Table Scraps

Suburban Chicago, December 31, 1966. Dad catches me feeding Ziggy.

Gigi was a good hostess.

Door County, Wisconsin, June 1981. My Mom's best friend, Donna, joined my Parents for the weekend. Donna brought Heidi, one of the Dachshunds. A patient crocheted the ivory, gold, and brown afghan for my Mom. We still use the afghan; Rex sleeps on it every night in his chair.

Conversation

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. My Dad's older cousin Vytas visits my Kaunas Cousin's family. (That's Musytė on the left.)

Grab a Book: Three-Dog Edition

Suburban Chicago, January 1989. Heidi the Daschund visits again; our Meškė (on the left) and Žulė are in the picture, too.

Ziggy is in the picture.

Suburban Chicago, December 31, 1966. My friend Kris and her Parents—my Mom's Best Friend, Donna, and Vytenis—pose with Ziggy.

Sunday Lakeshore

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1979. The family of my friend Kris—her Dad Vytenis, one of the Heidis, her maternal Grandfather, and her Mom Donna—visit my Parents.

An Occasional Visitor

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. My Dad's older cousin, Vytas, visits with his niece, Kaunas Nina. Kaunas Nina holds her doggie, Musytė.

Vytas, like his brother Henry, was one of my Dad's older cousins. After Vytas returned to Lithuania from the Siberian Gulag, the regime prohibited him from living in a city. As a result, Vytas could visit Kaunas only occasionally.

Sunday Walk, with Musytė

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1972. My Kaunas Cousin and her mother, Kaunas Nina, prepare to take Musytė for a walk.

"Ready for bath time?"

Dachshunds can't wait to take a bath.

Summer Knitting

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1979. Mom and her best friend, Donna, spend another afternoon knitting together.

Sunday Paper: Lithuanian-Language Edition

Door County, Wisconsin, July 1979. My friend Kris's maternal Grandfather, her Dad Vytenis, and one of the Heidis enjoy the lake view. Kris's Grandfather—in his eighties here—holds a copy of the Lithuanian-American newspaper, "Draugas." 

A Visit from Heidi, in Three Takes

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Suburban Chicago, June 1977. My Mom's best friend, Donna, visits with her long-haired, miniature Dachshund, "Heidi." Donna later adopted another Dachshund, already also named "Heidi." To distinguish between the dogs, Donna called one "Heidulė" and the other "Heidytė."

 

Recall Lithuanian is a language of multiple diminutives.

Happy New Year.

Suburban Chicago, January 1, 1965. We're celebrating again with my friend Kris and her family. Kris and I stand in the front. In the back, from left to right: my Dad—holding "Kris's dog, "Ziggy;" my Mom; Kris's Dad, Vytenis; my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and; Kris's Mom—and my Mom's best friend—Donna.

My Mom is wearing a black dress with a large bow positioned just above the waist. It has a matching bolero with three-quarter-length sleeves. The dress is very familiar because I still wear it occasionally to holiday parties. It's required some repair work over the years—probably because I stressed the seams—but it remains a charming number.

Loyalty

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. Here's another image of my Dad's cousin, Henry, and his beloved Dachshund, "Musytė."

A good dog helps one forget the day's troubles.

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, 1973. Suzanne, the wife of my Dad's cousin, Henry, and the maternal Grandmother of my Kaunas Cousin, shares a moment with her beloved Musytė.

Mystery Group

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1943. Here's another view of the kids in my Dad's neighborhood. Do you recognize anyone in this shot? If you do, then please leave a comment.

Henry and "Musytė"

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. My Dad's cousin, Henry, cradles the beloved Dachshund, "Musytė."

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.

Everyone admires "Musytė."

"Musytė" is the Lithanuan word for "little fly." Musytė, the Dachshund, belonged to my Kaunas Cousin. Kaunas Cousin also had a second dog, Ači.

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. My Kaunas Cousin, on the far left, sits in the library with her Grandparents, Suzanne and Henry, and her mother, Kaunas Nina. Musytė yawns on Suzanne's lap.

Describing this photo to my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, Suzanne wrote, [Kaunas Cousin] wear a dress sewn from the fabric you sent to us from America. [Kaunas Nina's] wig arrived from [a New York relative]." Recall how common it was to wear wigs in the 1970s.

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Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1973. Musytė does a better job of posing here. About this photo, Suzanne added, "[Kaunas Nina] wears the blouse that was a gift from you."

If you want to read more about the angel or the books on the shelves, then go back to this post.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making the second photo available to us.

The Neighborhood Kids

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1943. These children were neighbors of my Dad's family. The girl in the back, on the left, is holding a Dachshund, and she's wearing one of those Eastern European bows.