Jim Klopfenstein's passing

I'm not sure if you've caught word of this... but Jeremy noticed Jim Klopfenstein's obituary in the Peoria Journal Star and called my attention to it. Here is the link: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/pjstar/obituary.aspx?n=james-klopfenstein&pid=173303870&fhid=17649

First Federated Church in Peoria, where a funeral service will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, with the Rev. Dr. Forrest Krummel Jr. officiating. Visitations will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, and from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1, both at Ludwig Mortuary in Morton. Burial will be in Hirstein Cemetery in Morton

My dad and I attended the Klopfenstein reunion at Jerry Klopfenstein's house in Morton over the summer, and Jim was there for a while. He called me over at one point, asked who I was, and asked me to pass word to Gloria that he said hello. I don't believe I had an opportunity to pass that along to her yet...

Happy Thanksgiving from the Wetzels

It has been a long time since I posted, but since I popped in to ask for some K expertise on the cookie recipe yesterday, I thought I would spend a little more time today and tell you about our Thanksgiving.

Here is the island in our kitchen with all the food, ready for plates to be filled. I made turkey, mom's dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, Aunt Catherine's Orange Jello Salad, rolls, pumpkin pie and apple pie (also from the K Cookbook).

As it turns out, I did not make grandma's cookies since I coudld not find Cream of Tartar in the local Winn Dixie, where I spent 2 hours with Nathan on Wednesday, buying all the ingredients for our Thanksgiving meal. I will look for it at at Publix this weekend, and try to make the cookies soon!

Here are Kelsie and Nathan watching Harry Potter in the "game room" later in the day.

We had a wonderful day. I enjoyed cooking all the food, we watched the Bears game, I walked 2 miles, we napped, and we Skyped the rest of the family at Jason & Janice's house. We miss them, but are excited they are all coming for Christmas.

Unfortunately, Jerry and I didn't make it in any pics from today. Here's a recent one of us at Nathan's school, the day he won the Soaring Eagle award.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Christmas Dinner at Perry's

We are planning to host the annual Klopfenstein family Christmas dinner in our home on Saturday, December 20th at 12:00 noon.  The offspring of Elmer and Anna are invited.  Please RSVP.  Also please let your families know.

Lovingly, Perry and Carol

A Plan Came Together....

It's always gratifying when a long-range plan or goal comes to fruition.  C, K, and Crystal were able to visit the Palm Springs, California area in early November with Crystal joining us for the first of 2 weeks before returning to Illinois to her nursing job.  We have now been there 3 times in the past 5 years and, in some ways, enjoy it even more than Florida.  The weather is warm with low humidity and nothing but sun and blue skies!  The locals ignore the weather forecasts because it's nearly always "low eighties & sun". 

We especially enjoyed visiting Joshua Tree National Park, driving one day through the beautiful mountains to church, and also visiting a large true Oasis.  I also climbed a local mountain.  We'd recommend Palm Springs for any adventurous family of K's who are looking for a quiet and relaxing travel plan.  And, it is gorgeous looking in every direction, with the desert taking on a beauty all of it's own.

 Joshua Tree Nat'l Park -- the largest of all US parks, it has millions of rare Joshua Trees (Biblical) and rock formations like you've absolutely never seen before.  Many campers & rock climbers converge here as the huge round boulders form every conceivable shape and image.   The park is over 50 miles wide and long and it takes a full day to drive through it.  No, that is not me climbing that large rock.

 

 Photo taken at the summit of a local mountain with Palm Springs in the background.  A fun hike!

 

Here's a true oasis in the desert with gigantic palm trees a few thousand years old.  The large brown rocky "ridge" in the background is the famous San Andreas Fault which will likely be the site of California's next big earthquake.  Experts say "it is 10 months pregnant" and could happen at any time!

There's mountains no matter where you look as Palm Springs lies in a desert valley no longer inhabited by movie stars like in the 1960's -- they've all moved on to Vail, Aspen, or Las Vegas.

 Despite being in the desert, Palm Springs city is green and lush with huge natural underground aquifers of clean water which keep the grass green, the abundant beautiful flowers in constant bloom, and the sprinklers going on the "over 100 golf courses". 

 

Leaves!

I spent a few hours today raking our many leaves.  When I finally had it done and had a huge pile in the alley---I called Charity to bring the children to enjoy playing in them before I burned them.  Pictured are Ellie, Anderson, and Carter.
----Carol

Regarding a comment...

Per Cleve's comment:

Catherine goes steady during the school year, but during the summer.....

 

Now, who is this admirer with Mom in the boat?

I think this is just a cute picture, regardless of the people involved.

A Couple of Pics

 Who knows who this friend of Dad's is? Dad looks like John Travolta in this picture!

This picture is so damaged, but it's pretty special. Jay looks like the Bruce I remember, and Lynn looks like Mark at that age, don't you think?

 And this one! Who is getting a scolding here? and why, I wonder?

 

Hope these brightened your day!



 

 

 

A Different Graduation

Thursday evening Lynn and I attended an unusual, but gratifying graduation exercise.   Nikki had completed a year program to get out of a drug addiction that had left her in a deplorable condition.   She chose to enter the Haven of Rest program in which she was immersed in Bible study as well as studies in finances, family living and more.   While Nikki was the only graduate, six others were promoted to the next phase in a three phase program.   To see the progress some of the girls make is indeed heartwarming.   The enemy doesn't give up easily and some of the girls drop out of the program.   But what rejoicing by those who have learned the joy of living a Christian life.

Pass the shell

If you were in attendance and very observant at the Klopfenstein Reunion at Paul Klopfenstein's you may have noticed Mary Medlen pass me something!  

On Spring Break in 1994, Ada and I knowing that retirement was soon a reality, spent the week on the beautiful island of Antigua where Mary was a teacher at a college.  Antiguan is a beautiful island in the Caribbean.  The island is beautiful beyond belief!   Rhoda joined us for part of the week that held many wonderful memories. ( Remember girls, Jerry about drowns learning to scuba dive....we have to push Mary's car up the hill). 

On the last morning there, Ada I and took a walk on one of the many wonderful white sandy beaches.   The beaches are  covered with millions of shells that wash up from the ocean.  As I was walking, I reached down and pick one up.  There was nothing special about this shell, but over time it has become very special!!   Before we left Mary for the last time, I showed her the shell and said I would keep it in my pocket with my change and every time I looked at it, I would think of her and pray for her!!   Then the next time our paths cross, I would give it to her and she should do the same, when she sees it in her change purse, she should say a prayer for me!!  

So, for 20 years now the shell has gone back and forth several times, while each of us prayers for the other!   Since, the shell is in my possession ,  and it is the 20th anniversary,  I thought I would share our secret  with the rest of the family.

At the reunion this past summer, the shell was in Mary's possession, I was wondering if she had forgot.   While we were going through the food line, I sat at the table.  As Mary and Joey walked by our table, Mary very discreetly laid the shell by my plate!!  Now I have it until we meet again.

You are asking yourself, what happens to it at the END?   Who ever is in possession of the shell is to hang on to it until we meet on a "street of gold" where we will hug and pass it for the  last time to the other one!  

A picture of the shell is below next to a quarter to put the size in perspective. 

A very special relationship between a Uncle and special Niece!    Love you Mary!!

Hard to Please!

I've been going through a couple of tubs of Mom's "stuff." She kept everything! There are cards and letters and all kinds of interesting things, but also lots to pitch.

In reference to Ann's cookbook post, and the reference to chocolate...bitter, or semi-sweet...I found many Advisory Board reports from one of the assisted living residences where Mom resided. Some of the comments were quite comical. And it shows that when it comes to food and cooking, you can't please everyone!

*Residents want fried potatoes sliced thin and fried to a golden brown, not diced potatoes.
*Some residents want onions in their fried potatoes, some do not.
*Residents do not want the words "assorted chips" used when the only options are potato chips or cheese puffs. Instead, use "chips or puffs."
*A resident wishes 2 good menu choices weren't offered at the same meal. Sometimes it is too hard to choose which one to order.
*A resident had a question about the coffee cups: Why are the coffee cups on the corner of the table?
*A resident said there was too much lettuce on a salad.
*A resident likes the side salad on a plate, not in a bowl.
*On Sept. 1, a resident asked for water with 1/2 a lemon squeezed in it and when it was served, it was not lemony enough.
*One resident commented that his ice is melted before he sits at the table; another resident responded that she does not like ice in her water.
*A resident stated that all salad dressings are sour.
*The meat, especially the beef, is wonderful.
*The cubed beef in the beef stew is tough and rubbery every time.
*There are requests for bigger biscuits but some residents like the smaller biscuits.
*Residents requested that a ham bone be placed in the ham n beans when preparing it.
*Promised stewed tomatoes once a week, haven't gotten stewed tomatoes once.
*On Thursday July 3, spaghetti was OK.
*Mondays Mac and Cheese did not have enough cheese.
*The salmon patties have been too thick. They should not be over 1/2 inch thick. They are supposed to be patties, not balls.
*BUT THE QUALITY OF THE CHEESEBURGERS IS EXCELLENT!

I have a couple of pictures to share once I get the scanner working on my new printer. So far it copies and prints from my computer, but won't scan and the wireless from my laptop isn't working to print. Hope I can get the bugs out soon!

Visit to KC

                                Timon, Anna, Jonas, Alice, Jesse, Milan

Perry and I returned home from KC this afternoon after a few days with the Emch's.  The weather was perfect, and we had a great time.  Max is their new dog who just happened to show up about a month ago.  They couldn't find his previous owner so they decided to keep him. He is a very friendly dog, and the children love him.  ---Carol

Klopfenstein Family Cookbook

I have a little time tonight so will attempt to keep the flow of blog posts going.

This weekend I got out the Klopfenstein Family Favorites cookbook to look up the banana bread recipe (middle of page 85) that has been used here many times.  There are several recipes that are "go-to" in this book for me.  Ham Balls on p. 50 has "Good- 5/97" written on it.  Molly's Marinated Artichokes and Mushrooms (p. 21) got taken to Christmas celebrations last year.  Charity's Davy Crockett Bars recipe (p. 104) is one of the first things Andrew learned to bake, and he made them many times as a young boy.  That page is quite worn.  And this Christmas I plan to attempt the caramels recipe again after last year's epic fail.  

I've never been involved in a cookbook project; however, have done enough writing of various kinds to see that it would be an enormous investment of time and effort.  Thank you, Ada, again, for all you did for this.  It is a family history as well as a window into others' personalities.  When it first came out, there was a problem with some of the pages, and you sent out a reprint.  (Another epic job.)  Mary Lee was quite young at the time, but I gave her the original one and told her it was her copy of the Klopfenstein cookbook.  She was so proud of it, that she had her own copy!

With a little time this evening, I re-read some of the introductions and dividing pages.  Reading about Aunt Minerva brought back memories of her.  As an adult, I did not know her well.  Most of my memories as a child and even a teenager, of the older generation of Klopfensteins such as Aunt Minerva and Aunt Mary, were not mature enough to realize and appreciate what gems they were.  Looking back, I can recall their great personalities and smiles - which must be a Klop trait since many of our generations have the same qualities.   

Picture is a little blurry - apologies!!

Now the recipes from Sophia Meiss Klopfenstein, which Ada challenged people to try.  I'm not up for dandelion wine.  :-)  And the chocolate cake - what is meant by "grated chocolate"?  Bitter?  Semi-sweet?  Whether the recipes get used or not, it was fun to read them.

Thank you for indulging a little trip of memories!!  Would appreciate hearing some of your favorite recipes from the cookbook in the comments section.  I could use some new ideas.

Now - it's someone else's turn to keep the flow of posts coming!!

Just a new post!!

It is a cloudy, cool day in Central Illinois and so Ada and I took a drive just to ward off being bored,  to Starve Rock State park.   It must have been the thing to do, because we were there along with 10,000 other people.    All of us stood, admired, and took pictures of the gorgeous colors on the trees.   There were truly some beautiful trees.   If I still can do this, there will be a picture of Ada leaning against one of the trees with the Illinois River in the background.   I never have much luck posting multiple pictures, but I am also going to include a picture of Drake and Jason.   Kelsie was in Illinois for a wedding of a class mate from U-High and spent some time in Chicago on her way.  Drake, Jason, and Janice met her for lunch in Chicago.   I thought this was a good picture of the boys,  so I  included it!

Texas Visit pt. 2

Judy commented about Mom and Dad's adventurous spirit in a comment on the previous post.

We thought you needed to see that this Texas visit was a real "hair raising" trip for Dad!

 

 

The temperatures were quite chilly yesterday while we were out and about. Dad didn't bring a cap as the forecast before he left for Texas was to be in the 80s and 90s. Renae bought him this "cap" to keep his head warm.

Texas Visit

Mom and Dad can certainly not be accused of letting too much grass grow under their feet. After getting home late Monday afternoon from Illinois, on Thursday they flew to Dallas. We've enjoyed our time together very much. Today we visited the Dwight Eisenhower birthplace in Denison, TX.  We didn't realize that his birthday is Oct. 14, and the homeplace had several special events scheduled including a WWII battle reenactment. We were not overly impressed with the reenactment although we did enjoy the home quite a bit.

After flying home on Monday, Mom and Dad plan to vacation at their home in Anderson for awhile.

Here are a few pictures from today:

Mom noticed immediately the discrepancy with this vehicle. Can you find it?

The four of us in front of the home. The other tourist who was so kind to take our picture but now we have her finger tip in our picture! Eisenhower was born in the room to the right of the front door.

Ralph and Catherine

This pic may have been up on the blog sometime in the past, but isn't it a great picture and worth repeating right now!

Much love to all, Ann

A Treasure

Does anyone recall this memento that I retrieved from Mom's apartment at Mercy Creek? I always had my eye on it because it brought back memories of my childhood. Who has any stories to tell about this pretty little thing? I don't even know what to call it: a jewelry box, a knick-knack, a candy dish? Where did it originate from? What was kept in it years ago?

Anyway, I love it!

Weekend Trip to Chicago

I've had a lot of good to great things happen this year--new job, trip to Alaska, new grandnephew, etc., but this past weekend has to be about the best thing that has happened this year. (My apologies to family members who are thinking why I didn't list something about you!)

 

Background: You may remember that a couple of years ago, Mom and I took a short trip to Savannah. When we returned to Mom and Dad's home, I proposed a trip to Dad. I told him that growing up I was always interested in his telling about taking the train with Uncle Jay and Uncle Ralph to Wrigley Field. He would tell about jumping on the dugout, leaning over and taking pictures of the players. I think his stories were one influence leading to my love of sports. I always wanted to go with him to Wrigley Field. "If I have a job next summer I would like  you to come to MI and then we can go take in a game at Wrigley Field." He pulled out his iPad and asked if I had a date in mind that he could put on his calendar. Little did I know my comment would be prophetic and I wouldn't have a job the next summer. In fact, the next summer I was living in Texas!

 

Earlier this summer I was blessed with a new job, and on my visit to SC for Father's Day, I told Dad I'd like to celebrate that new job by taking him to Chicago and game at Wrigley Field.

 

Friday about 6:00 we met at Midway, got a rental car and headed to Penn Station East Coast Subs. We drove through LaGrange Park and on various streets that brought back a lot of memories for him. He talked about Uncle Ralph's family living around that area. We saw a Jewel grocery story and he told about Mom winning 10 large porterhouse steaks playing their bingo game. I'm pretty sure he was tasting those steaks again as he talked about them!

 

The next day we drove to a noon game at Wrigley. When we turned on Irving Park Dr. he said he and Mom drove that street into church every Sunday--one hour each way and no a/c in the summer. We looked for several places before the game but needed to get to the game.

 

Here are a few shots outside Wrigley.

 

 

 

About half the game was a great day for a game. Thankfully our seats were under the covering of the upper deck so we stayed dry during the two or three times it rained. The overcast weather actually made it easier to follow the ball. We were no doubt two of the very few people who kept a scorecard during the game.

The Cubs were down 7-2 to the Dodgers after losing to them 14-5 the previous night. In the 7th, the Cubs scored four runs to get to 7-5. In the 8th they scored two more runs to win 8-7! A Cubs win made a great day even better.

After the game we began our hunt for various locations. We think we found the Wilson Y where Dad rented a room during his working days in Chicago.

Then we drove to Seeley Ave. to this building. Mom lived here with several single girls before she married Dad. The girls moved elsewhere, but when Mom and Dad got married she moved back here and they had an apartment in this building.

Then we drove around the corner to this place. I'm sure quite a few of you recognize it. This is the old Chicago AC Church where Mom and Dad met. It is now a Hispanic Seventh Day Adventist Church. We don't know if they were finishing services or getting ready for a service but the minister was there with a handful of people. He was very gracious for us to walk around. I have a video of Dad on the front steps telling about walking into a Wednesday evening service and seeing Mom at the top of the stairs. Apparently as they say the rest is history and there are now four children, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. I'll try to upload the video. I don't take video much and it is sideways. (Showing my age when it comes to technology apparently.)

Dad thought the baptistery was downstairs and along the wall on the left. I asked if he remembered the microwaves in the kitchen!

We both flew back to our respective homes Sunday afternoon. It was a great trip. I will cherish this weekend for ever.

San Diego

Perry and I returned last night from a short vacation in California.  We were told they had had no rain since April, and Tuesday night when we went to eat in Old Town, it poured along with thunder and wind. Wednesday, we took a 2 hr cruise on the bay, Thursday, we toured the USS Midway, and Friday we went to the beach on Coronado island.  We were gone 4 nights.  The last day, we "got smart" and got some protection from the sun.  It was wonderful and now we are eager for the "next time."   ---Carol

Farewell to summer....fun at the "cabin"

We still reminisce about the enjoyment from the July 4th KLOP gathering at our cabin from last year's July 4th (2013).  As part of the sale price, after 35 years, part of the selling negotiations included a voucher for our family to still use the cottage and lake for 2 weeks in each of the next 3 years.  So we redeemed the voucher in mid-August this year.  The grandboys had fun 24/7, especially with Aunt Crystal joining us for nearly the whole time -- lots of swimming, fishing, boating, basketball, Ping-Pong, good food, etc.  On and on went the fun.  Just for fun (and for a fresh post) I thought it wouldn't hurt to put a few pictures here.  The weather cooperated perfectly, the fish were biting, the lake was beautiful, and nobody got hurt even in the slightest. 

Cooper, age 6, jumping off the old tree-stump-turned-into-a-diving board.  Aaron's family and Aunt Crystal waiting their turn......

                                 Caleb got very good on the stand-up surfboard.

                      Carter and Caleb, age 12, caught these at the Murphy Farm....great for eating.

                                            Carter, age 10, takes his turn on the stump.

Caught 14 bass in about 15 minutes across the road at the "Murphy Farm"  where Carl Hoerr lets us fish and hunt arrowheads....We then caught crappies and 1 catfish and had enough for 2 huge fish-fry meals.

We celebrated b-day parties for Carter and Kathleen.      

          

Within a few days, Cooper was DIVING off the stump.

 

 

 

 

July 4th,  2013