Happy Holidays, Family & Friends

Winter greetings from the Golly family. It has been a difficult year in many ways: a time to learn new things, to relearn things we thought we knew, and to cope with change, which, of course, is not new. We are grateful for the chance stay in touch with you and to be together when that is possible.

Friends and family are again the theme as we count our blessings at the end of the year. Consider a single 24-hour period in April when Gven and Sven drove to Cleveland to see their friends Angela and Rick. The occasion was a Chagrin Theater production, in which Rick played a pivotal role, called “These People.” Hold that thought. A block from the theater the car engine dies in the middle of a busy street. It revives long enough to get us to the theater, where we enjoy a spirited, community-minded musical and a fabulous cast party afterward. The Accord quits only once on the way to Rick and Angela’s house halfway across town in Bedford.

First thing in the morning, we talk to the Honda dealer, which is practically around the corner, and the guy at the service desk, who happens to be the son of a friend at their church, thinks it might be the starter, and if it is, it might be the model recently recalled by the factory. We cross our fingers and eat a hearty breakfast (travel tip: breakfast at the Coffee Cup rocks) and decide to make a day of it at the Cleveland Museum, which happens to have a Monet exhibit, which turns out to be an absolute visual feast. When we check with the service guy, he says the car is ready – no charge. Angela feeds us chicken salad, and we are on the road heading home, feeling like the recipients of multiple unbidden gifts.

The garden had a hard time with a late frost and a dry June, although the weather evened out over time. We picked no apples, no beans, no eggplant, and few tomatoes. Flowers were sparse. Yet the strawberries came through in spite of it all, and warm fall allowed us to keep picking peppers well into November.

Zelda is thriving in the book trade. After starting at Half-Price Books in January, she quickly acquired more responsibility, keeping order in the fine arts section and learning to receive and track shipments. Maybe her medium of choice is books! Zelda stays in touch with her friends in Kent and remains tight with the Clintonville Posse. In August, she took a road trip with her friend Stephanie and Steph’s sister Kristin to Hilton Head, South Carolina, with a side-trip to historic Savannah.

In June, Zelda accompanied her dad on a weeklong trip to Minnesota via Chicago, and, in the opinion of the elder Golly, it was a blast. In Chicago, Zelda visited her friend David, who took us to a nice neighborhood bar (travel tip: have a beer at the Map Room in Logan Park). Sven visited his longtime friend and mentor Donald in Rogers Park for some major catching up. Together Zelda and Sven explored the Field Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art, the ‘El’ system, and of course made a pilgrimage to the Heartland Café, still the coolest, earthiest, friendliest source of peace, love, and caffeine on the planet.

That was just the first two days. In La Crosse, Wisconsin, they joined the Anderson-Golly clan for a poignant celebration of the decennial Spring Grove Homecoming and the life of Sven’s uncle, A.B. “Chuck” Anderson. There were meals with brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and parents at hot-spots like Schmidty’s and Fazey’s. There was a self-guided tour featuring a panoramic view of La Crosse from Granddad Bluff, our old house on Market Street, Hogan and Campus Schools, Asbury Methodist Church, Rudy’s root beer stand, and other old haunts.

There was a walking tour of Spring Grove, Minnesota, childhood home of Helen and Chuck. We ate ice cream at the new hangout on Main Street and looked at the art gallery that occupies the space that was once the iconic C&D (Chuck and Dunc’s) Café. Above all, there was a beautiful memorial service at Chuck and Marion’s church, where Chuck’s band played some of his favorite tunes and we were all reminded of his devotion to music and to his family. It was a classic happy/sad occasion to spend time with Marion, Kris, Lee, and Russ Anderson and to enjoy their hospitality.

Jessi and Alex visited us in Ohio for a few days in August, and as always it was great to be with them. They connected with Jessi’s friend Andy, and we all had a fun evening with our friends the Gormans just before Jessi’s protégé Tedy left for college. Abe took a leave of absence from Forbidden Planet in New York to harvest cranberries for eight weeks at Mann Farm, just outside Buzzard’s Bay, on Cape Cod. When he came to Columbus for Thanksgiving, he brought a huge box of cranberries, enough for turkey dinners and bread for at least the next year. We were glad to have Sven’s sister Jo Jo at our house again for Thanksgiving, and Kate, Jim, and Emma Gourmet also graced our table. Jessi returned to his house in Brooklyn and his job at the bookstore, but he’ll be back in time for a Solstice bonfire. Maybe cranberries will go with lutefisk and Grandma Helen’s lefse?! Oofdah!

Gven still manages and teaches at the Yoga Factory. This year she expanded the reach of her teaching to the Westerville Recreation Department, Columbus Health Department, Franklin County Courthouse, and State Farm Insurance, as well as the McConnell Heart Health Center. She still studies with Donna Winter at Balanced Yoga and with Ling's shaman training group.

Just in time for the Rose Festival at Whetstone Park and the Arts Festival downtown, Gven’s sisters Sharon and Annette came north for a few days in June. We had a convergence of important birthdays in August, so Gven and Sven took the opportunity to drive to Georgia. First we met Sharon, Jim, and family; Annette, Ron, and family; and their dad at a great restaurant in the historic gold-rush town of Dahlonega for Gven’s mother Nancy’s 75th birthday. (No, wait, she can’t be 75! She seems much younger!) It was a perfect afternoon in the mountains and a nice chance to see how Nancy’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren are growing up. Then we went to Jo Jo’s condo in Atlanta for her 60th. (No, wait, she can’t be 60! She seems much younger!) It was great to see Jo Jo’s new place, see her husband Burt, and visit a neighborhood garden around the corner from Abe’s birthplace. In an odd twist of fate, we were able to enjoy an awesome photography exhibit despite arriving at the High Museum just in time to get drenched by a thunderstorm, which was much needed in drought-stricken Georgia.

On the way to Georgia, we stopped overnight with Sven’s parents in Tennessee. Besides catching up on their many projects, we discussed a piece of property they had held onto in Michigan. Sven decided to have a look for himself and went up north to camp for a weekend in September. He was sufficiently taken with the setting – inland from Traverse Bay near a little lake – to take on the responsibilities of ownership for some undetermined future use… picture a cabin in the north woods with cross-country skiing, a sauna, a canoe…and dream on.

Meanwhile, back in reality, Sven got his red-pencil back in the freelance game after a few years’ hiatus, copyediting new books on subjects such as river ecology, phenomenology, anarchy, and he can’t wait to see what’s next. He is also the production editor for a high school Law textbook at Giant Publisher, Inc. Sitting at a desk too much exacerbates his general, gradual decline, although he hasn’t lost the capacity for sweeping generalization. Besides taiji and qigong, he seeks balance by riding his old Schwinn.

Best wishes for a bright, warm Christmas. Have a passionate, pioneering, and practical Year of the Rat.

Peace on Earth,
Sven, Gven, and Zelda
Dali (dog) and Isabel (cat)