October

Are you ready for your bedtime story? Here’s a nice one by Edward Gorey: A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. That’s nice. It rhymes. C is for Clair who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of the sleigh. What clever pictures. E is for Ernest who choked on a peach. F is for Fanny, sucked dry by a leech. Why are you making that face? G is for George, smothered under a rug. H is for Hector, done in by a thug. Calm down! It’s just a story. I is for Ida who drowned in the lake. J is for James who took lye by mistake. Are you sure you’re alright? K is for Kate who was struck with an axe. L is for Leo who swallowed some tacks. You know what? I think we should save this book for another time. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Happy Halloween!

Economy Block

October 29, 1929 the New York Stock Exchange crashed on what came to be known as “Black Tuesday.” Most historians point to this day as the beginning of the Great American Depression. It’s said that anyone who bought stocks in 1929 and held onto them would see most of his or her adult life pass by before getting back to even. My grandmothers were teenagers in 1929. They completed their educations and began families and careers during the decade that followed. I asked them what that was like, and they said it taught them to be frugal. They both raised vegetable gardens, sewed their own clothing, and bottled fruits, pickles and jellies. If company came to visit, it was an excuse to make a roast and dinner rolls, not an opportunity to go out to eat. They lived by the adage, “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”

Coronet Surrounded

France presented the people of the United States with the Statue of Liberty on this day in 1886. Called Lady Liberty for short, her full name is La Liberté éclairant le monde, or Liberty Enlightens the World. She is Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. The crown she wears on her head has seven rays; symbolic of Earth’s seven continents. In her left arm is a tablet inscribed with the date July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet, and her right hand holds aloft a flaming torch. On her pedestal is a plaque with the poem, The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Bear Tracks

Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858. A sickly, asthmatic child, he spent most of his formative years at home, reading books about the natural world. He grew to become a naturalist and an avid outdoorsman. He was instrumental in creating five national parks in Oregon, South Dakota, North Dakota, Colorado and Oklahoma. In 1902, while helping to settle a border dispute between Mississippi and Louisiana, Roosevelt attended a bear hunt. It wasn’t a fruitful enterprise. They only encountered one sickly, old bear. They promptly relieved it of its misery. A newspaper cartoonist made light of the outing, drawing the president with his arm around a cuddly bear cub. In no time at all, stuffed children’s dolls known as Teddy Bears were for sale everywhere.

Broken Wheel

New York’s Erie Canal opened on this day in 1825, and made boom towns out of places like Utica, Rome, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo. From that day until 1880, mule-drawn barges transported goods and people between Lake Erie and the Hudson River, helping New York live earn the nickname “The Empire State.” When I was very young I owned a vinyl copy of Captain Kangaroo’s Treasure House of Best-Loved Songs. It had Row, Row, Row Your Boat, She’ll Be Comin’ Round the Mountain and The Green Grass Grew All Around. It probably drove my parents right out of their heads. But the song I remember best from that album is The Erie Canal: “Low bridge, everybody down. Low bridge cause we’re coming to a town. And you’ll always know your neighbor, you’ll always know your pal if you’ve ever navigated on the Erie Canal.”

Coat of Arms

I had my hands full caring for an infant and a toddler when I first heard reports that US forces had invaded Grenada. So maybe I can be forgiven for my initial confusion. I couldn’t imagine why we would attack a city in Spain. I’d confused Grenada (an island nation in the Caribbean) with Granada. On October 19, 1983, a pro-communist coup left Prime Minister Maurice Bishop dead. For several days the country was under curfew; anyone out of doors was shot on sight. Work began on a huge reinforced airstrip for heavy military transport planes. At the request of the Dominican Republic, President Reagan sent US troops to put down the revolution and reinstate the pre-revolutionary constitution. It wasn’t an internationally popular move. But Reagan wasn’t known for doing things because it would please the rest of the world. I wonder what would have happened if Obama had been president then.

Astoria

William Waldorf Astor was angry with his Aunt Caroline; angry enough to build the 13-storey Waldorf hotel next to her home in 1893. His cousin John Astor talked Caroline into moving uptown, and he built the Astoria Hotel on the site of her former mansion in 1897. When the two hotels became one, the Waldorf-Astoria was the largest hotel in the world. The original buildings were demolished to make way for the Empire State Building, but not before giving us this recipe:

Classic Waldorf Salad

1 cup coarsely chopped toasted walnuts
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 cup seedless grapes
2 peeled, cored and coarsely chopped apples
6 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Lettuce

Whisk together the mayonnaise and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. Mix in the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts. Serve over a bed of lettuce.

Around the Corner

I absolutely adore this time of year. I love the bright fall colors, the nip in the air, the foggy morning walks, and the smell of burning hickory. But the thing I like best about autumn is the sense of anticipation it brings. The holidays are almost here. Halloween is only nine days away. There won’t be any Trick-or-Treaters at our door, but we’ll celebrate all the same. We’ll have a hot bowl of chili with cornbread and watch something appropriate on DVD, like Ghostbusters or The Witches. Thanksgiving will be a quiet affair, too. Unless we invite someone to join us, there will only be three at our table. But we can still have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie. And in only 64 days it will be Christmas! Decorated trees, holiday lights, cookies, stockings, cards and presents! I can hardly wait!

Palace Garden

Here’s the tagine recipe I promised. Ras-el-Hanout is a mixture of galangal, rosebuds, black pepper, ginger, cardamom, cayenne, allspice, lavender, cinnamon, coriander, mace, nutmeg, and cloves.  The aroma is intoxicating.

Chicken Date Tagine

1 1/2 lb chicken pieces
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon Ras-el-Hanout seasoning
1 teaspoon white cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth
12 dates, pitted and halved
4 tablespoons whole blanched almonds
2 tablespoons honey

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion, garlic, Ras-el-Hanout and cumin seeds. Saute, stirring, 15 minutes. Add bay leaves and broth. Simmer uncovered 30 minutes. Add chicken and mix well. Cover and simmer for another hour, adding a little broth if necessary. Add dates, almonds, and honey; mix well and simmer 15 more minutes. Remove bay leaves. Serve over rice or couscous.

Sunset Canoes

The sun rose a few moments ago, at 7:43. It will set this evening at 5:59, which will give us ten hours and six minutes of daylight today. At this time of year we lose about five minutes of light every day, so that during the week between December 18 and Christmas Day, we’ll get no more than seven hours and twenty-three minutes of light per day. I’ve always felt a little depressed during those very short days, even when we lived at the fortieth parallel. But up here at the fifty-fourth, it’s much more noticeable. I have less energy, and I eat more than I should. It feels as if my body is trying to hibernate. At the moment, it’s kind of an attractive idea. Wouldn’t it be nice to snuggle under the covers for a long nap just after Christmas and wake up as the crocuses are beginning to bloom?

Turley's Inn

A pub (short for public house) is a drinking establishment, though most of them also serve food. Those that offer food usually have very traditional fare, like bangers and mash or fish and chips with mushy peas. Most pubs have low-beamed ceilings and small, obscured windows. They are generally packed so full of mismatched tables and chairs that you must negotiate with the other patrons to reach or leave your seat. Some pubs have printed menus, but most simply put the day’s offerings on a chalkboard for all to see. In a pub no waiter will come to take your order or to give you a bill. Instead, you must give your order at the bar, pay up front, and tell which table you’ll be using. When we eat in a pub, John does the ordering. I tried to place our order once, in an ancient pub in Nottingham. They were very polite about it, but they wouldn’t take my order or my money.

Four Corners

The other day I made a chicken/date tagine for dinner. It’s a great recipe; I’ll share it with you in a few days, as soon as I’ve rewritten it for non-metric cooks. Anyway, I came to the point where you’re supposed to add chicken broth, and I discovered I hadn’t any. I thought I had a can or two on the shelf, but I was wrong. John dashed off to the store and was gone a lot longer than I’d expected. It was my fault. I’d sent him for chicken broth, completely forgetting the English don’t call it that. Here it’s called chicken stock. The employees who tried to help him might have understood what he wanted faster if they could have waded through his American accent. The same thing happened the last time a Yorkshire plumber asked me for a “kidgeon rawl.” If I’d heard “kitchen roll,” I might have guessed he wanted a paper towel.

David and Goliath

David was a boy when the prophet Samuel anointed him as the next king of Israel. He defended his father’s sheep from lions and bears, and he stood as Israel’s champion against the mighty Goliath. When King Saul was troubled, David’s music brought him peace. Many psalms are believed to have been written by David, including the 23rd: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake...Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.” And that is why I named my firstborn after the prophet David, exactly thirty-two years ago today. Have a very happy birthday, Dave!

Home of the Brave

Lucille Ball was a self-made woman. While all the other would-be starlets went platinum blonde, she dyed her brunette hair bright red. She shaved her eyebrows for an uncredited movie role as a slave girl, and they never grew back. Her first starring role was as a ditsy housewife in a radio comedy. When CBS approached her about a TV series, she insisted on performing with her husband, Desi Arnaz. She also demanded creative control and a cut of the take. I Love Lucy premiered sixty years ago today and is still the world’s most beloved television sitcom. Lucille Ball eventually built Desilu Productions, which gave birth to The Andy Griffith Show, Mission Impossible, Gomer Pyle USMC, That Girl, The Dick Van Dyke Show, and Star Trek. One of my favorite Lucille Ball quotes is: “I’m not funny. What I am is brave.”

Dogwood Crossing

In Queensland Australia, 211 miles west of Brisbane, there is a small town with the rather unimaginative name of Miles. Dogwood Creek runs through the town of Miles. Originally the town was called Dogwood Crossing. You could get there from Brisbane by driving along the Warrego Highway, or by riding the overnight Brisbane-to-Charleville train on Wednesdays or Saturdays. But unless you’re interested in seeing the pioneer museum or the library/art gallery, you probably have no reason to visit. A few years back, two aging Queensland rockers decided to reinvent themselves with a more acoustic style. Since the town wasn’t using it anymore, they adopted the name Dogwood Crossing. I’ve listened to a few songs from their debut album, “Fear of Change.” Their music seems a bit cheerless to me. I don’t know if this block was named for the town, the band, or something else entirely.

Sawtooth Star

A year ago today we were glued to our televisions in wonder as the last of 33 miners emerged from a collapsed gold and copper mine in Chile. The men had been trapped 2,300 feet underground for a record 69 days after the mine’s entrance was blocked by fallen rock. At first it was believed that all the men had perished in the cave-in. But seventeen days after the accident, a drill bit was pulled out of an exploratory hole with this message taped to its tip: “We are well in the shelter, the 33.” The next eight weeks were spent trying to keep them alive and well until they could be brought to safety. The miners were surprisingly healthy after their ordeal. But all of them had lost weight, one had pneumonia and several suffered from serious dental infections. I guess that’s something you might expect after three and a half months without a toothbrush.

Tea in the Garden

Oktoberfest is traditionally a 16-day festival held each year in Munich, Germany. The first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810; a city-wide celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig I to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The wedding party was such a big success, they decided to make it an annual affair. Of course, very few people who attend Oktoberfest today have any idea what they’re celebrating. They’re there for the beer, and for all the things that go with it: roast pork and chicken, pretzels, grilled fish on sticks, sauerkraut, red cabbage, cheeses, dumplings, cakes and sausages of every shape and size. Other cities also hold their own Oktoberfest, and I’ve attended one or two. But I’ve always wanted to see the real one. That probably sounds odd coming from a teetotaller like myself. No, I don’t drink beer. But I most certainly do eat.

Dewey's Dream

I had to do a good bit of sleuthing to find the origin of the name of this quilt block. I was actually hoping I would discover that it had something to do with Melville Dewey, the creator of the Dewey Decimal System. Instead, it was named after Admiral George Dewey, who won an important naval battle during the Spanish-American War. It surprised me even more to find that Admiral Dewey has not one but at least five quilt blocks named for him: Mrs. Dewey’s Choice, The Dewey Block, The Dewey, Dewey’s Victory and the one you see here. It’s sad, really. Five different quilt blocks to honor an admiral who wasn’t even important enough to show up in any of my American History textbooks. And not a single one named after the fellow who gave us the clever numbering system that helped me find that admiral in the first place!

Lost Ships

Ten weeks after setting out from Spain and five weeks after stopping at the Canary Islands for supplies and repairs, the crews of the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria were becoming restless and afraid. The captains of the first two ships were eager to head home. But Christopher Columbus wasn’t ready to give up. After promising to turn back if land wasn’t sighted within 48 hours, he retired to his cabin and in his words, “prayed mightily to the Lord.” The very next day the Bahamas came into view. Columbus acknowledged many times that he felt motivated by a divine influence. In a letter to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, he wrote, “Our Lord unlocked my mind, sent me upon the sea, and gave me fire for the deed. Those who heard of my enterprise called it foolish, mocked me, and laughed. But who can doubt but the Holy Ghost inspired me?”

Where's the Diamond?

When we moved to the UK we knew there would be a lot of cultural differences. The gap seems even wider when sports are concerned. The biggest sport here by far is football. But when a Brit uses that word, he isn’t thinking about helmets and shoulder pads. Every city worth its salt has its own football (soccer) team, and the fans go about wearing team hats, scarves, and jumpers (sweatshirts) even on non-game days. Basketball is considered a game for school girls. Picnickers on the Stray can often be seen playing cricket, which I’ve heard called “baseball for the unfit.” It’s played on an oval field with a flat-bladed bat. In the 2 1/2 years I’ve lived in England, I’ve seen only one bowling alley. But our little town has several lawn bowling clubs. We don’t see many fishermen in England, perhaps because the laws make this sport difficult.

Star of David

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It is marked by elaborate and ancient ritual, including a 25-hour fast and intense prayer. In 1965, when the first game of the World Series fell on Yom Kippur, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax chose not to play. Koufax was a devout Jew, and decided his faith took precedence over his career. Don Drysdale pitched in Koufax’s place, and he gave up seven runs. As his manager pulled him from the field, Drysdale said, “I’ll bet right now you wish I was Jewish, too.” Last year at an event to honor Jewish American Heritage Month, President Obama told Sandy Koufax that he and the hall-of-fame pitcher had something in common: “You can’t pitch on Yom Kippur, and I can’t pitch.” The Dodgers lost game one to the Minnesota Twins 2-8. But don’t worry. They won the series.

Lover's Lane

I could see why yesterday’s block was called As Time Goes By. It has a little hourglass in each corner. But the name of today’s block mystifies me. Most Marti Michell blocks are based on traditional patterns, and she usually draws their names from the older blocks that inspired her. The center of this block is clearly a Monkey Wrench; an antebellum quilt pattern. I can imagine butterflies in the corners, but there’s nothing remotely romantic about a monkey wrench. Unless, of course, your sweetheart is using one to show you how much he loves you by fixing your car. No, I’m not kidding. I think most men have a tough time saying those three little words. And buying chocolates or roses doesn’t come naturally, either. But if you’re very lucky (like me) you’ll find one who demonstrates affection by replacing dead light bulbs, mowing the lawn and opening stuck marmalade jars.

As Time Goes By

On New Year’s Day, 277 days ago, I decided I would piece a daily quilt block, post a photo of it in my blog, and write 150 words about whatever is on my mind at the moment. I’ve been skipping Sundays, which are full enough as it is. So as of today I have constructed 239 blocks, and written 35,850 words. Nine months and five days ago, I was thinking that anything I worked at every day for a year was sure to see some improvement. I decided two things I wanted to improve were my patchwork piecing and my writing skills.  I can see definite improvement in my piecing. If I’m unhappy with a block I’ve made, it’s more likely to be a matter of poorly chosen colors than poorly placed points. My writing is a bit more difficult to judge. But to be honest, I have spent much more time and effort on the blocks.

Chance Encounter

I have a friend who took her son to see a play in this summer’s Shakespearean Festival in Cedar City, Utah. It may have been Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, or Richard III. I know they did The Glass Menagerie and The Music Man this year as well. My friend drove a rental car. When she returned to where she thought she’d parked it, she couldn’t open the car. That’s when the owner of the car came up and asked if he could help her.  He recognized her from more than three decades before, when he was the young missionary who introduced her family to the LDS church. I don’t think she’s met many people who’ve had a bigger impact on her life. The self-help guru Wayne Dyer said there’s no such thing as an accident. Everyone that shows up in your life has something to teach you. Learn to appreciate everyone and everything in your life.

Flying Kite

The Peanuts comic strip ran from October 2, 1950 to February 13, 2000. I’ve heard that makes it the longest story told by a single person. Charles Schultz got the name from the peanut gallery, the cheap seats in a vaudeville theater, where you might find people whose opinions don’t matter. The comic strip centers around a single character named Charlie Brown, the lovable loser. The simplest things elude him, like kicking a football, winning a baseball game, getting a valentine or flying a kite. We don’t love Charlie Brown because he’s a victim of chronic bad luck. We love him because he never stops believing his luck could change. It doesn’t matter how many times Lucy pulls the football out of his reach. It doesn’t matter how many times his kite is eaten by a tree. He’ll never give up hope. He’ll never stop trying. You’re a good man, Charlie Brown.

Air Castle

To say Walt Disney overextended himself to build Disneyland is an understatement. He pulled out all the stops to make it happen. So when cheap motels and sleazy knock-off souvenir shops started popping up near the happiest place on earth, there wasn’t much he could do about it. I’ve heard it really bugged him to know that people on the Monorail would decide to cut their holidays short because they could see congestion building on the nearby freeway. He wanted his guests to feel they were in a world apart. This is one of the reasons he created Walt Disney World - the largest and most visited recreational resort on the planet. WDW consists of four theme parks, two water parks, twenty-three resort/hotels and one campground. The first of these, the Magic Kingdom, opened on October 1, 1971. Walt didn’t live to see this dream fulfilled, but I think he would have liked the way it turned out.