2011 LENTEN SEASON

The Lenten Season began on Ash Wednesday, March 9th. Lent is a time of conversion and spiritual renewal. All faithful Christians are called to seek repentance, fasting, almsgiving and turning away from practices that might be sinful. Lent is the time of preparation for the celebration of the Easter mysteries.

I went to 8:00 a.m. Mass on Wednesday because there was a work-related function in the evening. I had a few errands to take care of in the afternoon but no one pointed out that I had “something” on my forehead!

I did not know about the earthquake in Japan and tsunami until after the 8:00 a.m. Mass on Friday morning (March 11th) when the lector asked for prayers for those affected by the disaster. Later, as I watched the sea overtook the land, it made me feel as if the world was really coming to the end.

After dinner, we went to church for prayer of the Stations of the Cross.
These photos were taken during our Westward adventure on Route 66 in July 2010. This giant cross stands just south of I-40 Exit 112 on Highway 295. The newest religious monument, built in 1995, is located in Groom, Texas, and called the “Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ”. At 190 foot tall (19 stories), it is billed as the “Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere”. The complex also includes statutes of the “Stations of the Cross”.

FIRST STATION – Jesus is condemned to death (Mark 14:61-64)

SECOND STATION – Jesus carries His cross (John 19:14-17)

AND UNTO DUST YOU SHALL RETURN

Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn, New York - November 2010

TREASURES OF NAPOLEON

Saturday, March 5th was a misty day. The rain started on Friday night around 7:30 p.m. and continued to drizzle until Saturday afternoon.

On Sunday, March 6th, we went to Delmar Loop then to Missouri History Museum. It was a nice sunny day. Since we stayed in all day on Saturday, we decided that it was nice to get out. We went to Gyro House in the Loop for lunch.After lunch, we went to Missouri History Museum to see the exhibit of Treasures of Napoleon. The exhibition showcases some of his most personal possessions including Legion of Honour medal, clothing, handkerchief, private letters and many artifacts bearing his famous signature. There are many paintings depicted the famous Emperor leading the troops on the battle field to victory.I really enjoyed the exhibit and plan to read more about this enigmatic figure and how he changed the course of world history. CP commented that after attending the concert by Philharmonic of Poland on Wednesday, then this special exhibit, he felt so cultural! Too bad this exhibit ends April 3rd. Qaptain Qwerty would have enjoyed it as he also is very cultural - haa haa.

FRIDAY SKY - THE ANGEL OF HARMONY

I thought these images of the Angel of Harmony sculpture would be fitting following the post about the concert at the Cathedral. The sculpture is on display in a small garden on the ground near the Cathedral.

OPOLE, PHILHARMONIC OF POLAND (DATE NIGHT)

My husband and I were on a date on Wednesday evening. We left work early and went to dinner before attended a concert at the Cathedral Basilica on Lindell.

The Opole, Philharmonic of Poland, one of Poland’s leading Orchestras, was founded in 1947. This is the first time the Opole undertakes a transcontinental tour of the United States. My husband’s great-grandparents came from Poland and it has been a long time since we attended a concert at the Cathedral.

The first half of the concert featured all orchestral works and violin soloist, Marta Kowalcyzk (left – above photo) and Music Director and Conductor Boguslaw Dawidow (right). According to the brochure, Ms. Kowalcyzk started her violin education at the age of 7. She was born in 1991 in Koszalin, Poland.

The second half of the program featured, Izabella Matula, Soprano soloist singing favorite Scared Arias such as Ave Maria by Franz Schubert and I know that my Redeemer liveth from “Messiah” by George Frideric Handel.

We used to have season tickets and enjoyed many great concerts such as Chanticleer, Vienna Boys Choir, and Westminster Cathedral Choir, London, England. Back when we had a few extra dollars, we became “patrons”, a fancy name for season ticket holders who also made donations. As patrons, we enjoyed reserved front seats, special patron entrance and reserved parking. Now we sit way in the back while cursing and giving dirty looks to those “filthy” rich people who are the enemy of the poor working class!

After 22 years, we thought a “date” would bring back romance in our marriage. We enjoyed the dinner (we both love to eat) and a fine cultural experience. The concert started at 8:00 p.m. and we did not get home until 11:15 p.m. That was way past our normal bedtime. We went straight to bed and our “date” ended with no further action taken place – haa haa.

After the concert, we went all the way up to the choir loft and took the above photo. The staircase was narrow and dark. I kept saying to CP that we would be locked in since no one knew we went up there. He thought it would be make it more romantic if we spent the night in the loft. CP did not think it was funny when I commented that all the stained glass windows would be broken from his reverberating snores!

AND THE LIONS MARCHING IN

Will March come in like a lion and go out like a lamb?

New York Public Library - November 2010.

FEBRUARY 2011

I blinked and the month of February was gone!

February 2011 roared into the year with an ice storm that terrified St. Louisians and somewhat handcuffed the Midwest region. Some of us could tell the grandkids stories about how we survived the 2011 Monster Storm!

“OK, TOTA, are you going to tell exactly when your birthday is?” my adoring fans and faithfully readers probably are asking. I saw many blogs with hundred of followers, one with almost 1,000 followers. Yet, when the person posted that it was his/her birthday on a particular date, there were about 54 out of 596 followers that took the time to send comments wishing the person Happy Birthday. (What about the other hundred of followers?) Another blogger has 58 followers and only 5 sending birthday wishes. I must admit that the reason I don’t wish to share exactly the date when my birthday is because I was afraid that I would not receive even one comment on my special day. Is it silly for me, a 50 years old person, to be so insecure about such trivia matter? Well, if you must know, my birthday is on February 30th – haa haa.

February also brought many fun events such as the Lunar New Year (Tet) and of course, the Superbowl. I felt somewhat productive with my commitment to do more community services. I continued to help out at the monthly dance party for adults with mental challenges. I contacted three different hospice programs, two at local hospitals and one skilled care center. I already signed up for a refresher training scheduled in April. Until I am able to visit patients, I plan to start helping with special outreach projects. I am also involved with a local charity organization on a special project to send a shipment of 500 wheelchairs to Viet Nam. There are also plans to set up medical clinic in remote areas to provide much needed care to those in need of basic treatments.

My Dad passed away 10 years ago on February 13th. In all that I do, whether working or serving others thru volunteer activities, I do my best to honor my Dad. I know Dad is watching over me and our family. I hope he tells other angels, “That is my daughter (my sports buddy) and I am proud of her!”

The flowers with a balloon and the bear were from my sweet husband. My sister, CH, sent me these beautiful roses and calla lilies. I am thankful to be older and turning 50 was not too bad considering the other option – haa haa.

WINNERS AND LOSERS-2011 OSCARS

I am not against the Academy Awards. I did not watch the ceremony because I did not find the show interesting. When I see the headlines, "83rd Annual Academy Awards Winners", I wonder whether those who did not receive the awards considered themselves to be "Losers"!

These photos were taken in July 2010 when we spent a few hours driving around Los Angeles. Later, we cruised along the Pacific Coastal Highway (California State Route 1). My husband was in high heaven since it was on his bucket list to cruise along this famous highway in his cool car!

Just a few photos during our "drive-by shooting" because parking was at a premium and we had a long drive back to St. Louis.

I am sure those attended the Academy Awards would not be staying at this Hollywood Premier Motel. Maybe 20-30 years ago, some of them might have stayed there when they were struggling actors.

Sunday, February 27th - At around 11:15 p.m. we heard the siren went off. Tornado warning was issued for our area. From the basement, we could hear the heavy rain and strong wind. At around 11:45 p.m., the rain stopped and the wind subsided. We went back to bed when the warning was lifted.

I WANNA BE ON THE ROAD AGAIN!

Cabin fever finally got to me and I could not wait for Spring and Summer to arrive. I have been planning road trips in May when we will start driving the Lincoln Highway in Illinois and in September for a niece's wedding in Aspen, Colorado.

These photos were from our Westward Route 66 adventure in July 2010. For 9 days, we drove 4,437 miles from St. Louis to Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and reached the End of the Trail at Santa Monica Pier in California.

In September, we plan to drive the Lincoln Highway from Missouri to Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada and California. Visit http://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ to read about the first road across the United States of America. The Lincoln Highway is known as "The Main Street Across America".

I asked my husband whether we would take the T-bird or the Mustang for the trip in September. He said we should take the Mustang as it is more comfortable for long distance driving. I commented that if we really wanted to be comfortable, we should take "Luc". CP looked at me as if I just said something really insulting! "It is not a cool car", he said! Oh, I am so ready to be on the road again!

FRIDAY SKY - LUC AT AWAKENING

Around 7:30 p.m. last night (Thursday, February 24th), snow started to fall. There was no major accumulation and the roads were pretty clear the next day. I stopped by Central Park in Chesterfield to take a few photos of Luc at the Awakening. We had the place all for ourselves. No one was around, no kids climbing onto the hand, face and foot of the sculpture. It was nice :)The Awakening, a monumental, five-part sculpture by American sculptor J. Seward Johnson, Jr., was installed in October 2009. The sculpture is 70 feet in length, 17 feet tall, and 4,700 lbs cast aluminum.

For more information, visit www.sewardjohnson.com or www.chesterfieldarts.org.

81st STREET MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

My husband would have loved to spend the whole day or more, at the Museum of Natural History.

Regretfully, we got of the train, took these photos and got on the next train as we were running out of time on the last day of our week long visit to NYC last November.

MIDWEEK HUMOR - APPROVAL SEAL FROM MISS MANNERS

Here is another nice feature of my new automobile. Luc is a very polite vehicle. He "says" Hello when I "turned him on" - haa haa!

He "waves" Goodbye when I "shut him off"! Miss Manners would have given Luc her seal of approval for being a polite automobile.