Visiting ancestors’ homeland is a trip to remember

Forty-one years ago I traveled to the birthplaces of my grandparents and the capital city in Slovakia, which was still part of both Czechoslovakia and the Soviet bloc. Reducing the risk of a journey behind the Iron Curtain, my maternal grandmother arranged for me to stay with my grandfather’s relatives in Bratislava, the capital, and with her relatives in the Liptov region.

No one in Liptovský spoke English, and I knew no Slovak, but that didn’t stop us from talking and laughing. We used translation books, although Grandma’s nephew’s wife spoke at length to me as if I understood every word. At times I somehow understood her.

Last week my sister Nancy, her husband, Bob, and their daughters Alex and Ashley retraced my trip, with a few differences. The Iron Curtain is no more, of course. They stayed in hotels and saw relatives only in Liptovský. They were able to have conversations because two cousins in their 40s speak English. 

Illinois Democrats help Harris-Walz in neighbor states

Michelle Obama’s rousing speech at the Democratic National Convention must have revved up countless Democrats to answer her appeal “to do something.” Her call to action was repeated by speaker after speaker. Don’t let the passion of the convention fool you into overconfidence, they said. Harris vs. Trump will be close. 

Illinois Democrats live in a reliably blue state. Where can we make a difference? 

Operation Swing State, a local grassroots coalition, is mobilizing volunteers to canvass, make phone calls, and write postcards to help the Harris-Walz ticket in Wisconsin and Michigan, two of the swing states that are expected to determine the presidential election. 

Don’t let sleep stats trouble your sleep

Wearing a fitness tracker such as a Fitbit or an Apple Watch can tell you all sorts of things about your health. I used my Fitbit only to count steps, however, until I felt groggy for a couple of days and checked the sleep stats.