Happy Halloween?

It's that time of year again...October, Autumn, Halloween. Years ago, it was a huge production, partly because of my career. (Don't even get me started on the lack of "fun" and learning motivation in the education system nowadays.) I also had younger children of my own, which  required celebrations, and of course, the dreaded costumes. I dressed up. They dressed up.

I am not a sewer. Just to be clear...that's sewer (pronounced so-er), as opposed to the disposal drainage system. I am partly to blame, as is my farm-country high school.  I was forced to take, as part of my course load,  Agriculture instead of  the desired Home Economics.  Although learning how to dispose of dead chickens, extracting honey using centrifugal force, and distinguishing one red apple from another has not entirely been lost on me, the skill of sewing would have probably served me better throughout my life.

When my own kids were really small, making a costume was doable...not a big deal...they weren't fussy. A bit of sewing, a lot of glue, some makeup and flourescent paint, and perhaps even some papier-mâché and trash bags did the trick. As they became older, they created their own.                                                   

In June of 2011, I wrote a blog in three parts about a request from my son. End result was entitled  "The Finished Pirate Product".   http://rockinrobinsramblings.blogspot.com/2011/06/  . He needed a pirate costume for some kind of ship activity. He was a young adult at the time. I complied because for the most part, any time consuming, hobby-like activity, is more rewarding for me than housework.

Imagine my surprise when once gain this year, my adult son asked for help making a costume. Sure I thought, how hard can it be?

"What do you want?" I asked. Knowing my son's proclivity toward the weird, I imagined the worst, and listed,  "a zombie, the clown from the move 'It', the Joker, Thing from the Addams family (I hoped not)....?

Nothing prepared me for this.

"What is it"? I asked, at the risk of sounding uncool.

"Wrestler...Goldust." he responded.

Of course, I thought. How could I not have known?  After all, I raised my son. Showed him nothing but monster trucks, wrestling, and hunting magazines, while feeding him corn bread, beans, pork rinds, and corn nuts. Dressed him up in plaid and always remembered the ball cap over his mullet. On that note, I realized that actually taking him to the theatre, the symphony, and the ballet when he was young had all been costly, and in vain.

Good news though. My son had invested in a golden cape and a bag full of boas (not constrictors but the feather kind). He also had some kind of onesie that required altering and that he allowed me to take to a tailor, pay for, and have altered for him.

"All you have left to do, is make gloves, remove the hood from the cape, make a belt, and add sleeves," he said.

"Right...sounds simple enough, cough, sputter, choke."

I asked at the tailor. "How difficult is it to remove the hood and put sleeves on here?" (thinking I'd just get them to take care of it). After a lengthy explanation about size; distance of arms from the top so they don't stick out at to each side; reworking the fabric; requiring him to come and try it on, I gave up realizing that this was probably an expense that I wasn't willing to undertake.

Although in my mind, I always had the mentality that I could do anything, this one frightened me. The cape was small. How would I create an entire robe from it? First thing I had to do was make a pile of all the materials I had to work with. Then, I did a lot of thinking.

I decided that the simplest idea for someone with no real sewing/patterning experience would be kimono style. I cut a rectangular back and two side panels from the cape fabric. After a lot of
measuring, sweating, and praying, I concluded that this was doable. Fortunately, I had purchased some additional gold material to make the gloves and belt, and had enough left over for sleeves. It had to have sleeves, as I was so frequently reminded.

After quite a bit of pinning (yes, pining too), and basting, I finally came up with this. Hung it on hubby to check for the size, sighed in relief, and put it on a coat tree, satisfied with my initial effort.

This is where my excitement ended. Although I had acquired the correct thread and needles for this fabric, my sewing machine refused to co-operate. It bunched, and it scrunched. It looped, and made strings, then the needle fell out. It was time for bed.

The next day, I replaced the needle, and re-threaded everything, checked the manual, and revised the stitching, all to no avail. The clumps of threads were everywhere. I convinced myself it didn't matter since they were inside a Halloween costume. This is where I kept hearing my mother's voice. "It has to look as good on the inside as on the outside." That was her mantra for everything...sewing, stitching, knitting, cooking, dressing...

I shook the memory, sat for a few more hours messing with the sewing machine, and finally, stitched the sleeves by hand. It wasn't pretty, but it was done. Then, I tacked on the feathery boas and glue gunned them down. I was glad that my tendency toward perfectionism left me a number of years ago. When I felt it was satisfactory, I rehung it on the coat tree and walked away

The gloves were created by cutting an old pair at the ends and stitching on matching fabric.  They were a bit lopsided, but, oh well....

At this point I could only hope everything fit my son. It did.

I stared with a critical eye thinking that I could have added more plumage, especially since I had lots left over. On the other hand, the remains did look interesting strewn, as though I'd slaughtered a swan, all over my basement floor. I suspect the hardest part of it all will be the cleanup...gold fabric bits, sparkle, sewing machine parts, threads, needles, pins, and of course, the fluffy, floating, feathers.

Tom and Jerry, Where Are You?

I would like a Tom and Jerry punch bowl set. I have no reason to say this except that I've been obsessed ever since one of my treks to the U.S. with a friend. We tasted the amazing Tom and Jerry concoction, and enjoyed it along with a wonderful turkey dinner at the Crystal Restaurant in Watertown.         

http://thecrystalrestaurant.com/

Although recipes may vary, the drink is often made with a cake like batter combined with rum, brandy, egg whites, and topped with warm milk. What's not to like? It's a delicious choice for a cold November/December evening.

I currently have a large bucket of Tom and Jerry mix in my freezer which I picked up, along with a recipe, at the Ecklof Bakery and Deli in Jamestown N.Y. last year.

I could have made the punch mix in a bowl...any bowl I suppose, but I feel that to get the true flavour and enjoy the sense of the drink, the official dishes are essential. I'm determined to acquire this set by Christmas, even though I have no idea whether we'll be in the country or if we'll even have company to help us enjoy this treat.

In the meantime, I became curious about the Tom and Jerry history. How could I have lived so many years and not have known about this until 2018?

What I learned came from Wikipedia. Tom and Jerry is a traditional Christmas drink in the U.S. and was created by a British journalist in the 1820's. The mix is sold in supermarkets around Christmas and is manufactured in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Dakotas. It has been mentioned in many movies, and was President Harding's favourite drink. Fascinating.

I've also learned that these sets are available in many vintage stores, antique barns, and the like. 

Let the exploration begin!

Recipe from Pinterest

Ding Dong Merrily or Not...

I try not to let too many things annoy me. It's difficult because as we age, it's normal to become increasingly impatient. I've decided that's a fact even if it isn't.

We enclosed the front porch of our house about a year after moving here because we often discovered massive snow drifts piled against the entrance. It had something to do with wind direction and of course, winter weather. Opening our door would cause triangles of piled precipitation to plummet into our front entrance turning our foyer into a slip and slide. In fact, the drifts were so frequent, and so high that had our tiny dog not been reddish, and somewhat elongated, she might have been lost out there until the spring.

The new enclosed entryway provided shelter as well as shoe storage. It now protected my completely useless but beautiful, Newfoundland import, jelly bean row souvenir mailbox from the elements.  (blog - You've Got Mail 2014 - link below)

https://rockinrobinsramblings.blogspot.com/2014/01/youve-got-mail.html  

The inner door was finally safe from the rain, sleet, ice, and snow. Wonderful. The doorbell to the left was still readily visible and easily accessible. Or was it? 

Over the years, people have more often than not, pounded on our front door. Yes, they manage to come in to the enclosure, but for some reason, they feel the need to make degrees of noises from light tapping, to fist banging. There's a doorbell. What do people think it's for?

Perhaps our doorbell isn't as obvious to others as it is to me I thought. Or, maybe they think it's some old fashioned, non functional, ornamental gizmo. Out of desperation, mild frustration, and yes, senior annoyance, I tried this. I created a very large and conspicuous sign which even had a directional arrow pointing at the invisible doorbell. I stopped just short of painting the ringer with bright red nail polish lest people think it was an "I've fallen and I can't get up" type of emergency button.

 Alas, there was no difference. People continued to create what can only be described as dents in my eardrums. and on our front door, with their incessant knocking.

My next tact was to answer the door and casually remark, "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear the doorbell."

To this, the guilty party would look around sheepishly for the bell which I had obviously camouflaged in order to make them appear embarassed and foolish.

I was excited to make the following find one day while shopping. We needed a floor mat outside the entrance and this one appealed to my sense of humour. If people were unwilling to ring the bell, at least I'd have some fun wondering about how the mat would be received.       

I had hoped someone would actually do this instead of knocking. I had to realize however, that if any visitors were to actually read things, they would have seen the doorbell sign. Nonetheless, I placed the mat outside and removed my bright red "ring bell for service" sign.

What was the result you ask? I have no idea how some peoples' synapses connect. The sign clearly says, "Doorbell broken...". Suddenly however, it was as though it occurred to everyone that there might be a doorbell. Yes, the formerly unused doorbell suddenly became a well used commodity. Perhaps they were testing it to see if it actually worked before shouting "ding dong".  

So now I actually wish people wouldn't ring the doorbell. I'd rather they yell, "ding dong" so that I could enjoy a few chuckles. Alas, I've decided to be thankful for small steps. In this case, a doorbell that is finally being used.   

The Wonky Donkey...not just for kids

What can I say? I love kids' books. I always have. There are so many great ones that are clever, colourful, and fun...just like me. 

Sometimes the books carry a message. Other times, they are full of rhyming silliness that appeals to young children and helps to stimulate language development. They often show examples of artwork that is amazing enough to be in a gallery.  

 Sadly, my once vast collection of children's books has been whittled down to a few of my favourites as I try to avoid adding to my now skeletal

story shelf.

This video came to my attention a few months ago. Is there anything better than the joy of a grandma reading a silly story to a child? In fact, yes there is. Add the Scottish accent, the contagious laughter, and you've definitely got a winner. I think this woman should get part of the profits for her contribution to the skyrocketing book sales. Perhaps she does.

Despite temptations,  I avoided purchasing the Wonky Donkey for the longest time. I would walk surreptitiously out of bookstores glancing back over my shoulder at the displays with the bright blue and yellow cover and smirking donkey. I'd approach, then retreat, telling myself it was not an essential possession for a down-sizing senior. I wracked my brain attempting to come up with an excuse to get this book, but alas, I had none other than the joy it would bring me.

Finally, my willpower gave out. On a recent Indigo stop, the book leapt into my hands and refused to let go.

Since I'm now the proud owner of Wonky Donkey. I decided to do a bit of research. I discovered that Craig Smith is a well known New Zealand children's author with a number of books to his credit. Since he's a musician, many of the stories begin as songs. More info can be found on this site.

https://yp.scmp.com/news/features/article/109508/new-zealand-childrens-books-author-craig-smith-what-inspires-his

The illustrator,  Katz Cowley has her own fascinating journey.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=421&v=MWW6z566Mx

So what will I do with my new picture book? Well, since I've discovered that  there are two interactive Wonky books, "The House that Wonky Built", and "The Wonky Donkey Sticker Scenes", and a Wonky stuffed doll, perhaps I'll create a gift pack for my next trip to visit relatives who have young children (after I play with them first that is).

On the other hand, perhaps I'll just keep it and add it to my small collection of trove of items that bring me joy. 

Here's the Wonky Donkey song.   

https://kids.scholastic.com/content/dam/scholastic/kids/Audio/wonkydonkey/The%20Wonky%20Donkey.mp3?logActivity=true 

Jello...It Has History !

It's interesting how a trip can evolve into something totally different. After Corning, I decided to surprise my friend with a detour to a place we'd heard about on a previous visit to Lucille Ball's Jamestown N.Y. home. Did I write about Lucille Ball? Oops...I see there's an unfinished/unpublished blog.

Anyhow, we had found a brochure at that time and decided it might be fun to go one day. I had hoped she'd forgotten about it when I planned to drive to the Jello Gallery in LeRoy N.Y. on our route home. 

We arrived at the lovely historic town of LeRoy just in time for the museum to open. We followed the path and climbed the stairs.

The woman inside was eager to teach us more about her town so she took us downstairs to view a small but well appointed transportation museum. Here, we learned a bit about the town's history and some of its former industry, including a salt mine, and of course, a jello factory.












Most interesting was the story of Henry Ford who received a speeding ticket in LeRoy in 1922. It cost him a whopping $30...a fortune in those days. It angered him so much that he posted signs outside town warning potential visitors of the "speed trap". 

We also found series of fun signs advertising the museum. Of course, I had to play, and show off my new reading glasses.

It was finally time to head upstairs and learn about the history of jello. I had no idea that it was so fascinating. Apparently, jello was not an instant hit. The inventor was a carpenter who sold the rights for $450 so that he might build himself a house back in the 1800s. The new owner tried to sell the jello concept but couldn't until he created some recipes, painted the side of a wagon, and drove door to door handing out samples and recipes. Jello is available in most countries under different names.

The famous Jello girl.

Jello molds

The museum contained jello molds, memoribilia, posters, and ads created by famous artists and musicians. What a treasure trove ! I loved it. It described the original four kinds and other flavours eg. coffee (yuck) which had been tried but were unsuccessful. They even had displays of some of the "extras" that were once available for use with this popular dessert. I was surprised to see spoons representing a Canadian olympic hockey team.

After checking out the gift shop...yes I made a purchase, we took a few more photos, and walked toward the river. I had read that they had a miniature Statue of Liberty near the water. They did. Don't ask me why. I forgot to inquire.

As if the day couldn't get any better, we had lunch at an old railway station called the D&R Depot Restaurant. I had found it on tripadvisor and decided it was worth a visit. It was family run and the food was outstanding. ***Note to self - Do a tripadvisor restaurant review.

Oh...and lest anyone be curious about what I bought, here it is...a welcome mat of sorts. I have a checkered history with our front doorway, mats, and doorbells. This too was going to be a blog that didn't get completed but still might. I seem to be on a roll again now.

Tilt head to left to read. Hmmm...could this be considered offensive?

Corning Glass Adventure

I have found that most times, things that are unexpected and unplanned end up being the most enjoyable. This was definitely the case on a recent road trip. Although the planned trip was to Corning, our "off the beaten track" adventure was indeed memorable. More on that next blog.

My friend and I had been looking forward to a trip to Corning N.Y. We researched the Corning Glass Museum and were excited to learn of some of the workshops available. 

We signed up for evening classes. My friend wanted to make a flamework pendant,  https://www.cmog.org/visit/make-your-own-glass/pendant
and I decided on a fusing clock project to use as a gift, since my hubby likes clocks, and our anniversary was near. 
https://www.cmog.org/visit/make-your-own-glass/clock

We arrived in time for our classes and were given appropriate safety equipment and goggles. I got to pick a background for my clock and I selected black. I was disappointed by the lack of instruction and although I had made a template of how I wanted my clock to look, it was not doable. There were small containers filled with coloured glass scraps, some transparent and some solid. I was to glue my design for fusing. There was no choice about where the clock dial was to go.

My friend was somewhat more successful with her pendant. It will be mailed to her because it wasn't ready on the next day.

Some of the glass pieces I attached to my clock disappeared into the black background and left lumps once they were fused. I was forced to use random bits and chips of glass...no two pieces alike and I did the best I could. I picked up the finished product the next day and was most disappointed. Someone said it looked "whimsical". I decided to go with that description. So much for my planned template.

We had read about the "Gaffer District" of Corning. It consisted of a few blocks of historical buildings on Market Street. The day was lovely, the architecture was interesting, there were a few gift shops and some restaurants but mostly we saw the storefronts used for insurance companies, real estate, and the like. What wasn't disappointing was the Corning Outlet Store on Pine St. There were some truly amazing bargains.
                                                      

Another historical building was the Rockwell Museum, complete with charging buffalo. 

We toured the Corning Glass Museum after returning in the afternoon to retrieve my clock. I immediately recognized this pieces near the entrance as Dale Chihuly creations, having seen his works at the Oklahoma Museum of Art, and the Royal Ontario Museum. The various rooms within the museum were well appointed and set up to exhibit artworks through the ages.

 

This one was my personal favourite.

Glass furniture...lovely but not practical.

Glass in space exploration

This one would be my son's favourite.

Easter Cookies

My friend and I signed up for a cookie decorating workshop at a nearby bakery. I like doing things like this. It provides a few hours out to meet new people. You usually learn something. It's fun, and all the mess is somewhere other than your place. I highly recommend it.

Here is the "after" photo of how the cookies were supposed to look.

We had a couple of wonderful owner/instructors who provided us with great information and demonstrated technique. We also had the photo, and a workspace. First we practiced decorating using a template and a piping bag. It's not as easy as it looks. A steady hand is helpful.

Our partially *flooded cookies were ready for our touches. We would be combining food colour painting and piping to make our creations.

The small eggs were experimental. The others were...well, clearly also experimental. Some painting, more flooding, then piping. My bunny turned out looking like an angry mouse. The back of my lamb looked like not much of anything. My carrot...pretty good. Butterfly...passable. The flower and big egg...oh well. Just don't compare them to the original photo and they don't look half bad.

Next, we were given a delicious snack. Love those scones, one savoury, and one with raspberries. The lemon square was a highlight, and the punch was tasty.

Voilà! Cookies were dry and ready to be boxed and taken home for consumption. We each received a lovely graduation cookie as well. It was a successful day. I do believe I want to keep an eye out for further fun activities at this bakery.                                                                                                                                         

graduation cookies

*Flooding is the process of filling a cookie with icing. It is necessary to first pipe a "dam", let it dry, then fill the middle with softer icing which once dry, can be painted with food colouring. Making a dam keeps the icing from dripping down the sides.