Coxey's Camp

My best friend has a strong work ethic. He loves his job and doesn’t seem to notice how demanding it is. He’s very supportive. When we first started out, practically the only thing we had in common was the same wedding day. But over the years he’s either adopted the things I’m passionate about, or he’s made room for them. He’s beyond honest. It’s like he’s missing that little voice in his head that whispers, “Wait. Are you sure you want to say that?” He doesn’t cheat; at least not in the important way. He cheats on his diet. He’ll “hide” a candy wrapper in the garbage, forgetting every time that I’m the one who takes out the trash. He loves me. He loves his children. He’s doing the best he can to take care of his family, even though the only family he’s ever known was a dysfunctional one. And I love him for all of that. 

Not My First Rodeo

Dating (the kind you do before marriage) can be brutal. I’m pretty sure my husband and I got married because neither of us could stomach it anymore. First dates are the worst. I suppose the ideal first date is one that gives you an inkling of who the other person is, and ends up leading to a second date. By those criteria, a night at the movies is a horrible idea. You sit in the dark for two hours without speaking. My college roommates and I had a brilliant first date idea. We invited guys in for a homemade dinner: salad, spaghetti, meatballs, the works. It was inexpensive and let them know we were terrific cooks. One more thing: we didn’t use plates. We served it all on a very clean vinyl tablecloth. Our dates’ reactions told us everything we needed to know about them. If they didn’t have a sense of humor, there was never a second date.

Philadelphia Pavements

I was in the mood for pineapple upside-down cake, but my cast iron skillet is still sooty from the last time we cooked sausages and pancakes over a campfire. Besides, I thought individual cakes might be fun.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcakes

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 cup brown cane sugar

1/2 can pineapple slices (drain and reserve juice)

6  maraschino cherries without stems

1/2 box white or yellow cake mix (pineapple cake mix is even better)

1/2 the oil, eggs and water called for by the cake mix

Prepare an extra-large 6-reservoir muffin tin with cooking spray. Combine melted butter and brown sugar; divide in the muffin tin. Place a pineapple slice and a cherry in each reservoir. Prepare cake batter as directed (I substitute reserved pineapple juice for the water) and pour over fruit. Bake at 350F until a toothpick comes out clean. Run knife around each cupcake to loosen. Invert pan over baking sheet and allow to cool 5 minutes or so before lifting.

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Millstone

I woke up early yesterday morning; something I’ve done nearly every morning all my life. I checked my email before throwing on a pair of sneakers and walking the dog. I made spinach omelets for myself and my daughter, did some laundry, baked a few loaves of tea bread and made today’s block. I used scraps from the B.O.M. kits I’m getting from Mormon Handicraft. They’ve given me seven kits so far and I’ve used them to produce fourteen blocks. I haven’t decided how to set them yet. I was planning to place them alternately with Lemoyne Star blocks (I posted one September 8, 2011), but I’m beginning to rethink that. Maybe I’ll make two green-and-purple quilts instead of one. Last night my daughter went to Friend’s Clubhouse for pizza and a movie night, while her dad and I sampled the fare at Los Cucos. You can read about that at http://anotherrestaurantblog.blogspot.com/ if I ever get around to posting it.

Betsy Ross

According to the story, upholsterer Betsy Ross was commissioned to make a flag for a new nation in early May, 1776. It took her the better part of a month to complete the task. The original design called for a circle of thirteen 6-pointed stars, but Betsy recommended stars with five points. The congressional committee protested that five points would be too difficult, whereupon she took a piece of paper, folded it deftly, and with a single snip of scissors produced a symmetrical five-pointed star.  Betsy died at the age of 84, after outliving three husbands. She was initially interred in a Quaker burial ground and 20 years later moved to a family plot in Philadelphia’s Mt. Moriah Cemetery. In 1975 the city ordered her remains to be moved to the courtyard of the Betsy Ross House in preparation for the bicentennial celebration. But when they tried to exhume the body, no remains were found under her tombstone.

Shoo Fly

One of the things we miss most since leaving England is our tankless water heater. Heather could fill her bathtub. Dad took long “Hollywood” showers. I got laundry and dishes clean and all pretty much at the same time. Since our move, we’ve had to be frugal with hot water. When our boiler started showing signs of distress, we arranged for plumbers to come and replace it with an on-demand unit. They came, cut a large hole in our ceiling, and said our house didn’t have room for the required ventilation. They said they’d be back soon to fix the hole they’d made. That never happened. We called and asked them to replace our aged, leaking boiler with a traditional one. They made an appointment, then missed it and didn’t return our calls. So we’re still homesick for our English boiler and still waiting for the American one to fail completely. And there’s still a hole in our ceiling.