She Finds the Darnedest Places!

 

Our sweet Tiger, quite old now, but still unsure of her exact age, loves to sleep and curl up in the darnedest places....the bathroom sink; the middle of the garden right next to the catnip, and more.

Adorable to say the least.  Smart too.

Good Citizen Award Nominee!

 Good Citizen Nominees | Ghost of Midnight

              There are about 15 nominations in the link above, written by 5th graders who nominated                                           Kuba him for the good citizen award!  

Take away quotes:

"If you get to know him, you will love him."

and 

"He is really famous in our community."  

and

"He has helped many people in many ways.  One example are the kids at Very Merry Theater.  Kuba Thelemarck helps kids like me learn how to be a good actor like him." 

and

"He can always solve a problem.  He is smart, charismatic, generous and kind." 

How sweet is that!  You just gotta love him! 

Abdi, South End Forum, Burlington
“I am nominating Kuba Thelemarck. I am nominating him because he is a great person and always helps around the class. Also he is in the yes program also known as the teacher helper program. He also said that when he grows up he wants to be a teacher. He has a really good personality and a good sense of humor.”  

Aviv, South End Forum, Burlington
“I would like to nominate Kuba Thelemarck for a good citizen. Kuba has worked in are classroom for two weeks as part of the BHS YES program. He also works at Very Merry as a teacher to help them put on plays but he has also been in a number of plays. He is kind, funny, caring and an amazing actor. He is going to UVM for college where he will major in education for kids. He has been an amazing teacher assistant helping us with anything we need and most importantly playing Very Merry games with us at recess. He works hard and he contributes to the community by doing summer camps and doing the YES program. That is why I believe Kuba Thelemark should be a good citizen.” 

Brynn, South End Forum, Burlington
“I think Kuba Thelemarck is a good citizen, because he volunteers in our classroom to help us learn and be a teacher’s assistant, as part of the BHS YES program. He also works for Very Merry Theatre teaching kids about acting and putting on plays, which helps them to be more active. He also helps run summer camps. He is kind, caring, funny and friendly. He was with us for two weeks and will be going into college next year and we are very excited for him but we will miss him. He has really helped us out with anything we need. He helped us learn and grow. That’s why I believe Kuba is a good citizen!”

Christina, South End Forum, Burlington
“I want to nominate Kuba Thelemark. Because he is a really good citizen and helps a lot. Not only as a helper but a really good person outside of school. And he stands in what he believes in. Another thing is he is really a kind person and if you get to know him you will love him.”

Liza, South End Forum, Burlington
“I would like to nominate Kuba Thelemarck as an important citizen in my community. I would like to nominate Kuba because he makes tons of people happier by helping out in a classroom and putting on plays that anyone can enjoy. Kuba has been in very merry theatre where he does what he loves, by putting on plays, and that also allows everyone to enjoy the play because he is such a good actor. And back to the helping around the classroom, he did that instead of going on a trip or flying airplanes, all of that is part of the YES program. That stands for Year End Studies, which is where you can do all these fun things, and Kuba out of the goodness of his heart chose to help teach because he loves it. And that is just awesome! So I Nominate Kuba Thelemarck!”

Emily, South End Forum, Burlington
“I am nominating Kuba Thelemarck for the good citizen challenge because he has been helping out in our classroom and is also here because of the BHS Y.E.S program and is volunteering to help us and our teacher and always helping out. He helps in our community by helping our teacher and also helps in Very Merry and teaches us about things. Also he is lighthearted and he cares and is always in a good mood so I hope he wins the good citizen challenge.”  

Greta, South End Forum, Burlington
“I want to nominate Kuba Thelemack. Kuba was in our classroom for the last two weeks of school with the YES program. He is a good citizen because he always helps out and is so good at being kind to all of us. He also does a lot of Very Merry theater camps and is also always very kind there, he makes those camps so much fun. That’s why I nominated Kuba Thelemark as a good citizen.” 

Idris, South End Forum, Burlington
“I would love to nominate Kuba Thelemark. I want to nominate Kuba because he is kind, helpful, funny and smart. He also works at the very merry theater and helps out kids who want to do plays there. He is super kind and he is always willing to help. Also he works in the yes program which is going to a class for the last two weeks of school and helps out. That is why I would want to nominate Kuba Thelemark.” 

Isaak, South End Forum, Burlington
“I am nominating Kuba Thelemarck for the good citizen challenge. I’m nominating him because of the BHS’ Y.E.S. program. He has been helping our teacher and everyone likes him already if they didn’t know him before from Very Merry. He is always lighthearted and in a good mood.”

Jasmine, South End Forum, Burlington
“I nominate Kuba Thelemarck. He is a student helper and a Senior and he is really helpful for the classroom and he is always including everyone.  And he is in the YES program  its stands for year end studies.  And he is always helping people who need it. Kuba is always teaching us games outside that we didn’t know before. He is kind and funny. He also works at Very Merry Theater and he is patient and he is very kind when you talk to him. And he is very tall. He is 6 feet 2.  That’s my reason why I nominated him.”

Margot, South End Forum, Burlington
“I am nominating Kuba Thelemarck because he is pretty much famous in my community. From teaching at Very Mary Theater to volunteering at schools, Kuba is always helping out in our community.Throughout the past few weeks Kuba has been participating in the Burlington High School YES program. In the YES program students come to schools to be a “teacher helper” for a couple of weeks. For the YES program Kuba was put in my classroom and let me tell ya’ he was very helpful. All that to say, Kuba is a very good citizen in my community.”

Michael, South End Forum, Burlington
“I am nominating Kuba Thelemarak. One thing that they have done is helping out in the class. Another is being in Very Merry Theatre helping to direct and choreograph. He can always solve a problem. He is smart, charismatic, generous and kind. He has done so much for the community and he deserves a reward.”  

Nash, South End Forum, Burlington
“I would love to nominate Kuba thelemarck. He could be going fishing or something else like that but he is helping kids with writing, reading and math. He also helps out with plays. He is smart, academic and kind. He helps people every day and that is the amazing helper Kuba should win!”

Penelope, South End Forum, Burlington
“One person that I would nominate for a good citizen is Kuba Thelemarck. He helped in our classroom for two weeks. He is really helpful and nice and fun. I think that he is a good citizen because of that. He is in our classroom because of the BHS YES program. He is very helpful. And he does other things too. He is really helpful and nice.”

Daisy, South End Forum, Burlington
“I am nominating Kuba Thelemarck, a senior at BHS. Kuba helps out in our classroom. He is participating in a program called the YES program, where he becomes a teachers helper. He is an actor at Very Merry Theater, and he wants to be a teacher when he grows up. Kuba is also very nice and funny.

River, South End Forum, Burlington
“The person I want to nominate in my city is Kuba Thelemarck. I want to nominate Kuba Thelemarck because he has helped many people in many ways. One example are the kids at Very Merry Theater. Kuba Thelemarck helps kids like me learn how to be a good actor like him. Kuba Thelemarck is also here with me and my classmates on the year end studies A.K.A. the YES program at BHS high school. When Kuba Thelemarck is older would like to be a teacher and he is really funny and kind.”

Rumano, South End Forum, Burlington
“I nominate Kuba Thelemarck. I nominate him because he helps our community. He helps our community by helping around Very Merry and helping our class room in the year end studies program. For example, he helps me with math. Also he helps me when I’m stuck. That’s why I think Kuba is a Good Citizen.” 

Sara Jane, South End Forum, Burlington
“One person that I think has helped the community and has been a good citizen is Kuba Thelemarck. One thing that he has helped with is being a teacher and he has helped kids learn new things and has made them laugh a lot. He is leaving today and we are all going to miss him. Outside of being in our class all the time he also does plays at Very Merry Theater. He has done so much stuff and taught kids so many things.”

UVM Trek

 

Kuba was lucky enough to get into the canoeing TREK expedition, and here he is with his Trek cohort. What is the Trek program?  It's a pre-orientation program for incoming UVM students that blend service, outdoor adventure, and community building to help new students connect with each other and the UVM community before the start of their freshman year.  It has been running for over 40 years, offering experiential learning opportunities that promote self-discovery, leadership, and friendship-building.  I think it was successful, look how happy he looks. And I k now he loved his trek crew!

UVM Here He Comes

 

Jammin'!

  

 

True to my self-inflicted personal summer traditions, I successfully made strawberry, blueberry, and blackberry freezer jam again this year.

 

Cousins, Only Bigger Now!

Hannah visited from Colorado this summer and we had all 5 cousins together for the first time in a long time!  So goofy, so Thelemarck!

 

Our Nest

 

 our nest

In June we were interviewed by 7Days writer Mary Ann Lickteig for their summer issue of nest.  

A friend recommended us and they were interested in featuring our home. It was a long 2 hour interview, but oh, so much fun to talk about our home and how it's changed over 26 years.  It was also so exciting to share all the little, artistic, meaningful ways in which we have created our home.
Here's the article!  I've copied and pasted it here, but you can also click this link to read it online.

The Old North End home of Anna Thelemarck and Judy Klima Bear Cieri | John James

For nearly 15 years, Judy Klima and Anna Thelemarck had been moving walls and reconfiguring space in their homw. But it finally all came together when they changed the goal.

The  two-story, late 19th-century house in Burlington’s Old North End is an eye-catcher. Dark blue with white trim and a chartreuse front door adorned with a white lace curtain, the house was a duplex when Thelemarck bought it in 1999. She initially rented out the upstairs unit and lived on the main floor. Soon, Klima moved in, and the couple took over the whole house. They opened up the downstairs and took out the upstairs kitchen — but they retained all the necessary hookups so it could be reinstalled, which would allow the house to be sold as a duplex. That created an area they never managed to maximize.

Their two sons came along — Anders, now 21, and Kuba, 18 — and the family made the imperfect layout work. Thelemarck, 58, is an architect who owns Burlington firm Struktur and specializes in small-scale residential renovations and additions. Klima, 65, is a longtime art teacher who just retired from Edmunds Middle School in June. Each brings strong skills, and strong opinions, to home design.

“You couldn’t talk to people who are more passionate about this topic,” Klima said.

They continually identify areas of their home — the living room bookshelves at the moment — and ask how they might better use the space. All of it, however, is tastefully furnished with items and artwork created by family and friends or meaningful to the family in some way.

Wall décor includes artful family portraits and paintings that Anders and Kuba made in the summer art camps Klima ran. Brass candlesticks fashioned by Thelemarck’s grandfather stand on the dining room table atop a linen runner her grandmother wove. Kinetic sculptures created by Thelemarck’s brother are displayed on a dining room shelving unit along with Klima’s colorful collection of game pieces displayed in glass canisters and a herd of painted wooden Dala horses that represent Thelemarck’s Swedish heritage. Tiny works of art that Klima and Thelemarck have made and exchanged over the years as Valentine’s Day gifts line two vertical shelves in a seating area off the kitchen.

“Ultimately, everything in here has a story to it,” Thelemarck said.

The house has been a constant work in progress, but for years she and Klima approached each project with the idea that they had to preserve the ability to sell the place as a duplex. They figured that in a college town, a duplex would be worth more than a single-family home. “Then we realized we are not leaving here,” Thelemarck said, “so it freed us up so much.”

About four years ago, they finally ripped out the upstairs kitchen hookups to install a warm pine floor, which Klima loves, and create the home that works best for their family. “We renovated the upstairs, and it magically shifted,” Klima said. “Everything felt really useful.”

They gained a third bedroom, so their sons no longer needed to share. The new room is tiny but light-filled. Thelemarck designed a built-in platform bed that maximizes storage: There are six drawers under the mattress and shelves that serve as a headboard.

More storage is tucked in a hallway closet. Thelemarck’s ability to configure spaces is akin to a talent for playing Tetris, her wife said. In the primary bedroom, Thelemarck created a walk-in closet that features a narrow floor-to ceiling set of shelves for bed linens and a long rod to hang clothes over a row of drawers that were actually designed for a kitchen. They fit perfectly. “That was luck,” Thelemarck said.

On the first floor, after pondering how best to use the long room that had been their sons’ playroom, Thelemarck built bookshelves that flank the front window on the short wall. “Once Anna built those, this became a really clear dining room space,” Klima said. With an oak table that seats up to 14, the room has become the heart of the home.

Even though the room has never had a fireplace, they installed a mantel on the long wall, and Klima filled the area that normally would contain a firebox and the surround with a wooden sculpture of her own, inspired by those of late American sculptor Louise Nevelson. She incorporated game pieces, wooden spools, parts of her children’s toys and Scrabble racks, which allow family members to spell out birthday and holiday wishes on special occasions.

To make better use of the dilapidated front porch, they enclosed it and divided the space to create a kitchen pantry and a mudroom. The entryway, like much of the house, features brilliant ideas. Old lockers purchased on Facebook Marketplace give each family member storage and keep the area tidy. The flooring is a wall-to-wall textured industrial mat that they simply rolled out.

On the narrow wall between the pantry and mudroom, the couple are going to remove the drywall and build shelves between the studs. They will be just deep enough to function as a spice rack.

The stainless steel of the kitchen counter wraps 12 inches up the wall in one continuous piece to create a sealed backsplash — no more behind-the-faucet rot. Just before a vacation home swap with a Swedish family four years ago, Klima and Thelemarck realized their kitchen had no upper cupboards. To better accommodate their guests, Thelemarck swiftly built rectangular frames and mounted them as floating shelves. Now, she and Klima plan to fill the space with several more, inspired by such an arrangement at an Essex bakery.

“If they can do it, we could do it,” Klima said.

The couple’s property includes a large building they call the barn. They believe it was once used to dry and mill lumber. They built an accessible apartment on the first floor for Klima’s parents. Although her father died just before it was finished, her mother lived there for five years. The unit is now for rent on Airbnb.

Thelemarck has an office on the second floor, and Klima plans to renovate the rest of the large space to create an art studio to teach adults.

The repurposing and reimagining continue. After all those years of planning renovations to preserve the resale value of their home, Thelemarck and Klima have planted deep roots. In the future, when they’re ready to downsize, they plan to move into their barn apartment and rent out their house — reconfiguring their living situation one more time.

 

        

https://www.sevendaysvt.com/home-design/hometours/tour-a-storybook-home-in-burlingtons-old-north-end/

behind the scenes