The Woody League

Ack and I started in a new curling league last night, the Woody. It's open, meaning there can be any mix of women and men on the team. Our skip has 17 points, and the rest of us have only 1 or 2 - a very unusual mix. That meant I got to play vice (third), my favorite position but one I've played only once before. You get to do everything when you play vice: sweeping, shooting a variety of shots, plus strategy in the last end when the skip is shooting. It was a fun night.

What do you do when...

... the high temperature for the day is below 10F? And its been that way for a few days? Get outside! Anne and I went skiing on the lake today for some fresh air and exercise.

Inauguration!

Anne requested inauguration tickets from our congressional senators and representative, and Tammy Baldwin came through (but with only two). Erin and Alana are in DC and will attend. This is a photograph Erin took of the invitation. They will be viewing from the reflecting pool by the Capitol. They promise photos....

A Lily Blooming Wild

Along with Ack's eulogy at Lil's funeral, our nephew, Ryan Downing, performed a beautifully moving song he'd written in honor of Lil.  Ryan is second from left in this photo of seven of the nine grandchildren.  Missing are the two who live in New York: Amanda, who was at work, and her brother Andrew, who is serving in Iraq. 

Here are the lyrics.

There's a lily blooming wild by the side of the road.

It likes the air of travel and roots that feel like home.

Like the city to a child, the world's a great big place.

She drew the map and walked the path, you could see it on her face.

You could hear it in her voice; you could feel it when she spoke.

Your ears would feel the wind with each story she told.

Like the sky in the morning, the world is brand new.

It's not about what's been done, it's about what you can do.

There's a lily blooming wild in everybody's soul.

The flower might be gone but the lily still grows. 

Bloom, lily, bloom.

When you didn't want to smile, she always made you laugh.

Look forward to the future by learning from the past.

Like a piece of glass worn smooth by the sand on the beach,

Even if you're broken there's still something you can leave.

There's a lily blooming wild in everybody's soul.

The flower might be gone but the lily still grows. 

Bloom, lily, bloom. 

Ryan's making a go at it as a professional musician, the lead singer for Jonas Sees in Color.

Award

So, here I am in Phoenix receiving the American Meteorological Society's 2009 award for Excellence in Teaching from the society's president. It certainly is an honor and I appreciate all those in UW and CIMSS who made this possible. The award reads:

For his abundant energy and steadfastness in the promotion and practice of excellence in teaching and mentoring, and for the development and wide dissemination of highly-regarded learning materials for undergraduate and graduate students in the atmospheric sciences.

It was a high honor and there was a nice celebration afterward in a nearby bar. But, having come so soon after Mom's funeral, it wasn't hard to recognize that something was missing. The inclusion of and celebration with family makes any event so much nicer.

A New Year, and a new beginning.

Ack's mom, Elizabeth (Lillian), passed away on New Year's Day in New York. We were there with her and many other family members. A copy of the eulogy Ack gave at the funeral Mass is below.

Our Mom was full of life. We love and miss her dearly. We will miss her gracious warmth, her quick wit, her love of telling a good story or a silly joke. For those not recently familiar with her jokes:

There were two frogs in a large pond. One was sitting on a lily pad and the other was in the water. The one on the lily pad looks at the one in the water and asks: “How deep is the water?” and the second replies “Knee Deep.” She liked to tell that joke, and for a week after telling it she would walk around the house saying “knee deep, knee deep.”

Our Mom could find enjoyment in little things: from Macdonald toys to new kitchen gadgets. She had a gracious kindness for all things, from wounded seagulls to words of calming strength in tragic events.

She loved to travel. Whether it was to Egypt, Israel, Scotland, or Germany. These travels were more than seeking the beauty and wonders of the world. She learned how others lived and shared her life with others. She explored their cultures and gathered stories to tell. She enjoyed traveling to visit family. From short trips to visit Andy and Marianne, to long road trips down south to visit her sisters or Mike and Louise and their families in North Carolina, or us in Wisconsin; these trips brought her joy and stories to tell. One family story is about a short trip she took with our Dad.

We had property in Maine that we would vacation at in the summer. We would sometimes go for a drive in the surrounding mountains with this old truck; looking for fishing spots or pretty views. On this particular day it was my Dad and Mom traveling together. My Dad on occasion would drive that truck in places that it shouldn’t go; and on this particular day he drove it into some mud. Mom got out of the truck, walked in the mud to look over the situation. My dad tried rocking the truck to get it unstuck. Back and forth, back and forth. When that wasn’t working my Dad stopped rocking, stuck his head out the window and asked my Mom – “Lil, how deep is this mud?” And my Mom replied “Knee deep, knee deep”.

She enjoyed laughter. Life is to be fun. She was radiant with life and thus did not want to give it up. There were still books she wanted to read, countries she wanted to visit, red hats she wanted to wear, gardens she wanted to grow, stories she wanted to make, jokes she wanted to tell, and friends and family she wanted to be with. We can have faith that she is doing those things now, just not with us physically.

So, I ask that you think of her now and again as she was in life at some moment which is pleasant for you to recall. Mom would like all of you to make a difference in this world, not a big difference, but the kind that matters to you. Read that book you put on the shelf, tell that person you love them, share a story or a joke, and most of all laugh – make someone laugh, laugh with someone, laugh at yourself, show the world the humor and wonderment of yourself. Laugh at yourself knowing you are at peace with yourself and with others.

Thanks to all of you for sharing your life with her. For helping her compose stories, for listening to her jokes and for laughing with her.