SWEET HOME CHICAGO...

The Windy City. The City of the Big Shoulders or City of Broad Shoulders. Hog Butcher for the World.[1] All nicknames for a sprawling metropolis that has bragging rights to an incredible skyline that overlooks Lake Michigan. A magnificent mile for shopping that lights up like the most beautiful Christmas trees you’ve ever seen. Theatres, restaurants, and sports for all seasons. There have been poems, plays, movies, and songs written about it, and of course, who could forget about that lovely cow that kicked over the lantern and burned it all down?

The Second City (or Third City depending on whose being quoted) is not without its share of problems. There are darker sides to this city that I wish didn’t exist, but given its sheer size and population, that’s to be expected. Chicago is definitely known for its weather, both good and bad, but that’s okay. It’ll change in a minute or two. Anyway, it’s where I was born, and will always be known to me as sweet home Chicago. It’s my kind of town.    

 

Springtime in Chicago

Chicago's Lake Shore Drive - In the Summertime

Autumn in Grant Park - Chicago

Winter Walks in the City

Christmastime at Chicago's Water Tower 

Elevated Train aka the "L" - Leaving the City

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[1] Words and Their Stories: Nicknames for Chicago. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/a-23-2010-01-08-voa1-84659357/118644.html

 

LIFE BEHIND A FACE MASK...

The world, as we know, is not the same as it was a year ago. Picking up a couple of items at the grocery store on a whim or stopping off to grab some takeout comes with a hefty price in recent days, and I don't mean dollars spent. 

Many years from now, future genealogists and family historians will look at the events, which transpired within just three months of the start of this new decade. The impeachment and subsequent trial of a president, and the COVID-19 epidemic. 

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

How will history remember these events or how we reacted to them? Will they be examined in the same way that we scrutinized what our country lived through during the 1973 Watergate hearings? Worse still what our ancestors endured during the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic? 

Clip Art Courtesy of PopHistory.com

The United States withstood the stigma and scandal associated with the downfall of a president back in the 70s. Watergate is now a mere footnote in American history to those not yet born at the time of the break-in. 

The world was left with deep scars from the effects of the Spanish Influenza more than 100 years ago... leaving almost no family untouched, and yet we ultimately survived that, too.   

Clip Art Courtesy of Chipublib.org

The uncertainties of 2020, and the outcome of the latest events that we are facing not only as individuals or a nation, but as the world... is still being written and leaves me with a certain amount of apprehension. My logical self tells me that everything will work itself out because it always does. Only time will tell what the future holds for this crazy world in which we live. 

As uncertain as things seem at times, we will get through it and be stronger, and hopefully smarter for it. Until then... I think we all need to be a little kinder and more considerate of each other, and especially of those individuals that are weaker and less fortunate than ourselves.

Meantime, maybe I should take a quick jog around the block...wearing my face mask, of course. It certainly won't hurt to take advantage of this downtime to lose a few pounds. Nah, who am I kidding? Instead, I'll take a deep breath, grab a good book, or binge-watch Outlander on television and relax. A little aromatherapy might be nice, or a cup of hot herbal tea and a scone... better make it more than one. 

Clip Art Courtesy of Clipground.com

WHERE THERE'S A WILL...

I've been spending the last couple of months organizing and sorting through some of my clutter. I'm not proud of it, but I've discovered what a hoarder I've become through this process. Don't get me wrong, I'm not enough of a hoarder to be the subject of a television show or worthy of a news story. Nor is there a need to wear a hazmat suit to walk through my house... but still, a hoarder just the same.

This Is Not My House!!

One of my favorite hobbies is genealogy. Anyone that has ever dabbled in this science knows that the accumulation of documents, photographs, memorabilia, and books is part of the fun of it. Organizing and cataloging these items requires a will of iron, and can take months or weeks. If you've been researching your family tree long enough, …it can take years. If you have multiple interests, such as collecting antiques, books, or crafting…your "clutter" will be multiplied tenfold. Add on top of all that, the day-to-day junk that we accumulate, and you've got yourself quite a mess.


My catharsis began by ridding myself of paper...lots of it. Old magazines with articles that I will never read or ideas I will never try. Stacks of junk mail, statements for accounts I no longer own, recipes that I will never make...you get the point. Papers were coming out of every orifice of my home. It's been driving me crazy for quite a while.

I decided to grab the bull by the horns so to speak, and try the Marie Kondo philosophy of getting rid of those things that no longer give me joy. So far, I have filled three tall kitchen bags with the shredded remains of the joyless paper stacks, and there is enough shredding left to fill another 3-4. The problem is that instead of holding on to paper, I now copy and save links to the articles & various websites. The snowball effect of that is...I forget I have the hyperlink, and now instead of physical clutter...I have a lot of 'cyber clutter.' On the bright side... now at least it is only visible to me...on my phone, iPad, and laptop. It's like shoving everything into a room, and shutting the door when guests are on their way over. I've never done that mind you, but I've heard some people do. Somehow, I don't think that is what Marie Kondo had in mind.

I will probably never become a minimalist, but I must admit throwing stuff out, giving it away, or shredding it into a million pieces can be very therapeutic. I've been putting together a game plan on how to approach the rest of my stuff...books, craft materials, and other miscellaneous dust collectors. My problem is...I like my stuff! I don't know if any of it 'gives me joy' exactly...but it does give me comfort.


Organizing my home is long overdue. It is one of my resolutions for this year. Sadly, it is a resolution I make every year... along with going on a diet and exercising. This time I mean it! It may take me the rest of the year, however, but I'm bound and determined to get it done!! After all, where there's a will... there is a way. Right? As for going on a diet and exercise... baby steps.

RESOURCES:

http://clipart-library.com/

https://konmari.com/

LANDING THE SECOND PUNCH...

When you lob an insult, it's bound to land somewhere. Since you can't hurt feelings of an inanimate object… it's safe to assume that the lobbed insult will land on a person. One can only hope that the recipient has thick enough skin to cushion the blow, and if not, …here's hoping you can run really fast!

The story I'm about to relate may not be one that you might typically find on a genealogy blog or a history blog for that matter. It is, however, a part of my personal history, and so I'm qualifying it as a family story.

 If ignorance is bliss, then I ran into one of the happiest people on earth several months ago. Let me say that I do not dress up on the weekends to run errands. On this particular morning, I went to the hardware store to pick up a couple of those 3M removable hangers. I thought I looked particularly chic that morning, [said with a shrug]. In my standard weekend attire of jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and no makeup, I bumped into this woman that I had worked with a couple of years ago. She always seemed to be a pleasant individual, and so when she approached me in the store, I greeted her with a friendly smile and said, 'hello.' Her response to me was slightly less social when she said, 'hi, you know you should never leave the house without makeup' and proceeded to walk away. I was somewhat taken aback. The unsolicited comment from someone who didn't exactly look like a page out of Vogue magazine either, [and for the record, never did] was rude and insulting. 

  

I admit that my tongue has always been a little sharp, but I generally do not go out of my way to hurt a person's feelings, because I'm not too fond of it when it happens to me. It serves no purpose. That doesn't mean that I don't mutter under my breath or make snarky comments while being gossipy with a friend. After all, I'm not a saint, but I try to keep it to a minimum and, at the very least, not do it in public. So, shortly after the verbal vomit that I had just been subjected to...I found myself following behind for a few steps and plotting what I would say to my former coworker in response. 

As we were both approaching the exit, the moment arrived. In a clear, unemotional voice, I snapped back ...' well, you may be right about my appearance but, at least when I put makeup on...I know how to do it. Would you like me to help you with yours?' I left her standing there with a slightly stunned expression on her face as I continued to walk out of the store.  

I will never understand anyone that thinks it is okay to insult, belittle, or try to embarrass another human being, all in the name of "constructive criticism." When the shoe is on the other foot, however, and the "critic" becomes the target of the negative remarks, they are often astonished or incensed. I'm sure when she told her family and friends about the incident, she was the innocent victim, and I was the instigator. I will say that it was not one of my proudest moments, and I hate that she reduced me to her level of ignorance, but it did feel good to give back as good as I got for once.  

Maybe the moral of this story ended up being...never mess with a woman wearing jeans, a t-shirt, sneakers, and no makeup! I would have much preferred...treat others the way you want to be treated...with kindness and respect. Maybe next time.

  

RESOURCES:

https://www.fotosearch.com/clip-art/

TAKE A DEEP BREATH...

     Other than the obvious definition for the word air, it can also be defined as a way to express, vent, utter, voice, or broach. To make known what one thinks or feels. An impulse to reveal in words, gestures, actions, or what one creates or produces.[i]

     I was ‘up in the air’ on how to approach this week’s post. Do I take the word literally and write about oxygen? I can point out the fact that you can’t live without it. Or, sometimes, when it’s humid outside, the air is so thick, you can cut it with a knife. 

     Maybe I should write about the time I broke up with an old boyfriend over the phone because he made a promise and didn’t keep it. That was a deal-breaker for me. When he tried to call a week or so later, acting like nothing happened, I hung up the phone. I guess you could call that ‘giving someone the air.’ 

     What about a cute little story about the pair of socks that go into the dryer, and somehow only one comes out? The other one seems to disappear ‘into thin air’ or does it? I suspect there is a parallel universe out there that has a multitude of single socks, wondering what happened to their mates.

     A story on one of my ancestors, a great aviator with many adventures while soaring through the air, could be interesting. The problem is, I don’t have any aviators in my family and so no adventures to write about. Or... I could write about a hot air balloon ride, except I’ve never been on one, so I have no point of reference...  

     Who would have thought that a word representing something that comes as naturally to every healthy human being as breathing in and out, would be so challenging to write about?  I may need to sit back, take a deep breath, and let the air clear before I tackle this one.

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[i] https://www.thefreedictionary.com/air

FIRE!

If you have a fire in your belly, you might have an unyielding determination to succeed. To light a fire under someone is to encourage that person or persons to take action. Whatever the word means to you, it's clear that fire is powerful. 

"You're fired!" A phrase you never want to hear shouted at you during your working career. "Fire!" A word that you never want to hear shouted in a crowded building. Two different meanings, both harmful. The definition of the first one is a burning mass of negative energy exhibited by your boss (just kidding), and the definition of the second one is 'a burning mass of material.' [i]

Chicago has had its share of fires. Three that come to mind are the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, the Iroquois Theater Fire in 1903, and the Our Lady of Angels School Fire in 1958. All 3 are famous, and all are tragic. 

Perhaps the most famous fire to sweep an American city – and certainly the most infamous case of farm animal arson – the Great Chicago Fire claimed up to 300 lives in 1871. After starting in a barn on a particularly dry October night, the fire spread through the Windy City's unregulated wooden structures. It wreaked miles (and millions worth) of property damage.  The Great Chicago Fire was transformative for the city of Chicago, sparking political upheavals and restoration efforts that led to a population boom in the decades to come. Of course, it also changed the way we construct, insure, and regulate buildings – and not just in the city of Chicago. After the devastation of this historic event, City Council stepped up within a year to ban wooden building materials and require flame-resistant materials instead.[ii]  

 

Aftermath of Chicago Fire - 1871

Just a few decades after the city's Great Fire, Chicago suffered another fiery tragedy when the opulent Iroquois Theatre caught fire, with 602 people trapped inside. These mass casualties inspired federal and state overhauls of codes that affect public spaces, and these codes continue to govern our theatres and other entertainment and hospitality venues to this day. Like the "unsinkable" Titanic, the "fireproof" Iroquois Theatre proved to be anything but. Tragedy struck on December 30, 1903, when a stage light sparked and ignited a curtain during a packed performance of a play. Some exit doors opened inward, but the vast majority – 27 of 30 total exit doors – were blocked with curtains or locked with strange mechanisms. The audience panicked as many failed to escape, and nailed-off vents trapped the smoke and heat inside with them. [iii]

The Our Lady of Angels School Fire is known as the deadliest school fire in U.S. history, killing 87 children and 3 nuns. Survivors and family members of this tragic fire still mourn the loss of their loved ones 60+ years later.  If any good came out of this tragedy, it is the improvements made to school safety. Today, fire drills are a regular part of the school experience, allowing teachers and students to learn what the fire alarm sounds like and practice a safe exit. [iv] ^,  [v]

In 1884, the Home Insurance Company Building, designed by William LeBaron Jenney, was the original site of the world's first skyscraper. It was ten stories tall with a steel skeleton, stone curtain walls, and an elevator. It was demolished in 1929 to make way for what would then become known as the Field Building. The Field building was erected by the estate of department store magnate Marshall Field. The 44-story building was designed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White. Construction completed in 1935; 

135 Building - 1935

it was intended to be the largest office building in the Loop. It is considered to be the last true Art Deco skyscraper built in Chicago's Loop district. It was the last major building erected in Chicago before a lull in construction brought on by the Great Depression and the Second World War. On the fifth floor are 17 panels depicting Robert Cavelier de la Salle's exploration of the area. He is believed to have made camp at this location. Considered by some to be  Chicago's Empire State Building, the building was outfitted with mail chutes in the shape of the building and is crisscrossed by pedestrian bridges.   Eventually, the building would be known as the LaSalle Bank building or simply by its address, 135 South LaSalle. [vi] ^, [vii]  

I feel very fortunate that I have never had to escape a burning building. However, I did experience a close encounter. Back in 2004, I worked on the 14th floor of the LaSalle Bank Building located in the heart of Chicago's financial district. It was December 6, 2004, about 5:45 pm… forty-five minutes past my standard quitting time. I was going to stay longer, but I was tired and decided it was time to go home, have some dinner, and relax on the sofa. I got in about 6:30 pm.  Thirty minutes later, I received a phone call from a friend of mine, checking to make sure I made it home alright. I was confused. I asked her why she thought I wouldn't have made it home? She said, "turn on the news."  

A fire had broken out on the 29th floor of the 44-story building. The building was in the process of putting in infrastructure for sprinklers at the time of the fire, but on the night of the blaze, there were no sprinklers on the 29th floor. The fire was reported about 6:30pm and continued to burn until midnight. The stubborn blaze shot flames out of the windows of the beautiful art-deco designed building along with thick, black smoke. The intense heat from the inferno caused window frames between the 29th and 30th floors to twist. Over 300 firefighters responded to the fire. In all, about 37 people sustained injury, mostly firefighters due to smoke inhalation. However, several suffered minor to serious injuries according to news reports at the time. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. Bank employees had recently participated in a safety drill, about a month or so earlier. Those individuals still in the building knew what to do. [viii]  Firefighters found everyone and led them out of the building to safety. It's important to note that none of the stairwells were locked, and fire alarm announcements provided clear and concise instructions. 

A few days before Christmas, employees were allowed back in the building on the lower floors. The upper floors remained closed for weeks. The acrid smell from the fire still hung in the air, but lessened each day. Fire and safety inspectors had gone through each floor of the building to identify the cause. Eventually, it was determined that the root of the fire was faulty wiring.  Space heaters that some people had under their desks were piled up in the middle of the floor. I found sooty boot prints from the firefighters on top of my desk as they used it as a way of accessing the windows to repel down the side of the building. They stood on the wedding cake-like tiers of the building's design to gain better access to the flames with their hoses.

I don't know how I would have reacted had I been in the building at the time of the fire. I like to think that I would have stayed calm, followed instructions, and made a safe exit out of there, but I'm glad that I never had to find out.

I have attached a couple of documentary videos below on two of the fires related to this post. Both are interesting, as well as very sad. They're approximately 10 minutes or less in length, but very informative.

 RESOURCES

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[i]  https://www.dictionary.com/browse/fire

[ii] http://www.strikefirstusa.com/2016/07/trial-fire-5-fires-ultimately-improved-world/

[iii] Iroquois Theater Fire - Chicago History  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spzAGnNwaUg

[iv] Our Lady of Angels School Fire  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-JdU-YPRzM

[v]  https://nthfmemorial.org/the-fire-that-changed-everything-our-lady-of-the-angels/

[vi]  https://www.chicagoarchitecture.info/Building/685/Bank-of-America-Building.php

[vii] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_Building_(Chicago)

[viii] https://www.cbsnews.com/news/37-hurt-in-chicago-skyscraper-fire/

FAVORITE FAMILY RECIPES… A POEM FOR THE SENSES

What does the word popular mean? Is it something familiar, every day, ordinary, or readily accepted by everyone {i.e., popular opinion or a name]? Yes, it is. Is it a person that is well-liked? Yes, it is. The word is often used as part of specific phrases: 'back by popular demand,' 'contrary to popular opinion or belief.'  There are magazine titles that use the word to catch the eye of potential subscribers (think "Popular Mechanics” or “Popular Woodworking”). Even our presidential election has a 'popular vote' versus that of an 'electoral vote.' Whatever the word means to you, the implication behind it invokes something positive, and what's more positive or popular…than food?!

I have never met a person that did not love or at least enjoy Italian food… well, I did once, but we don't speak anymore. It is one of the most popular cuisines in the world and when asked…it is often touted as a favorite amongst people of all ages and ethnicities. The most obvious reason is that it's delicious. It's beautiful to look at, smells divine, and it's delicious... [did I already say that? Well, it bears repeating].

Italian cooking is a poem for the senses. It is not just pizza or spaghetti, although that's pretty tasty. It's steeped in family history. Recipes handed down with pride from grandmothers and mothers to their daughters. It's not unusual to look further back than a couple of generations: to learn why we cook in a certain way and why we eat certain things.^[1] Whole dialogs have been known to center around a particular recipe. Most of which are based on oral conversations with our elders, and therefore have a limited lifespan. Consider yourself fortunate if you find the recipe written down anywhere, like the blank pages inside a cookbook that you rarely open. That's where I found my family’s homemade ravioli recipe. It was actually more of a list of ingredients with the notation "to taste" written next to each one.

Cuisine…even the word sounds delicious. It's a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques, and dishes. It's usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. It can be as much a part of an individual's history as any known ancestor.  

Italian cuisine has a history as rich, colorful, and fascinating as the most amazing of recipes. It's no secret that the Roman Empire loved to feast, and their banquets were often representative of the various lands that it conquered. Exotic spices and ingredients from the Middle East, fish from the Mediterranean, and grains from North Africa. Of course, these were meals prepared for high society. The majority of the population's diet consisted of mainly three things and products made from them:  the vine, the olive, and cereal grains. The Mediterranean Diet is a popular trend in eating today and is based upon this diet. It is also considered and recommended as one of the healthiest diets around.  Wine, olive oil, and bread. Add a few healthy helpings of vegetables, legumes, and cheese, and this is what the people of Rome would eat daily.

Spices and dried fruit became a popular blend in the Middle Ages and are often still found in Sicilian dishes. Dried pasta is generally characterized as an Italian thing but was brought to Sicily by the Arabs. They appreciated the fact that it was easy to carry and preserve on long sea voyages. From the shores of Sicily, dried pasta made its way to Naples and Genoa, as well as France and Spain. So, contrary to what we hear about the origins of pasta, it wasn't Marco Polo that brought noodles to the Italian shores. ^[2]
   
Three of the most popular homemade dishes in my family center around pasta. Lasagna, ravioli, and my personal favorite… Zuppa di Pollo (chicken soup). There's nothing so comforting as a big, steaming bowl of this simple chicken broth and orzo pasta, sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and topped with a sprig of fresh parsley or dried parsley flakes. Serve it with a piece of hot Italian bread dipped in olive oil and grated cheese or slathered in butter. Well, maybe go easy on the butter or the slathering, and you will have a cure for whatever is ailing you. 

It cannot be denied that Italian cuisine (or as it is referred to in Italy… "food") offers some of the most popular and tasty dishes imaginable. From bruschetta, pizza, pesto, pasta alla carbonara, and cannelloni to espresso, cappuccino, cannoli, and tiramisu… the popularity of these fantastic dishes is hard to beat. So, what are you waiting for?  Mangiamo! (Let's eat!)

[3] Pasta Shapes

RESOURCES:

[1] The History of Italian Cuisine I - Life in Italy. https://www.lifeinitaly.com/history-of-food/the-history-of-italian-cuisine-i

[2] The History of Italian Cuisine I - Life in Italy. https://www.lifeinitaly.com/history-of-food/the-history-of-italian-cuisine-i

[3] Pasta Shapes.  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/pasta-shapes-deathmatch_n_3416286?guccounter=1

THAT DOGGONE DOG NEXT DOOR...

I like my condo. I'm comfortable in it, and the building and grounds are well-maintained. It's also a relatively quiet building. "Quiet," however, is a relative term. By "relative," I'm referring to my neighbor's relatives, along with the little 4-legged monster staying with her.

For a little background on this story, let me start out by saying that my neighbor is actually very sweet. She’s 90-years-old and technically lives alone. That was not always the case. Her daughter is the actual owner of her condo, and was living there when I first bought my unit. When the daughter got married about 15 years ago, her new husband moved in too. As the saying goes…

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage.”

The baby was a screamer. He had a non-stop, ear-piercing scream that was only overshadowed by his non-stop, running back and forth across hardwood floors once he learned how to walk. Eventually the daughter, son-in-law, and by then, the five-year-old holy terror of a grandson moved out. Peace had come at long last…unfortunately, it wouldn’t last long enough.

Last year was a particularly challenging one for my neighbor, and subsequently, me. Several incidents occurred throughout the year, which would make a weaker person weep. I won’t go into too many of the details because this post would end up being longer than Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Let’s just say that sometime around the end of summer, my neighbor’s daughter decided it was time to renovate, as a result of some of these challenges. All of the flooring, cabinetry, bathroom fixtures…the whole shebang. Unfortunately, none of the work was done by professionals, and so, it was and is taking forever. The past 6-months have been like living in a warzone, and it’s not over yet. The noise level is off the charts, but to make matters worse…

Let me introduce you to Cujo. Before you ask…no, that’s not his real name, and no, he does not turn into an enormous, rabid dog monster... he just acts like one. This Cujo… is a small dog… a Yorkshire Terrier without the fancy haircut. He’s actually very cute but seems to suffer from a sort of short dog complex (if there is such a thing). He tries to exert his authority by growling and barking, as loud as his little lungs will allow... all day long!! I fully expect to hear him howling at the moon one of these nights. 

Cujo technically belongs to my neighbor’s holy terror of a grandson, who is now about 12 or 13-years-old. The dog has been staying with my neighbor for the past several months during all of the construction. It makes little to no sense to me as to why you would have a small, uncontrollable animal running around the house while you’re trying to rehab it… but I digress. My fear is Cujo is moving in permanently. 😩

Since my neighbor is up in years with limited mobility, her grandson comes over every day to walk the dog. He seems to be a good kid, but…he is a child and needs boundaries (and I need soundproofing in my ceiling). There is something that is sorely lacking in his upbringing. For example, the other day, my neighbor’s grandson was on his skateboard riding back and forth… popping wheelies… on the newly installed hardwood floors, right above my head. Skateboarding in the living room. Chasing the dog from room-to-room. Slamming the backdoor on each trip in and out of the building. Running up and down the stairs. Pounding his feet onto each wooden tread, like a double exclamation point at the end of a sentence. Just a few of the sound effects, I've enjoyed over recent months. I spoke to the grandson about the skateboarding in the house, and also asked that he try to tread a little lighter on the backstairs and go easy on the door slamming, but he is a kid, and as they say, kids will be kids. Of course, it is also said that children learn by example. Just remember...if never disciplined when these examples go awry…one day you may find them building a fire pit in the middle of your hardwood floors…it’s something to think about. As for Cujo, one or two semesters at a doggy charm school or better still…reform school, (take your pick) wouldn’t hurt him a bit.

Last Saturday afternoon, I was in the basement doing laundry. There was an unmistakable odor of gas in the air. I knocked on my neighbor’s backdoor. She didn’t answer right away, and I was concerned that she might have been overcome by the smell, so I knocked harder. This time, she opened the door. She seemed a little frazzled and slightly annoyed. I told her I smelled gas and wanted to make sure she was alright, and maybe she should check her stove. She looked at me like she thought I was crazy and had no idea why I would assume the smell was coming from her unit (hmm…maybe because it's happened before? 🤔).

Meanwhile, Cujo came flying out of nowhere…and charged the enemy line, i.e., me. He jumped up and tried to bite me. Luckily, he only tore a hole in the knee of my jeans and not my actual kneecap. I still don’t know if I was more shocked by the fact that this little mutt was able to jump that high… or that he tried to bite me. In either case, the dog had to be restrained because he was still operating in attack mode, even after I swatted him across the nose.

Once things calmed down, my neighbor took me into her kitchen so that I could see for myself that her stove was just fine. As it turned out… the gaseous odor that was permeating the hallways of the building was actually some kind of culinary delight that she was whipping up on her stovetop. Based on the smell alone… I think she should have ordered a pizza.

As for the star of this post… not much has changed. Cujo still growls and barks at every sound he hears and tries to lunge at anyone that comes within ten feet of him. On our few run-ins, and after glowering at each other suspiciously, Cujo and I have reached an understanding. I don’t like him, and well… he doesn’t like anybody.

SOURCES:

The Yorkie sketches appearing in this post are based on photographs. The sources of the photos are listed below:

https://yorkiemag.com/parti-yorkies/

https://w-dog.pw/wallpaper/yorkshire-terrier-new-york-dog-running-grass-lawn/id/262385/

SAME NAME...

As I attempted to construct my family tree over the years and it started taking shape...a pattern began emerging as that of a crazy quilt of specific names. It’s not unusual to have a son or daughter named for one of their parents. I just had no idea how many namesakes existed within my family. It's sort of like a veritable Noah’s Ark of name pairings! 😲

There is an established naming convention used in Italy, especially amongst older generation Italians...

· The first male is named after his paternal grandfather.

· The second male is named after his maternal grandfather.
· The first female is named after her paternal grandmother.
· The second female is named after her maternal grandmother.

Subsequent children could be named after the parents, a favorite aunt or uncle, a saint or a deceased relative. I have discovered that this tradition runs rampant throughout my family tree. It can be intriguing, but it's also a little nerve-racking, while you are figuring out who’s who.

In an ideal world, this naming tradition should make it easy to identify ancestors...nope, uh-uh, no way. Think about it for a second...an ancestor that had a falling out with his family, wouldn't presumably name his child after his parents. If he was orphaned...he may not know who his parents were. If the firstborn child was named after a grandparent and subsequent children followed the same naming tradition...what happens if that child dies suddenly? The child named after the grandparent may in fact be the third or fourth one down the line.

Here's a sampling of some of the namesakes from my family. Hopefully, it will provide a general idea of what I was dealing with. The chart isn't pretty and it's not all-inclusive, but I think the point is made...

NAMESAKE CHART

The first column labeled 'primary' in the chart below is the ancestor bearing the name starting with my great-grandfathers.  The next column labeled, 'secondary' is a list of all ancestors where there is a direct correlation to the 'primary.' (Note: the numbers behind each name is another identifier that I use within my Ancestry tree). The 'namesake' column identifies who the 'secondary' individual is named after and the last three columns...should be self-explanatory. 😵

Name - Primary	Name - Secondary	Namesake	DOB	Role / Relationship to Primary	Role / Relationship to Secondary
Fedele Poppa (1) (paternal great-grandfather)			1856
	Fedele “Fred” Poppa / Pope (2)	Fedele Poppa   (1)	1911	Grandson
	Fedele “Fred” Poppa Sr  (3)	Fedele Poppa  (1)	1928	Grandson
	Fred A. Poppa (4)	Fedele Poppa  (1)	1928	Grandson
	Fred Poppa/Pope (2a)	Fedele “Fred” Poppa / Pope (2)	1946	Great-Grandson	Son
Leonardo Poppa (1) (paternal great-uncle)			1884
	Leonardo “Nardo” Poppa (1a)	Leonardo Poppa	1921	Son
	Leonard F. Poppa (2)	Leonardo Poppa	1956	Grandson
Isidoro Poppa (1) (paternal grandfather)
	Isidore Quaranta (2)	Isidoro Poppa (1)	1927	Nephew
	Isidore R. Quaranta (2.1)	Isidoro Poppa (1)	1930	Nephew
	Isidore Joseph Poppa/Pope (3)	Isidoro Poppa (1)	1941	Grandson
	Isidore “Izzy” Quaranta Jr (2.1.a)	Isidore R. Quaranta (2.1)	1956	Great-Nephew	Son
Agostino /August Poppa (1) (paternal great-uncle)			1902
	August “Augie” Poppa/Pope  (2)	Agostino/August Poppa (1)	1922	Nephew
	Anthony “August” Poppa Sr  (1a)	Agostino/August Poppa (1)	1935	Son
	August I. Poppa/DeGuide (2a)	August “Augie” Poppa/Pope (2)	1952	Great-Nephew	Son
	Anthony “August” Poppa Jr  (1.a.1)	Anthony “August” Poppa (1a)	1958	Grandson	Son
Leonardo DiFoggio (1) (paternal great-grandfather)			1860
	Leonard DiFoggio/Andre (2)	Leonardo DiFoggio (1)	1915	Grandson
	Leonard Vito DiFoggio  (3)	Leonardo DiFoggio (1)	1915	Grandson
	Leonarda “Lena” Zaccari  (4)	Leonardo DiFoggio (1)	1917	Granddaughter
	Leonard V. Poppa/Pope  (5)	Leonardo DiFoggio (1)	1918	Grandson
	Leonard “Lee” Popa (5a)	Leonard V. Poppa/Pope (5)	1957	Great-Grandson	Son
Michele “Michael” Lufrano (1) (maternal great-grandfather)			1859
	Michael DeLio (2)	Michele “Michael Lufrano (1)	1909	Grandson
	Michael F. Lufrano (3)	Michele “Michael Lufrano (1)	1914	Grandson
	Michael Lufrano Jr	Michael F. Lufrano (3)	1936	Great-Grandson	Son
	Michael J. DeLio Jr  (2a)	Michael DeLio (2)	1941	Great-Grandson	Son
	Michael C. DeLio	Michele “Michael Lufrano (1)	1964	Great-Great Grandson
	Michael R. Lufrano	Michele “Michael” Lufrano (1)	1965	Great-Grandson
	Michael S. DeLio	Michael J. DeLio Jr  (2a)	1964	Great-Great Grandson	Son

In a slight loophole identified within the naming convention traditionally used...Isidoro's second eldest son, my dad... was named after his uncle, Rocco DiFoggio instead of his grandfather, Leonardo. Isidoro and Rocco were traveling companions from Italy to the United States in 1911. While in Chicago, they lived in the same building with their families according to the 1920 census. I know of no facts to the contrary, so I think it is safe to say that Rocco and my grandfather were close friends as well as brothers-in-law. As testament to that relationship, my father was christened Rocco, in honor of his uncle.


The word namesake means having the same name as another. The christening of a newborn with the name of a family elder or someone else held in high esteem, is a way to show honor and respect to those that came before, and in a sense... connect us with our past. As difficult as it was at times to identify some of the same-name relationships found throughout the history of my family... I believe the naming tradition is a good thing and helps to keep our loved ones alive in our memories, as well as for future generations.

PHOTO GALLERY

Fedele Poppa & Sons...

Left: Great-Grandpa Fedele Poppa;
Top Right: Great-Uncle Leonardo;
Middle Right: Grandpa Isidoro;
Bottom Right: Great-Uncle Agostino

Isidoro Poppa & Sons...
top row L-R: Uncle Fred & Grandpa Isidoro;
bottom row L-R: Rocco (Dad), Uncle Leonard and 

Uncle Agostino

Leonardo DiFoggio & Sons...

Left: Great-Grandpa Leonardo;
Top Right: Great-Uncle Michele (Michael);
Bottom Right: Great-Uncle Rocco

Michael Lufrano & Sons...

Left:  Great-Grandpa Micheal

Right Top: Great-Uncle James
Middle: Great-Uncle Anthony
Bottom: Great-Uncle Frank

SOURCES:
  

     'A Genealogist's Guide to Discovering Your Italian Ancestors' copyright © 1997 by Lynn Nelson

    ' Italian Naming Traditions and Their Ramifications' an article dated Saturday; 24 October 2016 found at ItalianGenealogy.com

This post first appeared in my blog 'Digging Up My Family Roots' on 2/3/2020.