Category: Family
Purple Daughters
Not satisfied with the natural hair color provided by their parent’s boring old gene pool, the Casey girls decided to jazz things up a bit. Their parent’s hair color is also changing, almost as quickly, but naturally.
Thirty Years Ago – The Glasford Gazette
In case you missed this from the ‘Memories’ section of the 12/22/10 Glasford Gazette, that’s my Old Lady! And she’s STILL a good citizen today!
Czech Holiday Houska Bread!
20 Years Ago Today – C-17 First Flight
Twenty years ago today, on September 15, 1991, the C-17 Globmaster III made it’s first flight. My father, Bill Casey, was the pilot in command on that flight. Today he is at Edwards Air Force with my mom, to watch that very plane known as T-1 return and be retired from service.
Take a few minutes if you have them to watch this video about that flight, the voiceover at the end is my Dad speaking. When I think of all the servicemen and women who have been delivered and returned in C-17s over the last 20-years, I burst with pride at the important role my father had in the development of this aircraft.
Congrats Dad, the First Flight crew, and to everyone at Douglas Aircraft on this special anniversary!
Send a Casey to Ireland
There once was a girl from Montclair.
Who had pretty reddish blonde hair.
She said with a smile.
Throw money on my pile.
So I can go study over there.
– Rick Palermo
This limerick by a family friend, captures well my daughter Katie’s online efforts to raise money in support of her plan to study abroad at the University of Limerick in Ireland next year. She has already won a $5,000 scholarship, which combined with existing student loans and her parent’s regular tuition payments will cover the majority of her expenses. But there is a gap in her budget that remains to be closed, and so she has put out a digital tin cup and is asking for your help.
Limerick isn’t just another spot in Ireland for us. It happens to be where our Irish ancestor’s came from. Katie’s GGGG Grandfather Michael Casey worked as a tenant farmer on the Barrington Estate (today’s Glenstal Abbey), and most of his 10 children, including son Michael, emigrated to America and settled in Chicago, Illinois. So Katie won’t just be studying abroad, she’ll be walking in the footsteps of the ancestors who gave her our Casey name.
After looking over a few alternative sites for online fundraising, Katie selected one called smartypig. Gifted funds are held in an FDIC insured, interest bearing account, from which she’ll be able to withdraw them when needed for her study abroad expenses.
Online fundraising such as this is the meat and potatoes of my day job, funding Democratic candidates and progressive causes that I support and am proud to work for. But this is a cause that beats them all, for being one that I support, and that makes me proud. The hardest, but most important part of fundraising is the asking. And so we ask. If you are able and willing to pitch in to help, your support is very much appreciated.
African or European?
Me: (asking for no particular reason) What’s the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Colleen: (without a moment’s hesitation) Is that an African or European swallow?
Me: (tears up with fatherly pride).
Why Will The Cubs Win This Year?
A Boy and His Lion
Christmas 1993, Huntington Beach, California. Will Casey is three weeks past turning one year old and celebrating Christmas at his Nana & Papa’s house. It’s Will’s second Christmas, but his first with awareness. Too young to know or care about Santa or Baby Jesus, Will knows only that there are lots of new toys being opened and they seemed to be for him. The toys stacked taller than he was, and from the safety of his mother’s lap, Will took it all in. He really wasn’t feeling very well on this trip, but toys are great medicine. Among his sister’s gifts was a Lion puppet. It had plastic brown eyes, soft fur, and a huge bushy mane.
Will had to touch that mane, and he did.
From that moment on ‘Lion’ belonged to Will. They were together always. By the next Christmas, Lion even came along with Will and Katie when they visited Santa,
and when he joined his family for a White House family Christmas photo.
And when he wasn’t traveling with Will on such exciting days as the first day of pre-school,
Lion and Will could most frequently be found napping together, like they are here with Will’s Aunt Jill.
Luckily for Will, his kind and generous older sister never begrudged him for taking her gift. She understood that Lion and Will were friends.
There were others. Others who tried to compete for Will’s attention, and he was willing to give them a try. There was Abu,
and bunny.
There was Mickey,
and Pooh.
There was even eventually a baby sister, but pulling her hair just wasn’t the same.
None of them lasted (well, the sister did), and no one knows where they are now. Lion was always there.
And he still is today. A bit worn after 17 years (his tail fell off years ago, but it’s safely stored inside his puppet head), but still Will’s Lion.
The End.
Long Running Family Art Exhibit Closes
A exhibit of artworks by Colleen Casey on the back of the basement door in the Casey family kitchen came to an end today. The exhibit consisted primarily of works from her pre-school and kindergarten period, some of which are believed to date back to 2000 or earlier. When asked if she was surprised at the record-setting length of her exhibition, Colleen made it clear that she was not. “It’s because you love me best”, she stated confidently. Of course we do dear. But the lack of competition from any younger sibling artists should also be noted.