The Day I Crashed a Funeral

I have recently become an avid listener of The Nerdist Podcast.  I really enjoy that the interviews they do are usually around an hour long and, for the most part, unedited.  It’s a long enough conversation that you really feel like you’ve gotten to know someone.  I usually listen to them on earbuds while I walk, and most of you know that I sometimes walk in cemeteries.  It’s not creepy.  Honestly.  Try it sometime, they are a nice, quiet place to walk or jog.

So today I checked which podcast had downloaded and was pleasantly surprised to see that the host, Chris Hardwick, was interviewing Kristin Bauer Van Stratten, probably best known for her role as Pam on True Blood.  True Blood is (WAS, since the show just ended last week) one of my favorite shows and Pam is probably everybody’s favorite character.  I couldn’t wait to find out how much the actress was like her character.

So I laced up my running shoes, cued up The Nerdist and headed for Scandinavian Cemetery to work out my glutes on some hills.  When you spend a little time in cemeteries you are inevitably going to come across some people mourning or placing flowers and occasionally an open grave or even a funeral.  I always keep a respectful distance and stay on the roads.  Usually you can tell there is a funeral nearby because of all the cars (and the hearse) parked along the road.  So it’s easy to know what areas to avoid.

The Nerdist is always funny.  The host, Chris Hardwick, is a stand-up comedian and has a show on Comedy Central being funny is just natural for him.  He is my kind of people.  Today with the guest being an actress I was predisposed to like from a show I am a big fan of for several years now, well, let’s just say my funny bone was particularly tickled.  I was chuckling to myself through the entire show.  Kristin Bauer Van Stratten is smart and funny without even trying.  Pairing her with the crew from The Nerdist made her even better.

So I am jogging along, maybe laughing a bit more than usual, but still paying attention...I thought.  Sure enough I come around a curve and there is a full-on funeral, tent, crying family, casket and all, about 10 feet in front of me.  First of all, they must have all come on foot, because I hadn’t seen a single car in the entire cemetery...and….it was about 8:45am!!!  Who has a graveside at 8:45 in the morning?!?!?  Of course they all look up at me immediately; a large sweaty man wearing earbuds and shorts, with a smirk on his face.  The officiant gave me a particularly vile stink-eye.

I made a big circle around them, feeling like an ass the entire time, but still listening intently to Kristin and Chris yuck it up on The Nerdist.  Just as I was passing behind the grieving family Kristin (we’re on a first-name basis now) told the story of reading the reviews for camp toilets on Amazon, since she had just purchased one.  I won’t (I couldn’t if I TRIED) try to recount the story here, but as soon as Kristin uttered the word “tree fiddy” I lost it.  I mean burst out, full belly laugh. It was the funniest thing I have heard in a LONG time.  For a brief moment I forgot that  I was probably 15 feet away from a grieving family, sitting in front of the casket of their departed loved one.  I put some distance between them and me, as quickly as I could and then very reluctantly, like Lot’s wife, glanced back over my shoulder.  Most of them, particularly those standing around the open grave, were still staring at me like they wanted to string me up.  Of course I was still laughing.  Probably laughing louder than I thought I was because you tend to do that when you wear earphones or earbuds.

Of course I feel bad.  But I am torn because the whole hour-long interview was a laugh I desperately needed.  So I am using my blog to get a couple of things off my chest:

1. You have GOT to listen to this podcast!

2. If you buried a loved one at Scandinavian Cemetery this morning; I am truly very sorry.  Please let me know where and I will gladly drop off a casserole.

Is It Finally Flower Time???

After the longest, coldest winter in living memory in Northern Illinois, I finally took the plunge to get some flowers going outside.  I live in an apartment, but there is a nice deck and back porch area that has southern exposure and gets sunshine all day.  This means I can have tons of pots with annuals that give me color all summer long.

The first thing I have learned is to skip the big-box or discount store when buying plants (WalMart, Kmart, even Lowe's or Home Depot.)  Their plants are just deplorable.  They usually come in too early, damaged from the cold and they never water enough. Not even to mention the fact that they are trucked in from growers that are God-knows how far away.

My two favorite local places are Gensler Gardens (just south of Rockford on IL 251) or Village Green (on Riverside Boulevard).  Both are locally owned and grow their annuals, with a few exceptions, right on site.  Today's trek was to Gensler Gardens.  They are so local you can even see the beautiful home the owners built for themselves right next to the greenhouse.  I love the "living above the store" idea!

A nice selection of Gerbera Daisies right outside Gensler Gardens.  I don't use any of these since I have always found it difficult to keep them blooming.  But they sure do get you in the mood as you go in to pick out your stuff!

Another nice display of some shrubs and perennials right outside Gensler Gardens.  In the upper right corner you can catch a glimpse of the lovely Gensler Family home.  They really do live right on site!

Since I do all my gardening in pots I have to get soil.  I have tried them all and always come back to Miracle Grow with Moisture Control. (pictured below) I get new soil each year and put the old stuff around the base of shrubs in the yard.  Like the label says, it holds moisture and the plants really do grow like crazy in it.  After some shopping around I found the best price at Sam's Club.  You have to do some math because they are sneaky.  Sam's Club labels the bag in quarts and WalMart labels the bag in cubic feet.  But thanks to my smart phone I did some quick calculations and figured out that Sam's was a wee bit cheaper.

We go through about 3 of these each year.

With a lot of help from the roommate we got the pots planted and watered.  There are a few to go, I always like to do some Wave Petunias on pots that straddle the deck railing.   In addition to what's pictured below we planted some Catnip (my cats will think of me as their Dealer by the end of the summer) and some Petunias in a color called "Black Satin" that aren't blooming much yet but are quite striking with jet black blooms when they get going.

These pots contain some classics that I never skip having, Dracena Spikes for height, red and white Geraniums since I grew up in a red and white house in a red and white town (GO HAWKS!) and Vinca Vines because I like something that spills over the edge of the pot.

Mid-Century Rockford

Mid-Century Modern is one of my favorite looks in both architecture and interior design.  The look really hit it's stride immediately after WWII and by 1965 or so had really morphed into something similar but distinct. Think the Brady Bunch house; sort of Mid-Century Modern, but not exactly. We have a lot of great examples all over town.  Today was overcast and rainy, bad weather for walks, but perfect for taking photos.  Please let me know in the comments if you know anything about any of the homes pictured or have other examples I should know about and share with my tens of readers.  At some point pretty soon I plan on featuring commercial buildings from the same period and in the same style.

This house is one of my absolute favorites and its look perfectly defines Mid-Century Modern. It is right on the Rock River, just a bit north of the Auburn Street bridge.  This photo really doesn't do it justice.  It is beautiful from every angle, beautifully proportioned, a great match for its setting and  both the architect and owners deserve a lot of praise.  The home is appropriately landscaped and well-maintained.  You can tell they really appreciate the gem they have!

This little jewel box blurs the line between Mid-Century Modern and just plain Modern.  I love the contrast you get with this look when it's placed in settings with lots of trees and nature.

This one does a great job showing how important the horizontal line is to Mid-Century design.  I like how it's partially hidden by being slightly lower than street level.  I wasn't sure about the blue color, but now that I get the pics home and take a second look I am giving it a definite thumbs-up.  The flat roof often featured on these homes really require some diligence living here in Northern Illinois.  We get lots of snow and wet weather and you have to occasionally check the roof and take care of problems before they turn into leaks.

This look is a little bit of a departure from the ones pictured above, but you still see the horizontal lines that say Mid-Century.  I suspect this home is a bit earlier than the other ones pictured today; if I had to guess I would say late 40's or early 50's.  There's that flat roof again!  This is another one where you can really tell that the owners appreciate the beautiful home they have!

Eclectic Does Not Even Begin To Describe.....

I used to live up in the Edgewater neighborhood where this great local store is located.  The owner, Rachelle lives a stones throw away from this little gem of a shop.

Let me just say that it is full, and I mean FULL, of quirky vintage and antique, well, for lack of a better word...stuff.  Rachelle has a great eye, varied taste and she buys what she likes.  She prices things based on what she pays for them, NOT based on what she has seen on eBay or at other stores and as a result there are a lot of deals to be found.  Go when you have some time to really explore and keep an open mind.

This is just the lower level.  There is a floor above this one too!

Today's find was this fantastic, over the top lamp that is over 4' tall and has crystals on the bottom of the black velvet shade that Rachelle described as "Aurora Borealis".  I don't know if they really have anything to do with the costume jewelry maker, but they certainly have the same look.  If this lamp works in your home you MUST invite me over.

Is there a name for this style?  Until I hear differently I am calling it "Mid-Century Whorehouse"
I mean that in the nicest possible way.  I have nothing against whorehouses.

I also came across a mid-century signed and numbered silk screen by West-Coast artist David Weidman.  It was about 20" square and in a very high quality frame.  The label on the back is from the gallery that originally represented Weidman in the 60's.  This was priced at just 29 bucks!  If you have a mid-century home or have a friend who does this is the deal of the decade!!!

More Re-Purposed Space...I Think

I have always admired this multi-family building that is situated on Rome Avenue just behind (north of) the old Highland School, which itself has been re-purposed into office and retail space.  The black fence and awnings give a nice updated look while still maintaining the vintage character.  For some reason it doesn't look as good in photos as it does in person.

Do any Rockford old-timers know what this used to be?  I am not certain that the low part of the building is original, but it sure looks like it used to be some kind of retail.  Since it's right behind what used to be an elementary school I would love to find out that it used to be a candy store!

Clicking on the image will open a larger version in a new browser tab.

UPDATE: I just heard from a neighbor with encyclopedic knowledge of the area that this did indeed used to be a candy store, catering mostly to kids who attended the elementary school right next door!

Quick Takes From the Riverfront

Rockford's Rock River Bike Path was dedicated in 1976 as a Bicentennial project, much the same way we had projects to mark the Millennial in 2000.  Almost 40 years on Rockford's riverfront has been transformed!  We still have a ways to go, but the progress and beautification is undeniable.  I took a couple of quick photos while out on a walk today (a short walk since there was a really cold breeze) and wanted to share.  Look for more on this blog about the river in the future.  Note: clicking on the pictures opens a much larger version in a new browser tab.

Do you have any stories from the riverfront or the bike path?  Share them in the comments below.

From Retail to Residence on Crosby Street

Full disclosure; it was raining and I took this picture from the car window so I wouldn't get wet.  I have walked past this place at 1916 Crosby Street,  just a couple of blocks from my house in the Highland North neighborhood for years now.  It falls into one of my favorite categories, re-purposed retail space.

A little research at the Rockford Public Library reveals that this was built around 1920 as the Gustav Klint Grocery.  Prior to WWII and the proliferation of cars and supermarkets, Rockford had dozens of small family-owned groceries, sometimes less than a mile away from each other.  A good number of them are still standing, usually converted to multi-family residences.

The current owners obviously put a lot of care into their smallish front yard and we are lucky to have them in the area!  If you have any additional information about this property, or are the owner or tenant, please let me know using the link on the right side of this page.