Matchless Memorabilia ~ 6

These matches are all from restaurants in the Raleigh area which no longer exist. Ragamuffins was located in the former North Hills Mall. It's claim to fame was "beer, cheese and cauliflower soup" and the best bran muffins you have ever eaten. When they announced that they were closing the restaurant, I bought 2 dozen of the muffins, froze them and ate them sparingly over the next year. Too bad I couldn't have done that with the soup. The owner gave the recipe to one of our local radio personalities, and he shared it with his listeners, but I have been convinced that either the recipe was read incorrectly - or I left something out by accident - because I could never get it to taste like it had at Ragamuffins!


Mandarin House was located in Cameron Village, the first "shopping center" in the southeast. They had wonderful Chinese food, but eventually they were overshadowed by larger and newer places.

Vivo was one of a series of five places owned by two guys. I ate there once and was looking forward to going back for another panini and tomato-basil soup, but they closed, and soon after they opened a tapas restaurant in the same location.

The black one on the right is from the Triangle Dinner Theater, located in the Governor's Inn in Research Triangle Park. They also had a restaurant called Galeria, which also featured dancing to a big band orchestra. We went there once with a group of neighbors.

The Soong Room Lounge was located within Jung's Far East, Cantonese Cuisine at Eastgate Shopping Center. Best known for their egg foo yung (at least by me), they were the second Asian place to open in Raleigh, and lasted at leat 20 years before closing.

Crossroads was located in a private home on a hill overlooking Crabtree Valley Mall. It was a great place for a steak, with ambiance and a view of the mall and highways below.

The next row holds 2 different matches from Flamingo's, which was located on Glenwood Avenue near downtown. I had my first and last softshell crabs here (not my cup of tea).
This place was also in a home; an old cottage refitted as a restaurant, with quaint dining in each room.

Hardback Cafe and Bookstore was located in Chapel Hill, near the campus of the University of North Carolina. When my children were students there, we used to take every opportunity to visit and treat ourselves to lunch at Spanky's or the Hardback, which had the best pizza, which they called a boboli. I don't know what the difference between pizza and boboli is - but theirs was exceptionally good.

Man Chun House snuck in there - as it is not in the Raleigh area, but in Atlantic Beach, NC. I don't remember eating there, but in general, Asian restaurants found in small NC beach towns are not the best places to dine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I will be working for the next three days and I may not get to post anything new for a while. Here's hoping that all of you will have a happy and safe New Year's Eve and a wonderful year in 2006. As I have told you before, all of you have enriched my life this year and I am profoundly thankful.

Duke University Chapel

In 1952, some friends of my parents had a son at Duke. In preparation for a trip to visit him, they invited me and another girl to join them. I had never been south of WV at that point, so this trip was a cause for great excitement. Plans were to attend the Duke-Carolina Football Game on Saturday and then a performance of Handel's Messiah by the choir at Duke Chapel on Sunday. I had never been anywhere other than Ohio, never attended a football game, and certainly never had I ever been in a church as grand as the one at Duke. The photos here are from a program I picked up there in December of 1952.

The architectural style of the chapel is English Gothic; designed by Horace Trumbauer of Philadelphia, the first services were held there in June 1932. The interior length of the chapel is 291 feet, and I said at the time that if a bride walking down that aisle had a change of heart, she could be turned around and out of the chapel before any of her guests realized she had ever been there.

The chapel has a total of 77 stained-glass windows, with subjects drawn from both the Old and The New Testaments. They were designed by G. Owen Bonawit, Inc., NY.

Little did I know in 1952 that 50 years later, I would be involved in some weddings at Duke Chapel, providing flowers and decor. The experience of seeing that magnificent place, and hearing Handel's Messiah was unparalleled in my life at the time, and perhaps has not been topped since.

Matchless Memorabilia ~ 5

The Breakers in Palm Beach has to be seen to be believed. It is luxury all the way. I stayed here for the first Special Event Convention I attended, in the 80's. For all its' pomp - we did see a cockroach the size of a finger in our room!

The next one, the Boca Raton Hotel and Club was one of the places we were taken during that convention. The Special Event is for people involved in the party industry: caterers, designers, lighting people, tent and rentals, florists, etc. We are treated to party after party, put on by professionals within the state in which we are meeting. It is a tremendous educational opportunity and I am pleased to have attended 6-7 or them.

You cannot read the next one, I know. It is from Maxwell's Plum, located at 64th Street and First Avenue, in NYC. Mr. Kenju got this one.

The next one is from a place that gave me so much pleasure and entertainment: La Cage aux Folles, in West Hollywood, CA. Naomi, http://sitteninthehills64.blogspot.com

will have to tell us if it still exists. It is a nightclub with a wonderful male revue! (But you would never guess they are men!)

The next one is from the Pinehurst Hotel and Country Club here in NC. It was the site of the last US Open (golf), and a location for many conventions. I have done flowers for convention meetings there.

Next, the Contemporary Resort at Walt Disney World. This is the one that the tram drives through, and that delighted my children no end. They wanted to ride through the hotel again! and again! and again!

Verkamp's is a store located on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, which specializes in souveniers, memorabilia and Indian Handicrafts.

Next is a matchbook from Wesley's Restauant in Virginia Beach, with Prime Steaks and Seafood and the Living Room Lounge, 500 Pinewood Drive. Is it still there, SRP?

Here In The Hills

Here In The Hills

HA! This is the first time I have ever done a trackback - and I didn't know it would show up here like this. Live and learn. It is a bit redundant, since I also put a link to Naomi's post in mine - but cut me some slack, okay??

Kukla, Fran and Ollie (with thanks to Naomi)

You ought to go to visit Naomi (OldOldLadyofthe Hills) before you read this, as the two posts are related.

http://sitteninthehills64.blogspot.com

I popped in to visit Naomi tonight, as I do often, and found her post on The Match Game and Kukla, Fran and Ollie. Fran Allison was on TV when I was a child. She was not as well known in some circles as Howdy Doody, but Kukla, Fran and Ollie was a wonderful show for both kids and adults alike.

When I was about 10-12 years old, Fran Allison and the puppets were part of a show in my town, and my parents took me. At the last curtain call, I went down front of the auditorium and thrust a note card and a pencil up to Fran for her autograph. She was very sweet and accommodating, and as she bent low over the edge of the stage, handing the autograph back to me, her blue chiffon dress bodice fell open and I saw her sewn-in bra and everything it was supposed to hide. I was the holder of a deep, dark secret.......I saw Fran Allison's boobs!

Naomi was right when she said that it was hard to think of Kukla and Ollie as puppets. They had distinct personalities and they were easy to believe as "people". Often, the humor was as much for adults as for children, without ever being obvious about it.

When she passed away, I cut the articles above from the newspaper, to keep them with my autograph. My children would have NO idea who she was except for these clippings.

The Match Game was one of the best ever on TV; not much of a "game", but a vehicle for the jokes and funny retorts of all the stars who appeared. Whenever I see a clip from one of their old shows, I am amazed at how much they "got away with" back in those days. Everything said was a double-entendre, and funny as they come. Thanks for the post idea, Naomi. Were it not for you, I might be posting some more matchbooks!

The Best Present I Got......

was actually given to my husband. He got a computer for Christmas, which is wonderful for me, because sharing one is horrible! I am trying to blog - he is trying to work on geneaology - it makes for tense days and nights around here. Now we will both be able to work on the computer whenever we want. My daughter fears we will never see each other again!

There is a small problem, though. He is used to our older computer, and his new one has a lot of new and different software. You know how some people don't deal well with change? Uh-oh, I said, fearing I will have to beat a path down the hallway to his computer on a bi-hourly basis, since he is not familiar with it and can't seem to get acquainted easily. Neither of us has ever had a class in computers, so it is all "hunt and peck" - or "click" anyway. It's either that or trying to remember what our children tell us to do, which is increasingly harder as the years roll by.

The main problem seems to be that the new computer has different software for the mail program than we are used to (Outlook Express). The new program is Microsoft Office Outlook, which is completely different. Now I have to drum up someone to help me find Outlook Express for his computer; otherwise, he will have to use Road Runner Web Mail. He recoiled from the computer when he saw it, because horror of all horrors, it will require him to type in the screen name and password EVERY time he wants to read email! He cannot imagine having to do that, comparing it to real drudgery (would you believe?)

Anyway, I hope that Santa brought you everything you wanted and some good stuff you didn't know about!

A Merrie Olde Tyme

Our Christmas Eve was as good as it gets. We drove to another part of the state (with our younger daughter) to have our family celebration with my son and his family at their home, joined by middle daughter and her family. There were 7 adults and 9 children, ranging in ages from 6 to 16.

A pretty tree, silhouetted against a newly-painted terra cotta wall, and mounds of presents under and all around it, greeted us as we entered their living room, along with the raucous noises from Sammy, the sun conure, above. I can put Sammy's photo here, but I am forbidden to post photos of my kids or grandkids, so this will have to do! Sammy is pretty much a one-person bird. He loves my daughter-in-law, tolerates my son and their children - and deplores the intrusions of others (especially me and DIL's mother). He bit me on the cheek once, so I try to give him a wide berth, but he will take every opportunity to show me that I had better not come any closer! I was fully prepared to love him and scratch under his wings (which he loves) but he does not know that or care.

Dinner was set buffet style; we had ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, green beans, jello salad and rolls. Desserts were fudge, chocolate cake, pumpkin pie, apple pie, a gingerbread house.....I think that is all.

After dinner, the children got to open the presents from their cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. In order to avoid total chaos, we had them do it in turn, from the youngest to the oldest, which proved to be a good solution. That way, discarded wrapping papers and ribbons could be corralled quickly, in-between each child. I tried to take a lot of photos, but the camera batteries which I had just re-charged last week decided they didn't want to work much more - so I only got about 8-10 pics before they crapped out. I think it might be better to use regular AA batteries and always carry extras with me.

The children were very excited, of course, and each one got 6-7 presents, so it took a while for that part to be over. Luckily we had great weather on Saturday, so the children could go outside and run off some of their bounteous energy and let the adults have a rest from the noise and hullabaloo. About 5pm, middle daughter and her family had to leave; on their way to spend time with her husband's family. The exodus of their seven kids left us with virtually no noise except Sammy, who was still voicing his displeasure at the numbers of people around. He was put into his cage and urged to bed down for the night, but he had other ideas, unfortunately.

The rest of the evening was spent rather stuporously (is that a word?) on their Lazy Boy couches; reclined, covered in throws and blankets, dozing and periodically waking up to watch a few minutes of TV. The children went to bed after being warned not to rise until the number six appeared on the clock, and the adults soon followed them upstairs, hoping to get at least six hours of sleep before Santa's loot was found. At 6:45 am, the clarion call was heard loudly and clearly. We all descended to find that Santa had been very nice to my two grandaughters, bring them shiny, new bikes, along with other stuff. Coffee arrived soon after, and before long a steaming egg and bacon casserole with fresh, hot biscuits and jam. A wonderful start to the day! A short while later, the other grandparents arrived bearing gifts as well, and we enjoyed our visit with them. We got to see the photos from their recent trip to Japan, Cambodia and Thailand, which were fabulous. Now I want to go there too!

This Christmas, in our son's home, was one of the best our family has ever had. It is the first time that the whole family has gone somewhere other than my home (except at Thanksgiving), and I think I like it! Having done it for years, I know just how much time and preparation it takes to mount this celebration, and I am very grateful to my DIL for hosting the whole family this year. Better still, it is the very first time that no major disagreements occurred (between any adults or the children) and that is truly a miracle! I hope that your Christmas or Hanukkah celebration was the best you've ever had!

Matchless Memorabilia ~ 4

La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, CA. We stayed here in 1979 or 80; a business perk of hub's. I had my first facial there, a "Persian Paraffin" facial, otherwise known as heaven on earth. While the paraffin mask was firming and softening my skin, my hands and feet were massaged, lotioned and then encased in hot mitts and booties. I have never known such relaxation (before or since). Luckily, the business took care of the cost for this!

Sam Lord's Castle used to be a Marriott property, but it has changed hands since we were there. In Barbados, on the south eastern coast, it is a beautiful resort surrounding a large house built by Sam Lord, a pirate who used to ply the waters in and around Barbados and nearby islands.

The Broadway Lounge is located in the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel.

The Berkeley Hotel , a small boutique hotel in Richmond, VA. Hubs has been here, but I haven't.

The Bank of White Sulpher Springs, WV. This one was picked up on the trip to the place shown in the next matchbook: The Greenbrier Resort. If you don't know about the Greenbrier, it is a fascinating place and has an interesting history. There is a bomb shelter under The Greenbrier, which ahs been used to secrete government officials in times of war. Check it out: http://www.greenbrier.com/site/default.aspx

Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, located on the premises of Disney World. I stayed here for another Special Event Convention. The architecture and interior decor are both to die for!

The Empress Lily, a showboat in Walt Disney World at Lake Buena Vista. Hubs and I had dinner here during a business trip to Orlando. It is lit at night and glows beautifully over the lake.

Christmas is Almost Over......

but I had to come and say I appreciate all your Christmas wishes, which warm my heart more than I can say. What can I do in return? Give you a movie tip:

GO SEE "THE PRODUCERS"!!

I have not laughed for 2 1/2 hours straight in a very long time, but this movie is one of the funniest I have ever seen. Nathan Lane is a wonder, as always, but for me the show was almost stolen by the guy who just got killed off "Desperate Housewives" (the pharmacist). He is so deliciously good in the role that I can be certain he will receive a nomination for the Oscar in a supporting role. Will Farrell is excellent also.

Caveat: if you are not fond of slapstick or musicals, don't bother. One needs to suspend reality as one enters the theater. Take tissues, as you are sure to laugh so hard you will need to wipe your eyes. Go to the bathroom before entering, so that you don't have to miss a minute (or risk wetting your pants).

This is truly the best present I could give all of you - so go - and enjoy!!

My Favorite Holiday

In 2002, when she was six years old, my grandaughter drew this picture and wrote an essay titled "My Favorite Holiday". I tried to put the essay on the blog too, but it didn't scan well. Here is the essay:

"My favorite holiday is Christmas. We go to my grandma and grandpa's house. I get presents from my cousins. I give presents to my cousins. I play with my new toys. We play outside when we are done inside. I get presents from my mom and dad too. My grandma and Grandpa live in Raleigh. They are very very very nice!!"

It is easy to see the focus of her Christmas, isn't it? PRESENTS! I don't blame her, when I was a child it was the same for me. I am going to my son's house tomorrow, so instead of my grandchildren coming here this year, we are going to them.

I had this framed soon after she gave it to me, and it hangs on my kitchen wall all year long. The family shown in the picture includes she and her sister, her mom and dad, and me and Mr. kenju. The tree is festively decorated with ornaments and a star at the top. A simple setting - for a simple celebration of Christmas, and all that it entails. I hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas. Please don't forget the true meaning. It can get lost in the hustle and bustle of preparations. If you have lost someone close to you this year, reflect on all that they meant to you and bask in the warmth of their memories. Take some quiet time, reflect on all that you have and be thankful. It could be gone tomorrow. You have all brought me much cheer this year. I have learned from you, laughed with you, been sad with you and hopeful with you. This has been one of my best year's ever, so I hope you have a Happy New Year in 2006, and many, many more to come!

 

Collections: Miscellaneous Ephemera

Left: a thermometer card with a sleeping baby in a chair. One sock on, and one off, the baby has dropped off after downing her bottle. Mom has thoughtfully placed a pillow behind her sweet head. This is painted by Irene Patten, whom you can google. There is not much about her, but she was a well-known illustrator and calendar artist . This card was compliments of the Union Laundry Co., Inc., 2510 Filbert Street, Oakland, Calif. Apparently this was a salesmen's sample. On the rear there is a list of 18 pictures that could be ordered with this card and thermometer.

Right: A calendar for 1937, put out by the Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Michigan. It advertises a type of decaffeinated coffee, called Kaffee-Hag. It doesn't sound very appetizing does it? One of the small papers interspersed with the calendar sheets says

" Kellogg's Kaffee-Hag is real coffee, all coffee, fine coffee. It has everything any fine coffee has - except the nerve-driving caffeine."

The yawning baby pictured looks to me like a little old man, minus the wrinkles. Somehow the artist failed to capture the "essence of baby".

Matchless Memorabilia ~ 3

Harry Caray's in Chicago, 33 W. Kinzie, phone:
312-h-o-l-y-c-o-w (believe it or not!). Hubs got this one when he took his mom to visit his brother.

Hyatt Regency Houston. I stayed here at another "Special Event" convention.


The maroon one:
Hyatt Regency Maui, on Kaanapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui. As close to paradise as I'll ever get. Sorry this one is so dark.

Fontainebleu Hilton, on Miami Beach. I am old enough to remember when this was simply the Fountainbleu (no Hilton's included). I stayed here for another of the "Special Event" conventions. They have a fabulous cocktail lounge, where you can "see and be seen".

Peachtree Plaza, in Atlanta. I have recently posted postcards from this hotel.

The next one is from a now-defunct restaurant in Raleigh known as Peachtree at Six-Forks. In a much larger city, this place would have made it big. It was ahead of its time and the population here.

The Rusty Harpoon (Daquiri Capital of the World). The reverse says "Ask not what you can do for your daquiri, but what your daquiri can do for you!!" This place is located in Whaler's Village, Kaanapali Beach, Maui. I don't really recall being in that bar, so I must have had a few daquiris too many. I already know what they can do for me!

Betty's Bawdy House (successor to Mabel's House of Ill Fame) in Houston, TX. They actually give free S&H Green Stamps here! "Play Bango - Each Saturday night - Take a chance on a new mattress- no waiting in line - fun on the run." Reverse: "Lady Chatterley's Lover - trained personnel. Commercial rates for salesmen and bankers, affiliated with National House Association and Done and Broadstreet." I KNOW I never visited this place - so it must be hub's acquisition.

Kitty O'Sheas: an Irish Entertainment Tavern in the Chicago Hilton and Towers. I never went here either. The only time I was in Chicago, I was too young for cocktail lounges.

The Next Time Someone Clicks Here.........

Would you believe it? My stat-counter is poised at 19,999, and so the next time someone clicks, it will be 20,000 hits since June 3rd at midnight when I put the counter on the blog.

Thanks to all of you who stop by on a regular basis; your comments are very gratifying-heart warming-funny-hopeful-poignant-sometimes sad and I love reading every single one.

May all of you have the Merriest Christmas, the Happiest Hanukkah and the best of Kwanzaas ever!

Puny Poinsettia

At first glance, I am sure you will think "That is a puny poinsettia!" You are right, to an extent, but what you don't know is that this particular poinsettia is a "leftover" from last December, and this photo shows only a small portion of it. I kept two of them alive all during last winter and repotted both plants into one large pot in May and set it on my deck. In no time at all, it was 3 feet tall and even wider than that. They really do make wonderful, lush plants to keep outside in the summer. But they are not supposed to turn red and bloom again unless you perform the necessary things to make that happen.

In early October, I noticed that the top-most leaves were beginning to turn red. About October 15th, I brought the plant into the house and set it in front of my dining room windows, which are a southern exposure. It lost a lot of leaves in the first week, and then it started to put out new leaves, which, within 2 weeks, had turned almost completely red.

According to my friend who has a degree in Horticulture from NCSU, I am the only person she knows who has poinsettias that bloom again - and I have done it twice! I have no idea why the poinsettias I have decide to bloom again, but they do.

Supposedly, you have to bring them into the house and set them in a dark closet for a while, and that "resets their internal clock" and then they can re-bloom, but mine seem to like the conditions in my home, so they do their thing for me.

In Costa Rica, I saw a poinsettia plant that was so large it looked like a tree. The main trunk was as large as my arm, and the plant was over 6 feet tall. If I can find the photo of it, I will post it soon. Have you ever had a poinsettia plant that bloomed the second year?

You know that I am, like Hoss, always trying to "make my pile". I think I'll hire out as a poinsettia re-bloomer. You can bring all your left-over poinsettias to me and I will bring them back to you next December, blooming their little hearts out! How much would you be willing to pay for that??

Collections: Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

The "Guardian Angel" fan is a popular theme. As the children gather wildflowers, the angel holds them in her protection. The reverse advertises H. Earl Mann, Pulpwood Dealer, in Jetersville, Virginia. The phone number was 2-F-14....which is very odd to me. I never remember seeing one with letters in the middle like that.

Titled "Childhood Faith", the little girl clasps her hands in prayer, while her doggie waits patiently. No artist is mentioned, unfortunately. The reverse advertises Pedigo Appliance Co. in Waverly (no state listed). We used to have a dog just like that one!

Titled "Lovable", and I am sure the small pup was just that. This one advertises Taylor's Warehouse in Winston-Salem, NC, where "the last three seasons, Taylor's has sold more tobacco for farmers than any warehouse on the Winston-Salem market".

Conkey's Poultry Book is the next one; Conkey Says: Get Busy!" The illustration, painted by "Price" is of two children and a basketful of chicks. It is spring, for the flowering tree in the background is in full bloom, and the boy is barefoot. The rear announces Plant No. 4, in Nebraska City, Neb. where they make poultry feeds and remedies, such as yeast with cod liver oil. ICK! My husband's mother force-fed him cod liver oil when he was a child to the extent that he cannot stand fish in any form!

Matchless Memorabilia ~ 2

See the post below for answers to the display questions!
More of my
matchbook collection:

Roebling's Bar and Grill in NYC Seaport, Fulton Market. A very busy place on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Joe's Stone Crab Restaurant, in Miami Beach. World reknown for their fresh seafood and nearly impossible to get a reservation!

The Sheraton Twin-Towers in Orlando. We stayed here during a trade show my husband had to work for his business. This is the place I blogged about finding the xxx-rated magazines under the pull-out bed. Nasty!

The Magic Kingdom - Walt Disney World - Tobacconist, on Main Street, USA. My hubs says he thinks they do not sell tobacco products at Disney World anymore, so maybe this is a real collector's item, or will be soon.

Calidad Imperial - Viajeros - Bellezas de Peru. I don't know where I got this or who gave it to me. The box says "Valle de Urubamba. Republica del Peru. Bello panorama de la tierra de los Incas....." . I can translate enough to think that means... "A beautiful panorama of the land of the Incas".......I have never been to South America, but I hope to go eventually.

Averof Restaurant in Porter Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. My hubs must have gotten this one. I have never been to Boston. The box says they have belly dancing; that would have been incentive for hubs to go!

West Virginia.......Land for Relaxation. The reverse says: "Investments Unlimited. Write WV Dept. of Commerce, State Capitol, Charleston, WV 25305, for factual data on travel development, industrial location services and economic growth factors." Many people make light of WV, but it is those who have never been there who do it. The mountains and vistas in WV are truly majestic and awe-inspiring......Almost Heaven!

Matchbook Display

To answer your questions, I keep the matches in a large glass container, atop the refrigerator. My mom had this glass container that looks like a barrel, complete with handle. I keep the matches in that all the time, but now that it is full, I will either have to look for a larger container or figure out a new way to display them.

I saw a display once, that consisted of a felt-lined frame with small dowels running across it horizontally. He folded the matchbooks around the dowels and they hung there in the frame. That works fine for folding matches, but some of mine are in boxes and I haven't figured out how that would work unless I use only the box tops.

Anyone have any ideas?

Matchless Memorabilia

Actually, most of them are not "matchless" at all. I have a collection of match books, spanning 35 years.

Both front and rear views; in some cases, they are the same.

Top: Possibly my most important one, now that it no longer exists:

The World Trade Center, Windows on the World Restaurant, on the 107th
floor. We visited there in 1976, I believe.

The View: from the Marriott Marquis in NYC. The view from that place is unparalleled in New York, and it rotates! If you want to sit by the windows, prepare to wait for days for a seat to open up.

Petunias: a restaurant in New Orleans, which I went to, but have no memories of.

La Ferme de Mougins - France. My daughter brought these to me. She spent the summer in Zurich one year, and travelled all over Europe, the lucky girl!

Papa-Razzi: a great restaurant in Georgetown, DC, owned by a Georgetown University grad. He hosted a cocktail party and dinner here during the last class reunion my hubs and I went to.

Sonora Cafe: in Los Angeles. I remember going here one evening during a "Special Event" convention. I do not remember the food.

Z'Tejas Grill: in Scottsdale, AZ. My daughter and I ate here during a trip to the Grand Canyon, and I still remember their catfish appetizer. The plate was so large and the catfish brimming over the sides were so excellent that I would really like to go back to Scottsdale just for another meal!

Peter Luger's Steakhouse in Great Neck, NY. I ate here with my husband and his parents on Father's Day, 1988. They had bragged and bragged about this place "it is world-reknowned, everyone eats here, yada, yada" and guess what, I didn't care for it. My steak was full of gristle and fat, and the creamed spinach they had touted was pasty and under-seasoned for my taste. They never let me live it down. Supposedly I am the only human to ever eat at Luger's and not fall deeply in love with the place. Sue me.

Within These Latter Days

A poem. I know that some of you will skip this one; those who hate poetry and hate blogs with poetry. However, I think this one is apropos of our current life here on earth, and you might agree - if you read through to the end.

"Within These Latter Days"
by James Kavanaugh
from "Faces in the City"


Within these latter days and strangely fearful times
Of rising stress and weird, apocalyptic signs
When mortars flash like lightning East to West
And prophets crowd the streets to talk of sudden death
When tidal waves and earthquakes threaten frightened men
And new messiahs call apostles once again
Where once the faithful built cathedrals in their town
Basilic banks now rise to consecrate the ground.

Rouen, St. Peter's, Notre Dame and ancient Chartres
Are vanquished now and soon will rot and fall apart
And in their dust will rise a great financial shrine
Where marble pillars from a monument, divine
With sacred sanctuaries, eternal granite walls,
With tabernacled vaults and deeply hallowed halls
And sometimes busts of saints who learned their doctrine well
That only faulty credit dooms a man to hell.


The sacrifice is subtle -- blood need never flow
As long as true believers pay the debts they owe --
No waiting judgment till some final trumpet call,
The Book of Life's contained in cabinets by the wall,
Confessionals for debtors, sinners must atone,
And excommunication when the credit's gone.
And soon I've heard, a vested choir, a European organ,
With stained glass windows overhead of Astor, Ford and Morgan.

A very important thing you need to know about this poem is that it was published in 1972. That's right, 1972 - not recently.

I found this book of poetry while I was re-arranging the furniture in my living room. We have a wall of shelves and knic-knacks, and I will admit that a few of the books have not been touched in the 23 years we have lived here. I sat down to reacquaint myself with Kavanaugh, and when I read this poem, I was struck with the modernity of the subject, especially the lines "tidal waves and earthquakes", and "Basilic banks now rise". It was announced in our newspaper recently, that yet another large bank is moving their headquarters to our city and will be building a skyscraper downtown. The numbers of people who have over-extended, un-manageable credit are legion. Perhaps we need to learn from this poem, which is even more apropos now than it was in 1972.

James Kavanaugh is a former Catholic priest. If you are interested in him or his poetry, go here:

http://celestineview.com/kavanaugh.htm

Gift Wrapping Tips for Men

This is the time of year when we think back to the very first Christmas, when the Three Wise Men; Gaspar, Balthazar and Herb, went to see the baby Jesus and, according to the Book of Matthew, "presented unto Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

These are simple words, but if we analyze them carefully, we discover an important, yet often overlooked, theological fact: There is no mention of wrapping paper.

If there had been wrapping paper, Matthew would have said so:"And lo, the gifts were inside 600 square cubits of paper. And the paper was festooned with pictures of Frosty the Snowman. And Joseph was going to throweth it away, but Mary saideth unto him, she saideth, 'Holdeth it! That is nice paper! Saveth it for next year!' And Joseph did rolleth his eyeballs. And the baby Jesus was more interested in the paper than the frankincense."

But these words do not appear in the Bible, which means that the very first Christmas gifts were NOT wrapped. This is because the people giving those gifts had two important characteristics:1. They were wise.2. They were men.

Men are not big gift wrappers. Men do not understand the point of putting paper on a gift just so somebody else can tear it off. This is not just my opinion: This is a scientific fact based on a statistical survey of two guys I know.

One is Rob, who said the only time he ever wraps a gift is "if it's such a poor gift that I don't want to be there when the person opens it."

The other is Gene, who told me he does wrap gifts, but as a matter of principle never takes more than 15 seconds per gift."No one ever had to wonder which presents daddy wrapped at Christmas," Gene said. "They were the ones that looked like enormous spitballs."

I also wrap gifts, but because of some defect in my motor skills, I can never completely wrap them. I can take a gift the size of a deck of cards and put it the exact center of a piece of wrapping paper the size of a regulation volleyball court, but when I am done folding and taping, you can still see a sector of the gift peeking out. (Sometimes I camouflage this sector with a marking pen.)

If I had been an ancient Egyptian in the field of mummies, the lower half of the Pharaoh's body would be covered only by Scotch tape.

On the other hand, if you give my wife a 12-inch square of wrapping paper, she can wrap a C-130 cargo plane. My wife, like many women, actually likes wrapping things. If she gives you a gift that requires batteries, she wraps the batteries separately, which to me is very close to being a symptom of mental illness. If it were possible, my wife would wrap each individual volt.

My point is that gift-wrapping is one of those skills like having babies that come more naturally to women than to men. That is why today I am presenting:

GIFT-WRAPPING TIPS FOR MEN:* Whenever possible, buy gifts that are already wrapped. If, when the recipient opens the gift, neither one of you recognizes it, you can claim that it's myrrh.

* The editors of Woman's Day magazine recently ran an item on how to make your own wrapping paper by printing a design on it with an apple sliced in half horizontally and dipped in a mixture of food coloring and liquid starch. They must be smoking crack.

* If you're giving a hard-to-wrap gift, skip the wrapping paper! Just put it inside a bag and stick one of those little adhesive bows on it. This creates a festive visual effect that is sure to delight the lucky recipient on Christmas morning:

YOUR WIFE: Why is there a Hefty trash bag under the tree?
YOU: It's a gift! See? It has a bow!
YOUR WIFE (peering into the trash bag): It's a leaf blower.
YOU: Gas-powered! Five horsepower!
YOUR WIFE: I want a divorce.
YOU: I also got you some myrrh.

In conclusion, remember that the important thing is not what you give, or how you wrap it. The important thing, during this very special time of year, is that you save the receipt.

~Male Author Unknown~

Full Moon A'comin

For years, I have been hearing about the weird things that happen during the full moon. Some people say that is just an old wive's tale, that nothing out of the ordinary happens then. But if you ask nurses and doctors who work in emergency rooms and obstetrics, they will tell you that their respective areas are always busier on nights when the moon is full, and some police departments report they have more to do then also.

Back in the 70's, there was a local call-in radio program. They often had special guests, who would speak on some point and then field calls from the general public. One night, there was a psychiatrist on the program, and somehow the subject turned to the full moon and its effects on humans. I really wanted to call the show, but I really didn't want anyone to recognize me talking about the subject. When I finally got up the nerve, I covered the phone mouthpiece with a piece of cloth (just like they used to do in the movies) and called in. I had heard another woman on the program say that when the moon was full, her husband was, as Richie's mom used to say about Howard on "Happy Days", friskier than usual. Since that was my experience too, I had to share (all in the interest of scientific research, you understand).

After I had been married about 5-6 years, I began to notice that the days leading up to the full moon always brought out a certain friskiness in my husband, and after a few more years, I could tell when a full moon was approaching even if I had not looked at a calendar that month, and it always culminates on the day of the full moon. This is what I told the doctor on the radio, while disguising my voice as best I could, both with the cloth and also speaking higher than usual. The consensus of opinion was that many people seem to be affected by the full moon, and it bears looking into. I hung up the phone, still somewhat nervous from the call, and prepared to listen to the rest of the program.

After 5 minutes....riiiiiinnnnnng......riiiiinnnnnnng......my phone trills loudly, and I quickly pick it up so as not to wake the children. It was my friend Annette, who says "I can't believe you just called a radio show and told that story". I was, for the first time in my life, speechless. How could she have known who it was? How could she tell it was me - through the cloth and despite the higher voice? Her answer was "You disguised your voice and spoke higher, but you didn't change your speech patterns, and that is what gave you away". I was flabbergasted, but she thought it was funny and applauded me for having the courage to call the show. Since that time, I have been afraid to call any talk show, for fear that I will be recognized; apparently, my speech patterns and cadences are very recognizable (it's that darn West Virginia twang!).

So......here are my questions:

1. Are you or anyone you know affected by the full moon?

2. Is it "friskiness" or does it manifest in some other fashion?

3. Are your speech patterns so specific as to be instantly recognizable?

Best Wishes are in Order!

Hey everybody! My blog-friend Carol, with whom I almost rubbed shoulders when I was in NYC last May:

http://thecerebraloutpost.blogspot.com

is getting married tomorrow. I know she wanted to keep it on the downlow (being a simple, quiet kind of gal) but I think we should all go and give her our best wishes for a happy marriage, don't you?

Thanks! and have a very Merry Christmas and the best of New Years!

Christmas Cheer

These have been making the email rounds, but I thought some of you might not have seen them.
Enjoy!

Points to Ponder

Number 10 - Life is sexually transmitted.

Number 9 - Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die.

Number 8 - Men have two emotions: Hungry and Horny. If you see him without an erection, make him a sandwich.

Number 7 - Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day; teach a person to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks.

Number 6 - Some people are like a Slinky.....not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you see one tumble down the stairs.

Number 5 - Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing.

Number 4 - All of us could take a lesson from the weather. It pays no attention to criticism.

Number 3 - Why does a slight tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and a substantial tax cut saves you thirty cents?

Number 2 - In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

AND THE NUMBER 1 THOUGHT FOR 2005: We know exactly where one cow with mad-cow-disease is located among the millions and millions of cows in America but we haven't got a clue as to where thousands of illegal immigrants are located. Maybe we should put the Department of Agriculture in charge of immigration.

Blogorrhea

Click to enlarge.

Postcards on Parade ~ Florida

The Breckenridge Resort Hotel in St. Pete Beach. We stayed here one year at Christmas time, and while we like the Gulf Coast's beaches and quiet surf, it was a pretty boring place for 3 children, and not much of a "resort". The beach card is from the Marco Island Hotel and Villas also on the Gulf Coast, though more southerly. This was a lovely place and we enjoyed the quaintness of the shopping area and small town. That was back in the '80's and I am told it has changed considerably since we were there. On the left is the Bon Aire Hotel in St. Pete. The card says " Every room Air Conditioned.....Central Heating Plant. 200 feet of private beach. Open the year 'round. Mr and Mrs. William Curotto, Owners-Managers." The card is dated 8-24-53.

The World's Largest Bandshell, in Daytona Beach. This card was mailed to my mom on March 15, 1954; unfortunately the writer mentions cold and rainy weather. Not what you want to hear from there, is it?
Fishing off John's Pass Bridge in St. Petersburg. Mailed in August 1953, when stamps were 2 cents!
No visit to Florida is complete (says the card) without a stop at world-famed Silver Springs, midway between Tampa and Jacksonville. The card shows a famous "horse shoe palm". This one was mailed 2-10-53.

Howard Johnson'sMotor Lodge in Miami Beach was where my son and his wife-to-be stayed on a trip in 1985. The other two cards from Miami are more recent. The top one shows the famous Fontainebleu Hilton and the lower one is the Marriott on Biscayne Bay and the Omni Complex.

The bottom set of cards are two from Walt Disney World, top showing the Dolphin Hotel, in which I stayed for a convention in 1992, and the one of Cinderella's Castle I sent to my parents in 1979. We took the children there at Christmas time. The bottom left card is in honor of Poopie

http://keeepinthefaith.blogspot.com

who said recently that she used to work with stained glass. I also did stained glass, and when we went to Florida several years ago, we were taken to Winter Park, to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art. Check it out:

www.morsemuseum.org/

This card shows a Favrile glass mosaic and marble chapel, created by Louis Comfort Tiffany in 1892 for the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. It is magnificent and I highly recommend a visit here if you are nearby.

I apologize that this post is all over the place photo-wise. I scanned the cards and Blogger kept moving them around so that when I added the written copy, it was not beside the card it was meant for. Hope you can sort through it all.

Built for Two!

In keeping with Hoss's post today, I found a new way you can
ensure togetherness
with your significant other.

Does this appeal to you? I know some people are very open with their personal habits, but I cannot imagine sharing this way. It's nice they provided two rolls of paper though!

My first thought when I saw it was that I know a few people who appear to need a "double-wide" toilet. 

The Sands or the Dunes?

My Honeymoon Snafu **edited below

In preparation for our honeymoon in Virginia Beach, I tried to recall the name of the large hotel on the ocean side of Atlantic Avenue that we had seen the summer before. I knew the general vicinity of it, but not the exact address. Finally I remembered the name of it - "The Sands", so I called to get prices for the honeymoon suite. In retrospect, I realize I had heard a thinly-veiled snicker from the woman on the phone when I asked about the honeymoon suite, however, I didn't realize it then, being somewhat nervous at the time. I asked if it had an ocean view and was told it did, so I made the reservation (my fiance asked me to do it). Would you believe it cost a whopping $12.50 per night? Remember, this was 1964.

We were excited about staying at "The Sands"; we had heard it had a very nice restaurant, large rooms and an expansive beach. So we were looking forward to the lying on the beach/drinking cocktails/swimming in the surf part of the honeymoon.

After the reception, we drove to Virginia Beach (a mere 30 miles away). As we neared the location we were to stay, looming ahead in the sky above the hotel we thought we had booked, was a sign reading "The Dunes". Imagine my confusion, and then embarrassment and then earth-just-swallow-me-up-as-soon-as-possible feelings! "The Sands" was just across the street from "The Dunes", but it had been built at least 25 years before, and was decidedly run-down.

My sweet husband of about 3 hours told me-not-to-worry-about-it-it-would-be-fine-I-still-love-you. So we went inside with our luggage and told the woman behind the counter who we were. She told us that the room rates had risen since we made the reservation; now the room was $15 per night. In my best indignant voice, I told her that would not be possible and we would just have to leave. She relented, of course. I do believe she thought she was dealing with a couple of young rubes, and could raise the rates at will and we would knuckle under. How nasty was that?!

We went up to the room, which had been misrepresented, of course. There was no ocean view (unless we had crawled out onto the fire escape of the building next door and climbed to their roof). But honeymooners don't worry so much about their surroundings, and so as long as there was a beach, sun, surf, good food and (fill in the blank), plus no roaches, we were happy.

I got teased unmercifully later on, about mistaking "The Dunes" for "The Sands", but at the time, it didn't really make much difference to the quality of the honeymoon. For years, every time we would go back to Virginia Beach, we would revisit the area of the two hotels, and tell everyone about the mistake I had made in '64. Now, of course, those 2 hotels no longer exist. I wish I could post photos of them, but I have no postcards of Virginia Beach from that era, and googling them brought nothing. The photo above is a recent one of Virginia Beach.

**Yes, hubby was very understanding at the time (what choice did he have?) But you should know that since then, he has teased me unmercifully, told many others what I did and made it sound like a disaster, and will not allow me to forget that error!

The Best Cookie Recipe!

Jose Cuervo Christmas Cookies:

1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Sample the Cuervo to check quality. Take a large bowl, check the
Cuervo again, to be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.

Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl. Add one teaspoon of sugar.. Beat again. At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK, try another cup , just in case.

Turn off the mixerer thingy. Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit, Pick the frigging fruit off floor...

Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry lloose with a drewscriver. Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Who giveshz a sheet. Check the Jose Cuervo. Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts. Add table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find. Greash the oven.

Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over Don't forget to beat off the turner. Finally, throw the bowl out, finish the Jose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS!

Collections: Ephemera ~ Paper Fans

Top left: "I'm someone's little child
please drive carefully" Painted by Mabel Rollins Harris, who was active in the 20's and 30's. The picture shows a young girl eyeing a robin on her nest, surrounded by automobile safety rules. The reverse is an ad for Chevrolet, especially touting the safety features found in Chevy autos, by J.W. Hollowell & Son in Federalsburg, MD. I love the one that says "keep yourself physically fit and mentally alert"!

Middle: Painted by Charles Mark Relyea (1863-1932), the scene is a campfire beside a lake on a full-moonlit night, and the men are dipping snuff - W.E. Garrett Snuff - Man's Best Chew! Note the canoe at the edge of the lake and the moose standing on a spit. It appears that the man standing up is reaching for his rifle....Surely he wouldn't shoot the moose, would he? Garrett's Snuff was made in "the largest snuff factory in the world" in Memphis, TN. It was called Scotch snuff, according to the story, that a merchant in Ireland had some snuff in stone jars exposed to the heat of a fire on his premises, and as he could not afford to throw it away he sold it to his patrons without mentioning that it had been scorched by fire. Much to his surprise, his patrons began to demand more of that scorched snuff....and the name was confused....and it became "Scotch". The calendar at the top is dated 1936, and so the company must have appropriated the Relyea painting for the fan after the artist's death.

Bottom: a photograph of two small children, with their cocker spaniel, saying grace over their dessert table. The rear advertises Arthur Foust's Atlantic Service Station, 702 E. Market St., Greensboro, NC, Phone 9443. Their motto: "Our Service is Measured by Satisfied Customers".