A Piece of Cake

Month: July 2014

In Search of the Name of Kromelow

It was somewhat of a family mystery as to how the surname Kromelow came about. Not much is known about my Grandfather Meyer’s family history. My mother told me his parents were Irwin and Caroline and that a picture of her was instrumental in her parents courtship. Meyer had several brothers who also emigrated to the United States, but I believe they changed their name to Lewis when they came here. To make matters more confusing Meyer was in business with one brother in London and supposedly they went by the surname of James during that time.

It is thanks to my cousin Hilary Joseph who reported that her father my Uncle Joe, told her that Kromolow was the name of Meyer’s hometown and that his real surname was Kifyatkovsky or perhaps spelled Kviatkovsky. She located a district of the city of Zawiercie in modern Poland that is named Kromolow (pronounced Kromowoff with the accent on the last syllable). According to the website Kromolow is the oldest quarter of the city, and there is other information about synagogues and cemeteries indicating a Jewish presence. In 1847 the Warsaw-Vienna railway was completed. Zawiercie is very close to this important line, which led to rapid economic development. It is certain that the Warsaw-Vienna railway was how Meyer’s mother got him out of the clutches of the Tzar, out of Kromolow and sent him off to be educated in Vienna.

The picture is part of the Yad Vashem Photo Archive » Kromolow, Poland, Maltreatment of Jews

It was a wise move to leave this place.

Hilary’s research on migration generally, in connection with economic development in China, suggests that it is the middle class of a population which tends to migrate, those with resources and higher aspirations, not the poorest people and Meyer’s family fits this profile.

At another website, a search for Kromolow indicates that it was located in the Russian Empire before World War I and in Poland thereafter. The Yiddish pronunciation of the name is Krimilov.

It is not far fetched to assume that in their travels from Poland to England, using the name of Meyer’s home town as a surname was easier to use then his birth surname. It is also easy to assume that immigration officials would have had an easier time pronouncing Kromolow as opposed to Kifyatkovsky. The name still had a way to go to evolve as evidenced in the 1920 U.S. Census.

My thanks to my cousin Susan Kromelow for finding the last piece of information. It takes a family to dig up it’s roots.

July 27, 2014
Family History

What is our fascination with wanting to know where we came from and who we are descended from? When I met my husband Prince Ashton Hawkins he told me that he was a descendent on both sides of his family from the Mayflower. Not to be outdone I informed him I was descended on both sides of my family from the giving of the 10 Commandments.

What is this thing about blood lines and class. status? I never have figured it out. However my family and Ashton’s family and all the families we come in contact with have stories to tell. I would like our Granddaughters to know something about their history. So I will begin with my mother’s side of the family.

My mother’s family name is Kromelow. If you know someone with that name we are related. I do believe we are the only ones in America with the name of Kromelow, but we are also Brosk, Rice, Slatin. O’Neil, Joseph’s, Hawkins, Roloff and more as the daughters marry and/or the children assume nom de plumes.

The journey to America by my mother’s parents was much like many, many others who came here seeking a better life..but there was a twist.

They came here from England to Halifax to Chicago Illinois from their roots in Poland and the Ukraine. What is interesting is that was all of Russia then.. so they considered themselves as coming from Russia.

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Antique postcards of Zhitomir, estimated date around 1895-1905.

This is my grandmother. Bertha (Bronia) Katz. The picture was taken in Ludz Poland She was born into a family of Ukrainian/Russian Jews sometime around 1874 in Zhitomir, Ukraine .

Her grandparents were Menasha and Froyam Fine (Fein) on her mother’s side and Theodore and Diana Katz on her father’s side. Her parents were Miriam Fine and Isadore Katz. Bronya was one of six children. She had two brothers Abraham and Israel and three sisters Naomi, Ethel and Bessie. Her father Isadore was a Rabbi and in her extended family of aunts, uncles and cousins there were many artists, writers, musicians and intellectuals. So the story begins.

July 26, 2014
Everyone has a Feast

The other day Ashton came home with a brick of seed and put it down in the front lawn by the false plum tree on a patch of earth that the rabbits and quails have worn bare. The little birds, sparrows, finch, chickadees descended on that block with unbelievable energy. It has been a all day show. The big birds like the doves and the quail haven’t been quite sure what to make of it.

Papa Quail has gotten on top of the block and pecked at it. Mama Quail has attacked the side. The Baby Quail do their best to stay out of the mileu. Mainly the little birds are all over it like flies on fly paper. The doves just hang out on the sidelines. The cacophony of bird conversation starts at first light and where as before died down until before sunset now goes on all day. Much like the chatter at a well attended dinner event.

I sit at my desk working on all the everyday things that have to be done, along with the projects that I have taken on and I am distracted. The birds have taken over. We have a all day birdie dining spot and everyone’s here for the feast.

Speaking of feasting this is what we dined on at our latest NNWA (Northern Nevada Wine Association) Diner. The Dinner was held at Bricks and featured Peju Wines.

It was all very nicely prepared. My favorite was the Peju Sauvignon blanc with the Crab appetizer and the Merlot with the lamb main course.

The best part is the friends we share this with. Oh and the entire restaurant sounded just like our front yard with everyone just chirping away and enjoying the feast.

July 25, 2014
Reflections on the day.

It is always fun to be a guest on Nevada News Makers with Sam Shad. That’s how yesterday began, We talked about the Affordable Care Act. Our segment is the last half of the show and what amazes me is that supposedly intelligent people still do not have a clue. It’s by no means a perfect solution to providing health coverage and access to healthcare in this country but it is a start.

I picked up my friend Nancy Eklof after the show and we went and opened the Nevada Shakespeare Company bank account. It seemed to take forever. By the time everything was done we were starving and Pho seemed like a good choice. Plus Monday lunches with Nancy have become a regular habit.

Pho (correctly pronounced fuh) has very good fuh. I had Pho Dac Biet and Nancy had their chicken curry, plus I ordered Pho Ga and spring rolls to take home to Ashton. This little restaurant is always busy. The prices are very reasonable, everything is cooked to order and we both had plenty of food to take home to enjoy later.

I must admit however that I was a bit off center yesterday. My dear friend Martha Gould has been ill and very much on my mind. Sam had inquired about Martha. He was concerned because he had been trying to reach her. Martha had a serious bout of pneumonia that had gone undetected despite several trips to the hospital. Fortunately Stephan her son and daughter-in law Karen who is a physician came into town and made arrangements to take her to their home in Colorado. When I got home I called Martha and though she is still very weak she is doing much better.

Martha got me involved in Nevada politics and because of Martha I was front and center in Nevada’s for ERA and I ended up running the Equality Now campaign and Nevada’s Campaign for Choice But that is a conversation for another day. Let us say for now I miss my friend.

The evening ended on a high note. The dedication of a plaque on the rock at the Hawkins Amphitheater to Ashton’s father Prince A. Hawkins. and an outstanding evening of music by the Reno Philharmonic Orchestra. It was wonderful seeing family and friends and sharing in this very special occasion.

July 22, 2014
Fun-Friends-Food and the Thing About Ageing

It’s a party for our friend Diane Kennedy’s mother Blanche Brouillard who is celebrating her 97th Birthday today. Blanche is a remarkable women and a inspiration. She is a wonderful example of why a good attitude leads to a long life and along with Ashton’s Aunt Betts and the late great Marion Belford are among my role models for what I want to be when I get into my 90ies and 100s.

There is a thing about aging well that I have have noticed and it doesn’t have to do with looks. It has more to do with attitude, curiosity, understanding that everything is not all about you and a sense of humor. Bitterness makes you old before your time. Rolling with the punches as they say keeps you on your toes and keeps you aware. Curiosity keeps you learning, exploring, growing and not getting stuck in a time or place. Knowing it’s not all about you keeps things in perspective and develops empathy. A sense of humor ..well you can’t get from point A to point B on this planet without one. Plus you need to be able to laugh at yourself. Taking oneself too seriously will put lines in your face.

It was a wonderful celebration in honor of a very special lady. We should all live long and prosper and have the days of our lives remembered in such a loving way.

Now as for the food. Diane is a great chef, Gregg is a fabulous host and the table is always resplendent with excellent culinary delights. We are all foodies. It was a summer picnic buffet. Craw daddies, meat balls in perfect tomato sauce, corn on the cob, potato salad, several dips of the humus variety, guacamole, watermelon, blueberries, strawberries (these were incredible) blue corn chips, cheese, crackers, a vegetable plate and let us not forget the cake, a whipped cream strawberries dipped in chocolate delight and of course the wine.

The company. Everyone really special from Dr. Bob, Mercedes and Isabelle who is an exceptional child. At 10 she is smarter then most people at 40. The Captain and Ms Coco (aka Nancy E.) and many others all very special people making it a very special evening.

Now my beloved and I are home. There is a soft rain falling. We are drinking Golden Eye Pinot 2011 Anderson Valley for our night cap.

Life is a piece of cake at least for me and mine.

In the mean time. The war rages on in Gaza.

A do nothing congress does nothing

And Harvey may not have to go to jail. I think that would be a serious waste of time and money given the Citizen United decision by the SCOTUS.

July 21, 2014
A New Journey

picture by Moyan Brenn on Flickr

Been meaning to do this for a very long time.

It was the Nevada Shakespeare Company project that got me to thinking I should start my own blog and develop a new skill. Consequently I have been spending the past few days fooling around with this just to see if I can get my creative juices flowing and do some new things on the net. So far so good.

As with any new project there are frustrations, learning curves and challenges. But we shall persevere. The plus is that it is great fun fooling around with this medium and figuring it all out.

So.. What did I do today besides fool around with WordPress? Paid bills, straightened up a few things, answered emails, made a lovely salad with the left over chicken from our dinner out the other evening and drank good wine. Caught up on Downtone Abby and watched the Lego Movie and yes I liked it. All pretty mundane and plebeian. That was my day.

This is what was going on in my world today. All of which I have no control over.

Israelis and the Palestinian East Bank Gaza. Will the world end because of this craziness? I believe the Palestinians need their own country. I also believe that have to stop trying to destroy Israel. Oh and I do think that Israel needs to stop building those settlements. Come on guys, both of you need to stop poking each other in the eye with a stick.

The Ukraine. My grandmother on my mother’s side was born there. She considered herself Russian but they considered her a Jew. The war goes on. Another Malaysian plane was downed. This one by possible Russian Seperatives. No one knows the truth for sure but we can suspect. Mostly Dutch Nationals on board. A brilliant AID scientist. A young woman who was doing cancer research. Mothers, fathers, children, gone all gone in the craziness. One can hardly breath because of the sorrow over this senseless occurrence.

Around my hood the the Clear Creek wildfire near the southern edge of Carson City is 100% contained. So was the Evans fire. Reno police are investigating a shooting that left one person dead Friday night. I-80 westbound near Lockwood is open again after an earlier accident closed the road for about an hour. Ricci Kilgore is lucky to be alive after getting lost this week in the Nevada desert.

That’s about it for my life today.

July 19, 2014