Stone House Journal

Sister Day

2011-12-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

My four sisters and I try to get together to celebrate birthdays each year. The birthday girl gets to choose where and what type of birthday celebration she desires. Sometimes we just get together and craft at one of the other sister's home. Other times the day includes a trip to a small town within a couple of hours driving time. Last weekend we went to one of our favorite small towns about 40 minutes away from home. We shopped at the antique stores, gift shoppes and boutiques in the town. Part of the celebration includes trying to find a new place to eat and deciding if we want to go back next time. This particular town has a great bakery, but you have to get their early on Saturday if you want the best selection. The best thing about this trip is that we supported the businesses in this Midwestern small town. The trip also tends to be very nostalgic, it reminds me of Christmas shopping trips when we were growing up. Even the main street reminds me of the town we grew up in before so called urban improvements and the dissolving of downtown stores took its toll.

Storytime

2011-11-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

For the past couple of weeks, my creative writing class has been working on a horror story. At first they were concerned about how long did it have to be? Or did it have to have a happy ending? My criteria-make it believable and make me afraid. In some instances, I did cringe at the storyline, not just because I was uncomfortable. Unfortunately there was little editing on their part and the stories became very confusing. Still there was a lot of blood and things that go bump in the night. They shared their stories on Halloween along with some wonderful goodies from MySuzyHomemaker's blog. Can't wait to see what plots they will come up with for their children's books.

Saving The Dome

2011-10-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

For teens and young adults of the 1950's, 60's and 70's, it was the place to go during the warm months of May through October. Even after fast food places moved in, the destination was "The Dome". It was the home of the best hamburgers and the thickest malts.

Carloads of boys and girls met there or it was where you went after the movies. The management provided a speaker phone and a lighted menu behind glass and your order was delivered by the newest crop of car hops from the local high schools. Leaving the parking lot of the Dome, you could "drag the ave" and check out the cars and the opposite sex. In the 1980's, the building was destined for destruction after the land sold to a chain retail store. The son of the owners taught at the high school and after some finding some money The Dome moved to its new location at the end of the foorball field where it has served as a concession stand for athletic events. Fast forward another 20 years and the building is in need of repairs. School board members, parents and residents who remember the building fondly have come together to raise money to repair it. At the football games they have offered hamburgers and malts. It is a great effort and I hope it succeeds, but there is something missing from those thick malts, or maybe it is just nostalgia for a time gone by.

Due to Technical Difficulties

2011-10-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

I made this big deal about writing and getting back to being creative for myself and my students, however, it hasn't worked out so well. It is the fifth week in the school year and I haven't posted one blog. My uncle reminded recently that there is a book in my future. Right now, I am lucky if I even read one page much less write one.

I told my students I would share some of my writing with them and that hasn't worked out as well as I wish. We are blocked at school on personal blogs, I wish that each one of them could set up a blog and I could use it as a teaching tool. Then I would have to commit also to writing everyday.

Lately I find myself saying, "Well, we were going to do this or that, but something is wrong with the electricity (try teaching with no lights in the classroom!) or the internet is down or the laptops are not working. All this wonderful teaching tools and not enough infrastruture to support it.

Oh, bad words.

Valentines

2011-02-10T15:50:00.000-08:00

I decided that I needed some R and R last week and got out my Cricket, stamps, stickers and went to work. The cards are all made and I have no excuses except I need to address them and sent them out. For some reason that always seems to be a problem.

I wanted to send a Valentine to all of my friends who never got the Christmas cards I made. One of my colleagues at work reminded me that I haven't made any sugar cookies either lately and Valentine's Day is on Monday. I see a baking day coming up. The following is a recipe a friend gave me many years ago that I use.

Shirley Swander's Sugar Cookies

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees

In a large bowl mix: 4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup shortening

In a small bowl combine: 1 tsp soda
1/3 cup milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs beaten

Pour small bowl into larger bowl and mix well and roll out using your favorite cutter. Bake to 8 minutes.

Battle Hot Wings 2010

2011-01-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, one of my nephews proposed for his birthday that we would have a competition similar to the Food Networks "Iron Chef". The first year was ribs, the second was hamburgers and last January it was hot wings. My brother-in-law and his two sons and their wives brought their best recipes to the table.

Just as in the television competition, the entries were judged on originality, taste and plating. The winner was my nephew, Drew, with his Saviche wings. The next competition is appetizers with everyone looking over recipes, trying to revise old ones and looking for the unique plating. I almost have my recipes ready to go and will be ready to take pictures and write out the recipes. Bon Appetit and Bon Chance to the competitors.

EBooks, IPods, and WII's

2011-01-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

I downloaded my first ebook the other day and read it on the computer. Mainly I read it on the computer, which is fine because I have a big monitor and it is easy to read, because I don't have Wi-Fi at home to download on to my IPod Touch or my digital notebook. As one of the young people around me mentioned the trouble with new technology is learning how to use it. I definitely like the convenience, I was able to get a book I wouldn't have been able to at the local bookstores. I would have had to order from Amazon, Borders or Barnes and Noble.

I am still learning how to use the IPod touch and can at least download music. I like to buy gift cards instead of using my credit card, the same with the books and I can control my expenses this way. Also it makes a great suggestion when people ask me what I would like as a gift.

I am learning how to use the Wii. I rationalized its purchase by saying it was cheaper than joining a gym, which I have joined in the past but didn't attend regularly and let's face the games on the Wii are much more fun.

Authors, Book Fines and New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

I recently had a conversation with some of my friends from the library and we all agreed that we are fans, not of the most popular reality show (someone really needs to explain "Jersey Shore" to me), movie star, or rock group, but of men and women who create characters, towns and counties from their imaginations-authors. First, I don't need Oprah to tell me what to read, I've been selecting my own books since I was three. Secondly, many of the movies and television programs we enjoy wouldn't be there without these wonderfully creative people.

One of my favorite author stories is when I met Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse Vampire series author) at the ALA summer convention that was held in Chicago many years ago. This is before she wrote the series that would become "True Blood". I was wandering the vendor aisles and looked up and saw a woman coming towards me. What caught my eye was her necklace-a cloisonne skull. I said "What an interesting necklace!" I then saw her name tag and immediately followed it with "And I love your books." She wrote a series about a librarian, Aurora Teagarden, who frequently stumbled on bodies. I know the Sookie books are extremely popular but I do miss the character.

I have enjoyed the talks I have attended by Dr. Barbara Mertz (Barbara Michaels and Elizabeth Peters), who doesn't love the Amelia Peabody books that draw up on her doctorate in Egyptology. She is very entertaining as a speaker and her sense of humor frequently comes through her writing.

I just finished "A Christmas Mourning" by Margaret Maron. She is a multiple winner of many awards and her character, Judge Deborah Knott, and the various members of her family are part of my literary family. Each year I look forward to a new book in the series, it isn't just the mystery that is always engaging, but reading about what is happening in the life of Deborah, her husband Dwight and others in the fictional Colleton County. Margaret was recently in a car accident and I know that many of her readers were concerned for her recovery. Check out her website at http://www.margaretmaron.com. She frequently writes a blog entry and you can become a friend on Facebook.

When I was helping to chaperon a group of students last spring, I met a Michigan author, Peg Herring, in Pennsylvania. I learned that she was on her way to the mystery writers' convention Malice Domestic. I was jealous and would have liked to climbed in her car instead of the van. Peg writes historical novels located in 16th and 17th century England. Her novel "Her Highness's First Murder" featured a young Elizabeth I, before she ascended the throne. It was a well written book that received good reviews. She encouraged me to continue writing, as she wasn't published until after she retired from teaching. Peg's website is http://www.pegherring.com.

Finally, my New Year's Resolution is to return my library books on time so I don't pay horrendous fines and to write more, maybe.

Friends beside me

2010-12-30T08:39:00.000-08:00

This has been one of the busiest years I can remember. I directed two plays,one of which I wrote, taught a new class, had to write two additional reports for the state and keep on top of all of the usual things. However as much as possible I tried to meet with my friends for a little R and R . Last week before Christmas, I had a few friends come for lunch, just Tomato Basil Soup and paninis. We opened gifts and talked for almost four hours, a rare luxury for us all. This is part of the group of friends from when I worked at the local public library. I feel so blessed that they are still in my life and even though we don't see each other as often as we once did.

A few days later I met my colleagues, current and retired, from the position I have now at a local restaurant . We talked and laughed for the next few hours. Some of the subjects were the same: elderly parents, children, grandchildren, upcoming weddings and health of spouses and other family members. As I reflected on the gifts I receive during this time of year, I place the gift of friendship I receive from these two groups of women at the top.

I am paraphrasing a quote on a plaque I saw when shopping with my sisters yesterday and thought of all of them, including my sisters:

"When it hurts to look back and you are afraid to look ahead; look to the side for the friends who are there to support you."

Thank you all for being at my side and here is to a healthy and better New Year.

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's Memorial Day today and in my small town that means a parade that ends at the cemetery and a day in the village park. Community members who have been in the military or on active duty march in the parade, along with the high school band, the Girl and Boy Scout troops, riders on bikes and horses, and a few of the fire trucks, At the cemetery, an old family friend usually speaks and a wreath is laid at the memorial for the war dead.

After the parade, there is a chicken dinner sponsored by the local LIONs service organization, an ice cream social by the Boy Scouts and a bake sale for the youth services of one of the local churches. It is one of the social events that happens in small town America still and something I remember from my childhood. I went to the local park to get my dinner along with old friends and neighbors and caught up on local news.

Yesterday I planted flowers in the urns at my parents' graves and put out a new flag on the fence post. I couldn't help but remember the rows of white markers I had seen three weeks earlier at Arlington cemetery on a trip to Washington D.C. Thank you to all who have served in the military, it is your sacrifice that allow us to have those special summer days in small towns and large cities across America.

Snow, Comfort food and Kicking Back

2010-01-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, after running a few errands, I plan to take down the Christmas decorations outside and straighten up the garage before I put them away. It has either been too co-o-o-ld or snowing so a chore that is usually done right after the New Year was put on hold. Last week we had our first snow day of the new year when 90 schools in a five county area called off school.

I must admit as I saw school district after school district names scrolled across the local news, I was sure my district would be called next. Finally, I couldn't wait any longer and had started out the door when the phone rang. It was the school secretary and she was making sure I knew school had been called off before I made the drive. So I put on my lounging pj's and curled up with a comforter, two cats and a book. Certainly not what I had orginally planned for the day.

A few hours later when the sun came out, I put on my boots, heavy coat, hat and gloves and got to work on the driveway and sidewalks. I still haven't convinced myself that I need a snow blower. I like shoveling snow, go figure. But I knew a treat waited for me inside the house and so I think it added a special impetus.

Earlier I had pulled out the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks that had been published by the women's group of a local church. I gathered the ingredients for soup, my favorite comfort food on a snowy day and knew it would soon be ready.

Tomato-Basil Soup

8 oz. cream cheese 1 large can V8 juice

28 oz can of stewed tomatoes Dried Basil

1 large onion diced Fresh garlic

1 pint half and half Salt and pepper

6-10 oz cans of tomato soup 1/2 stick butter

(or equivalent in larger size cans)

Process the cheese and stewed tomatoes in blender. Combine the tomato soup and half and half. Add the blender mixture. Add the V8 juice. Saute the onions and garlic in butter. Add seasonings to taste. Cook on low or in a crock-pot until flavors blend about 3 hours.

When I serve the soup to a large group, I have croutons and mozzarella cheese for toppings. However, I like to follow the custom of some local eateries and serve the soup with a slab of corn bread.

New Year's Resolutions, Ben Franklin and Me

2010-01-03T12:52:00.000-08:00

When I started the blog in September I had these plans of writing if not daily at least weekly. So much for plans. There are many things that I had slated for the past four months that didn't happen either,such as Christmas cards. One of the few things I have done is I read a biography on Benjamin Franklin this fall. I also reread a little of his autobiography in which he wrote about improving and perfecting his virtues, Ben didn't make it either. So I guess I am in good company. However, I will try to do better on this and other things. One of my resolutions was to create a place for mail that included a spot for bills to be paid and letters and notifications to be filed. It also had to include the shredder for all of the pesky mail that seems to invade the mail box on offers for credit cards etc. It is all ready to go. I also took care of some of the mail that seem to accumulate in various spots around the house. Let's see if I can continue with the process.

Acts of Kindness

2009-09-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

My friend has always brought a lot to our friendship. She has always lent a sympathetic ear to our many discussions and always provides thoughtful insights. I dearly love my friend. However, she has some of the most interesting interactions with animals. Her dog would always run away during our phone conversations or be barking to tell her that the cat was outside the door, probably up to no good. Most of these have left me laughing until I cried.

Today, as we were talking about what needed to be done that day, she started to tell me that her day started unusually. I am thinking being stuck in traffic or a problem with her car. No, not the usual reasons for a hectic morning.

My friend was leaving for the gym this morning to work out before work and heard a sound outside. She was pretty sure it was an animal, probably one of the many raccoons that occupy our urban settings. It wasn't a raccoon, it was a skunk-with its head stuck in a jam jar. She put on gloves and went outside to see if she could help. She pulled on the jam jar and the skunk pulled the opposite way. The jam jar was not coming off.

She ran into the house and upstairs and woke her husband. He got up put his clothes on and came outside to survey the situation. He tried pulling off the jar with the same result. He went to the garage and got a block of wood and a hammer. He placed the wood over the jam jar and struck it with a hammer. The jar broke and the skunk ran off into the bushes. At no time did the skunk raise its tail in fear and even when it was free the tail remained down.

All I can think of is how fortunate the little skunk was to make its way to my friend's house. And that she took the time to help free it from its prison. As always she helped to solve a problem, but I will tell you all the time she was telling the story I was laughing.

Bounty of the Season

2009-09-16T16:03:00.001-07:00

One of the earliest memories I have as a young child is having a dishtowel tied around my neck as I perched on a stool using a wooden pestle and a sieve to crush grapes to get juice to make jelly. Summers at our house were spent with gathering fruit from grape vines, peach, pear and plum trees, strawberry beds and raspberry bushes.

Those summers are always hot in my memory with my sisters and brothers helping to pick the fruit. A lot of the berries went into our mouths and never made it to the kitchen, but the fruit that did make it was washed and became jellies, jams and preserves. I still make jams and jellies. There isn't a large family to eat it at the house anymore, but my friends and family seem to enjoy receiving a jar of jam at various times during the year.

I go to roadside stands now to get the fruit. I used to be able to go to a couple of local farms and pick my own, but a lot of those have fallen wayside to subdivisions. A few weeks ago, I went to a peach farm near where my parents had a small farm when they were first married. The peaches were made into jam and a cobbler the next day.

I recently found I had no less than 4 of the Blue Books published by the Ball Canning Company. I have discovered that the recipes in the book are easy to cook and can. When I first learned to make jams and jellies as a young woman, I used my mom's method of using parafin to seal the top of the jar. Now I use a hot water bath using the instructions on the recipe. In this age of samonella etc., I feel better about the products I give to others.

Recently, I have asked the family and good friends to start returning the jars. The cost of canning and jam jars has increased over the past few years. I tell them if they want a refill I would appreciate it if it came back. Most everyone is happy to comply especially after they have told me which jam they would like have in their "goodie" basket. A favorite this year seems to be the Blueberry and Lime Jam. The lime seems to bring out the taste of the blueberries.
Nothing is better than homemade jams and jellies on toast, or PB and J, waffles and pancakes, oh my!

Lazy Days of Summer......

2009-09-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

I love to vacation next to water be it a pool, a lake or if I am lucky an ocean. As the summer days diminish, I went to a lake resort last week with friends and family for a few days. This has been an unusually wet and cool summer, but we were hoping for good weather. My nephew and his wife had invited their parents, aunts and uncles and siblings to join them in sharing two cabins and house for the week.

The cabins and house have been undergoing a remodel, but the knotted pine in the cabins took me back to the fifties and sixties décor when people used it for paneling rooms. And there is always the damp smell at the lake that reminds me of camps when I was a child.

The first few days were overcast and the waves were brisk. On Wednesday, the day was warm and sunny and we spend it on the lake either swimming, sunning ourselves on the island, jet skiing or fishing. Unfortunately it rained for the next three days and our activities had to go indoors.

One of the activities was preparing food for the fifteen or more people who were there at the lake. Breakfast featured pancakes, waffles, French toast, omelets and the best bacon I have ever eaten. One of the couples came from Minnesota and had gone to Pierz, Minnesota to Thielen’s Meat Market which in one hour from St. Cloud and two from the twin cities and had brought several pounds of this wonderfully meaty and flavored bacon and sausage. I understand the bacon has been featured in The New York Times and Oprah.

One of our favorite breakfasts was a French Toast dish featuring an egg custard and cream cheese in the middle that you make the night before and place in the refrigerator.

Mel’s Company French Toast
1/2 c. butter

1 c. light brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

12 slices French bread or equivalent firm white bread

5 eggs, well beaten

1 1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. cinnamon

**Melt butter and mix with brown sugar and cinnamon in the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.

**Arrange the bread slices in 2 layers on top of the mixture.(Sometimes I spread between the layers with cream cheese, because it's soooo good that way, but you don't have to.)

**Then beat the egg mixture and pour over the bread. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon, if you like. Let stand overnight in the fridge or at least 6-8 hours.

**Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 min.Serve with warm syrup, or any berry syrups or compotes are very good, as well. Another addition is to mix toasted pecans or walnuts into the brown sugar and butter on the bottom, also very tasty.

Enjoy!

Life List

2009-08-26T03:59:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I was having breakfast with some friends. One of my friends told a story about a woman who was writing a blog because one of the things she had always wanted to do was to be a writer.

After some reflection and a conversation with some one much more adept at creating blogs than I am, I decided to go ahead with a similar project. I, too, wanted to write and if this would help begin that journey I wanted to try it. The first thing my blog creator asked me was what the focus of my blog was going to be. Hm-m-m. I pictured my blog as one in which I could write about my hobbies, my efforts to maintain an old house and my activities in the small community in which I have lived most of my life.

The title came easily. I live in a one hundred and seventy five year old house that is described in a book about historic homes in the state where I reside as “a vernacular, symmetrical, two story cottage built of coursed sandstone blocks on the two primary walls and of uncoursed sandstone rubble on the remaining walls.” So of course, the blog had to be the Stone House Journal.

I have lived in the stone house for over forty years with time out for college and other adventures. It was my parents’ last residence after a marriage of moving to different homes in many communities. I know every nook and cranny. I have painted every inch, torn up floors, and moved walls on the interior. With the help of relatives, I have learned how to tuck point its’ exterior walls when the mortar between the stones began to crumble. In a society in which mobility is often the watch word, I am an anachronism. I am o.k. with that title.

So I begin a new activity of documenting life as viewed from my old stone house.