September 3 was the 100th anniversary of the birth of my grandmother LaVern. She was a woman one would describe as a ‘firecracker,’ or a ‘dynamo,’ in that she was small in stature and size but would handle business efficiently, with gusto - and often joyfully in my experience. She loved her people fiercely; a hug from this Grandma was a Crusher in the best possible way.

One of the main characters I want to tell stories about is Anton Alfred Pietoff; he was born here in 1888, to Alexej and Ida. These two seem to be characters of their own, certainly. Let’s go off on this tangent first.

By 1916, they had met and married in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And in 1924 Anton was shot and killed by the U.S. Coast Guard in New York Harbor. Within the next few years his young family had moved back to Milwaukee. But there’s other stuff to know before we get to all that.

Listen, I don’t know shit about Thich Nhat Hanh. … but I really love that my best and sweetest moments are those moments when I realize I’m in connection with other humans in the truest ways.

Right. On with the witty bio: I’m a grown-ass woman. I’m a mother of adult sons. I am of Scandinavian and German descent. And the description of fair-minded, social, idealistic, non-confrontational, romantic, indecisive, somewhat self-absorbed, but ultimately charming af, Libras fit me quite well.