On Sacred Ground

On the way back from the Farmers Market, my friend and I stopped in Bloomfield. We parked the car across from the Catholic Church and then walked over to it. I finally got my wish; I could now stop and pay my respects to the police memorial, in front of the church. The memorial was dedicated to the three police officers, killed on April 2, 2009. The officers, Eric Kelly, Stephen Mayhle, and Paul Sciullo, were gunned down as they responded to a call.

 

I remember when I heard the news on that day…I was sad and horrified by the news. The officers were from Zone 5. FYI…when the call for police help came in, no one asked the race of the person, who made that call. The officers did their job, responded, and lost their lives.

For a very long time, Pittsburgh mourned the death of the three. Today, their families still mourn their loved ones death. A memorial was erected outside the church. Money was donated toward the statue of St. Michael, patron saint of police.

Finally, 7 years later, I found myself standing in front of the Memorial. I still felt the sadness, as I said a prayer for the three police officers. I stood in front of a beautiful statue of St. Michael, situated on a three tier pedestal. In front of the first tier, is a photo of each of the police officers. Next to the pedestal is a large silver police shield. The summer flowers were blooming, and the area was quiet and sacred, despite the noise of the cars driving past.

 

After my friend and I said our own private prayer and made the sign of the cross, we walked back to the car. Part of my prayer was a thank you to those three officers and a special prayer for my son, who is a police officer in Zone 5.

To all those who wear the police uniform…stay safe!

Sol Lewitt

I drove into Cleveland with a friend last week. It was a perfect day; blue sky, no rain, and it wasn’t hot. I studied the landscape and saw some serene pastoral scenes with horses and cows grazing, bales of hay tied up, and well-kept green fields.

My friend and I were headed to the Cleveland Museum of Art to see the Sol Lewitt special exhibit. I have recently become acquainted with his work through my friend. Sol Lewitt (1928-2007) was an American artist linked to various movements, including Conceptual Art (use of concept and ideas) and Minimalism (uses pared down design elements).

Lewitt came to fame in the 60s with his wall drawings and structures. His range of media included drawing, print making, photography, and painting. There are two pieces of his art on walls at the Pittsburgh Museum and the Butler Museum. What I would later come to realize is that Lewitt designs a particular painting, puts it down on paper, and adds which colors are to be used. Those wall paintings are not on canvas but are  on the walls itself; the wall is the canvas.

Along with Lewitt’s work at the Cleveland Museum, were a number of pieces by his friend, Eva Hesse (1936-1970). Hesse is one of the artists who ushered in the Post Minimal Art movement in the 60s.

The exhibit was definitely worth the 2-1/2 hour drive. It was the icing on our already perfect trip to Cleveland.

The Cleveland Museum is a really special and beautiful place to visit. Plus, it is free!

Sleepovers and Sprinkles

It appears that no matter how old my grandchildren are…they still ask to come over and sleep at my house.

I don’t know if it has anything to do with the cookies.

I have or the special treats that they like.

Or that I take them out to a someplace special.

Or buy them a few things that they want.

Maybe it is having dinner out or a pizza and wings delivered to the house.

 Or maybe it is all the games that we play.

Or maybe it’s all of the above.

One thing that I know for certain is that the next morning, I have to make pancakes with colored sprinkles added on top of them. That is always their request. I add red or green or blue sprinkles, or if it is a special occasion, I add seasonal ones like patriotic sprinkles, stars, or green Christmas tree, or fall leaves. Whatever the occasion is, I have sprinkles for that.

A few days ago my 15-year-old grandson came to spend the night. He gave me the line, “I’m going on vacation in a few days and I want to spend the night at your house and say goodbye.”

 I laughed and said, “That was very clever and very smooth. Okay, come over whenever.”

The next morning, I got up early and made my pancakes and added my patriotic sprinkles to them. The pancakes were warming in the oven and now all I needed was my grandson out of bed to eat them.

Sometimes it is nice to know that you special to your grandchildren.

The Life of a Cop

These days, I fear a lot of people think that Cops are evil people. Some believe that they holster their guns and go out looking for trouble. But, that police man or woman is the one who much like you, gets up in the morning and helps to get his/her children off to school. Then they get ready for their shift, don on their blue uniforms with their badge in place, adjust their belts, which are laden with a holster, gun, Taser, handcuffs, night baton, and a small compartment which has latex gloves inside. Half the time the police officer doesn’t have time to eat lunch or is interrupted when he/she is trying to eat.

A Cop’s typical day is working an 8 hour shift. A lot of Cops work extra details for more income. Cops are trained and follow procedures, regardless of what the public thinks. Not all cops are perfect. There are some good and bad police much like, doctors, nurses, lawyers, teachers, or the average human being.

I know a lot about Cops because my oldest son is one. He is a wonderful husband and a great dad. He spends his days with his kids, helping his wife and working an extra detail. He also manages to come over and help me out when I need it. He is always willing to help his siblings whenever they need him. I know underneath his gruff exterior, he is a real softy.

Cops do not start their day thinking whose life can I make miserable and arrest. Before their shift ends, they don’t want to get into any unnecessary altercation, where they will have to spend hours answering questions, doing paper work, and seeing themselves tried on the evening news, along with giving out their name and all the rest of their private information. They just want to go home and see their family. They want to be just like everyone else. But they are not like everyone else – they are the first line of defense. They are the ones who stop a traffic violator and might get shot and killed for doing their business. Or they make those routine domestic calls where they are the ones on the defense. Or they find when they do the right thing…the news media or some of the so called witnesses lie or distort the facts. Protecting citizens is what a police offer does. They are here to help and answer all those dangerous calls. That is a job that I would never want, no matter how much money it pays. Is it worth it…I can’t answer that. Just go and ask one of those men and women who wear that blue uniform.

Maybe it is time to show the police some support instead of throwing them under the bus and making them the sacrificial lambs for inept policies and loud mouths. For whatever the reason, the cops are not the cause for looting or robbery or for rising catch phrases that are not even truthful, or for agitators, politicians, or the news media who use dead bodies and the police as stepping stones for their own lime light.

All I know is that I worry about my son and all the other police; men and woman out there. My prayers are with you. I do support you.

A Visit to the Andy Warhol Museum

After always talking about going to the Andy Warhol Museum with my granddaughter, Bayleigh…we finally went a few weeks ago. I have been there a few times but this was Bayleigh’s first visit. I was eager to see her reaction to the museum and see what her thoughts were about it.

The museum has 8 floors of exhibits of Warhol’s art. The special exhibit was centered on a Contemporary Chinese Artist, Ai Weiwei. The exhibit showed the influence of Warhol and Weiwei on the modern and contemporary life. It displayed their art and showed the contrast of the two and the influence that they had on other artists. Bayleigh enjoyed this exhibit but she actually liked Weiwei’s art better than Warhol’s. I couldn’t disagree with her on that point.

 

 

I know Bayleigh, who is a cat lover, especially liked Warhol’s sketchings and drawings of cats. Those were probably her favorites, along with the room filled with floating helium balloons.

At the end of our visit, Bayleigh said that it was interesting. She learned more things about Warhol and a lot of interesting things about Weiwei. We ended up going into the gift shop, where Bayleigh picked out a few artistic souvenirs to take home. 

Regardless of my feelings about the Andy Warhol Museum, it was worth a visit, especially with Bayleigh. The special exhibit runs until August, 28, 2016, and it is worth seeing the special exhibit.