There Goes the Piano

Stuffing two homes into one involves difficult choices. If I wanted a piano-shaped shelf, I would hollow out the inside and store things in there. But the piano has to go. We never play it, we never tune it, someone out there will love it more than I do.

The buffet has to go. Yes, it was probably my grandmother's and it is a "significant" piece. But I never liked dark wood, and it is a huge bulky thing. It's outta here as soon as the piano gets out of the way.

The junkmen in our neighborhood make two or three passes a day past our driveway, looking for goodies. They will be so happy today.

As some of you already know, my father, Tom Fineberg, died Sunday evening of a heart attack. He was 89 last week. His last day was pretty good, my sister Margie was here and they had shared some laughs. After dinner Dad lay down for a nap. He got up to get in his chair and apparently that was it. We found him on the floor, it was all over in seconds.

Our friend and neighbor Susan Power wrote the most amazing note to us:

As the honorable Tom Fineberg enters the Spirit World, you will find on one side of Tom's path, all past great chess players waiting with boards in hand, hoping for the "first" game to try and "beat Tom," while on the other side of his path, his ancestors smile, knowing their "Tom is home"! And what does your father say? "Bring 'em on, I'm ready for a game!"

His former student, Dr. Daaim Shabazz, wrote a magnificent column on his blog, The Chess Drum.

That's all I can write for now. So much to do. Steve and I will be moving downstairs to care for Mom and selling our unit, gotta clear out all our stuff. . .

A wise woman once told me, "A woman's power lies in her ability to create space." I am about to put that to the test.

Our Day at the Zoo

A cool clear day and happy animals made for a refreshing day at Brookfield Zoo. Some pics:

Snow Leopard

Isis

Zenda

Zenda puts on a show each day around closing time, pacing and roaring up close to the viewing window.

Amir Leopard

Sleepy serval

Black Footed Cat

This is the male of the pair, who had a kitten on Valentine's Day. The kitten is being hand raised by Zoo staff.

Meercats