Two Fluffing Days.

I haven't been able to post for two fluffing days because of a "bad filer" at Blogspot. What seems crazy is OTHER people were able to view it now and again, and I even got in once, but I still couldn't publish.

Not that I had anything interesting to write anyway.

Well, except that Tuesday night was another successful meeting of Stitches in Britches, Chicago's group for Men Who Knit. We had a very entertaining guest in from New York, Mr. Joel Derfner, who is not only a knitting blogger, aerobics instructor (we say his abs -- whatever he does works), and bon vivant, he's also an incredible writer and composer. I've listened to one of his songs, Home Again Soon, a hundred times, and it still makes me cry. HAS is from Joel's work in progress, Terezin, which recounts events in the notorious Nazi death camp. As more and more survivors pass into memory, artists like Joel play an important part in communicating the unimaginable horrors to new generations.

Of course, Chicago is very lucky to have its own creative force -- the incomparable Franklin Habit -- who was also in attendance at Stitches in Britches. His roommate/alter ego, Dolores, is taking the town by storm. This fluffy broad is very much in demand. (I ordered MY Dolores mug today, and I'll tell you -- it can't arrive soon enough to suit me! I'll have to wait a bit to order the t-shirt. But it comes in a 4X -- big enuf to serve as a summer nightshirt. I'll be able to sleep with Dolores every night! (Really -- hurry up and order. We must spread Dolores throughout the popular culture! Dolores deserves it!)

Also -- most of my family was affected by the terrible tornadoes in my hometown, Springfield, Illinois. But, thank G-d, no one was hurt. Considering the devastation, it is an absolute miracle that no one was killed. One brother says his neighborhood looks like a war zone. A major commercial corridor is basically gone. The pictures in the media are chilling. (Note: It isn't difficult to find someone in Springfield who is related to me. The mayor [pic #44] is my double-cousin, and the eerie picture of the restaurant [pic #47] where the tornado took off the roof, but left tablecloths on the tables -- that belongs to another double-cousin.)

That restaurant, The Barrel Head, was where the family met to wake my mom, z'l, after her funeral last July. My mum liked to hold court sitting on an old church pew, sipping her Southern Comfort. Well, the pew survived, and I am sure Kevin will rebuild bigger and better.

My Uncle LaLa and Aunt Pete were supposed to hold court at Lunch today at the Barrel Head, but for some reason there reservation isn't being honored. So it looks like the kith and kin will split up -- half are going to the Fraternal Order of Police celebration, and half are going to the Knights of Columbus hall. But corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and beer are sure to be consumed, jokes told, songs sung, and, knowing my family, tears shed.

And, though 200 miles away, I'll raise a glass of (NA) beer and drink a toast to all of them.

OK -- maybe I did have important things to blog about after all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day.