Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!



Hourglass

Goodbye 2012

Hello 2013

Happy Winter Holidays

Happy Winter Holidays

Pieter Brueghel the Elder

  'The Hunters in the Snow' 1565



Utagawa Hiroshige

'Night Snow at Kambara' 1833



Ivan Shishkin

'In the Wild North' 1891



Vincent van Gogh

'Landscape in Snow' 1888



Edvard Munch

'New Snow on the Lane' 1906



Claude Monet

'Snow at Argenteuil' 1875

Theater: A Christmas Carol by Richard

Frances and I enjoyed the performance of Charles Dickens', A Christmas Carol at the San Jose Rep. It is a beautifully story about Christmas during the 18th century, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution and the textile industries; when children labored long hours under poor working conditions.

The cast with their costumes, the music and the dancing was wonderful to watch. It reminded me of the Christmases we all shared years ago back in Iowa Falls.

We are about ready for Christmas at home now. The tree is decorated, the outside lights are up and we are all most done shopping, thank goodness!

We are going to our daughter's house for Christmas Eve dinner, for which we will bring Dungeness crabs and French bread. On Christmas Day, after church, we will prepare a late breakfast for everyone at our house where the grandsons and family will open all the gifts. After everything is unwrapped and the excitement dies down, I will tidy up and take my afternoon nap. That evening, we will have Christmas Day dinner at their house.

After all the hustle and bustle of Christmas events, we will head off to our place in Morro Bay for New Years and a well deserved rest.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]



Dungeness Crab

Fibonacci

I discovered Fibonacci today. I have to admit that I was flabbergasted at the discovery.

For some period of time, when I groaned about loosing a particular game of chess, my son often suggested it was because I used "The Fibonacci".  Thinking the word was my son's made up slang word, it seemed applicable to winning or losing chess games so I added it to my vocabulary and blame many of my losses on "Fibonacci".

You can imagine my astonishment when I came across the word Fibonacci while surfing the Internet. I googled for it and voilà!

In mathematics Fibonacci numbers or Fibonacci sequence are numbers in the following integer sequence, 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144

The first two numbers in the Fibonacci sequence is 0 and 1, (alternatively, 1and1). Each subsequent number is the sum of the previous two. 1+1=2, 1+2=3, 2+3=5 etc.

The sequence is named after Leonardo of Pisa, known as Fibonacci.

In my art studies, I learned about the Golden Ratio or golden mean which is believed to be the most pleasing and beautiful shape. It is found in many places including geometry, art and architecture such as the Parthenon. Using 'rule of thirds' divide a line into two parts so that the longer part divided by the smaller part is also equal to the whole length divided by the longer part you will have the golden ratio.



Golden Ratio

What does this have to do with Fibonacci numbers? I never knew about them and their special relationship to the golden ratio.

The symbol of golden ratio uses the Greek letter 'phi' which is a special number equal to 1.618. The ratio of any two successive numbers is close to the golden ratio.

Fibonacci sequence numbers appear in nature and biological settings such as branches of trees, leaf and petal placement such as pine cones, pineapples, broccoli florets and sunflower seeds which arrange themselves in spirals.

Until recently it was believed the beautiful chambered nautilus was an example of golden ratio, but recent scientific study shows the spiral of the nautilus doesn't have the true spiral shape based on the golden ratio.

The following shows how Fibonacci numbers look if tiled in squares and in spirals.

Fibonacci numbers tiled in squares

Fibonacci numbers tiled in spirals

The tiling is made of squares whose sides are successive Fibonacci numbers in length. A spiral is created by circular arcs connecting to opposite corners of squares.

What a delight to find new information to add to what I already knew. And to top it off, I can now use the word 'fibonacci' as having two meanings, my own personal slang word and one mathematical.

Theater: Freud's Last Session by Richard

Frances and I enjoyed the play, Freud's Last Session, which was performed at the San Jose Repertory Theater.

The location was London England and the timing is when England entered the World War ll.

The stage was Freud's home office,which was decorated with a large desk, bookcase, chairs, lamps and windows leading to a balcony and the lighting was perfect. The sound affects of air raid sirens and airplanes seemed real.

The cast Sigmund Freud played by Michael Flynn and C.S. Lewis played by Benjamin Evett, and the conversion between the two was incredible.  I found my self so interested in the subjects discussed about life, death and god that it held my attention for the whole play.

Frances and I discussed how much we enjoyed the play while driving home.

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]



Freud's Last Session Poster

A Morning in December

The house was bustling with activity. As usual on a weekend morning we children were scattered through out the rooms, upstairs and down. It was cold outside, snow glistened in the bright sun light; the sky cloudless. As we each went about our own private pursuits, the cozy atmosphere was enhanced with the odors emanating from the kitchen where Mom was cooking and baking. At mid-morning a quietness had settled over the house; muted noises from the kitchen and radio were the only persistent sounds. When someone rang the door bell around 11 o'clock, the loud, jangling ring pierced our ears so forcefully that we all ran toward the door to see who it was and why. Ordinarily, a person would have just opened the door and stepped inside, rarely would anyone have rung the door bell.

Mom reached the door first. I noticed that she was wearing an apron which she had not taken time to remove before answering the door. It took a moment to recognize the caller who was wearing hunting clothes and holding out two pheasants for Mom to take. In a breathless voice he said something to the effect that he was in a terrible hurry and couldn't stay. He, his father and brother had been out hunting and on the way to our house with the two pheasants, they heard on the radio that Japan had attacked. We were speechless! To our questions of 'where?', he said he didn't know. The radio announcer only knew it was near Hawaii, some place called Pearl Harbor.

As we closed the door after him we were so stunned we just stood there for a moment, Mom with the pheasants hanging from her hands, Dad staring at the door and the rest of us not moving or saying a word. Dad immediately tuned the radio to a news station. After taking the pheasants to the kitchen, we all gathered around the radio. Since it was breaking news, reports were lacking in detail. None of us had ever heard of Pearl Harbor. Hawaii was an island, but where exactly?

Dad got out some maps and an atlas. Living in the middle of the United States, in the middle of the agricultural state of Iowa, the distant island of Hawaii was foreign to us. It was difficult to comprehend that we had been bombed by Japan. News of war and attacks that we knew about took place in Europe where the Germans and Italians were invading neighboring countries.

The Japanese attack was sudden, but the realization of how it would change our lives came slowly. Our way of life and that of the country would never be the same; the directions we took, for better or worse, were results of Japan's decision to bomb the U.S.

Mason City, Iowa Newspaper
Announcement of War on Japan Dec 8, 1941
after bombing of Pearl Harbor

Spelling

I can't spell worth a darn! I blame it on the silent letters we have in English. Thank heavens we have spell checkers on our computers. Why do we have so many silent 'haches', 'esses' and 'dubbyas' ?



CNR C0d3s

I always have to look in the dictionary for the correct spelling of words like rhyme and rhythm. Besides learning how a word is spelled, you also have to learn how to pronounce it. And we also contend with words being spelled differently but pronounced alike.

Sometimes we change our minds and switch from silent to pronounced letters. Not many years ago the 't' in often was silent, but today its pronounced. All the letters in the English alphabet can be silent and one can find many sites on the internet listing examples from a to z.

Txt messaging, called, txtese is a spelling shortcut. Simple and to the point. I think I discovered it back in the third grade. At last! I finally get to use it in my old age when I txt my sister.

Txt C0d3s

The Recipe Box: Meatballs and Grape Jelly

Meatballs and Grape Jelly

From the recipe box of MrsB

My sister had never heard of a meatballs and grape jelly recipe. I had learned of the recipe many years ago from Aunt Elizabeth when Adeline and I attended the birthday party Elizabeth had for cousin Paul's 40th birthday. The meatballs, plus other goodies were served buffet style and were so delicious I asked for the recipe. Its a simple and easy recipe.

1 12oz jar barbecue sauce

or

1 12 oz jar of chili sauce

1 12 oz jar of grape jelly

1 16 oz pkg frozen meat balls

1. Combine one of the sauces and grape jelly and bring to a low simmer.
2. When jelly is melted, add thawed meatballs and simmer for another 8-10 minutes.
3. Meat balls can be served from a crock pot on low temperature.

I personally prefer using barbecue sauce



Meatballs with Grape Jelly

Ripping

If I had a nickel for every knit stitch I have ripped out, I'd be richer than Bill Gates.

Its impossible to estimate the yardage of knitted yarn that I've ripped, but it would easily reach to and from Mars several times over. Probably enough to have wrapped Mars in knitting yarn for NASA's Rover to have had a soft landing.

Why do I rip? Good question. I can't help myself.

I often knit an item like a baby blanket or afghan making up a design as I knit. Consequently, I have no idea what the finished item will look like until the knitting is far enough along to see the developing pattern. Occasionally I have to rip out a part of the design to try another idea or color, but usually, I have to rip because I made a mistake and noticed it many knitting hours later.

One reason I make these mistakes is because I watch TV when I knit. Generally the TV program is just background noise, but now and then I stop counting stitches and pay attention to the TV screen. I have become adept at momentarily holding the needles with only half a stitch made until ready to finish it when my attention is redirected to knitting. My fingers are nimble enough for these stops and starts, but my brain must skip a neuron or two, and I blithely continue knitting until a BIG error is discovered.

What to do, Percy? What to do?

There aren't many choices, quit and toss, or correct and finish. I choose to correct, but I moan and groan all the way to the finish line then swear off knitting. But not many days go by before I begin thinking of a new design to knit, and pick up the needles again.



Ball of Yarn

Twins

Twins

Babies are precious and
beyond price
When they come paired
It's twice as nice.

Twins that are born
A girl and a boy
Bring double the pleasure
And double the joy.


Marion Bigelow August 2012

Function Beat Dead Horse by KimB

Some programmer humor for election day ...

Function Beat Dead Horse (horse)

while(horse.State == dead)
{
     beat();
}

Reading

I have learned how to download library books to my HP Touchpad. Choosing a book and having it available to read in a matter of seconds is truly amazing!

I enjoy reading and usually have several books on hand so as soon as I finish reading one, I can begin reading another.  Physically holding a book, turning the pages, placing a book mark and flipping thru photos is part of my enjoyment when reading, consequently, I never thought I would like reading an ebook.

Surprise! Surprise!

I not only enjoy reading electronic books on a device, browsing the list of books at the library while sitting in a comfy chair at home is also a pleasure. Choosing the type and size of the font, turning pages with the lightest of touches, and not having to worry about returning books when due, has made me an ebook convert.

I'm not ready to give up owning real books though. I will still visit the library and browse the sale table for goodies the librarian weeds from the shelves.



eBook

Morro Bay by Richard

We have had our summer home in Morro Bay for 35 years and have made many trips there during this time. It all begins with preparation: checking the items and things we need, then packing for the trip. As we load the car, our two dogs know it's time to leave.

Leaving Santa Clara, we take local freeways until we turn south on Highway 101, which is also now a great freeway. A few years ago it was a mixture of two, three and four lane highways which required slowing down and went through the center of all the small cities on the way.

The road south, through the Santa Clara Valley, is busy with traffic in both directions and with each passing year it increases. The Santa Clara Valley has many interesting places to see and we have been to most of them. Ahead we encounter rolling hills as we near the Hollister turn off until we enter the Salinas area. Here we stop for lunch and a short break as we stretch our legs.

Back on the road again, it takes us through the vast Salinas Valley, which produces much of the country's fresh produce. As we continue south, we pass thousands of acres growing huge amounts of different vegetables.

There are two mountain ranges, one on the east side of this vast valley and one the other on the west side. As the road moves more to the right, it begins to rise and we can see more of the valley. After about 50 miles, we enter King City and head for Starbucks for a coffee and a short break. The dogs also get a chance to stretch too.

Continuing south, the road rises up into the rolling hills leaving the valley behind and looking ahead all we can see are enormous vineyards, stretching for as for as the eye can see. Moving on, we approach Camp Roberts, which has two garrisons, the right side was the training site for thousands of solders during World War Two but now is used by the National Guard. The left side is the Armor Garrison. The next major city is Paso Robles, which also has several small vineyards and produces fine wines that many come to see taste and buy.

From Paso Robles we turn right on State Highway 46, going west up over the coastal mountain range down to State Highway 1, turning left and following the road along the Pacific Ocean on our right, into beautiful Morro Bay. Reaching our home I unload the car and help put things away. I then take my afternoon rest.

The trip is 185 miles from door to door and it takes us about three and a half hours. Through the years we have enjoyed our place in Morro Bay, and we would not trade anything for time we have had together there. Time is passing by too fast, so France and I will keep the summer home for as long as possible.

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]




Morro Bay

King Tutankhamun

I have always been impressed by the dedication of those who choose archeology as a life's work. The search for ancient tombs, deciphering of hieroglyphics and the persistence in the belief that something exists in a vast landscape of sand, rocks and boulders surrounded by cliffs, are stories ringing with romance and mystery.

Having previously read about the discovery of King Tut's tomb, I thought I knew a lot about it, but the book I'm reading by Thomas Hoving, “Tutankhamun, The Untold Story” is rich in detail and a delight to read.

The researched history of the dig, the relationship between the discoverers, Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon and those representing Egyptian authority, plus the description of 5,000 dazzling pieces of art being removed from the tomb, is an extraordinary accomplishment by the author.

One of the most remarkable accounts in the book is the finding of numerous items by an American millionaire 'treasure hunter', Theodore Davis. In 1906, Davis, who had been successful in discovering several tombs while excavating in the Valley of the Kings, found a small cup in light-blue faience with the royal cartouche of Nebkheperure  the throne name (prenomen) of Tutankhamun. He made a note of it, then forgot about it. In the following season, 1907-1908, he came across a crude pit measuring four by four by seven feet containing jars filled with linen, clay cups, bones of animals and birds, bags of some powdered material, wreaths of leaves and flowers and a miniature funerary mask. There were two small brooms. One of the jars had been broken and wrapped with a cloth inscribed with the name, "Touatankhamanon". Davis misread the importance of the items since the leavings were of such modest character and gave them to a curator of Egyptology at the Metropolitan Museum, Herbert Winlock, a member of the museum's expedition working near by.

It wasn't until 1921 that Winlock finally got around to examining the profusion of articles collected from Davis. Winlock concluded after studying the items they were materials used in a ritual banquet held within the tomb of Tutankhamun just before sealing it for the last time. This clue led to the discovery of the tomb 12 years later.

What I find so astounding is that Winlock not only deduced the nature of the ritual banquet, but its menu, number of guests and some of the clothes they had worn. Eight individuals wearing floral and leaf wreaths and linen headbands, one with the last known date of Tutankhamun, the sixth year of his reign, ate 5 ducks, several plovers, a haunch of mutton, and drank beer and wine. They had reverently used the two brooms to sweep up after the ceremony. The eight priests gathered up the dishes and cups,then stuffed leftovers in the pottery jars and buried them in the pit dug for that purpose. To have left these items inside the tomb would have rendered it unclean.

King Tut lived over 3,000 years ago, died at the age of 18 or 19, and was buried around 1350 B.C. Its mind boggling to realize his tomb and treasures, the richest ever discovered in the history of archeology, existed in silent tranquility thousands of years before being unearthed November 26, 1922.



Nebkheperure
prenomen of Tutankhamun

Wheel by KimB

Wheel

Seasons cycle one another,
Love revolves two together.
Three's the first to build the wheel.
Time as long as Love resides.

Then there's Four, the cycle's spinning,
For each a spoke, the pattern building,
Strengthens that which came before.
Love as long as Life endures.

Five and Six then Seven soon follows,
Eight and Nine, the pattern's laid.
Until the Tenth, the cycle's ending.
Life as long as Time prevails.

KimB 5/2000


note:
This poem was written in honor of my
Grandmother and Grandfather Abbott,
my Mother and all my Aunts and Uncles.

Political Conventions

The political conventions I watched on television this year were so different from the Democrat convention I attended as a spectator in Philadelphia years ago. Prior to that experience, my only involvement in politics was voting for Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Having the opportunity to go in person to a political convention was a novel experience for me. We did not attend the Republican convention, which had taken place in Philadelphia a few weeks earlier, but had listened to it on the car radio while driving to Philadelphia to spend the summer with my husband's family.

Spectators were not allowed on the floor of the hall where the delegates from all the states sat, but directed to an upstairs balcony which was so crowded there was standing room only. The noise was deafening with shouting, horns, whistles and the singing of delegations as they spontaneously marched marched in a big circle around the sitting delegates of other states. The chairman would bang his gavel and beg delegates to please be seated while speeches continued on the podium. It was a scene of utter chaos. If delegates were not marching, they meandered among other delegates. Colorful banners and flags outnumbering delegates created a kaleidoscope matching the hustle and bustle of activity below us. As soon as one delegation obeyed the chair, another would burst into song and start marching. How anyone knew what was being said by speakers and what was being voted on was a mystery to me.

Many topics mentioned by speakers were subjects I had never paid much attention to and in many cases, had never heard discussed before. In the evening when my husband and I returned to his parent's home, we talked about the proceedings heard and witnessed during the day. I discovered that the unemployed are actually counted. Agricultural subsidies, taxes and the national debt was mentioned in every speech. When the convention was over, many of the delegates milled around outside the convention hall answering questions and visiting with old friends.

This year the convention plans by both republicans and democrats were affected by weather. Delegates were less rambunctious, more attentive to speakers. Gone was the jazzed excitement, color and civility of past conventions. Instead, reasons and blame for the current economic condition permeated speeches, increasing antagonism and intolerance toward those with an opposite opinion.

But there is hope.... what goes around, comes around, so maybe future conventions will rediscover the ways of publicizing why their party's policies are better for governing than their opponents, and we can have the jazzed excitement, goodwill and color once again.

June 23-27, 1936 Convention Hall, Philadelphia
Joseph T. Robinson of Arkansas Chaiman
1936 platform
Nominee for President: by Acclamation

Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt of New York  [speech]

Nominee for Vice President:

Vice Pres. John Nance Garner of Texas

Franklin D. Roosevelt 1936

John Nance Garner



Cuttin' the mustard

I like to slather a lot of mustard on my hot dogs and other sandwiches; no matter the type, yellow, spiced, or horseradish.

I remember when David, my nephew, was a young boy he would make mustard sandwiches when he came home from school and eat them outside while he played. At the time, I thought it a bit weird since he didn't bother to put anything else in the sandwich, but since then, I've come to appreciate the flavor of mustard.

On occasion when my son phones to tell me he is going to the grocery store and asks if there is anything he can get for me, I tell him I'm out of mustard and need some. He always asks what happened to the mustard he got for me a few days ago. I have to remind him that his few days ago was actually some weeks or even a month ago. He teases me about my appetite for mustard, and I have to reply that I can't let anything stand between me and my mustard.

I have no idea how mustard came into existence. Maybe cave men got tired of seasoning meat with wild onions and wild garlic and wanted something with piquant taste and started chewing combinations of wild grasses and seeds. However it happened, I use it to enhance other foods besides sandwiches. I use it in recipes for baked beans, mixed with mayo in potato salads and in various sauce recipes. In fact there are hundreds of recipes using mustard on the internet.

Incidentally, the idiom, 'cuts the mustard' refers to high standard and excellence. If someone says 'can't cut the mustard', it means failing in excellence.



Mustard Flower

Theater: San Jose Jazz Summer Festival by Richard

The San Jose Jazz Summer Festival was a great outing for Frances and me. This is our second year  attending this wonderful jazz festival! With great excitement we prepared as if we were going on a big trip.

Starting on Saturday, we began our preparations. I purchased French baguettes, to make a few ham and cheese and some chicken sandwiches, along with bottled water, soft drinks and grapes. The next day, we loaded the car, got out the suntan lotion and hats, and drove off to the Festival.

Upon arriving in San Jose, I parked the car and we headed straight for the main stage located in the Plaza de César Chávez. We found a shady spot under a large oak tree, the ideal location, to watch the entertainment. By noon the entire area had several thousand spectators.

The entertainers crafted their skills to perfection. When the musicians were playing, it was wonderful to watch and listen. The people were swinging and swaying to the music, and many were dancing. During all this, Frances and I ate our lunch and enjoyed the many venues while holding hands, just enjoying the moment. I mostly enjoyed the saxophone music.

We were lucky, the summer weather was great, in the 80's. We had a wonderful time but after seven hours, we had to leave to feed our dogs. We stopped by the In and Out Burger on the way home to have bite to eat because we didn't want to cook dinner.

Needless to say, it was a long and enjoyable day but we are already looking forward to next year's San Jose Jazz Summer Festival.

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]




San Jose Jazz Summer Festival 2012

Baby Blankets

Without plan, only happenstance, I find myself knitting baby blankets as fast as I can knit and purl the stitches.

When a young acquaintance and his wife announced they would soon be the parents of their first baby, a boy, I decided to knit a baby blanket for them. I had never knitted a baby blanket in all my years of knitting, but I took on the project with an attitude that such a small item would be ezpz and proceeded to knit a blue baby blanket.

Soon after finishing the blue blanket, my sister told me, one of her granddaughters was expecting a second child and I volunteered to knit one for her. Without knowing the baby's gender, I chose the color yellow, but before it was finished, I learned the baby would be a girl. I embellished it with bands of pink flowers and had it ready for the baby's arrival.

Just as I finished knitting that blanket, my son's stepson and his wife announced that their third child was on its way. Having completed two blankets without much difficulty I was game for another and told them I'd knit one for them. Again, without knowing the gender, I finished a yellow blanket using a reversible pattern.

I was as surprised as the parents when they discovered they were going to have twins, a girl and a boy. They did not know I had already knitted a blanket and it was assumed I would make them in shades of pink and blue to match room decorations.

What to do, Percy? What to do?

I haven't chosen the patterns yet, but diamonds are a girl's best friend and there are lots of patterns using diamonds to choose from so there are two more blankets in my future.




Colored Yarn

My Time in the Army Part 2 by Richard

I met the company commander and was given a choice to work in the office or outside, but I asked to work out side, which I enjoyed. I made friends with several men as we worked helping the Air Force with their communication needs.

My company unit was known as “special personal attached to the US Air Force”. We worked on several Air Bases in Germany and France. The food in the US Air Force was much better. For breakfast one could order eggs any way they wished and the lunch and dinner meals were also good. On Sunday, for lunch and dinner, we had to make do with cold cuts.

One cold winter night, I had guard duty starting at 10 PM protecting the ammunitions, but due to an alert, I wasn't relived at 8 AM the next day. When I got back to our building, I was cold, hungry, tired and sleepy, I ate and had a long rest.

There are many other things I could talk about but one of the most noticeable was all the damage to all the cities and small towns caused by the war¹. The large cities received the most damage; there were blocks upon blocks that were totally destroyed and the most of the small towns were also damaged. I hope we all learn from this, so we will never again, have a world war.

We all had to learn how to count and to exchange our money into German Marks and to speak some German. Our dollar was worth 4 Marks and twenty cents.

I was able to do some traveling and to see several cities, which included the following: Paris, Amsterdam, Luxembourg and many cities in Germany. One of the German cities I enjoyed was Wiesbaden, which is favorite German vacation place.

My 18 months in Germany went by so fast and it was time for me to go home to the USA. I took the same trip home from Germany, first to Camp Kilmer, next by train and ship to New Jersey. Then on to San Francisco by TWA air lines and on to Fort Ord.

I was discharged on November 19,1954 and left the Army with $300.00.

I enjoyed my time in the service, which allowed me to see things one just read about. It also help me to appreciate many things: mostly life.


1. Strategic bombing during WW2 Describes the purpose and results of Strategic Bombing during WWII. A list of bombed cities in Germany can be found on the right side of the page: RAF Estimates of Destruction

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard and is Part 2 of 2]




USS General H. W. Butner (AP-113)

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

Kim

Years ago there was a commercial for some special cookies. The husband brought home many lovely presents for his wife but she always answered, “What no cookies?”

I had the same problem with cucumbers. I got lots of other really nice vegetables but no cukes. I got lots of tomatoes, potatoes and beans but no cukes.

Every visit to the garden I would see these long cucumber vines meandering all over. My watermelon didn't meander at all and I keep thinking: Did I plant them in the wrong pots? No. But week after week went by and still no cukes.

As it was getting to the end of the season, I decided to pull up these “very unsatisfactory” cucumbers and headed out to do battle with the vines which were everywhere. I picked up the first one and it was rather heavy. Too heavy for a vine and I thought it was wrapped around one of my water lines. So I reached around the pot to untangle it and and discovered the weight wasn't a tangled water line, it was a CUCUMBER! A BIG CUCUMBER!

I was a bit stunned to see it but then I realized that the cucumbers where heavy and were hanging down from the vines and were hidden behind the pots and under other foliage. So I pulled and tugged on every vine and if it was heavy, there was a cucumber on the vine, all hanging down like big green icicles.

So, the cukes are in the bag now and have been a lovely addition to salads and gazpacho for our very hot summers.



The Elusive Cucumbers
and Other Garden Goodies

My Time in the Army Part 1 by Richard

I was drafted and went into the service December 6, 1952 in San Francisco, California with about fifty other men. We all took the oath to protect the USA against all enemies foreign and domestic, and then transferred to Ford Ord, near Carmel Ca. We were processed for a week with shots, etc and testing for various assignments.

I was assigned to the Signal Corps and sent to Camp San Luis Obispo with several other men. We went through 8 weeks of basic training and 8 weeks telephone communication. I was always the first to receive KP and guard duty because of my last name begins with “A”.

When we received our orders for assignments over seas, I was lucky, again my name was the first selected and I was assigned to the U S Air Force in Germany¹.

I received a seven day leave before leaving for Germany. I visited family and friends during this leave. My orders were to travel by train from Oakland Ca, to Los Angles Ca, and then on to Camp Kilmer in New Jersey. This trip took five days. I then went aboard a troop ship, the USS General Butner and sailed off to Bremerhaven, Germany.

This was a very interesting trip and again, I was first to receive guard duty because of my last name. I had the 10 PM to 2 AM duty. The first few days, there was a heavy sea running with huge waves, which were fifty or so feet high. When the ship was at the bottom of the wave trough, all I could see was water all round me. I was lucky I didn't get sea sickness but a lot of other men did. When the weather and the sea improved the men were allowed on deck for fresh air. By the way, the food was not very good, I still remember those beans and “shit on a shingle”; which is creamed hamburger on toast.

As we passed through the English Channel I could see the White Cliffs of Dover. The next day we arrived at the port of Bremerhaven, Germany. The next day I was on a train headed for Kaiserslautern Germany and then by jeep to US Landstuhl Air Base².


1. US Army in Germany Bremerhaven.
2. Landstuhl and Ramstein were separate bases until 1 December 1957 when they were combined into one unit.

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard and is Part 1 of 2]



US Army Signal Corps

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

Kim

I think the picture says it pretty well...  We did GOOD!

Tater Harvest 2012

Thoughts of Iowa Falls Part 3

Dad's interest in short wave radio began around 1930 and became an enduring hobby.  He was a licensed amateur operator sending and receiving code as well as conversing with amateurs around the globe.  He took great pride in building transmitters allowing him to make contact with Asian and European countries.  We children learned a lot about radio from him and years later, Esther and I became licensed operators.

Mail was an important factor in everyone's life.  Families kept in touch thru letters. Family members who farmed in Nebraska wrote about conditions for planting and harvesting.  Family in Kentucky passed on news of those living in Tennessee and Georgia.  In turn, those in Iowa passed on the latest job reports.  Everyone's health was of prime importance as was weather. We knew who was down with a cold, when babies were born, who had been hospitalized and how those with heart trouble were faring.  We in the north worried about the south when the Ohio river flooded; the south worried when blizzards or drought hit the north.

Telephones were not yet in wide service. We always had a phone since Dad worked for the phone company.  If a family was lucky enough to have a phone, it was generally placed the center of the house on the first floor, and when the phone rang in the night, one had to go downstairs to answer it.  In those days the phone bell rang until it was answered or the party calling disconnected.  Receiving a long distant phone call, like telegrams, usually meant bad news and were costly.

The first auto the family owned was a Terraplane Hudson.  On Sundays the whole family piled into the car for drives thru the countryside.  There were no seat belts and the smaller children were able to squeeze in beside us older children in the back seat.  Mom  sat next to Dad who drove and held Jerry, the smallest on her lap.  Dad taught me how to drive on those Sunday drives and as time when on, he gave Adeline, Mickey and Charles driving lessons.

There was an innocence and a peaceful sameness to those long ago days of our childhood, but continuing news of the depression, dust storms, soup kitchens, newspaper photos, radio reports of Japanese invading China, Italians invading Ethiopia and threats by Germany's Hitler, crept thru the country.  President Roosevelt held fireside chats on the radio and people across the country gathered around radios and listened intently to his words which kept the nation from being gripped in a state of despair.  The country joined him in keeping the faith that good times would come again, so it was with shock and disbelief that we heard Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. From that day on, our lives were never again the same.

[Editor's note: This is part 3 of 3 parts]

1938 Terraplane 4-Door Sedan

Thoughts of Iowa Falls Part 2

When we lived on the acreage, (which was on the edge of town), the younger children went to the one room country school, but  Adeline and I walked to the high school in town.   When we moved back to town, we attended the same schools as before moving to the little farm.

Our pets were owned in common, meaning they were family pets, except for the white calf.  We all took turns feeding the calf and staking it to fresh grass areas, but we always referred to it as Jerry's calf.  We all knew it would be sold one day, which didn't seem to bother Jerry or the rest of us, but until then, it was called, 'Jerry's calf'.

Dogs dominated our list of pets, but we also had a piglet.  It had been brought into the house and kept in a cardboard box near the cast iron range so it would be warm and given special care. We  petted and played with it.  While it was small, we played with it outdoors and  when we came inside, it came in too and stayed in a corner of the kitchen near the stove.  As it got bigger it was barred from the kitchen and would squeal to be let in.  It was very smart and learned how to jiggle the screen door so that the latch would pop open and crack the door just enough so it's snout could push it open and come inside. Eventually it joined the other pigs at the barn.

Everyone helped with the chores as they were able, even the youngest.  Some chores were more fun than others; we liked helping Dad work with the bees.  Once, when the bees were swarming, Charles caught a swarm on his arm by throwing a clod of dirt into the air as they began leaving the hive. He was able to put the swarm into an empty hive without getting stung.
    
Those days seems quite idyllic as we recall them now.  As children, we were unaware of the hard work and long hours Mom and Dad put in every day to keep the family fed and healthy.  Dad's job with the telephone company lasted thru the great depression and until he retired from the company years later.

We always had large vegetable gardens and canned and preserved the extra harvest.  The asparagus and the surplus of honey from the bee hives, chickens, eggs, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries were sold.  We had our own milk and  raised some of our own meat which helped too.

[Editor's note: This is part 2 of 3 parts]

Beehive Swarm

Thoughts of Iowa Falls Part 1

The letter from my brother, Richard, mentioning his memories of childhood and our life in Iowa before WWII was a delight to read.  Memories of the houses we lived in, the schools we attended, work and play during our childhood allow us to relive those days tinged with the sweetness of age. 

Being older than my 5 brothers and 2 sisters, I recall each of their arrivals in the family and I enjoy remembering them as babies and later as play companions.  Although my sister, Adeline and I were close in age and able to participate in activities the younger ones could not, we eight children often played as a group. 

We older children helped look after the younger ones and I was often asked to baby sit when Mom and Dad both had to be away from the house.  We enjoyed a tremendous amount of liberty and we came and went as we chose until supper time, although we usually told Mom where we were going or asked permission to do something not usually allowed.  

For as long as I can remember, the whole family ate the evening meal together. Besides the immediate family, we often had friends and visiting relatives at the table too. 

The various dishes of food,  breads,butter and relishes were placed on the table and passed around with each helping themselves.  Adeline and I learned to set the table at an early age and as we got older, helped Mom prepare the evening meal.  Then we washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen afterward.  All my brothers and sisters learned to cook and three brothers earned their living as cooks. 

The foods we ate were home grown vegetables, beef and pork from animals we had raised or purchased from local farmers who had butchered  recently.  At breakfast time bacon and eggs, with hot biscuits or pancakes with corn syrup or sorghum, or a choice of cooked oatmeal or dry cereal was served. School lunches varied depending on which school was attended.  We came home for lunches or packed them to eat at school.  On rare occasions we were allowed to buy a hamburger at a small cafe near Dad's office. The evening meal was served soon after Dad got home from the office. The meal usually ended with a dessert, home made pie, cake or pudding.  Fruit was usually eaten as a snack or with dry cereal at breakfast time. During berry season shortcake was a daily dessert.

[Editor's note: This is part 1 of 3 parts]

Sorghum

Theater: Bill W. and Dr. Bob by Richard

Frances and I went to the San Jose Repertory Theater and watched the play Bill W. and Dr. Bob.

The play is about two men with alcohol drug addiction. The time is early 1900's,and the stage is long bar, plus roll out home living areas and bedroom rooms, with telephones of that time, and with background Charleston music.

Bill W, is in the hospital, very sick and down on himself when he receives a dream or an awaking and becomes sober for several months. Bill is then invited to New York for an interview for a job. Bill becomes uneasy after arriving in New York, and Bill wants a drink. Bill knows he needs help and needs to talk with another addicted alcohol. He makes several calls before making contact with Dr. Bob.

They meet and started immediately taking about their problems with drinking alcohol and their many attempts to stop drinking. Bill and Bob found that they could discuss their addictions freely because they shared the same experiences and that they were not able to share these with non drinkers.

From these meetings and discussions it becomes very clear to Bill and Bob, their drinking addictions affected them and all people they loved. Bill and Bob know they could not change the past, but the future they could. So they started working with other people with alcohol drug addiction.

These changes were the foundation of Alcoholics Anonymous as we know it to day.

Frances and I left theater with a better understanding Alcohol drug abdication.


[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

Kim

"So, how's the garden doing?" you ask. In short: FANTASTIC!

Stuff is popping up and overflowing everywhere. Here's a run down of what's happening.

Pot 1: Taters

They are going "a house a fire" as Grams would have said. The pot is full of green stalks each of which is a tater plant. Part A of the strategy is working; at least I have a pot of green stalks.

Pot 2: Bush Beans

They now have flowers on them but our recent heat wave (+106F) sort of left them a bit dazed but they are perking up well. It also helps I'm giving them more water too since our Central California Summer is starting up.

Pot 3: Cherry Tomatoes

We've had several small harvests and added them to salads and they taste.... YUMMMM!

Pot 4: Pot Cucumbers

I don't think they understood the word “pot”, as they are growing and vining everywhere! They have lovely small yellow flowers though and nice green leaves. Nothing yet but I'm hopeful.

Pot 5: Pot Zucchini

Now surprisingly, these guys know the word “pot” and I have 2 plants that are large but not overflowing. They have the standard zucchini look and flowers but it took me a bit to realized that the veggie part was sort of a dwarf zucchini.

The plants have rather large stickers on them and I use plastic gloves to reach in and get the harvest. I also found out you need to harvest when the flower is still open. These dwarf zucchini's don't get any bigger like the traditional zucchini.

I see them in the stores now called Gourmet or Petite veggies. We've had several harvests and they are just wonderful sliced raw on a salad.

Pot 6: Tomato

It's a tomato! We have several green ones but no harvests yet. So nothing there to brag about.

Pot 7: Watermelon

Hmmm... I dunno here. I have a lot of plants with pretty leaves and some have flowers but I thought watermelons were going to vine like the cucumbers and flow over the pot sides, but these are not doing that. I think they should be having a chat with those cucumbers.

Past Harvest Report:

My garlic was not successful though. I harvested it, and well, it was rather a disappointment. Not even really garlic. So no “stinking roses” for me.

But the carrots made up for it. I harvested out the two pots and I had about 15 lbs of wonderful and colorful carrots! We've had them in salads, soups and stews. These will be on the winter plant list for sure!

Pot Zucchini Flower

Cherry Tomatoes and Petite Zucchini

Wall of Passed Time

I share a fun activity with my two adult children playing a computer game called A Tale In The Desert 6. Every year and a half a new Tale starts and the game varies in the requirements to reach higher levels, but the basics of the game remain the same each telling. There is no violence in the game; avatars learn to do the menial chores of a burgeoning society in Egypt.

Growing flax, weaving thread into linen, making bricks, gathering clay to make jugs and firing them in a kiln, feeding camels and and sheep, growing vegetables and mining for ore and gems are among the jobs avatars do as well as solve puzzles and build monuments.

When the three of us are in the game at the same time, we talk on the phone, conference style and play the events and projects as a team. At the beginning of ATITD 6, my son commented that he wanted to make bricks, a million of them. I said if he made a million bricks I would make a million jugs and wondered what a million of either would look like.

I said that I would make a wall with the bricks, but it was explained to me that the game wouldn't allow stacking them in a heap. Being virtual, you can make them, store them carry them, but not stack them. You can only see them as single units. The same with jugs. When I saw what they would look like as single units if dropped on the ground, I began to think of ways of using them in a statue vignette.

Since a vignette can have 25 items raised at different heights, I came up with the idea of making a wall using a pattern of jugs and bricks .The next step was experimenting with the idea and building a practice model on the top of a near by sand dune. Stacking two statue bases doubled the distance of the wall, then by repeating stacked bases, we could continue the wall for any length we wanted.

It was decided to build the wall in a straight line and in an area without mountains or sand dunes if possible so the next move was a walkabout to fine the right spot for our wall. Between scouting trips I made over 6000 jugs and added them to the stash of bricks and other materials we needed for the wall.

In order to make the jugs and bricks we had to collect clay from clay beds, build kilns in which to fire the jugs, build a warehouse to store all the materials and grow flax to make the rope and linen required for the statue bases.

The wall project will last as long as this phase of the Tale does. So far the wall reaches beyond 100 coordinates of the map grid and we continue to add to its length.

[Editor's note: you can follow our progress from the game wiki: Wall of Passed Time.]

Wall of Passed Time 100 coordinate milestone

MrsB's PDF Book for 2011

[Note: Editor's Post]

MrsB's blog stories from 2011 are now available for download!  Click the link in the download section to get your own copy of all the wonderful posts made by her and other members of the MrsB's blog circle!

While you're over there, you can get some of the other books and copies of the fabulous cookbooks made by MrsB and Esther too!

Hope you enjoy all the stories and memories.

So How Does YOUR Garden Grow?

Mrs B

My gardening gene has prompted me to plant something so I've started propagating African violets from leaves. Besides germinating avocado seeds in water, I hope to be successful with mango seeds.

Years ago I watched Aunt Nettie plant the top of a pineapple, but I never thought of growing one myself. Seeing how easy it is in YouTube demonstrations, I plan on trying my luck growing one or two.

At one time I had carrot tops thriving in glasses of water on a kitchen shelf and I may start growing a carrot plant along side the avocado seeds. Propagating geraniums and chrysanthemums are also easy and fun to propagate.

I once attended an adult evening Botany lecture where we were shown how to clone ferns in water, but I'll not get around to cloning one since it seems my mission in life is saving the planet by germinating avocado seeds.

I hate to throw the seeds away when I make guacamole so I have a continuing supply of them, but I forget to keep the proper water level for germinating, consequently my stash of seedlings range from several to none.

[Editor's note: I had no idea you could plant a pineapple but you can! Here's a link to a site that tells you how to do it. How to plant a pineapple ]

Pineapple top can be used for planting

Tea Parties

Tea Parties

When Taffy was a little girl
She often came for Tea
She and I would sit a while and talk
as we munched on sugar cookies
And drank tea from pretty cups

Taffy's all grown up now
And never comes to call
She's too busy now for parties
So there's nary one at all

Perhaps she would come again
If she had time to spend
She and I could sit awhile and talk
And once again eat cookies
And drink from pretty cups

Marion Bigelow June 2012

Memories of Iowa Falls by Richard

The past few days, I began thinking about our life in Iowa Falls Iowa, and recalled several good memories about the wonderful times we all shared which included the following:

• I recall living in town in a two story home, and then moving to the country to a small farm the folks rented from Mr Brown.


• It was really great to have our own garden and raise our own vegetables, which Mom use to feed us.


• I can see Mom now, cooking on that wood burning stove and baking bread and cakes which we all enjoyed.


• Can you see us all making ice cream on those hot summer days? I can.


• I recall going to those country schools which were one room and one teacher, teaching all the grades.


• We had to walk about a mile or so, and when it was time to go home, I was always hungry. So when we passed an apple orchard I would go over the fence to get an apple or two.


• In the winter months we would each take a potato and put in the school furnace to have with our lunch.


• I remember the swimming pool, which was a long walk from home. Jerry and I would go anyway. We didn't have the money to get in, so they let us to pull some weeds for access.


• We moved back into town when Mr brown sold the property.


• Things begin to change. The war came and all our lives changed also.


• Marion and Adeline went into the service. Mom went away to work at a factory on the war effort. Dad stayed home to watch the younger children.


• Then Mom and Dad went to California to visit Marion and Adeline and were so impressed with California, upon their return to Iowa Falls Iowa, they decided to move to California. Dad quit the Telephone Company. They packed up everything and we moved west.

I hope this note will help you also to recall some those fond memories we all shared.

[Editor's note: This story was written by Richard]

Apple Tree

Synchronized diving

When I was surfing the TV channels I came across the Olympic trials for Woman’s Synchronized Diving. What a beguiling sport! If a sport can be called, 'lovely', this word certainly applies to synchronized diving. I was mesmerized watching the women perform. Their graceful twists and turns seemed effortless as they dived into the water with almost perfect timing. It takes exquisite skill and a high degree of aestheticism to achieve such beautiful dives.

Having been unaware that the sport existed, I was surprised to learn synchronized diving had been a new form of competitive diving at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Back in the 1930's, Aquacades and swimming meets would showcase precision swimming where a group of swimmers would create designs in the water and morph from one design into another. On occasion there might be a display of synchronized diving as a skillful stunt much like those in a circus.

Now that its a recognized sport, it's hard to believe it took so many years for it to become a competitive sport.

I understand there is a special way of judging the events. Both men and women compete in two events. Two divers of the same gender attempt the same dive from adjacent 3 meter springboards, but share the platform on the 10 meter board. Each diver has one of the nine judges watching his or her performance in addition to that of the other five judges.

Roseline Filion (foreground) and Meaghan Benfeito
Photograph by: Mike Ridewood

Photo Credit and Story Link:
Roseline Filion (foreground) of Laval, Que. and Meaghan Benfeito of Montreal compete in the preliminary for women’s synchronized 10m platform at the FINA Visa Diving World Cup at Olympic Aquatic Centre in London,
England, Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012.
Photograph by: Mike Ridewood