106 Hot diggity dog!

Hot diggity dog!

The “dog days” of summer are here.

This term doesn’t refer to canines slowing down in the heat, but when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises at the same time as the sun, July 3 to Aug. 11.

My parents would refer to this time as the hottest of the year. We just learned to live with the heat since most houses and places of business were not air conditioned in the 1950s.

But to survive those days, we would often head out in the evenings to take part in a family and community ritual--a trip to the drive-in hot dog stand. We were not a family that would eat out often so this was a real treat and an exception to our normal routine.

We would beg our dad to take us--most of the time he gave in but not without a pretend resistance and the usual “go ask your mother.” But we all knew he loved to go as much as we did, and mom rarely resisted since she wanted to get out of the house too.

The destination was the Stewarts hot dog stand a couple times a week in the hot summer months. The small orange building was like a beacon in the dark. My dad would steer the 

The destination was the Stewarts hot dog stand a couple times a week in the hot summer months. The small orange building was like a beacon in the dark. My dad would steer the family sedan to a screeching halt with all our taste buds in full throttle, deliciously anticipating what we were about to consume.

The weird part is we went after dinner--how in the world did we eat hot dogs at that time of night. But we never thought about it. Evidently it didn’t matter what time of day it was--we could always eat a hot dog.

The Queen family ran the business with the head of the family in charge of the operation, especially the making of the chili. She stood as a sentinel making sure all was just right. Nodding and waving to the customers, she made you feel like you were visiting family. It didn't seem right if she was absent, but that rarely happened.

Wrapped carefully in napkins and brought to the car on a tray that hooked to the window, the hot dogs did not disappoint.

Heavy glass mugs of root beer were also positioned on the tray. I had no idea how the car hop managed to get it from the stand to the car without a colossal accident. I was so impressed by her ability to accomplish the delivery.

The six of us would usually order two hot dogs each and a mug of root beer per person. Our condiments of choice were mustard, chili, and onions. Sometimes slaw would find its way on top of these popular treats but not often.

I don’t know if it was the hot weather, the humidity, or lazy summer nights, but these trips were special not just for the food and drink but for the fun times spent with family. No one got sick or over indulged or even gained weight. We made our hot dog run a couple times a week, and guess what--the place was packed with other families on the same mission.

Hot Dog Savvy Frances      

105 Paisley Paisley

Paisley Update!

Madlon Laster shared some memories and an image of a paisley woodblock:

When we lived in Iran, teaching there 1958-61, we were immersed in paisley: table linens, drapes and curtains, cotton block-print from which I sewed dresses for the hot, dry weather in summer. Sweat in a taxi and you are dry as a breeze hits you when you get out of it. Paisley was there six years later when we went to teach in Beirut. Right now the piano bench is loosely covered (due to poor stapling) in a brown on light beige paisley design I found for $2.98 yd. at WalMart. 

Then today, I visited the Blue Ridge Hospice shop on Featherbed Lane, Winchester. What a wealth of paisley! Even the manager was wearing paisley! I did not photograph all that was there, but do have a sample below of the blouses, sweaters, skirts, dresses, purses and scarves that were all paisley:

\

Down the Paisley Path

Being retired, I am often inspired to venture down side paths. Recently the path turned paisley.

I was straightening out my closet and noticed that I own many pieces of paisley clothing. I have two paisley bedspreads and many oriental rugs with the traditional twisted teardrop (or Persian pickle) designs found in paisley.

In the many memorials after Prince died, I learned that his estate was called Paisley Park and his record label, Paisley Park Records. Both were named after a Prince song, Paisley Park.  Here is a link to the song:
http://www.jukebo.com/prince/music-clip,paisley-park,suruf.html

Then to cap it off,  I had a hair appointment with a stylist whom I had never met before. With no mention of the topic from me (although I was wearing a paisley blouse), she tells me how she loves and collects----PAISLEY!

Pashmina shawl

So I began to investigate the topic. The print is named after the town of Paisley in Scotland where paisley was mass produced, but the design's origins go back to Persia to sometime before 650. It spread and became part of Indian saris and Kashmir Pashmina shawls.


The European demand for the Kashmir shawls became so strong that imports could not meet it. So European countries began weaving the design. The weavers of the town of Paisley in Renfrewshire, Scotland, became very skilled in producing the shawls and then began in the 19th century to manufacture cloth with the design printed, not woven into it. The paisley cotton squares they produced were the precursors of the bandanna. 

Indian paisley wood block stamp. I don't
know the date, but isn't it interesting?

Known in Persian as the boteh jegheh, the swirl design in other cultures is also called  mango, mango seed, Welsh pear, palm, and ham hock and, as previously mentioned, twisted teardrop or Persian pickle. 

There is still strong demand for paisley shawls, and it seems that collecting rare paisley shawls is relatively affordable--at least in comparison to other antiques. I ran across a Martha Stewart segment on the topic. The expert who appeared with her showed some beautiful ones: 
http://www.marthastewart.com/909587/rare-printed-and-woven-paisley-shawls





If you are old enough, you remember the Beatles and the Summer of Love that brought paisley back into prominence in the 1960s. I am sure that is when my love affair with paisley started. I do not remember, however, the Fender Paisley Telecaster guitar. An original now sells for about $10,000.

I did not know that motorcycle gangs adopt different bandanna
patterns to identify their group.

The Azerbaijan team wore paisley pants in the 2010 Winter Olympics. In Azerbaijan lore, paisley was thought to ward off evil demons.





Contemporary designers known for their use of paisley designs include Ralph Lauren, Lily Pulitzer, Ralph Lauren and Italian high fashion designer Gimmo Etro. I do not own any of their designs, not even a Ralph Lauren duvet--probably because I can get my paisley fix cheaper elsewhere!

From classic to contemporary, paisley continues to inspire!

Paisley-savvy Trish 

      

   

104 Not the heat

It’s NOT the Heat ~
I Know: It IS HEAT PLUS HUMIDITY

Dear Readers, hello from what I consider hell on earth. It is 7:15 p.m. on a sultry summer evening. It’s 88 degrees but feels 93 (Accuweather)! 

It’s 7:15 p.m. I mean really! This is NOT fun. Our lake is about a football field distance from the house (you remember, where the dreaded Canada geese are), so I have my “Amazon PREMIUM citronella candle burning” to attract the mosquitoes before they get to me. 

Mosquitoes LOVE me! Hormones? Didn’t think I had any left! Then I made the mistake of looking in the mirror a few minutes ago. My face is red and splotchy. I even put my pile of frizzy (humidity 77%) grey hair in a pseudo-ponytail to get it off my neck. 

You may remember from prior blogs that our 1808 house is not air conditioned. It’s a wonderfully built old place, though. The thermometer here on the desk reads 78. Not bad. The exhaust fan is whirring away. The two Schnauzers are comatose. On a cooler evening, they would be barking at fireflies.

I am waiting for the 60% (Accuweather) chance of rain. I hear thunder in the distance. Were I of American Indian descent I would go perform a rain dance. However, English and Russian genes prefer other than this weather. 

Oh, just call me Scarlett O’Hara without Rhett and petticoats. I don’t know how southerners lived in the “good old days.” I really just don’t know. I am alabaster pale. I do not tan. I get red, breakout out in prickly heat rash as well as those splotches. Heat gives me headaches and stomach aches. I would prefer not to move many muscles until October. Keep checking back with me though; maybe I will be more fun this winter!

While the other two SAVVY BROADS are out enjoying the sunshine, taking walks, and being good, health-conscious women, I am sitting here drinking water, diet Cokes, iced tea, and any other cold, non-alcoholic liquid anyone hands me! 

Just for the record, I don’t like sand. NOPE, not going to the beach or on a cruise. I don’t like picnics. Our lawn looks green and smooth, but it’s not. It’s bumpy and lumpy to walk on. Yes, enough is enough. No more whining. I am cheering myself up with funny cartoons. Obviously other people agree with me as there were hundreds of amusing sites from which to choose. 

Oh, just one factoid for this blog: According to a Huffington Post study, the number #1 Smartphone use is checking the weather. Does this help or does it just confirm the agony? 

Stay cool. Enjoy YOUR time in the sun. Glenne     

103 Semi--Green Circle

The (Semi) Green (Semi) Circle

Winchester has a Green Circle or part of a green circle that is part green and is partially finished and partially proposed. That is what I have discovered along with my walking buddy, Trish, another Savvy Broad, and our canine companion Tootsie.

The circle is intended for bikers, runners, walkers, etc. The literature states it is to connect major destinations for citizens and tourists and areas of historic, recreational, educational, and natural interest.

From U.S. 50 along Jubal Early

The seven- to eight-mile circle project began over a decade ago, and progress has been slow and somewhat steady. Recently, a stretch from U.S. 50 through Jubal Early Drive was opened where the new John Kerr Elementary School is located. The trail is wide and nicely landscaped and easy to access from either direction.

Walking east along Jubal Early Drive, there is a section to the right that runs through the Abrams Creek Wetlands Preserve off of Jubal Early Drive that definitely is a green area. This completed one-mile section offers rare Virginia plants and is part of the 25-acre preserve. You can walk this section for some lush greenery and come back to the main trail.

You must enlarge a great deal to be able to read map.
Map has not been updated to reflect recent opening at Jubal Early and 50.

Continuing on Jubal Earl Drive is where it gets a little tricky as it moves along the four-lane drive which is heavily traveled. 

Then it progresses to Millwood Avenue, University Drive, Lowry Drive, Opequon Avenue, and then onto the section that runs along Shawnee Springs to Pall Mall Street. You have to use the map to make the circle that snakes around these streets.


A proposed section that will not include as much traffic will somehow run along Featherbed Lane and then connect with Apple Blossom Drive.

Trying to navigate this curve of this part of the circle takes determination and a willingness to put up with the noise of the traffic, and you must forget this is supposed to be a GREEN circle. 

But there is hope --- a green side to the circle is coming up at this section. The Shawnee Springs Preserve provides a walk through the woods and views of the old city water works site. It runs along the completed Town Run Linear Park Phase I that ends at Pall Mall Street.

When you come to Pall Mall Street instead of continuing on the proposed section, Town Run Linear Park Phase II, that has been under construction for more than a year, you must forgo the green landscape for another streetscape. The new section is locked up tight so no one can enter. I have walked it in past months before the lock was put on, and it appeared to be finished. 







For some reason, it has not been opened but no answers have been given. Hopefully, it won’t be long before the locked fence is taken down and the public will be allowed to traverse the lovely, green section.

Walkers have to continue on Clifford, Cameron, Cork, Loudoun, Boscawen, and Amherst streets to finish the circle, meeting up with the trail along the busy thoroughfare heading west on Route 50.

It has been a challenge to walk the entire circle, but we did not give up. Anyone who wants to try it should go to winchestergreencircle.com to print out a map to follow the proposed as well as the finished trail.

Our city would be an ideal setting for a walking trail that takes us all around the town. For health reasons, this would be very helpful for residents to take to the trail and put in a few miles daily or weekly, plus educate the public on what the city has to offer.

Maybe some day Winchester residents and visitors will have a true green circle that winds through lush landscapes and stays away from heavily trafficked areas of the community. 

We have been reassured by members of city council that it will be a reality, but no timeline has been given. We can only hope and keep on walking!

Savvy Walker Frances       

102 Triangle Diner as metaphor

We all have   . . .   our Triangle Diners

I frequently drive by the Triangle Diner. I don't know the name of the man who has been working on it, but I sympathize with his plight. 

The Facebook page on the diner has entries going back to 2010 but I am sure he has been at it longer than that. The Facebook page details many improvements through text and photo; however, the last update on the page is dated June 2014.

Frances Lowe told me she had heard someone comment about a project, "Well, that will be completed when the Triangle Diner opens!"

Then I started thinking about all the unfinished projects in my life. I mentally listed the current ones such as purchases of craft projects yet untackled, trim paint still needing a second coat, several started and as yet not completed writing projects, shut-ins I should visit . . . the list is long and depressing. Even more depressing was the ones that I had abandoned in the past--to discouraging to enumerate!

I consoled myself with the thought that everyone in Winchester does not drive by my unfinished projects.

Diane Nyad swam for two days to reach Cuba from Key West when she was 64, just a tad younger than me. That was her fifth attempt to make the swim. Her first four attempts had been halted by minor inconveniences such as sharks, storms, jellyfish bites, and an asthma attack. 

Her advice on reaching the goal: “I have three messages. One is we should never, ever give up. Two is you never are too old to chase your dreams. Three is it looks like a solitary sport, but it takes a team.”

A psychologist commenting on persistence pointed at that many people who succeed in spite of the odds have a support system of people who mentored them or provided the right suggestion when needed. If you keep your goals to yourself, you are less likely to achieve them. Nonetheless, I still do not intend to display my unfinished craft projects on Amherst Street!

Priorities need to set as well. Walking for health is more important than that second coat of paint--more fun too!

Wikipedia has a page devoted to Unfinished Creative Work, which made me feel better as well as insignificant. Here are some of the items listed:

The Triangle Diner shrinks to nothing compared to the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona. Construction began in 1882 and was delayed by the Spanish Civil War. The basilica is still incomplete but the church draws 1.5 visitors annually. And heed this, oh, Triangle Diner: Barcelona Cathedral, different church, took 615 years to complete. The Cologne Cathedral in Germany, 632 years!

I don't believe Winchester officials will be that tolerant of delay!

As a former English major, I was delighted to discover that Chaucer never completed Canterbury Tales to its full length. 

I probably could have sloughed through it to the end, but I could not have read SIX more books of the Faerie Queene! (Edmund Spenser wanted it to be twelve books long but finished only six. It is still the longest epic poem in the English language.)

Cincinnati started an underground rail system in the 1920s. Work stopped in the Depression, never to resume. The tunnel system, sometimes called Cincinnati's biggest embarrassment, is still visited by tourists.

Two unfinished examples from authoritarian governments:

According to Wikipedia, the Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea will never be completed because of cost and poor structural integrity. It was planned to be the tallest hotel in the world.

So you can dream big, but have to design better!

In China the New South China Mall, Pearl River Delta was supposed to be the world's largest shopping mall (notice a trend here?). Although it opened in 2002, it has just 20% occupancy and is called the "ghost mall."

Now, don't we all feel better?

Unfinished, but hopeful

Trish