Time On Our Hands:  Cooking

Mr. G and I make pickles!

Here's Mr. G in August of 2010 stuffing quart jars with cucumbers cut in wedges.  I am posting this now because we are revving up to doing this again very soon--within a week or two.  We are just waiting for the cucumbers to be ripe and ready at Joe's Place Farm a short way from here.  

These pictures are of the first and only time we've made dill pickles together.  I had never done this sort of cooking before.  I still don't do any baking but I do love to cook meals.  That is my thing and it is a big thing!  But in this case I took the lead from my husband on this project.  He'd made pickles before and his sister Kelly gave us her fantastic recipe.  These pickles were so good that we made them last TWO years.  Now it's time to have another go at it because we ran out last week....

  

Here's how we made the pickles which we named Kelly's Wonderful Dill Pickles.  First we washed the jars--about 12 or 15 quart jars--in the dishwasher.  We got our  jars at a garage sale and were able to try different sizes and shapes because we didn't buy a case at the store.  We would prefer to use just wide mouth jars in the future as they were easier to work with.  

We put 4 1/2 quarts of water, 1 1/2 quarter of white vinegar and a cup of salt in a large pot.  That's the brine.  We set it on the large burner and slowly heated it to a boil.

In the meantime we put a washed grape leaf, one clove of chopped or pressed garlic, some dill seed and dill weed in each jar.  We put the lids and rings in a pan with water and brought it to a boil to sterilize them.  

We cut up the cucumbers--there were about 10 pounds of those little pickling cucumbers--and stuffed them into the jars, tight!   Then, using a glass measuring cup and a green canning funnel, we poured the boiling brine into the jars to within 1/2 inch of the top, wiped the rims and put a lid and a ring on each jar.  I let Mr. G tighten the rings since they had to stay very tight.   

For 5 weeks we watched the pickles sit in our garage waiting for them to be ready.  We had to be selfish and not share much since we'd made so few jars--even fewer after a few of the lids popped up before the wait was over indicating they were not sealed correctly and probably bad.  I hope this year we can make twice as many and give some away!

Mr. G told me that we have to use new lids each year so we got some at Walmart a week ago.  Thursday he bought some labels for the jars.  We are working up to the big day!!  Can't wait for our new batch of pickles.

Time on Our Hands:  Brothers 

Earl and Chester

Evidently this picture belonged to someone whose uncles Earl and Chester are depicted in it.  On the back it says "Moms Brothers Earl and Chester" and I just have to wonder which two are the uncles.   A further note says, "Will be back at 1 o'clock" and is signed "Nelson".  So maybe this is a picture that includes Nelson's uncles.  That is what I think, anyway.  

The young man on the right and the one sitting in the center with glasses are the two I think are the brothers.  The reasons are that their clothes are similar, their hair is similar and they have faces shaped the same, mouths the same (especially the lower lip that juts forward), ears the same.  Or so it seems in a picture this old.  

This group of boys could be a scholastic group like a debate team or the German Club or they could be a sports team--tennis, golf, football.  Several of them wear V-neck sweaters that might be a way of signing that they have excelled at something, like a school sweater awaiting a letter.  Or maybe it's just a fashion of the times.  

It seems like the pompadour is the hair style that everyone wanted at the time of this photo.  My own father sported one.  He graduated from high school in about 1937 and went off to college only to be interrupted and sent to World War II.  He finished getting his Bachelor of Science degree after the war.  I am guessing that happened in 1948 because I know my brother was born in 1947 before Dad had finished school. He and my mother and brother lived off campus with a dean and his wife while he finished.  

I can't really tell if these boys/men are in their high school years or just into college.  What do you think?  I am leaning towards college.  They have a very elite look to them.  Like "the best of the best", the ones who were able to go on with school.  To me all these young men seem to be just about 11 but I know they are older.  At my age, I am inclined to think anyone under 30 is too young to drive so don't ask me!  

At any rate, they are clean cut and well groomed.  They seem sure of themselves and pleased to be posing.  Shiny shoes, some ties, a couple of pairs of jeans, but neat ones.  Jackets, sweaters, neatly combed hair.  What did the photographer say to get some of the boys smiling and some (all on the right for some reason) NOT.  

"What happened to you?" I want to ask.  "Where did you go from here and what did you do with your lives?"  "Which of you went to war, which went bald, which taught school or was active at a church?"  "Which of you married and who had a nephew named Nelson?"  

Because they most likely would all be dead by now I am not surprised by the faded quality of their bodies and faces.  I don't expect them to be distinct or to look like they could walk right out of the frame.  And they don't.  They look kind of like spirits.  Some don't even have feet in the picture.  They just float there, looking in my direction.  

I hope you had a good life, Earl and Chester.  I hope the promise of this day stayed with you all the years of your life.  

Time On Our Hands:

First Communion

The socks are a dead giveaway.  This was before my time!  The dresses and veils are similar to what we wore in 1956 when I made my own first communion, but those socks?  No way.  So maybe the 1940s?  I don't know really.  Let me know if you do, would you?  

By the way, in my computer I can click on the photo and it will open outside the window.  Then I can make it as big as I need it to be to see those kids.  You might want to try that if you have trouble seeing them well.  

So now, first of all, White-Shoes-On-The-Right.  What was she thinking?  All the other shoes are black!  Didn't she get the memo? Maybe this was a fashion statement or maybe it's all she had. Or maybe she was just a rebel in the making!  Her see-through dress is long enough, though, so that you don't have to look at her knees and the wrinkly socks all the other girls show off so well.  

The girl fourth from the right is stupefied.  Hard to say why.  She looks off to the side, quite puzzled, and wonders maybe if she should be taking communion at all! She looks very innocent to me.  I am sure it's alright for her to go with the others.

Among these children we have prayer books, rosary beads and Easter lilies with ferns.  Hand-me-down dresses and veils as well as spanking new clothes.  The balloon/bonnet veils are new to me I must admit -- they would be the ones worn by the girls on the left end of each row.  I have never seen any like this.  

The second young lady from the left in the second row is a cute little thing, all smiles and sweet cheeks.  And next to her is the tallest of the class, very pretty.  At the far end of the row is a little girl in glasses who is huddled with cold or fear or both!  She looks pretty happy though, so her posture is probably not fear related.  

At the far left end of the little boys stands one tiny gentleman in a suit with a huge Easter lily.  This little guy is cursed with huge ears.

Let me tell you a story.

When I was in kindergarten, our first teacher lasted one day.  It was her first day of teaching and she was killed in a car accident on the way home from school. It was quite amazing to 5 year olds and a horrible way to start school.  But then, immediately, we had a "substitute teacher" even though we didn't really have a teacher at all anymore!  The sub was named Mrs. Cotton and she was a total witch.  I do believe she hated children and don't know why she became a teacher.  She was short and stout and had Brillo Pad hair.  

In our class was one little boy (whose name escapes me) who had huge stick-out ears.  Mrs. Cotton picked on him relentlessly, calling him names that referred to his appearance. Though I don't remember what names she used, fifty eight years later I do remember her terrorism.  I look at this picture and hope that the little boy at the left end does not suffer the kind of injustice my classmate suffered at the hands of Mrs. Cotton, the most horrible teacher I ever had.     

After all the smiles in the first two rows, it's strange to see only one or two in the boys' group.  Most of them look puzzled or depressed.  Not so much angelic as bored.  Come on, boys, it's your big day!

I wonder if any of these children realized what they were about to do and what it meant.  Probably not, though they may have later.  I hope that their faith brought them joy and comfort in their lives and that this day was the beginning of a wonderful and enriching relationship between them and their church.  

God bless these little communicants.    

Craft:

1950s Dressing Table Bench

I picked up this little 1950s Dressing Table Bench at an estate sale last weekend here in Vancouver, Washington.  It was in the basement, dirty, covered in paint splashes and sporting rubbed off spaces.  The seat cover was made of upholstery fabric that looked like carpet.  I paid $5.00.

I cleaned it up a bit on Sunday and popped the top off.  After I removed the carpet/cover, the cushioning material was actually in good condition with no spots or holes and it didn't smell bad as I'd expected it would.  I decided to keep the original padding.  

I chose this fabric to cover the seat.  I got a pretty big piece of it, about 2 - 60 inch yards, at a store closing a few years ago.  

I sanded the wood and gave the piece a once over with white primer.

While it dried, I stapled the fabric to the seat top.  I got confused with Mr. G's stapler and put a row of stables along the middle instead of along the edge before I realized where the staples were going!  Once I turned the stapler around I did fine, pulling the fabric snug and stapling all the edges.  I folded the corners so they are a little unsatisfactory but they are holding well.

In all I gave the wood two coats of primer and then two coats of this green paint.  I had a quart of it in the garage from one of our forays into a hardware store where we picked up a can or two of "oops" paint (mis-mixed paint) for $1 a can along with our planned purchases.  

I like my little bench. It took me one day to finish this project.  I was lucky and got a sunny day or it would have taken much longer! 

I think I'll use it as a footstool but still not sure.  It's kind of tall for that purpose.  It took only $5 + items I had around the house.  

Time On Our Hands:  Book cover 1910

and how it relates to a poem I wrote in 1992

I bought this book over the weekend at an Estate sale.  It's called "Going Some" which makes no sense to me whatsoever.  But I love the cover.  The colors are brilliant for the age of the book and in fact the whole book is in pretty good condition for $1.00.

Here are some fun quotes from the book.  I think they are fun because of the way things are stated.  Just the old language used is amazing.

"And Stover went on his way to spread the tidings."


"Glass allowed his mouth to open in amazement.  The day was replete with surprises."


"'Listen, Pig! If you spik to her again, I will cut you.' The gaze of the Mexican pierced his victim. 'I will not keel you, I will just -- cut you!'"


"' Did you hear what I said?' demanded Willie, in a voice that sounded like the sawing of a meat bone."


"Willie paused, while Glass licked his lips and undertook to frame a reply."

I don't know why these little phrases capture my imagination but they do.  They are here in no particular order but just what I came across on a few pages.  The whole book is full of this colorful language.  Wish I could write like this.  And, you might ask, what does that picture have to do with any of this?  Well, so far I haven't the foggiest idea!

Throughout the book there are small drawings at the bottom of pages here and there.  They are so funny and so apt.  There are Indians, cowboys, gentlemen small and tall, even a few ladies.  One heavyset man appears bald and in a striped shirt over and over.  I am thinking he is Glass or maybe Mr. Speed, another character who appears often.
~~~~~~~~~

One time I wrote a poem for a friend and I guess that's what the cover picture reminded me of.  I'm going to post it here.  See if it brings this picture to mind for you.

STRINGS

Dreaming of fairies

and brownies and things,

Winding through childhood

our lives were like strings.

We tangled our life lines

in jumbles and knots,

Blending and weaving

our fantastical plots.

Carefree, exuberant,

joyful and free;

Around every corner

was something to see.

As year passed to year

our strings were exchanged

For bright colored ribbons

as our lives rearranged.

We ran with our streamers

so shiny and slick.

They flew out behind us

our feet moving quick.

Soon they were banners

proclaiming our views.

We bore them so proudly

Parading in twos.

With childhood behind us

and dreams stored away,

We began making plans

for each passing day.

We slowly turned inward

to our lives and our homes.

We dropped all our banners

and our strings fell like stones.

Then after the kids left

the houses were silent.

The adventures less often.

The string was all spent.

In the midst of our settling

feeling sorry and old,

Were the memories of friends

and bright ribbons of gold.

As we reached for the strings

that once tied us in knots,

Hoping to capture

old dreams and brave plots,

We've discovered our lives

have just barely begun.

We are older and wiser

but twice as much fun.

The ribbons and strings?

We've passed them right by.

With silk gliders' wings

we fly through the sky.

We're soaring and swooping

and spreading our wings,

Once again dreaming 

of fairies and things.

September 1992

Time on Our Hands:  

The Fashionable Bowl Cut

I have no idea of the time frame of this little picture.  The children look very young and of similar age.  Could be one class in a city school.  There is a sidewalk and the building looks a little more structured than a wooden country school house.

This picture has a tear right down almost to the bottom.  It starts at the top of the door on the right and ends at the shoulder of the little girl, third from right, in the front row.  How sad someone  must have been when it tore. After that it was pasted on this cardboard backing.  Then that tore, too!  Luckily not much.

Here is what I see in this photo: Meek and unsmiling children.  It reminds me of the play Oliver.  I expect one of the kids to produce a bowl and say, "More porridge, please!"  But! they all have shoes, they look clean and presentable, and many of the girls have the fashionable bowl cut!  Why oh why did anyone ever think that was attractive, I wonder?  No wonder they look so forlorn!

Or perhaps they've never had a picture taken?  They seem utterly exposed and fearful of that photographer. Maybe he was gruff and abrupt? Maybe he was short tempered.  Looking at those little faces I imagine him to be a horror of a person.

Maybe he asked them to say Cheese! and they didn't know what cheese was.

I guess I shouldn't put all the blame on the photographer. It could be the teacher, the principal, or maybe they will face a test after the photo shoot.

I don't see any unusually naughty kids in this photo, nor do I see any that look particularly smart.  Instead they look like they need breakfast.  The back row is the worst.  That must be the last place the food goes to.  They are thinking that it will be another hour before their line is fed.  The front row, where the faces are anxious but not so desperate, is where the lucky ones sit -- the ones who will eat before long!

I have to admit this one is a bit puzzling.  It's sad for me to see children so young with so little joy.  I wish there were something we could do from the future to make their lives sweeter.