family – Peaceful Reader

Yoga + Random Thoughts

Yoga saved me these last few years. Heart surgery is far memory now and yoga has helped me regain muscle and physical confidence. It started with Adriene but then, Sam, a young friend of mine opened a studio in the neighborhood and I’m hooked. Teaching is a lot more emotional these days and a good round of yoga after school helps with that energy.

Some weeks I’ve managed to make classes Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Some weeks I only make a 2-3 classes but either way I’m thankful I have a place to go that feels like home. Many studios across the country focus on hot yoga or fast exercise yoga. I know I’ll offend someone with this statement but I like real yoga that means something, that goes a certain pace, that builds up and slows down into a well-intentioned savasana. I’m there to be in tune with my body, to flow for sure yet I don’t want to move at breakneck speed. There are different kinds of yoga for a wide variety of people. I just like what I like and I’m glad that many of Sam’s classes are perfect for me.

Random Thoughts:

I’m reading three great books right now and they are all about hard topics:

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller-family trauma mixed with old love but lots of trauma

The Huntress by Kate Quinn-WWII women and Nazis

Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey-I’m listening to this and it’s interesting but I do not like the abusive father-son relationships.

End of the school year is coming up fast. I don’t feel ready and yet I’ve also packed my summer (possibly) too full.

Saw Japhy over Memorial Day weekend and it’s just never enough time. I’d take them all back home again for a spell. Go back in time.

Life Stories

My grandparents have been on my mind the last few days and my reflection is a mishmash of my memories of them. My paternal grandparents Myldred and Edward Matz were an interesting couple. Edward immigrated from Russia when he was a young man. I don’t know a lot about his story unfortunately because he never talked about it with us or my dad. Myldred, on the other hand, loved to talk and she doted on her two sons, Roger and Jerry. I remember her love of jewelry as she always wore big earrings and matching necklaces. The above photo has me right next to my older brother Mike, Uncle Jack, my Great Grandmother Holmes, Myldred and Ed. My Aunt Virginia was most likely the photographer. She was the cool aunt who moved to California and was back visiting.

(three generations of Bruch women on my grandmother’s back stoop)

I spent a lot more time with my maternal grandparents, LaVera and Ewald Bruch. My grandfather died when I was in elementary school but I do remember him spending a lot of time outside with me. He would introduce me to the trees and other plants in their peaceful yard. He also let me wash his hair and comb it which I thought was great fun. I thought he was a very kind grandpa who liked to hold my hand and swing me up and around. Later in life I learned he had been an abusive father to my mom and her two brothers. It’s very difficult to mix my memories of him with hers. I spent a lot of time with the two of them and then later, after Ewald died I spent my summer vacation with my grandmother and she was my person.

For years my mom and I struggled to have a positive relationship (my middle years were rough) and my grandmother was my go-to person. I’m happy that I can hear her voice in my head; I hear her say my name and I see the smile on her face as she looks at me. I learned so much from her like her love of gardening and good food. She knew all about pesticides and if she brought produce home from the grocery store she would rinse everything in a vinegar mixture before eating it or cooking it. She lived through the depression so saved everything. My cousin Linda and I loved to play in her basement for hours. There were many treasures.

We played countless games of Rack-O and Spite and Malice as I grew up. I felt blessed to have such a warm and tender-hearted grandmother in my life. She listened to me and I felt like a whole person in her presence. That was golden. If I could bring her back for just one day I’d love to sit and talk, play a game of cards, and lay my head in her lap. Life is full of wonder and hardship. I think my grandparents symbolize that for me and I must be feeling a strong pull toward this right now.

(My grandpa Matz being silly with me)

January Bits

(Our view)

Winter came in like a fury two weeks ago with lots of snow and cold temperatures. It’s beautiful out with the snow glistening under the bright sun. All the winter gear is necessary at this point; hats, gloves, big, long coats, scarves, plus warm beverages for your insides.

Successfully getting ahead of a winter storm we took Japhy to Minneapolis so she could get on a plane to Guatemala. She will spend the next 4 weeks at a yoga center on Lake Atitlán to become a certified yoga instructor. I miss her desperately yet I know she’s on an amazing journey in a very cool place. Also it is 83 degrees there…very different from 3 degrees!

(Japhy’s view)

My mom’s birthday was January 15th and we celebrated her life with a Red Lobster lunch with friends, game of spite and malice with another set of friends, texts with my brothers, and a toast over FT with my sister-in-law all to say we miss her very much yet are glad she’s not in pain anymore. Her pictures flash up on my phone all the time and it all gives me a reason to pause and think of her for a brief moment.

Today I’m sitting in front of a beautiful burning fire thinking about the last time she and my brother Jason sat in this same space and I’m thankful for the good things she brought to my life. While reminiscing I pulled out one of her Big Sky Montana cookbooks to browse and I found a little note on a recipe telling me when she made it and what she liked. While browsing I found a Brussels sprout and walnut recipe I’m going to make tonight.

Because of the temperature I’ve made soup to keep our insides warm and happy. I made a cauliflower/potato soup and a red lentil soup last week and both were very good. I made the red lentil soup for book club on the 15th and then made it again on the 17th for friends visiting from New York. It’s easy to put together and I paired it with jasmine rice so it could be served as a dal and we had toasted pitas for our bread.

Stay warm wherever you are and appreciate the little bits about your life…

So many things

I’ve had a lovely holiday season with my family. We’ve had good conversation, eaten good food, played games, and opened gifts together. Christmas Eve we had a delicious tofu curry with jasmine rice, a vegan scramble for breakfast Christmas Day and homemade pizzas for dinner that night. The Friday before Christmas we hosted a Christmas party for theatre friends and I made.an Italian Sausage lasagna and Japhy made pesto pasta for her and I (no tomatoes, no meat). I made Whoville ‘s Spiced Up Margaritas for the party and French 75s on Christmas night. We tried our best to play Chameleon all together and then the next day a few of us tackled CodeNames together which was a blast! Most importantly it was just great to see our grown up kids having fun, laughing together.

I got everything done that I needed to do before the holiday. The presents were wrapped, menus planned, house clean and I did it all on very little sleep. It’s been a rough month or so starting around Thanksgiving I’ve had the worst trouble sleeping. I’ve been sick with a cold for about the same amount of time that has compromised my immune system.

Sleep is so important and lack of it causes me to forget things and not be my best self. I’ve tried many of the recommended suggestions for better sleep including melatonin, staying off screens, drinking relaxing tea, going to bed early and while I might do any number of combinations of those ideas I still might lie awake at night getting only a brief amount of sleep either right away or toward morning. I’m frustrated. I started menopause years ago making this a ten-year-old problem. Our beautiful Tarah dog above fell asleep one night so deeply right on top of the gifts and all I could think was “I am so jealous!”

I am still doing yoga both at home with Adriene and also with Sam at Cota Studios but many things like blogging just don’t get done because of this sleep deprivation. My goal for this coming 2024 is to get back on a better schedule. For the last couple of months Japhy has been home because she is about to go on a grand adventure but that’s a whole other post for later.

Take care, get some rest, and happy holidays to you…

Fall catch-all

I love fall recipes especially all things with butternut squash! I recently made a spicy butternut squash pasta recipe from the NY Times that was so good I made it twice in one week. As the weather changes we are always look for heartier dishes to warm us up. I’m in the middle of planning our upcoming Thursday meal which I now like to call our Un-Thanksgiving or our Grateful Day. Growing up my family and Greg’s family both celebrated the holiday with all the traditional fare and I used to help my mom prepare a turkey and all the sides but then we just stopped. For many years I prepared other dishes we liked instead such as vegetable lasagna or food from India. The last few years I’ve made vegan Wild Rice Soup; that and some fresh hot bread from the oven makes a perfect meal. This year the only thing I have my heart set on is skin-on mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy. Otherwise I’m still searching for ideas. Tristan has two vegan pies, apple dutch and pecan, on order from New Pioneer Coop in Cedar Rapids.

In between cooking I’ve read:

Dry by Neal Shusterman because it is on a banned book list and I was curious. My first Shusterman book and I will read more. (4 stars)

The Rachel Incident by Carolyn O’Donoghue because I heard it reviewed on a podcast. (4 stars)

We are called to Rise by Laura McBride because it showed up in my free library. (3 stars)

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros because two librarian friends highly recommended it and it was getting a LOT of attention. I liked it and am happily waiting to read Iron Flame. You should probably love high fantasy to enjoy this. (5 stars)

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark because it’s our book club choice for November and I am enjoying it but I’m only half way through the 579 pages. (probably 4 stars)

There are a lot of good series to tuck into for fall:

Everything Now on Netflix – Japhy and I discovered this and loved it. It’s about a young girl’s struggles with anorexia and a lot of high school drama but it’s very real in it’s depiction plus it takes place in London.

All the Light We Cannot See limited series on NF- I loved the book and was looking forward to this. We have one more episode to watch. Mark Ruffalo is amazing as is the young daughter and the young German radio genius. The Nazis are all sufficiently creepy as hell.

Lessons in Chemistry on Apple TV – I loved the book and the series has not disappointed at all. It veers from the book but it is captivating. Brie Larson plays the great Elizabether Zott with zest.

I’ve also made a habit of going to yoga a few times a week at Cota Studios and love practicing in person with other people after years of doing yoga alone with Adrienne in my upstairs studio. Sam is a relaxed and knowledgeable instructor who brings calm and joy into the practice. I really appreciate the gift of this studio in our community.

Happy holiday however you celebrate. Do remember the real facts of this holiday in that those First People who came to the table in peace were later tricked through false treaties, tortured, and killed for who they were. Remember all that is going on in our world from sea to shining sea and that while we do have much to be grateful for we must think about how we can help and be empathetic and aware.

My mama

Judith Ann Cherry

January 15, 1939 – March 17, 2023

Judy Cherry, 84, of Waverly, IA, passed peacefully Friday, March 17, 2023 at the Cedar Valley Hospice, Waterloo. Judy struggled with a blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) for many years, eventually succumbing to it. She lived longer than expected and the extra time allowed her to enjoy many visits from and amazing meals with family and friends.

The daughter of Lavera Ann (Westendorf) and Ewald Bruch, Judy was born January 15, 1939 in Waterloo, IA. She graduated from East High School in 1957 and attended nursing school for one year at Coe College before choosing a different path. She married Roger Matz on April 12, 1958 and together they had four children: Mike, Michelle, Chris and Jason. On December 31, 1998, Judy married James Cherry in Cedar Falls and the couple made their home in Ventura and then Waverly.

Judy completed her education at Minnesota State University, Mankato and had many life roles: she was a mom, a dreamer, a traveler, a wife, a friend, a businesswoman. She struck people with her fun-loving and eccentric personality.

Judy began her professional career as a teacher in Sleepy Eye, MN before helping her husband Roger acquire and manage small newspapers including The Redfield Press and The Spirit Lake Beacon. Judy later owned and operated the Okoboji Grill, in Okoboji, IA where she especially enjoyed working with the young staff. Judy loved good food, travel, boating Minnesota lakes and rivers, reading books and magazines, games, movies, and documentaries. She loved and cared for many family dogs. Judy gardened all her life and in recent years grew beautiful tomatoes that she shared freely.

She was a gourmet home chef and loved cooking meals from the many cookbooks collected on her travels around the country and to Europe. Passing a love of good food to her children, Judy in later years appreciated watching us cook for her while talking and enjoying a glass of wine. Dining with family and friends was one of Judy’s greatest joys.

Judy was a wonderful grandmother and enjoyed caring for young grandchildren, taking them on adventures and outings and shuttling them to ski, dance, soccer, baseball, and hockey. She was a sharp and competitive Spite and Malice player and especially loved teaching it and playing it with her grandchildren. All the better when she won!

Young people enjoyed talking with Judy and she loved getting to know people and was compassionate in her views of the world. She was interested in politics and things that were happening in the world around her.

Surviving are her husband of 24 years, Jim Cherry of Waverly; her children Mike (Sally Shuffield) Matz, of Durango, CO; Michelle (Greg) Holt, of Cedar Falls; Chris (Jennifer Reynolds) Matz, of Denver, CO and Jason (Stephanie) Matz, of Deephaven, MN; her grandchildren: Carson, Celia, Kaylee, Tristan, Japhy, Henry, Sawyer, Wynn, Rider, Marin, Jasper, and Beckett; her step-children Mike (Audra) Cherry, Dana (Mark) Watson, and Kim (Tony Green) Cherry; her step-grandchildren Rebecca, Ryan, Leah, Tyler, Nate, Jacob, and Rolie; and her 6 step-great grandchildren as well as many good friends.

Preceding her in death are her first husband, Roger, and brothers Robert and Wayne.

Services will be at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Waverly at 2:00 pm on Friday, March 24. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Cedar Valley Hospice would be appreciated.

Post Note: Two of my siblings and I wrote, rewrote and edited this tribute to my mom and then find out that obituaries are the. main means for newspaper cash flow! I wanted to share the whole thing with everyone because an edited version will appear in local papers. She lived a full and happy life. Cheers!

Demon Copperhead

“First, I got myself born. A decent crowd was on hand to watch, and they’ve always given me that much: the worst of the job was up to me, my mother being let’s just say out of it.”

Barbara Kingsolver’s opening line is a great introduction to Demon, our young hero, who will become part of the reader’s heart and soul. It’s a magnificent tale of heartache, addiction, family, and poverty set in the Appalachia Mountains. From the very beginning Demon is burdened with tough choices. His mother is young and grieving over Demon’s dead father. He and is mother occupy a doublewide trailer near another family, the Peggot’s who are raising their grandson because his mother is in jail. He loses important parts of his family and gains others. He shows us the hardship of foster care. This is your cast of characters: people down on their luck trying to do their best but often failing in an area of our country that has been torn apart. I loved the book so much I could start the first page again and as I finished the last paragraph I shed some tears.

I’m glad I finished the book when I did because I was able to devote a good amount of time to it even reading a few pages before school and during lunch. I’m feeling overwhelmed with a too long to-do list and the knowledge that I’m on too many committees. I’m on rotation this year for observation and need to complete my professional portfolio by March 1st. I have a book fair coming my way in March. I have a district-wide tech conference and planning for our school’s literacy night both in February. Beyond that I’m on our district’s equity committee, and our teacher’s association, as well as daily lesson planning. I spent most of my Sunday planning for Black History Month and a connected research project for 3rd-6th graders. Whew. I need a night off.

On the relaxing side I have kept up almost daily with Adriene’s January yoga challenge and that keeps me together most days. I’m headed there now to connect and wind down for the night.

Be well.

The Lake

I love being near the water. Specifically lake water although I don’t mind the ocean. I grew up in a family, with a dad, who loved boating. We spent many weekends out on the lake, water skiing or just relaxing with a book. My dad was always the most relaxed when he was out on the water. He could let all of his financial and newspaper troubles behind on the shore and take flight into a different world on the water.

Growing up in Minnesota we always lived near a lake and sometimes we took off to the Mississippi River and even once to Lake Superior. Our tiny speed boat on such a huge lake was uncomfortable but also exhilarating. The waves and the huge ships made for an exciting day.

I don’t live near the water anymore and I miss it. I take frequent trips back to Minnesota to experience that feeling again. My younger brother is now the boat master and we venture out on Lake Minnetonka every chance we get. The boat is out for the year but the memories of the summer trips get me through the winter months. The last boat ride of the season was just Jason and I and we had fun tooling around the lake until sunset. We spotted one loon before we headed back to the lift. There is something magical about being out there surrounded by water. I used to love water skiing and spent hours learning how to slalom when I lived in Okoboji. I did learn how to paddle two summers ago and while it is a workout it is also soothing. I can feel the rhythm of the water as I glide gracefully (mostly) through the calmness. Water is grace and joy to me.

Puerto Rico Memories

We recently headed to Puerto Rico for our first major Spring Break trip with all three of our children. We’ve been planning the trip for half a year. It felt weird then because we were still in the throes of the pandemic. It seemed like a new normal and we very much wanted this trip to happen. And the war on the Ukrainian people weighed heavy on me as well. It’s hard to go on with your regular life, enjoying vacations, when there is a gross human rights crisis happening. All we can do is keep moving forward and be aware, as an empathetic person, helping when and where we can. We took off on our great adventure from O’Hare.

We enjoyed ourselves in Puerto Rico and are already making plans for future trips. Some of our highlights:

La Casita Blanca – I would fly back to San Juan just to eat here again. We waited about 15 minutes in a line outside the quaint restaurant and the line behind us kept growing. Luckily it was a beautiful day. We do not speak much Spanish which was an overall burden on the trip – I wish I was more fluent. We did a lot of guessing of ingredients and menu items. A few of us started off with a glass of delicious sangria served in a large wine glass. After we ordered little cups of green soup appeared at our table and we slurped it up with a fried appetizer that was amazing. We searched for the rest of the trip for this same dish to no avail. Most of us at the table had stuffed avocados for our main meal which were wonderful. The avocados in PR are huge and meaty. Our vegan son only had trouble at one restaurant through out the trip finding vegan options.

Eco Adventures Kayak trip through the bioluminescent lagoon in Farjado- we arrived at 7:30 for our 8pm trip after driving 35 minutes through winding roads. We had about 22 other adults beyond our party of 5 which seemed like a lot but it worked. It was a lovely paddle down a river with mangrove trees cascading around us. You could hear a cacophony of frogs as we rounded a curve and opened up to a very large lake. The moon was full which made the sky beautiful but did not give us a great glimpse of the bioluminescence in the water. The trip was still worth it. And we were back to our Airbnb by 11pm.

Mojito Lab- our first foray to the kiosks right outside of Luquillo and we discovered this little outdoor hot spot. We ordered smalls but with a variety of island flavors hand shaken by a handsome bartender. What could be better! Those were the best cocktails we had on the trip. Oh except for the rum drinks we created ourselves with fresh limeade, lots of limes, ice, and a local bottle of rum. Yum.

Beaches- Greg always goes for a run on vacation and he is good about finding cool spots. He found a secluded beach that was so serene. He dropped us off so we could meander our way down eventually meeting up at the public swim spot. What made this walk so special was the eco system undisturbed by people; sea grasses gently waving, soft sand, pieces of coral, miniature fossils and a stillness that was like a natural symphony.

We all thought we would go back again to Puerto Rico but I would choose a different area of the island to explore. Also Puerto Ricans are all wearing masks still as did we. And shopping at the local grocery store was fun! I bought and made yarrow root after a local man told me exactly how to cook them; they tasted like a turnip mixed with a potato and were a light purple in color.

We all made it home safely and returned to reality; Ukraine is fighting back, new boosters are available, and our legislators are making it difficult to happily teach in Iowa. Cheers.

Feeling the blues, finding the joy

I know I’m not the only one but it still feels uncomfortable. I went to bed on Christmas night fighting all manner of demons. Did everyone get something they were excited about? Was there enough food? Was there enough joy and laughter? Our time together is very limited as a family and we had a new boyfriend in the mix. Did he enjoy his time with us? Was it all stimulating enough? Did we take them to cool places in town? Were we Covid-cautious enough for the New Yorkers? And the tree-oh, the tree was a whole thing!

It’s hard to answer all these questions as you head off to sleep and truthfully you never know but here is what I do know: our bellies were full with good food, we laughed and played together and there was not one fight! People seemed happy with gifts they received and most importantly they seemed to enjoy the gift giving process as well. Even the son got on board with gift giving in real time. Last year he ordered everyone’s gifts Christmas Day and while that had its own thrill, this year he said it was important to see everyone’s faces as they opened gifts! There in is the gift worth opening-the spirit of simple giving.

I’ve worked to let my anxious feelings go over the last few days. It is what it is and I can see us laughing together especially over our online Jeopardy, the raucous sounds of lively foosball games rising from the basement, and the joy of sitting around the table together. One of my highlights was listening to Kaylee explain just how Christmas morning would go because we have a pattern, a flow to how our traditions unfold and that description was priceless.

The new year is approaching and the children are once again scattered back to their homes but we will hold the Christmas of 2021 especially dear because we could be all together and we were happy for those days, sharing our memories and our lives. We say “cheers” for a healthy and hope-filled 2022. Find what makes you stay sane…