I mean.)

The following pictures were taken during the brief period when Nora was not running in circles yelling "SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR!" (Thanks, Graeter's!)

Thrill Seeker

We went to the Nativity School festival tonight and I was amazed at Nora's bravery in going on the rides all by herself. She displayed her trademark serious focus-- not looking at us much, just keeping her eyes on the road.

Meat Sleeves