Prehistoric?

Last summer we saw this creature at the park. Part horse, part dinosaur, all wood.
I really wish this was in our back yard.

Restoration

This is just one of the great projects in our town. Great compliments to
Smith's Market for improving their store front and the block!

There may be a new sign to be added.

First Day of Winter

The temperature is 51 mild degrees. All the geese seem to like the ice under their feet.

Give them two more days and there may be snow on top of that ice.

Jeff Chandler, actor

News from the past

I found some old recipes from the local newspaper, while going through a cook book. These clippings are yellowed and age unknown. Suddenly there was a picture of screen actor Jeff Chandler with the lines underneath saying he was also a popular radio star. "He plays Philip Boynton, bashful school-teacher boyfriend of Eve Arden on the 'Our Miss Brooks' radio show.
The rugged actor was born in Brooklyn 32 years ago."

A quick check of http://www.imdb.com/ told me he was born in 1918. This clipping was from 1950!

I turned it over to see if an ad might be on the back with the price of an article from that era of the Stone Age. No, but this was the news item:


Now Greater Diversity in Lightweight Girdles


According to the manufacturers this new season sees greater diversity in lightweight girdles and panty girdles for different heights and hip developments.


The tall girl, who finds the usual 14 or 15-inch junior garment too short for her needs, the short-waisted woman, and the full hip figure are all taken care of by the extended size range.


Important, too, are the junior-type foundations in larger sizes for the young girl who does not want to wear a matronly girdle.

I have memories of a rubber Playtex "foundation" I wore a few years later. Who knew that working in a department store without air conditioning, wearing one of these girdles would cause excessive sweating with water traveling down the legs? It came off at lunch time.

I think the 1960's started the time of just letting it all hang out.

Large economy size

Remember those small spice boxes or bottles with spices?
We had a recipe that called for 1/2 tsp. of parsley. I know, it's optional - but it's so pretty.
None to be found here on the spice shelf. So one of the most generous people in the world went to the store, as he does almost every day, and not finding any small boxes, brought home this JUG of flakes. I can't think of anything except oatmeal that I won't be putting them in. Besides they look very festively green near the tree.

Or, if you need 1/2 tsp. or more for a onetime recipe, give me a call.

Safety First

I just read a safety alert on a package of hot dogs that warned parents to cut up the product lengthwise and then into small bites for children under six. " Childen should always be seated and supervised when eating."
Think of all those picnics when we ran around with WHOLE HOTDOGS in buns, eating unsupervised. Guess we were very lucky.

No red eye here

Schiz and Wally are buddies. Golden eyes and blue-green eyes. . .Lots of energy in these two although this picture doesn't show it. They bring us joy.

Done

Started at 8:00 a.m. With a lot of help finished at 1:00 p.m. Nine cups flour, four cups sugar, three quarters pound of butter, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, anise oil, small amount of white syrup, three eggs and some water. On the left are the hard ones and on the right are the crispy version. The recipe for the one on the left calls for twelve cups of flour. (I "halved" it.) It came from a Mennonite lady in Halstead KS and has been made in our family for at least 70 years. Thank you, Aunt Honey.
The other was found in a Mennonite cook book and varies only in texture - not taste!

Peppernuts

This is baking day for peppernuts. Two kinds were mixed up yesterday - crisp and break your jaw firm.
When you can get five dozen on one cookie sheet, that seems like progress. Then you realize how much dough is left and you just keep rolling out the pencil size rolls and cutting those little bits of dough.
I think we had 9 pans full of the crisp. On to the firm.

Filet Crochet

This is a crocheted piece that I made, copying from one owned by a friend. She had bought hers at a farm sale.

It represents a doughboy from World War I. Filet is made by a series of blocks and spaces, using the double crochet stitch. I borrowed my friend's piece of work and had it copied on a large machine at the court house. The pattern was very easy to follow. After this one was done, I made an identical one to give to Jo whose dad was in WWI. It's amazing how much one can accomplish while working outside the home and how little I get done now, not employed!

Cookies

Aren't these cute? And Christmas colors too. Sadly, they are long gone but they are the neatest cookies I ever received. Not into decorating here but hope to make some peppernuts soon.

A Temporary Mess

This is what happens when one person decides to rearrange a perfectly neat cabinet in order to add some photo albums to the mix. All this "stuff" had been neatly stowed. I just bit my tongue and let it remain on the floor. Eventually, it was all picked up and put away someplace where we will probably never see it again. Now the photo albums are inside - out of the garage - a big plus!

The Common Cold

For the second time in less than two weeks a cold has struck. I have not been around crowds of people. I have not been around people - except L. He has no cold. So where do these little germs come from? I have no idea.

This morning it is 10 degrees out there. Can a germ even live at that temperature?

Clementines and Alka Seltzer crystals have helped this latest attack. For the previous one, I used Zycam nasal spray which I hear is not on store shelves anymore. Something about the sense of smell. The spray didn't affect me that way but this latest cold has done that job. Looking forward to spring. . .

Camouflage

These are the most interesting overalls I have ever seen. Are these for hunting? I wonder if the hunting is done in a pumpkin patch. Or maybe at sunset in a grove of trees. I mean no disrespect - just curious as to the use of the brilliant orange.

Burglar Alarm

While sitting outside the local deli sandwich shoppe, I saw this interesting item. I wonder if it is still operational. . .a siren, a bell, what? Clearly it has been there for some time. After all, a bank used to occupy the building.