It finally happened T.J. Janopoulos really did it! He and Becky Wolter were married on January 14th and will be honeymooning in Mexico!

I guess the warm weather brought out the romance in everyone around here. Marcy Wozniak and Dave Goetz became engaged (to no one’s surprise, but everyone’s delight). Engagement announced at St. Peter’s last Sunday.

Maybe the excitement of Dave and Marcy’s engagement had something to do with it, but when petite perfectly coiffed, perfectly groomed eighty-something”year-old Ruth Loyd left the church last Sunday after hearing about it, she tumbled head over heels down the steep stairway at St. Peter’s. Ruth rolled from the top step to the bottom, didn’t miss a one. Panic ensued, someone called 911-the paramedics came, whisked her to Loyola, her daughter Cheryl and granddaughter Alissa were called to her side, and the x-ray machines went to work. Ruth was questioned, poked, prodded and nothing was amiss. A few bruises is about all she suffered. She still had her purse in her hand, her coat over her arm, and her glasses on! Score a big one for Fosamax! (and years of clean living)

A big welcome home to Madeline Kochman who is back with us after a wonderful few weeks in Israel. Madeline had a very sad year, a very full year and a very tiring year. So she needed to get away to a spiritual place. The Israel sojourn was physically and emotionally exhilarating and exhausting, so Madeline is recovering from a bit of lingering jet lag. She is, however, back in her kitchen cooking and baking for her many friends.

The Symphony of Oak Park and River Forest wants you to help celebrate its 75th anniversary. Please come and sing Beethoven’s 9th Symphony under the direction of William Chin, an excellent musician and a man of humor and patience. If you have never sung this work before, do not be intimidated. You’ll be fine. If you have sung it before so much the better. Come and help the newcomers along over the rough spots. Rehearsals begin Sunday, January 29 at 1st United Church of Christ, 848 Lake Street in Oak Park from 2 until 4 p.m. and will be held every Sunday at that time. They usually take the day off on Super Bowl Sunday. The performance with the symphony will be Sunday, March 19 at 4 p.m. Come, sing, meet lots of new people.

Morris and Ellen O’Connor often go to estate sales, a great pastime where they often pick up interesting, unusual items. A while back they bought a big box of miscellaneous stuff. While looking through the box, they came across the diary of a high school senior, a girl. As they read through it, they recognized a few names, events, places, etc. The name of the diarist was spelled the same as mine, so they called the paper and got in touch with me. It was my diary from long, long ago. While our paths never actually crossed in the past, we were along parallel paths at many points.

On to the birthdays; January 27 is the happy birthday of Tracy Doss, Orion Javier and Leela Itzel; on January 28 it’s Marlene Quandt, Matthew Walsh and Sharon Andrews: January 30 is birthday time for Lia Pardun who is eight years old this year and Rickie Beam; February 1 already and happy birthday to Rosemary Krieger.

Time to review some old adages as in the past: It’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Chop a bun.

Jackie is a former Chicago and Elmwood Park schoolteacher with an undying love for music, friendly pets and a host of life's other treasures too numerous to list. She was born on the far southwest side...