Today is Friday, Groundhog Day, so I don’t know the outcome of the Super Bowl. But I did read somewhere reliable that more people watch the Super Bowl than vote.
I must bid a sad farewell to one of my favorite writers, Molly Ivins. She was a sort of Mike Royko, very funny about very serious matters. Thousands of us will miss her so much more than we can say.
Welcome home to Ruth Loyd who spent part of this cruel weather in Florida and on the open sea of the Caribbean! Some ports of call had to be cancelled, but she did get to Key West where she saw some descendants of Hemingway’s six-toed cats.
A real gift to Forest Park is charming artist Georgia Kmetz. Ms. Kmetz has a “studio” in building 5 at the park. There, some students are home schooled, do creative work in clay, watercolors, whatever. The building is also used for art lessons and creative expressions in all media for children of all ages from about age 4 to 90. Georgia loves Forest Park and especially the park itself. She said she got such a warm reception to her ideas about teaching art there that she wants to bring all forms of art to the park and to Forest Parkers. All she needs are a few more students.
The environment and recycling are her passions and she does art projects that use items found everywhere; old clothing, twigs, stones, sticks, grasses, weeds, anything. Some amazingly beautiful works of art have resulted. Georgia does not believe in buying materials, for art projects-you already have all you need to be creative (with a few exceptions). Another favorite class is nature sketching, though probably not when the thermometer reads 4 below. Grab a pencil, some sheets of paper or a notebook and go at it with hints from the teacher. Georgia’s passion for the environment and recycling probably has something to do with her concern for the planet’s future and the lives of her three children, Chance, Annie and Alice. When she’s not giving art lessons or schooling her kids, Georgia Kmetz can be found scheduling and doing other related activities at Pleasant Home in Oak Park.
If you are interested in seeing some of her work or getting started in sketching, clay, watercolors or whatever interests you, her e-mail address is ecoartmom
CUinFP sponsored a candidates’ night at St. Peter’s last Thursday and a surprising number of people showed up in spite of the weather. Terry Steinbach and Patrick Doolin gave what I thought were articulate, intelligent opening remarks and answers to questions. Both are bright, make a good appearance and have academic backgrounds Forest Parkers could be proud of. Either would make an excellent representative for our town in and out of Forest Park.
Most of those assembled felt it was a pity that one of them had to lose, they both seem qualified. Mayor Anthony Calderone was also invited to attend but was not there. A chair provided for him remained empty. As I walked my dog later that night I recalled the old adage, “It is better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. It takes a brave soul to face the crowd. Good luck to all of them.
February 7 birthday wishes to Michelle Rubio, LaTonia Sanders, Mike Lyons, Jr., Eleni Collis and anniversary greetings to Pam and Todd Bower; on the 8th to Marilyn Gotsch; Feb. 10, Karie Schlichting, Kirsten Cursel and Paul Stahlke; on the 11th, Elisha Apilado, Eleanor Cole, Tiffany Greenberg, Christine Marshan, Cedric Javier, Paula Peterson, Emmaly Sansone, Carl Grapentine and anniversary greetings to Dorothy and Tim Gillian; on the 12th, Amelia Huebner, Michael Paulin and Hailey Reis.
