The blog celebrates its fifth birthday today.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan, July 1961. What did you find here?

Happy Birthday, Baci

Madison, Wisconsin, October 2003. Baci turned thirteen today.

Distraction

Suburban Chicago, July 1970. I'm opening a gift (in a Madigan's box), but everyone admires Gigi.

Cash!

Suburban Chicago, July 1963. Finding an envelope is much better than opening a box from Madigan's.

General Manners: Feign Delight

Suburban Chicago, July 1962. There's a box from Madigan's, so it looks like someone brought a gift of clothing to my birthday party.

Related by Marriage: Party Hats

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, Spring 1959. The birthday party brought a smile out of Martha.

We share a laugh.

Suburban Chicago, November 1972. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, gets a kick out of one of the photos in her birthday album.

Related by Marriage: Bleary

Suburban Chicago, January 2, 1962. Mr. Irene has had a too much "50/50" at his party.

Seated are Mr. Irene's maternal Grandmother Anna, his Grandfather Stanley, and his Godfather Anthony.

Happy Birthday, Rex!

Monona, Wisconsin, June 2005. The little guy turns 11 today. He's the easiest dog we've ever had.

Related by Marriage: Too young for cake.

Suburban Chicago, January 1960. Mr. Irene's maternal Grandfather Stanley, his maternal Aunt Martha, and his Mom celebrate Mr. Irene's first birthday. There's a plate of Košeliena on the table: icky! That's one of the few foods I won't eat (the others are: poppy seed roll, grapefruit, and coconut. I also hate gin.)

A Birthday

 

Schweinfurt, Germany, about 1946. Dad would have been 93 today.

Birthday Boy

Madison, Wisconsin, November 2003. Baci turned twelve today.

A Chuckle at Dinner

Suburban Chicago, November 1972. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, shares a joke with Mr. John at the party celebrating Tatjana's seventy-fifth birthday.

We're still counting.

Suburban Chicago, July 1965. That's a sad little cake, but happily it's not coconut!

(Jewel shoppers will recognize those tumblers and plastic dishes.)

Birthday Girl

Verona, Wisconsin, March 2015. Today is Poppy's fourth birthday. Wow! She grew up fast.

Birthday Reunion

Taliesen Estate, Spring Green, Wisconsin, September 2, 2014. Today is Frank Lloyd Wright's birthday; here, again, is the Romeo and Juliet Windmill.

(Taliesen is one of our favorite places. We try to get there at least once each year.)

The Artist's Birthday

Suburban Chicago, 1976. This is the artist Bronius Murinas. He lived in our suburb. He was older than my Parents, so we didn't see him often at social occasions. The Lithuanians in our enclave did, however, gather to celebrate Murinas's seventieth birthday; Dad took this photo at that party.

Most families had some of his art in their homes.

Related by Marriage: Express yourself.

Probably Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, about 1959. Mr. Irene's maternal Aunt Martha and her husband, Wally, attend a birthday party.

Party Favors

Suburban Chicago, April 1961. My babysitter does a head count of the guests; she then helps my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, prepare the party treats. I move from the kitchen into the living room to play with the toy piano and my friend's Slyvester-the-Cat doll.

Tatjana quickly adopted the American custom of birthday parties (in Lithuania, people celebrate name days, not birthdays). This clip also offers a glimpse of our dependable refrigerator, and it captures Tatjana tearing off sheets of waxed paper. She always relied on waxed paper. Waxed paper! Who uses that now? It was never really functional.

Oh: that vase with the carnations. It's still in use. 

Supervision

Suburban Chicago, April 1958. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, oversees the party.