Santa to the Point

     This group of Santas graces the top of a shelving unit in my dining room. They share a distinctive feature: a conical shape and pointy hat! Of course, that is what led me to place them in a proximate area. However they are constructed quite differently. The green pair are soft-sculptures - printed fabric that was cut and stitched together, then stuffed with polyester. They are special to me because my grandmother made them several decades ago. The red trio are treasured because a dear sister-in-law gifted them to me, also many years past. They are wooden; and can be pulled apart and nested for storage. I love the unusual but analagous shapes - pinnacles overseeing the dinner table!

The Original Cookie & Noodle Maker

     Today I graduated...from my ancient cookie press. As I placed it in a box destined for a charity pickup, I almost felt a nostalgic sadness. Although only used once a year, it has been a part of my Christmas traditions for four decades, and I watched my mother use one for years before that. I remember being frustrated as a novice baker, the first time I used the metal press and the dough would stick to the template, so I'd push out more dough and then end up with an unrecognizable blob. Took awhile to master the trick of expressing just the right amount of dough, and having it just the right temperature and consistency. 

     But eventually I got it right and began enjoying the process, and the tasty beautiful cookies. Now with my new plastic "gun" it's easier than ever (although I still sometimes end up with a blob!) and the triple dents in my oldest cookie sheets will stop multiplying. (Oh and I never actually tried making noodles with that old press either.)

1949 Christmas Tree

     'Tis the season for Christmas trees and everybody has a unique way of choosing and decorating their own. Trends and fads dictate some people's style, ease and speed of assembly may influence others, and some, like me, seek to recreate the magic of our childhood.

     This tree was my parent's, in their first tiny home in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was several years before I was born but it is a fascinating glimpse into the traditions of a long ago decade.

     With Dad and her own mother in the Christmas Day picture below, Mom was pregnant with their first child (who would be born eleven days later). While not particularly creative, Mom did love holidays and she was influenced by an aunt whom she adored (and lived with for most all of her own childhood - Aunt had home full of family, extended family and sometimes even friends; she was frugal and hard-working but had a manner of quiet refinement.)

     Anyway, this tall balsam, which would be considered skimpy by today's standards, really does have a gorgeous shape and is adorned with just a few ornaments and a sprinkling of tinsel. I love it - and the joy and holiday spirit that is so evident in the young family's happy smiles .

November's Crescent Moon

     A full moon is fun to photograph but I've never really tried to capture a crescent moon. Last week  when a beautiful waning phase presented itself in a clear sky just before sunrise, I took a few shots but didn't have a chance to look at them until today. Only one was decent - not good -just decent. I did, however, like the dark branches that frame the foreground and the very faint outline of the moon's sphere. One more chapter in my moon photo quest...

Bread Cook Book from BHG

     These days when I need a recipe, more often than not, I do a search on my iPad; allrecipes and cooks.com are favorites but sometimes Pinterest is a good place for inspiration as well. However nothing beats thumbing through cookbooks. My collection is varied, from hardbacks to softcovers to spiral bound to a dozen notebooks of clippings and copies. This magazine-type book has held up well, considering that it is a favorite and is oft used. It contains the basics of bread making, and has bread and roll recipes that range from simple to complicated, a sweet and a savory section, and a few other categories - all in a concise format. Lots of the tried recipes have notes and/or substitutions penciled in. It is my absolute go-to and the basis for almost any baking project that I undertake

     Considering the fact that this book was published in 1973, it confirms that good baking is pretty timeless! The only problem lies in choosing what to make on this chilly Saturday?!

The Color of October

     Autumn brings a riot of color. After the lush but constant greens of summer, the profusion of hues during harvest season is so welcome. There are several farmer's markets in our metro area, but on this day we chose to visit Kirkwood, southward bound from home. We bought apples, cider, and sweet potatoes but we also enjoyed the sight of jumbled piles of pumpkins and squash, in a number of colors and varieties.

 

     Afterwards, a stop at the grocery store was in order, and again the trappings of autumn enchanted us. The seasonal arrangement in the floral department was ablaze with accessories and decorations in a vignette that just begged for a photograph. Yep, I took a photo of a grocery store display - what can I say? I love October!

1960's Portable Hair Dryer

     Not much of a story here, just a glimpse into the past, perhaps 1962-63. Big sis, Carol, was using a portable bonnet-type hair dryer at the kitchen table and Dad probably thought it would make a funny photo. That's me giggling at her side (and probably dying to use the newfangled gadget myself), and brother, Dave, is in the foreground (probably making faces at Carol!) She was a good sport about all the fuss but the look on her face says, "Really, Dad?!"

Pork Schnitzel

     A recent trip to Hermann, Missouri, a city that continually celebrates its German origins, included lunch at a local establishment. Pork Schnitzel was the special of the day and though it isn't something I would ordinarily eat at a restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised at the wonderful taste and texture. So of course, I had to try my hand at this dish in my own kitchen, especially since we had picked up some pork patties from a meat market just outside of Hermann (and because I had never made it before!)  A recipe was easy to find and the results were every bit as good as the restaurant offering. 

     Now no more frying for a long while...

Veterans Day - Dad and Michael

     I can't stop looking at my social media post on this Veterans Day. The message is generic enough but the photos are very special. On the left is my father, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the mid 1940's during World War II. On the right is my son, who was also a Marine but half a century later, in the early 1990's.

     It is not surprising that these two men look nothing alike, as I have none of my father's features either. (I always felt that I never favored anyone in my family until, as an adult, I saw a photo of my long dead maternal grandfather who appeared strikingly similar to myself.) The only resemblances between Dad and Michael lie in their height and build, and their beautiful hands (piano-playing hands, Dad called them). But as I continue to search their faces and expressions for some link, I realize that the link is not so much physical but subjective - their strength, courage, humor and their quiet, gentle natures, their creative tendencies and their love of nature.

     Dad was ill for several years and passed away when Michael was still a very small child; I often wish that they could have known each other, spent time together as adults. I think they would have been very good friends, the two sargeants.

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Tomato Jam

    A very warm October has given us an overload of tomatoes - especially these Lemon Boys. I've made spaghetti sauce and salsa, and they really slice up nicely for sandwiches, but still there is a big bowlful on the counter and more on the vine! So today I tried something new - tomato jam - and am really liking the results.  

It is sweet and just a bit spicy, with a touch of cumin and red pepper and is very good served simply on crackers, and now I can't wait to try it in a sandwich, paired with peanut butter, or even as a hamburger garnish.

Polka Dot Coupon Holder

      A manila envelope that had served as my coupon organizer for a few years finally bit the dust. I don't clip or use a tremendous number of coupons so I've never needed a store-bought organizer with pockets or dividers, but I do save an average of $3.00 to $5.00 every other week when I grocery shop which adds up to $78.00 - $130.00 yearly. (Sometimes I think I just enjoy the challenge of  being frugal!) Anyway a cousin has been sewing and selling totes and pouches, so I was inspired to rummage through my fabric remnants and piece together a simple, silk lined envelope that has an attached suede leather tie. I think it turned out quite pretty and my phone even fits inside.

An October Harvest Moon

     The full harvest moon usually occurs in late September but this year it was expected in October. Anticipating its arrival, I was disappointed that the forecast called for rain and clouds most of the evening. However, at one point the clouds abated long enough to get a good photograph. Instead of partially obscuring the view, the tree branches seem to embrace the glow, so I was quite pleased with this shot. After all, isn't October the time for eeriness and mystery?

Lil' Joan on the Beach

     Memories of one's mother are usually of an adult - a loving, authoritarian figure who provided and guided through our early years and even into our own adulthood - so a peek into their childhood can be fun and revelatory. These photos are of my own mother, taken in the very late 1920's. Western Michigan boasts so many beautiful lakes that I have no clue where they were taken, but it's obvious little Joan was a happy beachcomber!

Birthday Fuit Cake

     A coworker's birthday is a good opportunity to have fun in the kitchen and take creative license.  Cake or cupcakes are always welcome but Jan leans towards healthier eating so for her special day, which occurs in the steamy interim that is early August, I chose to make a multi-layered "fruit cake". Watermelon sliced thickly formed the three-layer base which was then adorned with whole blackberries, half slices of kiwi and cantaloupe stars. Toothpicks were used as necessary for stabilization. For serving, the watermelon was cut into wedges, removed to a plate and then a few of the other fruits spooned over. Jan was glad she didn't have to blow out candles!

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Summer Living (at age four in the late 1950's)

     It's often said that living was simpler "back then". Perhaps it was or maybe it was just different, just as everyone's childhood holds memories that are poignant but individual. Having only vague recollections of my life in Michigan, I treasure these photos that depict happy times in the backyard of our home on Chamberlain Street. At the time, I had four siblings and plenty of neighbors for playmates but could easily and happily amuse myself, hanging freshly washed doll clothes out to dry or lounging in a tub of water. Little did I know then that it was to be our last summer here - in the autumn we would move to Missouri.

August Morning Color

    On weekend mornings, I go exploring in the gardens with my camera. Why? Because there is no time during the work week to pay any attention to the growing elements, so with the passage of seven days many changes occur - some subtle and some striking - but all intriguing. Today I found one of my favorites, an artemisia at its peak, lush and feathery and fully living up to its name, Silver Mound. The purple petunias behind and the white alyssum to the front contrast nicely.

     Yellow banana peppers are bright but glow even more when highlighted by the rising sun. I hate to pick them because the plants have such a delightful appearance, tall verdant greenery hung with myriads of peppers, almost like a summer Christmas tree!

Yellow Tomato Salsa

     These Lemon Boys are deceptive. A perennial favorite that we grow in our garden, the tomatoes are quite tasty. However, the eye would lead you to a foregone conclusion, an expectation of some other taste entirely, especially when using conventional tomato recipes. But this salsa, spiced with jalapeño and chili peppers, also fresh from the garden, has a wonderful bright taste, similar but just a tad different from regular red tomatoes. We look forward to BLTs and salad later in the week, too!

Rocking Chair Redo

     The previous post showed the improvements made in our computer room earlier in the summer. This week the rocking chair that sits by the front window in that room got a new look as well. I had tossed around the idea of covering the cushions but wasn't sure if I wanted a solid or a patterned fabric. A trip to Walmart with the hubby for golf balls and cat litter took me by a bin of sale-priced bolts and of course, I had to stop and browse. Lo and behold, on the very top was a length of duck cloth, in a dark gray and white grapevine print that was similar to toile. I was immediately sold, especially at three dollars per yard!

     It was easy to duplicate the cushion dimensions, tucks and tabs. Sewing was simple as well and instead of zippers, I just slip-stitched the openings closed (easily removed and resewn if the covers ever need washing.) Now to sit or just admire?!

The New Gray Room

     This is the room we call our computer room, although it serves other purposes as well. It is a smallish room that was once our son's bedroom and the color scheme has remained the same since he occupied it more than twenty years ago. Time for a complete change, I decided, and painted the white walls over with a light gray. Painting isn't exactly fun, but I don't mind if I have the necessary supplies, like a tall Bloody Mary and some furry company. Another plus is getting nostalgic over little things like the grandson's signature on the closet door - initially I didn't want to paint over the little Picasso's work but figured a photograph would preserve it better.

Also the newly painted doors are much prettier (and you can see here another purpose the room serves - golf bag storage - not my idea but half the time they are in hubby's truck anyway.)   

     The opposite wall contributes to the storage of another accoutrement of hubby's hobbies - his electric guitar, which I don't mind because it is attractive and the black accent harmonizes (!) quite well with the rest of the room. (Note the pet portraits on each wall. We picked favorite photos of our past and present beloved pets, enlarged and framed them. The mismatched frames were bought at various estate or garage sales, then painted with a bright white enamel and I think they coordinate nicely.)

  

   The curtains are custom made by moi because I searched high and low and far and wide for ready-made, and could find nothing that appealed. Then began a similarly fruitless quest to find fabric - all I wanted was a large gray and white buffalo check - and finally found a website that had something that looked promising and was reasonably priced. The results were not only satisfactory but beyond my expectations; I love them and so does Dunc!

     Carpeting was the last step and the old brown plush was replaced with a lighter-colored, tweedy Berber that is low looped and durable. Again, I think Dunc approves; we all love spending time in this room that grandson dubbed, "very restful".

Elephant Ear Drop

    

      A very light rainfall this morning was not enough to quench the thirst of the dry gardens and lawn, but it was enough to create this charming little drop on a newly-formed elephant ear. I was enchanted with the reflective mini-sphere and had to run back into the house for my camera.

Fourth of July Parade, 60's style

     In the first few years of the 1960s, July third was a busy day for kids on St. Michael Street. We gathered up crepe paper, ribbons, flags and assorted other simple materials with which we decorated our bicycles. (There were not enough bikes for all six of the seven siblings in my family who participated, so the younger ones had to use Radio Flyers, which actually was ideal for that meant the toddlers got to partake in the fun too.) On the morning of Independence Day, we put on hats, tied cans to the bikes for some sound effects, and lined up in the front yard. Then we took off down the street and around the court, pedaling up the hill a lot slower than we went down!
     Fireworks after dusk were, of course, the highlight of the day. But those plain and simple patriotic parades were a priceless and delightful fragment of our childhood.
   

Pickle-n-Bologna

     As a child there was very little that I didn't like but I disdained bologna and especially a mixture that I was sure my mom must have invented - bologna and dill pickles that were ground up and mixed with mayonnaise. Funny thing was that even though I wouldn't eat it, I loved watching her make it. A cast metal meat grinder attached to the counter and a handle was turned that cranked the grinding mechanism. Of course, modern cooks use food processors, which are quick and easy to use, but that old grinder was fascinating. First she put in some big chunks of bologna, then a few pickles and finally mixed in a big dollop of Miracle Whip. This was spread between two slices of white bread, put in a waxed sandwich bag, and then into a lunchbox to take to school (times four or five - however many kids happened to be in grade school at the time.)

     When I happened recently upon a sale at the market deli that featured bologna, I bought an unsliced pound, got out my processor and made some pickle-n-bologna. Served on crackers during a Sunday afternoon of TV football, I found that Hubby liked it (rather unenthusiastically) and surprised myself by enjoying it. Perhaps it was just nostalgia for Mom and her grinder.

Alfred P. Phillips - From England to America

    In the winter of 1853, a baby boy named Alfred (my great-grandfather) was born to Robert and Sarah Anne Phillips. The family lived in Weston Supermare, a small village on the Bristol Channel (that would eventually become a seaside resort). Robert was a boot maker and his children, William, David, Ellen, Alfred and Sarah were scholars. It is evident that Will immigrated to the United States as a young man and worked as a baker in Detroit, Michigan. Alfred probably yearned to join his brother in the New World and his mother must have wanted a better life for him as well. (It would have been difficult for a mother to send a young son alone, across an ocean to a big unknown country - either  the boys were very convincing or life in the village was without promise - maybe it was a combination of both.) Anyway, Will and his new wife were ready to accept Alf in their home.

     However, as the photo commentary explains, the wife and her baby died, so Alf stayed with a farm family until he took up his own trade, shoe making, following in his father's footsteps. In time, the rest of the family came to America and all were united under one roof until Will married again and Alf found his own bride - a pert, pretty Irish girl named Nellie Long. 

Little Girl's Jumper with Hat

     

     This was one of the thriftiest sewing projects ever - not a penny spent - the only thing invested was time. The material was cut from an existing adult-sized jumper that I had made previously and worn perhaps twice. Since the little girl version did not use all of the fabric, there was enough left to also construct a reversible bucket hat. My favorite detail was added to the back - a square on square quilt block of coordinating colors.

     Granddaughter was just a little bits at the time this photo was taken, but I remember how much she loved the outfit! Long outgrown, it is now time to pass it along to another cutie, which is why I simply had to take just a few more pictures.

Tomato Bacon Soup

     When it's less than ten degrees outside, nothing is better for lunch than tomato soup - right? The standard Campbell's variety is beloved for its simplicity and for nostalgic reasons, however, I tried something different today - homemade soup. Maybe homemade is a misnomer here because rather than fresh tomatoes I used canned, but I did saute chopped onions and garlic before incorporating the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. After a twenty minute simmer on the stove top, I added a pinch of paprika, a little salt and pepper, and some evaporated milk (for creaminess), and then ladled into bowls. Served with french bread slices topped with melting cheddar cheese, and garnished with lots of crumbled bacon, this soup was a special tasty treat on a cold dreary day.