079 My Mother, the "chef"

My Mother, the “Chef”

My mother was born

 on February 18, 1916. 

She died at 92, still a character and known to many, even her minister, as the “Bea Arthur of Berryville.” 

On her 90th birthday

Mother as a bride

She said many, many, many times that she wanted to live to be old enough not to have to be “politically correct” or filter her remarks. Gee, my sisters and I often agreed – we hadn’t heard many filters so far. But a character she was! 

Some of my favorite stories, though, were not her sassy remarks, but her “prowess” in the kitchen. (She’ll be turning in her grave now and still telling me I need a haircut!) One of the most hilarious memories was shortly after Mother gave birth to my two younger sisters (nine and seven years younger than I) and she decided to stay home and be a dedicated housewife and mother! Because she was so busy carting around three daughters along with her schedule, she bought a pressure cooker to save herself time. This did not work out. 

Mom was an avid reader, bridge player, and civic volunteer. I don’t know whether she just forgot to return to the kitchen after said pressure cooker was filled or got distracted by one of her duties or…. But the final mishap was the top of the pressure cooker exploding up in to the ceiling and green beans and little new potatoes all over the kitchen. (In her defense, I found a blog site, 

www.missvickie.com/history/pressurecooker, that states that pressure cookers were flawed and the frequency of accidents founded the expression “pressure cooker” implying imminent disaster.) Yes, we had that disaster and Mom was teased about it for 50 years!

One of my friends, hearing Mom-in–the-kitchen stories, asked if she was ADHD. No, I don’t think she was. She wasn’t about anything else. If you said you would do something, you had better follow through AND in a timely manner. Even piano practice! She set the bar high on follow through and she was a great example to us. No, I think she was a “laisse faire” cook. Maybe “benign neglect” of the kitchen is even better. 

For example, I did not know rolls were not supposed to be black on the bottom until I was old enough to pay attention at good restaurants.

One of our favorite family holidays was Thanksgiving. It was a command performance until her death.

Mom would stick the turkey (a BIG one) with a piece of aluminum foil draped over it into the oven and tell us it was time for church. After church, we headed off to a Clarke County tradition known as the “Stirrup Cup.” This was the annual hunt club taking off at noon in their “pink” coats on horseback with the hounds following.

Refreshment at this event was whatever might be in a carried flask or a beverage known as hot-buttered rum mulled in a huge apple butter size kettle over a wood fire in the field where the hunt was to take off. It’s a beautiful site on a crisp November day to watch the hunt take off and to meet and greet local friends. We always stayed longer than expected. 

After the hunt, it was home to prepare for the Thanksgiving spread. Remember that the turkey has been in the oven at some temperature from about 7:30 a.m. and it’s now approaching 2 p.m. The family joke is that no one in family ever had to carve a turkey. “Oh, damn,” she’d say every year as the turkey fell apart being transferred to the platter. Surprisingly enough, the meat was always moist. Maybe the aluminum foil? 

Now, as potatoes, stuffing, the GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE, etc., etc., etc. were warming, we all gathered around the TV to watch whichever football game was on and have one more drink before eating. The signal that all the food was ready and the rolls duly burnt was the sound of the smoke alarm.

Here’s to you, Mom! I am not a big fan of cooking myself, but my oven timer works!

Glenne           

078 The BIG 7 0

The big 7 0

Seven decades--am I really there? How did it happen so fast? I just turned 30 the other day (or so it seems like the other day) with two small children, thick dark brown hair, and weight so low I couldn’t give blood.

One candle is the best!

Fast forward four decades and here I am with gray hair, four amazing grandchildren, and a weight total that definitely allows me to give blood.

It has been an eventful journey full of triumphs and challenges. I had planned to work until the age of 70, but about a year and a half ago I hit the wall. I had heard from many friends when you are ready to retire, you will know it, and boy were they right! I could hardly wait to get out the door.

So far, 70 seems pretty uneventful as an age --- the only big point is I am starting a new decade. I also feel fortunate to make it to this age and celebrate this birthday as many of my friends did not.





My family really took it as a time for celebration as my children surprised me with special visits and tributes. Nothing is more celebratory than grandchildren honoring you with hugs and kisses. It was probably one of the best birthdays ever because we were all together.

Friends have also been so attentive especially those younger than I am. Cards and messages aren’t nearly as severe as when turning 50 or 60. One card actually took a mild tone by calling them “colorful years.” Another card phrased 70 as “Don’t think of it as being 70. Think of it as being 7 perfect 10’s” I can definitely live with that idea.


It is still hard to say 70 so I don’t if I can help it. I really feel no different than I did a few weeks ago when I was 69. But my grandfather, Nonno Pasquali Alampi, used to say you finish that year on your birthday and are really starting the next. So according to him, my true age is 71!

I have also realized that it takes some creativity to master older age and retirement--what do I really want to do, what do I really have to do, and when I can say the heck with all of it?

Hand-decorated
gift bags are best!

There are some days the third option will take over and I do only what I want to do--that sometimes feels really good. But mostly I handle what I have to do in my own good time, not rushing unless absolutely necessary. How nice it is to run around during the day, stopping wherever I want, shopping at will (that is my true passion), and trying out new eateries (not too good on weight figures but I try not make it a habit).

As one retired friend has repeatedly advised me--ease into the day--and I definitely take her advice on many days.

Plus this age, affords one the pleasure of no deadlines, bosses, or tasks hanging over my head. Sometimes I miss the more creative work pursuits (not the daily routine),  but that feeling usually passes quickly.

So I embrace the age of 70 and all it means--taking on a new decade with enthusiasm and hope--and wondering if I will make it to the next one!

Frances                        

077 Period space space

Period, space, space

Whoops, backspace

Recently my husband Harry told me that I was the end-all authority on grammar. (Those of you who follow my blog know this is not entirely correct.) I am more knowledgeable than he [catch that pronoun choice?] and he wanted an opinion on a heavy topic:

One space or two after a period?

As with many baby-boomers, Harry was way behind the times, but I sympathize. My thumb just won’t stop that double-up on the spacebar. My usual strokes after a period are two spaces and a backspace. It give a feeling a completion—I have completed a sentence! I also double space at the end of a paragraph. Another completion celebration!

I, of course, turned to the net to find out how we got here. The usual discussion points to old typesetting and typewriters with monotype (non-proportional) spacing. There is a standard diagram included in each discussion. Modern word processing, etc., adjusts the spacing between letters so that an i or l take up less space than an m or w. Typewriters gave every letter the same space; therefore, the double space was necessary to indicate the end of a sentence and to aid reading flow.

Another argument is that typesetters, who had no standard for spacing after a period for hundreds of years, started changing to a single space while the rest of us were still using typewriters. Think how many pages of paper a publisher could save in a big book with just one space following the period instead of two. I guess it adds up. I did like one commentator who stated that a masterpiece of literature would still be a masterpiece whether there were one or two spaces.

Blogspot, the purveyor of this blog, as with most web applications does not tolerate double spaces. Backspace, sigh, I am trying to change!

And then I discovered I was being rude in my text messaging because I end a sentence with a period! My text messages are usually about meeting times and places, not running conversations. The thought is that the period emphatically shuts down the conversation. Okay?! (Question marks and exclamation points are not considered rude.)

I am getting tired of backspacing after each sentence so I guess I will quit

Trish            

076 Surprising celebrations

Surprising Celebrations for the January 11!

Happy 2016, dear readers. January always seems to me as the “blah” month. I am as bad as a ten-year-old hoping for snow. If you remember, I am the one Savvy Broad who loves snow. 

So far, since the weather is not cooperating, I figured it was time to play on Google and make January a bit more fun. Doing a search for January 11 (due date for my blog), I found a number of interesting items that are considered noted activities on this date.

Here we go:

1. Secret Pal Day

Now declared worldwide as a day to do something nice for a special friend--something small, thoughtful, and unexpected. Send a card (unsigned), drop some homemade cookies in their mailbox, or call someone you didn’t catch up with over the holidays.

2. National Step in a Puddle and  . . .
    Splash Your Friend Day

Research did not provide the origin of this celebration, but most mentions were from southern states. Guessing that there are more puddles in the south in January than elsewhere in the U.S. Just for fun, look at the ecards sites for lots of funny and sweet pictures of friends splashing friends. 

3. Clean Off Your Desk Day

Oh, dear! I gotta do this one! The average home desk, says the celebratory explanation, harbors more germs – about 400 times more – than the average toilet seat. I have no idea how valid this research is, but I believe that in this season of colds and sneezes and coughs, cleaning the desk (not just tidying) but really disinfecting your desk (and keyboard and mouse and phone) is worth doing! Dusting doesn’t do! Grab your Lysol wipes.

4. Hot Toddy Day

This might be just the drink to have while cleaning your desk! The drink originated in Scotland to make the taste of Scotch whiskey more palatable to women who did not like the smoky flavor. There are many recipes using whiskey, brandy or rum with different additions for taste--honey, lemon, and cinnamon are often options. Here is a basic recipe: 2 oz. of whiskey, 1 tbsp. honey, 4 oz. of hot water, 1 slice of lemon. This is a basic alternative to cough syrup according to food.com/recipe.

5. Milk Day

The website called MooMilk about the dairy industry is fun for the whole family. Cows, games, dairy news, and a poll. Grab the last few Christmas cookies, a glass of milk and guess outcome of the poll,“favorite use of milk.” Your choices are cheese, butter, beverage, or ice cream. (The poll results were ice cream 62.6%, cheese 20%, beverage 12.7%, and butter 4.7%.) The dairy industry is not delighted that dessert and cheese come before the once-touted, most important drink for your body and bones.

6. Human Trafficking Awareness Day 

This serious event worth noting is dedicated to raising awareness of sexual slavery and human trafficking worldwide. Adopted by the U.S. Senate in 2007, the United Nations is also highlighting this topic for global awareness.

7. And, finally, we will be celebrating Savvy Broad Frances’s birthday somehow. Poor Frances, birthday in January when she prefers sand and sun! May she have a happy day!



That’s it for this week! 

Regards, Glenne              

075 Resolutions

New Year’s resolutions --- Not!

New Years’s Eve has come and gone--noise makers and hats in the trash---with reveling, celebrating, and sometime reflections over and done with for another year.

The word “resolutions” is brought out of mothballs each year, kept around for a few days or weeks, and then shoved into the memory bank until the next New Year’s Day.

Anyone who can keep them going is a much better person than I am. After years of resolving to do whatever I needed to improve, I have given up. 

January is the worst month to try anything new. There’s the letdown of the holidays being over, cold weather settling in often with snow and ice, and a couple more months of bleak weather looming in the future.

Gyms are packed with resolution-making clients who are going to get in shape and lose weight. That lasts a few weeks at the most and then it is back to business as usual which does not include exercise.

So what to do instead of resolutions or how to make change? It is definitely different strokes for different folks. Most people know what works for them so don’t get caught up in the hype for a new year and new you. 

Take changes slowly. Make them any time of year – don’t wait for Jan. 1. It is only one day a year. There are 364 other to start making changes. Evaluate what changes you think are needed or wanted –- a new look, better organizational skills, new job – and work out a plan. Each month tackle one goal and try to realize some parts of it.

My mother always encouraged moderation – in eating, drinking, and everything else you do. That worked for her, and I have seen moderation recommended in many diet and exercise plans.

If going to the gym to get in shape is one of your goals, start with one or two days a week and build up. Don’t jump in and burn out before you make any progress.

Don’t worry about making resolutions at the start of the new year. Do it any time you want – the first of March, the last of July – whenever it suits!

Frances         

074 Light frenzies

Christmas Light Frenzies

I stopped channel surfing recently to watch a program about people who have taken to decorating their yards for Christmas to a stupendous level. 

It amazed me how many hours of work, efforts, and enormous numbers of lights go into these displays. The creativity and the amount of “stuff” that can be crammed onto a house and yard is astounding.

The usual explanation is that the design grew and grew over the years, that people expect them to do it, and that they love doing it for the children.

I don’t make a special effort to drive around and look at these displays, but do enjoy seeing such yards when they are on my route.

On my evening walking route, I walk the same route so I have been able to watch the neighborhood decorations grow as Christmas approaches. 

The funny thing is that I usually comment that the tastefully decorated home is much nicer, but I find the over-the-top decorations are much more fun. 

Maybe not cheating when this many?

The inflatables are interesting and often make my dog Tootsie bark, but don’t they seem like cheating?

Luminaries are nice because often a neighborhood cooperates to set them up, but wind, rain, and snow can ruin the effect.







I wonder, though, what is it like to live across the street from one of these mega-displays. There must be a huge number of cars driving by as soon as the sun goes down. If the neighbors of the light-frenzy displays have windows that provide a view of the dazzling spectacle, I bet blackout curtains or shades or plywood cover those windows!

Thanks to those home owners who remember what it is all about.

                                                                                   Trish

073 Christmas recipes redux

Christmas Recipes over the Years

After researching the most liked and disliked foods on the table for Christmas, I am a bit amazed that there are so many  surviving baby boomers.  The rich foods and the quantity of foods we consume over the holiday season are staggering.  We probably all have clogged arteries and weigh at least ten pounds too much.  And, of course, it was all the fault of our mothers! It’s always the mother’s fault!

The most favored foods you can guess – turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and that daggone green bean casserole that was created in the 

Campbell’s test kitchen in New Jersey for a way to market mushroom soup! Ironic and iconic.

Here is the list of most unpopular holiday foods: Brussel sprouts, tofu, oysters, mushrooms, red cabbage/sauerkraut, heavy-handed use of garlic (on what???), fruit cake, and plum pudding.  

With the exception of tofu, all of these made an appearance some time or other at our house.  I need to add one more item to the list.  One year we went to Connecticut for the holidays.  At the table, I served myself a large helping of what I thought to be mashed potatoes…NO, TURNIPS!!  So not on my top 10 list.  

Another year, we had dinner at a relative’s home--and there it was--a tofurkey!! 

Nope, didn’t try it.  

A typical Christmas dinner at our house was turkey, country ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, and some very weird stuffing recipe (thank goodness, for Stove Top), green beans, peas, squash casserole, and 

sometimes a sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and some “pretty fruit” on top, cranberry sauce (homemade with lemon or orange zest--awful), some sort of Jello salad mold, rolls, butter!  THEN, for dessert there were several kinds of pies (apple, pecan, and maybe mince) with ice cream or bourbon sauce (I am rolling my eyes and shaking my head--nasty stuff) and a platter of cookies and candies.

My plate was mashed potatoes  with a gravy swimming pool and a spoonful of peas for the swimmers. I still like peas in my pool! Maybe six green beans if coerced. 

That’s it.  

I much preferred the cold turkey sandwich and a Coke after everyone had gone home.  Yep, that’s me – Ms. Scrooge. 

Along with all this food came all the relatives.  We lived in a large 1850s house with plenty of room (according to my parents).  There was a children’s table as well set up in the TV room. However, as we all know, the children who have not seen their cousins in a year don’t want to sit with these strangers but rather with their parents.  OH, PEACE AND JOY!!  Or WHINE AND IGNORE! And, for the most part, until tears, we were ignored or told to go “back to the TV room.”       

[A typical Max action, but not Max]

Let’s mention--Ta Da: Tryptophan!  Yea!  Thank goodness for tryptophan.  Yes, it is in the turkey, but also we ate all those carbs-producing melatonin.  And, just perhaps, a bit of overeating and some alcohol added in.  Yes, please enjoy your Christmas dinner, then go home, and take a nap.  I want to read my new Christmas present books, anyway!

Just for fun, l reviewed a whole lot of websites and old cookbooks of my grandmother to see what has been popular over the years.  Picture this:  1947 – The White House.  Mrs. Truman served tomato consommé, olives, turkey with chestnut dressing, giblet gravy, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, asparagus, plum pudding and assorted nuts and candies. Not much changed for nearly a decade – broccoli replaced the asparagus and oyster stuffing instead of chestnut. 

There must have been some sort of rebellion in the 1960s.  We move from turkey to duckling with orange stuffing, wild rice, a Jello fruit wreath.  In 1960, the most popular menu was roast beef with roast potatoes, green bean casserole, apple salad (?), and French fried onion rings.  Dessert was a holiday decorated cake and coffee.

In 1975, (getting ready for the Bicentennial, I think), came roast goose with onion dressing, braised chestnuts, applesauce, green bean casserole, cranberry/pecan molded salad, and plum pudding.   

The 1980s and 1990s became more casual.  The hostess does a turkey (or alternative meat) and all the guests bring a potluck side dish or dessert. 

Entertaining myself by flipping through the magazines at the grocery store checkout line, I learned both the traditional turkey and “ all the fixings” are equally as popular as newer alternatives based on one’s tastes and culture.  Essentially, anything goes.  Maybe the idea of being with family and friends has overshadowed being in the kitchen for days!

So, here’s to your Christmas feast and your nap!  Be safe, stay healthy, and enjoy the holidays.

Glenne       

P.S.  How about some ground- up Xanax in the gravy for a really mellow Christmas evening? Okay, never mind!  Just a random thought!