Dwarf Planet in Purple

On this date SEVENTY-FIVE years ago, my parents were married!!

They had to hold their nuptials at 7 a.m. -- yes, THAT early! -- because, back then, Roman Catholics got hitched only on Saturday morning, and the first Saturday of July was especially popular because the factories traditionally shut down for the first two weeks of the month and everybody went on vacation at the same time. It wasn't until I was a college graduate that I knew it was possible to take a vacation at a different time.

And today it makes FIFTY years since my mother made me mow the lawn while my father did his Saturday errands. I was 13 going on 14 and I *hated* doing yard work.

But then Dad came home and he was carrying a white vase filled with 25 large red roses, which he presented to Mom for their 25th anniversary.

Later that day we went to a camp on Lake Shirley. It belonged to the family of a woman whom my Uncle Pete was dating (they would marry the following year and she would become my Aunt Bev). Uncle Pete had brought fireworks up from the Carolinas and I played with the sparklers while my older male cousins shot off firecrackers and Roman candles. I think we were there until three in the morning.

Obviously, as a younger teen, I wasn't in a position to arrange a fancy party for my parents' 25th. I was just starting to think about planning a 35th anniversary party for them when Dad died.

It was seven years ago today that I danced in the Lithuanian folk dance festival in Baltimore. I had such a blast, even though I didn't have time to journal about it while it was all happening.

And, speaking of journaling ... TWENTY years ago today I made my first LiveJournal post. Who would have "thunk" it would have triggered many other events that shaped my life. And who would have "thunk" the site would end up in Russian hands? The world of today is indeed strange.

I wish I could post lots of photos, but I don't feel like doing all the linking. I am tired and I want to go to bed.

1. This week saw the 40th anniversary of the Blizzard of '78. I remember it well. I was a freshman at BU and I was not expecting the storm to be so bad. I walked backward across Commonwealth Avenue to get from my work-study job to my dorm. A few hours later, the snow was so heavy and the wind so strong that the view from my 16th-story room was a complete whiteout. It was as if the outside world had vanished.

2. Four of my friends lost immediate family members this week (two mothers, one sister, and one grandmother). Death, GO AWAY!

3. At least last night I had a great time going contra dancing at Glen Echo Park with Patches and Melinda. It was my second time there -- the first was two or three years ago -- so I was able to use the "second time free" coupon I got at my initial visit. The men at contra dances tend to remind me of the men at SF cons -- "the odds are good, but the goods are odd" -- but they are polite and friendly.

4. Speaking of dancing: A couple of nights ago I learned that the 2020 Lithuanian folk-dance festival will be in Philadelphia. Yay! If I participate, I would probably have to spring for a hotel room, but at least I wouldn't have to pay air fare.

5. And next Friday will be the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Republic of Lithuania in 1918. It's such a momentous occasion that the Pope has waived the no-meat-on-Fridays-in-Lent requirement for Lithuanian Catholics. (Of course, I am now a UU, but I still understand this.) The boy toy and I plan to go to the Lithuanian Hall for celebratory eating.