Tender

Near Erlangen, German, about 1944. By the time this woman—a medical-school classmate of my Mom's—gave Mom this snapshot, the woman's husband had long departed for the Eastern Front.

After Work

Suburban Chicago, June 1972. Dad and Gigi relax in the Rec Room. Mom's there, too, knitting.

Stitch Count

Door County, Wisconsin, January 1978. It's good to have a helper.

Poodle Trees

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, December 29, 2015. There's a lot to absorb.

A Happy Shopper

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, December 29, 2015. Poodles like to get out, too.

The Upgraded "Play Table"

Suburban Chicago, February 1969. I have little memory of this play table. The one I remember is the painted table on which I learned to draw.

The Tchotchkes Shelves

Suburban Chicago, 1967. This photo shows the items on display in the Rec Room (see also here, here, and here). Did you have a troll doll?

Chat

Suburban Chicago, January 1966. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, visits a neighbor.

Counting stitches.

Door County, Wisconsin, October 1979. My Mom's best friend, Donna, knits in the opposite corner.

Grab a Book: Serious-Tweed Edition

Suburban Chicago, December 1973. Sometimes Dad smiled for the selfie, and sometimes he struck a serious expression.

The Dining Room

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, January 1958. My Dad's older cousin Henry, Henry's wife Suzanne, and Henry and Suzanne's daughter, Kaunas Nina, host a New-Year's celebration.

Thanks to Kaunas Nina's daughter—my Kaunas Cousin—for making this photo available to us.

Medicine Dropper

Suburban Chicago, December 1980. Gigi is in not a compliant patient.

Memory Triggers

Suburban Chicago, December 24, 1965. Dad snapped this photo as we waited for Kūčios to begin. Although I smiled, I was annoyed because Mom had just used a barrette to undo the effect of my cool, over-the-eye, side-parted bob. Mom made me wear tights again! And this was long before tights were fashionable. I also was miserable because I suffered from badly chapped lips that winter. Do you recognize the silver bracelet?

This image captures how pink our kitchen was. There's the Roper wall oven that served us for 34 years. The elephant figurine resting below the chandelier presently sits—minus his tusks—on a bookshelf in our current home. The "Swim Little Duck" folk art hangs above Mom's head.

The party is under way.

Suburban Chicago, October 1971. My grade-school friends have joined me in the Rec ROom.

Here I am before the party; here I ready the jack-o-lantern, and; here's a smaller party I hosted that year.

The party winds up.

Rockford, Illinois, November 1960. Our friends have finished hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

(I don't remember the lurking-Siamese-cat figurine.)

The Updated Room

Suburban Chicago, January 1963. Mom appreciates the bookcases in the newly decorated Rec Room. Ha! My squirrel bank is on the lower shelf.

It's not too cold for a cold treat.

Suburban Chicago, February 1963. My friend Kris, another girl, and I enjoy a mid-winter treat. We're sitting at my play table. The "Lady Doctor" figurine rests on the tchotchke shelf.

Back in the Same Corner

Toronto, Ontario, January 1959. My Dad's twin sister, Jonė, and her husband, Kadis, unwind in the television corner.

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

Doily

Suburban Chicago, January 1970. Gig focuses on the goldfish as she explores the tchotchke shelves. The lidded, lacquer bowl sits on the left side of the bottom shelf.

Television Corner

Toronto, Ontario, January 1959. My Dad's twin, Jonė, holds her daughter—my Toronto Cousin.
 
Thanks to my Toronto Cousin for making this photo available to us.