Life / WHY ARE POLISH CALENDARS SKEWED? [42]

In the US, our wall calendars typically show Sunday as the first day of the week and Saturday as the last day. The exceptions I can think of are those calendars that are "work week calendars" like the ones posted at one's office, or ones like my datebook that I carry with me everywhere. Those calendars usually have full pages for each "work day" Monday through Friday, then Saturday or Sunday share a page.

Seanus's comment about the Scottish calendars made me laugh!

Happy New Year's Day (Thursday and NOT the first or last day of the week)!

Law / Mr. Men and Little Miss series - trying to bring it onto the Polish market [20]

Welsh guy--I don't know about kids today or in Poland, but when my son was a little guy (about 20 years ago), here in the US, we loved those books and read them all the time. Simple stories and lots of characters in bright colors with the cutest little smiling faces. We had over a dozen of those books and I've kept them--there will be grandkids some day who will enjoy them, too, I hope! I think they would be easily translated and understandable to Polish children today.

USA, Canada / Pulaski Day (celebrated in the US only) [54]

Sledz, I'll join you in that toast to Pulaski, and I look forward to your review of the St. Paddy's Day parade in Chicago--love that green Chicago River!

By next year, may you be celebrating both holidays in your very own Polish bar.

Na zdrowie!

Genealogy / Searching for KAWA, KOSIBA, SOBARNIA family in Łekawica, Tarnow [9]

That is a lot of potential family--I'm excited. Can you give some advice in narrowing it to a manageable number of emails? Is there a way to see how many of these Kawas, etc. have email addresses?

Genealogy / Searching for KAWA, KOSIBA, SOBARNIA family in Łekawica, Tarnow [9]

Hi, yes, I'm Nancy. I have messages posted on Ancestry and on other genealogy sites, too, but I haven't heard from anyone. I recently joined a Facebook Tarnow page and will post there, too. I will see if I can find a telephone directory. It looks like the £ekawica area has some agro-tourism according to some websites, so I may be able to make some connections in that way (you know, like someone who knows someone who may know my family). I will be in Poland this summer and I'm hoping to meet some family members while I'm there.

Thank you for your help--you're a great resource!

Life / Calendar for a coffin producer in Poland. Boxes for stiffs. [9]

Too funny, Wildrover. . .

Language / Dziękujecie in plural form [11]

Can anyone tell me whether "dzięki" is used only in very casual conversation between friends or whether it is acceptable in more formal conversation?

Thanks (dzięki)!

Genealogy / Stąpor: Questions about my family [9]

mstapor1, in researching my family history, I find it most fruitful to start from the present and work backwards before I "hop the pond". Do you have enough information about your ancestors' names, dates, and locations to search US census records, newspaper obituaries, immigration records, military records, Homestead Act land recipients, LDS records? It is surprising how much information is there.

The small successes are well worth it--after three years of research, I finally discovered my Polish grandfather's entry record at Ellis Island. He and his four siblings immigrated at different times in the early 1900s. Their family name is KAWA, and it was spelled five different ways on the five ship records--only one time was it correct! I wish you much success in uncovering your family history.

Genealogy / Scott Grifka, Family history [13]

Scott, I'm sad that some PFrs have been critical and less than helpful. Polonius' comments are right on--busia is a not-uncommon term used in areas of the US and probably was a term in use by our ancestors over 100 years ago.

There are several free genealogy websites and resources. You could start with the Polish Genealogical Society of America website, Family Search (the LDS church site) and use your surname to search. Ancestry.com is another resource, but it is expensive. It would be helpful if you know from which villages or areas your family departed.

Best wishes on finding your Polish roots!

History / Watch Poland grow and shrink (interactive map) [52]

P3, thank you for sharing this link--it helps to make Poland's complicated history a bit clearer. I believe it will be a great reference for our informal presentations about Polish history. Dziękuję.

History / Watch Poland grow and shrink (interactive map) [52]

Cool video, jabłko. Thanks for sharing. It's pretty amazing to see the borders change throughout history.

Language / Is My Painting Title Correct In Polish? [23]

Tony--this is off-topic, but thank you for the "PF gallery showing" of your painting. It is beautiful and passionate and reminds me of work by the American painter, Thomas Hart Benton.

I'm sure it will look lovely in the new music center.