Old proverb: "To speak the names of the departed is to make them live again."

Sunday, October 30, 2011

The Writer's Block

An autumnal ode from Steven Fieg (forwarded to me by Jean Fieg):

Steven`s Autumn
 
While sitting on the back deck
 Listening to the leaves
 Trying to decipher
 The stories the wind
 Was telling me
 Of places It had been,
                                                        And places to go.

Thanks, coz!

Oops! I Did It AGAIN!

Phyllis Fieg works in the Post Office department where mail is forwarded to new addresses.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

I Stand Corrected

Phyllis Fieg has advised me that her Buick (see "Ladies and Gentlemen, Start Your Engines," Aug. 22, 2011) has over half a million miles on its frame, not one-quarter of a million (I wondered what all the hoopla was about!).

Phyllis, who is employed by the U.S. Postal Service, has been working six days a week lately, her only day off being Sunday.  October 1 is the first day of the government's fiscal year and once that day dawns the coffers of the Post Office are replenished and they can pay the overtime needed to catch up on the backlog caused in the previous months by the laying off of employees and the closing of various facilities.  Thus she is making the big bucks, but having to cram two days' chores into one.

On Sunday Phyllis washes and irons all her clothes, does her grocery shopping and fixes food for lunch for the week, cleans her bathroom and bedroom and even has a few minutes to chat with her sisters Judy and Diana when they make their regular weekly calls to the home on Knightwood Dr.

The department where Phyllis works is responsible for misdirected mail. PLEASE PRINT.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

All in a Day's Work for Bozeman, MT Police on Oct. 17

* A man called to report that a bear had gotten into his garbage on Rouse Avenue.

* A group of men were throwing garbage at an upstairs apartment window on Main Street.  The men told police that individuals in the apartment were calling them names and threw garbage at them first, and they were throwing the garbage back. The individuals in the apartment denied it.

*A large black bear was seen in the driveway of a home on Fifth Avenue. The resident said the bear growled at him.


*An intoxicated man was warned for stumbling into the street and lying down in a traffic circle.

* Seven or eight pairs of women's underwear were found by police at noon in the bathroom at Peets Hill.

*  Several individuals were warned by police to climb down from the roof at a neighborhood bar on Main Street.

*  A woman armed with a mop called police after confronting a man who mistakenly tried to enter her home, thinking it was his.  She had watched the man try to enter a vehicle adcross the street, and when he could not, he came to her house and tried to get in.  Officers escorted him to his proper residence.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Atlas Shrugged: The Road to Nowhere

How often, while traveling, have you seen a highway sign that almost read like a sentence until you realized it was listing the names of upcoming towns?  Never?  Hmmm.  Well here are some exit signs we'd like to see.  The town names are real; their proximity to each other is surreal!

In South Carolina: 
NEXT 3 EXITS
IVA LATTA CLOVER

In Texas:
EXIT NOW
OATMEAL RAISIN
and
EXIT LEFT AND RIGHT
KENEDY NIXON

In Oklahoma:
ANTLERS GORE BEAVER
RIGHT LANE ONLY

In North Carolina:
EXIT ONLY
TOAST TRIANGLE
and
APEX HIGH POINT
10 MILES

In California:
EXIT NOW
WEED
HAPPY CAMP
HIGHLAND

In New York:
LIVERPOOL MUTTONTOWN RYE
EXIT CLOSED

And in North Dakota:
ROLLA CANNON BALL
THIS EXIT

Dan Doyle Promoted; Bill, Diana Depart for Finland

Capt. Daniel Doyle, son of Bill Doyle of Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y., has been promoted to the rank of major, the Air Force recently announced.

Dan, 32, serves in the judge advocate corps in the Washington D.C. area where he he and his wife, Erica,  recently bought  a new home in the Virginia suburbs.  They will reside there with their daughter, Miriam Jane, 5, and nine-month-old son, Andrew William, who is named for his grandfather.
The family will soon be visited by Bill and Diana Fieg Monaco, who have been a couple for more than a decade. Diana and Bill, in observance of their anniversary, have just departed for a commemorative vacation in Helsinki to be followed by a stop in Estonia.  In Estonia, across the Baltic Sea from Finland, Bill will attend the Trialogos Festival, a Roman Catholic confab devoted to world issues of family and worship.

Bill, who works in heavy excavation, is contemplating retirement in Estonia, where he will continue research for a book on Finland's resistance to Soviet and German invaders during the World War II era.

Mounted on skis, Finnish troops moved with the speed of cavalry, frustrating the invaders at every turn. At some points they deployed in opposition to the Soviets and, after Hitler turned against the Reds, in alliance with them.
Of special interest is the training and deployment of thousands of draft horses which enabled Finnish guerrillas to out-maneuver heavily armored and mechanized German and Soviet units in mountainous and heavily forested terrain and in highly inclement weather.
Not only did the Finns wear white uniforms to help them blend in against the snowy background but even their horses were dressed in white (see photo above). 

Relatively little has been published in English about these events in comparison to other European engagements of the World War II era, making for plenty of fertile territory for Bill's research.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Give Me Another Sign!

Highway sign spotted in Pennsylvania (where we know that they take their driving tests in a parking lot...):  "At night turn lights on for safety."

Yakima, WA store name:  "New Yak City."

Seen in Waterloo, IA:  "Grout Museum"  (Oh, please don't make me go there!)

Sign on a fence near Los Fresnos, TX:  "9 Toes Shredding."  No thanks.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Take Another Family Quizz; Tell Us If We Hit or Mizz

Here are ten questions about the Fieg family with the answers at the bottom.  Don't peek!

1. JEAN DAVIE FIEG WAS BORN on Feb. 9, 1929 in Greensboro, NC but moved to Oneonta, NY with her family when she was a small child. She met Philip Fieg there, married him and for the most part raised her family in Upstate New York until she returned to Greensboro when her children were in their late teens. She eventually returned to live in Greensboro, where she resides today, because:

A. She missed hocks, jowls and butter beans, ham bones and turnip greens, hot corn bread and black-eyed peas, fish camp fries and tater pies.

B. She was elected national president of the Sen. Jesse Helms Fan Club.

C. The mild climate was more beneficial for her health.

D. By complete coincidence, her husband was transferred there by Ciba-Geigy Corp.

Chicagoans Visit Historic Mountain Resort

Susan and Ed Williams, celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary, recently visited historic Bedford Springs Resort in the high, rugged mountains of southwest Pennsylvania.


The weather was a bit cool and damp but not too mild to keep Ed and Sue from enjoying their mornings in their rockers under the veranda, where they were served breakfasts of fresh coffee, bagels and cream cheese.

Susan said the evening fare was sumptuous though Ed, being diabetic, exhibited great discipline and held himself to small, simple, high protein servings or no meals at all.

Susan spent much of her time catching up on her reading, finishing a book and a half during their six-night stay. After sundown they spent time around the bonfire, having quiet conversations with a dozen or so other guests who rotated in and out of the reclining chairs.

Though they played golf on the resort's challenging, often vertical 18-hole course, Susan and Ed decided merely to watch as others swam in the indoor and outdoor pools, played horseshoes, volleyball or participated in other activities.

The resort, more than 100 years old, can accommodate more than 200 guests and has been visited by Susan's cousins Ed and Greg Fieg. The Williamses live in Chicago, from whence many of the resort's visitors hail. Cleveland, Wheeling, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Youngstown, Buffalo and Harrisburg are also within relatively easy driving distance.

To check this place out or book a weekend, don't hesitate to contact Susan at Goodbuy Travel in Chicago by clicking on her website's link, found in the left column of http://www.fiegfamily.blogspot.com.

Stork Makes a Stopover in Central Iowa

Pity the poor stork: so many mommies and daddies and so many bundles of joy and never a day off!


Columbus Day marked the arrival of Michael Kyle Harvey, 8 pounds 12 ounces, the first-born son of Emilie and Matthew Harvey of Des Moines.

Emilie is the daughter of Karen White Fieg of Des Moines and Col. Edward L. Fieg (USAF) of Fairfield, Calif.

Emilie, a former banker and now a full-time mom, currently devotes herself to little Michael and his two sisters, Paige, 4, and Hanna, 2. and of course,  her husband 'Harv.'

Harv is a data systems specialist for a nationally recognized financial institution in Des Moines.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Kimiko Fieg Leads Paper to National Design Award

The Southern Newspaper Publishers Association recently awarded the 2011 first place prize for front-page design in newspapers with under 50,000 in circulation to the Victoria (TX) Advocate's July 9 edition, where Kimiko Fieg is Presentation Editor.

The SNPA judges said, "The Victoria Advocate's presentation of the final space shuttle launch is extraordinary, in the finest sense of the word. A stunning photo, excellent use of typography and thoughtful placement of all elements makes this a clear winner. More than what is obvious, however, is the effort behind this package. To devote the entire front – and back – page of a daily newspaper to one event takes strong effort in planning and coordination among many departments. This page pulls it all together in a package that is bright, open and daring. The impact is strong and the presentation is memorable. Indeed, it is extraordinary."

I know you all will agree -- this is a wonderful job.  Congratulations, Kimiko!

Kimiko is the former wife of Greg Fieg.  She and her husband, former newspaperman Brooks Peterson, live inVictoria, about an hour and a half's drive north of Corpus Christi.

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Photos of our Phounder

Pictures sent by Jean Fieg of the FFN founder, Philip Fieg, in his youth:

Collendale, NY - the old fairgrounds near Syracuse University where housing of veterans - see left in picture - was arranged.  V.P. Fieg on his car - was this the Graham-Paige I wonder? - with his buddies also on the G.I. Education Bill.

1955-Lake Eaton.  Philip grows a beard - who knew?  (It was coppery.)
She also sent a clipping about a time capsule in Oneonta.  Here are some excerpts:

City Officials Write Letters For Posterity
An artfully cut slab of gray native stone, probably 10 million years old, was set in place yesterday to seal a copper box in a wall of Oneonta's new $1,000,000 water plant, the latest word in modern filtration systems.  (Ed. note:  Doesn't this sound like Greg wrote it!!??)

The cornerstone laying was brief but impressive, and was attended by an unexpectedly large crowd.  The sun shone brightly but the air was nippy as men uncovered their heads for invocation, prayer of dedication and benediction by representatives of Protestant, Jewish and Catholic faiths.

Into the copper box went messages from Oneontans and other mementoes (sic) of Jan. 24, 1957, including a letter by Mayor Roger G. Hughes....

Lothar Fieg, chairman of the Public Service Board, put the cornerstone box into its place, and Mayor Hughes sealed the box with a calking (sic) gun....

Thanks, Mom!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Do You Have Reservations? Boy, Do I!

As I entered Johnny Carino's Restaurant in Amarillo, I had a vague recollection of having had a past bad experience there and, when I looked at the floor, which seemed not to have had a mop passed over it in a month, my trepidation grew. But, after all, Johnny Carino's has a high visibility, is a major chain and the decor is tastefully crafted, so I thought I'd give them another chance.

The first setback was in the bathroom where I found no soap in the dispenser. I informed my waitress and ordered my lunch, a meal of Italian sausages (there being no traditional spaghetti and meatballs dish available) with a side of sauteed mushrooms.

Much to my surprise the mushrooms arrived about ten minutes ahead of my entree and, when my entree arrived, I found the "marinara" sauce a tad on the spicy side, tasting almost like Mexican salsa. This prompted me to wonder whether this was a specific sort of Italian cuisine. Because of the pictures of Tuscany on the wall, I asked if the sauce were Tuscan style. The waitress looked at me in puzzlement.

I suggested it could be Sicilian, Bolognese, Romano, Florentine, Napolitano or some other regional flavor, to which she replied, "Let me ask the manager or the cook." Upon her return I realized the manager and the cook knew not what they were serving as neither could answer the question.

I returned to the lavatory again and discovered there was still no soap. I slipped into the stall and found no latch on the door, which swung wide open. I reached for a wad of carta igienica with which to wedge the door closed and the broken dispenser cover flew open and the toilet paper rolled across the floor.

I later learned that my cousin Judy had had a similar experience with this chain (an English word that John Roman might translate as "stay away"). She and her family went to Johnny Carino's for her birthday several years ago and they were seated next to the condiment station. All during their meal they were interrupted by waitresses who flitted by for salt and pepper, grated cheese, napkins and so forth, and yet it never seemed to occur to them to ask if Judy, Joe or Emilie might actually want some cheese.

Finally an entree was brought -- but only one. Two of the party sat and watched the other one eat. then arrived the other two entrees, though one was cold and had to be returned to the kitchen. When the waitress brought it back it was still cold!

I cannot help but wonder, if there are so many shortcomings visible to the customers, how many more might be occurring in the kitchen. In bed that night, the answer came to me when I suddenly felt the firm grip of Mussolini's fist clutching my abdomen.

Do you have a similar experience you'd like to share? Send an e-mail to Judy for publication. We'll give 'em the what-for!

The Family Secrets Revealed

Thanks to those who visited the Survey Monkey for our latest Fieg Family quiz. Here are the answers to the questions:

1. This is the owner of a choice and coveted homesite and cabin on a highly picturesque upstate New York lake.
Answer: 87.5% correctly answered Dave Boggs.

2. He wore a band uniform and played the tuba in the New York State National Guard Infantry Co. G marching band.
Answer: Yes, it was my grampa, Lothar Fieg Sr., as identified by 37.5% of respondents.