Friday, December 26, 2008

Our 2008 Christmas

Jennifer and I drove up Wednesday evening to Sacramento to spend Christmas with my family. We stayed the night at my parents' house then drove to my sister's in Wilton for Christmas morning. (Wilton is a small rural town in southern Sacramento County.)

Altogether, there were 16 for gifts and dinner: my sister & her husband; their two girls and son-in-law; my mom and dad; older brother, his wife and 3 boys; younger brother and his wife; and Jen & me. It was especially good to see my younger brother, because we weren't expecting him to make the trip from Anaheim. But a friend was able to use an airline voucher for him, and the flight had a seat, so my sister-in-law (who was already in town visiting) picked him up Christmas Eve from the airport.

My sister loves to cater for parties, so you know the food was good: roast beef, ham, twice-baked potatoes, green bean casserole, rolls, and plenty of dessert: banana cream pie, cheesecake, fudge, cookies and snowballs (a recipe from Jennifer's family of cream cheese & chocolate chips rolled in coconut). YUM! It makes me hungry just thinking about it again.

Another fine holiday spent with the family. I hope all of yours were good too.

A Christmas Adventure...sort of

Our family had an unusual experience this Christmas. Some might call it a miracle, others a good coincidence. But whatever your belief system, it's a pretty good story.

My brother-in-law received a large toolbox from my sister as his big gift. It was so big, in fact, that she couldn't bring it home, so he brought my dad, me and my two brothers, and his son-in-law to pick it up from my sister's office and load it into the truck to take home.

On the way back, the six of us noticed a van on the road with smoke pouring out of it. So we pulled over to help. OK, so here's the interesting part: our family in the truck included a Fire Battalion Chief, a firefighter trainee, an ER doctor, an electrical engineer, and enough collective knowledge to put together a whole vehicle from spare parts. What's more, my brother-in-law, the fire captain, carries his dispatch radio with him all the time, so we had fire & police on the way before we had even crossed the street to help the stranded van. (MORAL: If your vehicle breaks down, you could not ask for better qualified help in one vehicle unless a fire engine was driving by.)

Fortunately, the van had only overheated and was not on fire. By the time the first police squad car arrived, the engine had stopped steaming and everything was completely under control. The mother and grown daughter in the van were just fine and so glad that we stopped to help. As we were leaving them and wishing all Merry Christmas, it seemed that just a few seconds difference, and we might not have seen them to help.

Call it what you want to, but we were glad to be there when we were. It didn't have to be Christmas Day for us to lend a hand, but not many other occasions would have put those six guys in one vehicle (especially when that vehicle includes a radio with a direct link to a fire station). Don't worry, I'm not going to write to Hallmark to make a TV movie...it wasn't that dramatic. But for two strangers, at least, we saved Christmas, and that felt pretty special.

Monday, December 15, 2008

2nd Vermont's Christmas Party

My Civil War reenactment group meets every December at the home of one of our officers for dinner, the election of our officers and board members, and a gift exchange. It is always a good time and worth the 2-hour drive to Ventura County.

After two seasons serving as corporal for the group, I have been promoted to sergeant for the upcoming year. So now Jennifer has yet another sewing project--this time adding a third stripe to my uniform sleeves. I actually had an opportunity to step in as 2nd lieutenant, but I decided that was too big of a jump too soon. Besides, officers carry pistols and sabers, while sergeants still carry rifles, which are more fun to shoot and make a bigger bang. Someday I would like to be an officer, but not just yet.

The dinner, as usual, was fabulous -- ham, quiche, homemade biscuits, and vegetables, with chocolate trifle and peanut butter fudge for dessert. Many thanks to our captain's wife for her excellent culinary skills and graciously hosting more than 30 people for the afternoon.

The gift exchange is always a high point too. Unlike the 'white elephant' gift parties where people often get stuck with something less desirable, our group tries to contribute gifts that will be appreciated by many (and thus frequently 'stolen' in the game). The most popular items are new Civil War books, fine spirits, and sweets...not necessarily in that order. I initially opened a hand-knitted wool scarf, but that was taken from me almost right away, and by the time I had the chance to steal it back, it had been won. When all the dust had settled, Jennifer took home a book on women soldiers in the war (and yes, they did exist), while I grabbed a box of See's candy.

My thanks once again to our captain and his family for being such great hosts. We look forward to another great season!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Inside of Our Tree

Really awesome view from the inside of our Christmas tree. Hmmm. do you think we have an artificial tree??

I was chasing the cat out from under it where he was happily chewing on a bulb or ornament. I was all the way to the back and looked up - "Hey - that's a great picture."

So what does the inside of YOUR tree look like?


Time for decorating


Yesterday Jeff and I made time to go running around to a couple of stores to get new lights for our house then spent the remainder of the afternoon and evening putting everything up.

We have lights around the roof and small hedge, full garland on the mantel and arch and of course our 6' tree. Although with our 9' ceiling we could get a taller one. This tree was purchased in 1996 the first year we were married. So it's lasted us well. But maybe next year....

My Brother - update

He is much better with having some good shots of insulin and was scheduled to go home yesterday afternoon.

His blood sugar came down to below 200 but then shot up again after he ate a sandwich without taking a insulin pill. He (and my mom) will have a long learning curve ahead of them about how to manage type 1 diabetes.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. I'm so glad he finally got help for this long-term health concern.

Cheers Jon! May you live long despite your discovery of this health issue.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

My brother

For those of you who read this blog and know that I have a younger brother, Jon, please keep him in your prayers.

His health has been failing since May and we were concerned it was diabetes related (thirsty, massive weight loss, hungry).

Today he went into the urgent care where they tested his blood - his blood sugar was 780. For those who know, this is bad territory and can cause a diabetic coma. Normal is under 100 (around 70/80).

They've admitted him and he will be in the hospital for a couple days to get stabilized. He has all the symptoms of Type 1. He is 28 and has an uncle who was diagnosed type 1 a few years ago (in his 40s- not sure).

Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts for him, my mom and myself.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Musings in Late November

Well, the last of the Fuji apples off our tree have been harvested. We did much better this year as "farmers." We left most of them on the tree until October and they are so sweet! I tried my hand at a third pie (the 2nd try being a peach one in August).


This is the last of that Apple Pie:

It was very yummy! Of course, most Disneyland recipes are delicious. This one was from the Plaza Inn and had a terrific crust.


I'm glad we have (mostly) defined seasons here. Well, at least, hot, dry season and cold season. It gets to the 30s/freezing overnight in the winter but then also gets well over 100 in summer.

Here is the beautiful red tree in our eastern neighbor's yard.

And the blooming lemon tree in our southern neighbor's yard. I'd love to plant a citrus tree on our own property.

'Course last weekend we managed to take our aggressions out on our lively wisteria plant. The landscapers (before we moved in) planted it a few feet away from the house as a tree. Well, they apparently didn't realize that wisteria is a climbing vine plant that needs to attach itself to something. In the summer that became our new rose hedge, the rose tree by the house and the neighbor's tree. Man! We want to take it out and replace it with a lovely maple tree.

But for winter at least, it's all cleaned up. And when the spring comes it should be a bit easier to maintain.


Here's our blooming cyclamen:
They made it thru their first summer in hot Bakersfield. Moving them out of the direct sun really helped. Although all the herbs on the back patio boxes died. :-(

So Jeff and I are excited that cooler weather is (slowly) making its way here. We love autumn.
The trees are all turning and the crunch of leaves beneath my feet is a great sound. Ahh... Time for tea and a good costume drama. Jane Austen anyone?

*Final Thought: In mid-October I filled my car with gas at $3.19. Tuesday this week it was $2.05. And the price just keeps dropping. (Today it's $1.95.) I'm thankful for the reprieve but know it won't last.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Return to the Jazz World

Many of us have an activity or hobby which we enjoy so much that we want to do it every week. It may be a church group, bowling league, poker night, or whatever. It's taken me some time to find a regular weekly activity, but I think I found one I'll keep for a while: jam sessions.

When I started piano lessons as a kid, my background was mostly classical and church music. Then, starting in high school, I discovered jazz band. While I loved the rhythms and cool grooves, I was quite content to just play what was on the page and not branch out. As a result, I learned lots of unusual chords and how to accompany soloists, but I didn't take many solos myself.

Fast-foward to two years ago. I played a gig at the Kern County Fair with some professional players, several of whom attend the Bakersfield Jazz Workshop. One of them liked what she heard from me and invited me to join. Unfortunately, my schedule didn't allow me to commit to the one night a week, but I told her to keep me posted; one day I will make it, I promised.

That day finally arrived last month. Being new to the scene, I didn't know whether to start with the beginning workshop or the open jam session. After all, I knew I could read chord charts, but I wasn't sure how well I could solo. I decided it was better not to get in over my head too soon, so I sat in with the beginners first. (I liken it to skiing on the 'bunny slopes' first to get a feel for the mountain before braving the black diamond runs.) It didn't take that long for me to find my footing, and I was soon happily jamming along.

Most of the musicians at the beginning workshop fall into one of two categories: students who are learning their instrument and how to play jazz for the first time; and more experienced musicians who know their instrument, but are new to the world of jazz harmony, improvisation, and soloing. The open jam session is for intermediate to advanced level players, some of whom have been gigging for many years. This session usually calls harder tunes and experiments a bit more. It's a great way for everyone to learn in a real-world situation with a supportive environment.

After the first day, I felt pretty comfortable with it, and the player who moderates the sessions asked me a little about my background. When I told him what my favorite styles and players were, he strongly encouraged me to return the next week, and we would play some of my favorite tunes...at both the beginning and open sessions.

By the next week, I was playing at both sessions, calling tunes, taking solos, and generally having a great time. It hasn't taken long at all for me to get hooked, and I'm not as nervous playing at the open level as I thought I would be. Soon, I may even be a regular.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Election thoughts from a reenactor


I'm a American Civil War reenactor. So I study and present to the public a period in time that gave colored men suffrage (the right to vote). It would be another 56 years til women gained that right in 1919.

So here we are 145 years later and the country has seen the election of a black man to the office of US President.

I have mixed feelings about this. The President-elect was not my candidate of choice (and even then I had to warm up to him as no one in my party excited me.) I don't have happy thoughts for the future administration, but I MUST give my respect to the President and anyone who volunteers for the job of US President. He deserves the respect of all Americans even if he does not sit well in their eyes.

However, on the other hand, why participate in a hobby that demonstrates the past that our modern country has built upon if not to one day see a black man or a woman (of any color) ascend to that pinnacle of US politics. I have to support it; otherwise my hobby has no validation.

So this historic time (2008) I can put down myself as someone who saw the advancement of our society and our constitution at work. Now onto getting a woman in there....

If it took 145 years for a black man, I hope we don't have to wait another 56 years (to equal 145) to see a woman at the top.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Travelin' Bug Bites Again!

Remember the old saying that if your foot itches, you will soon go on a journey? Well, somebody must have put powder in our shoes, because Jennifer and I are both wanting to take another trip. We loved our trip to Florida in June and last year's travels to Vermont (again). But we must have bigger aspirations, because we finally applied for our passports.

A postcard came in the mail, advertising a passport fair on the weekend, where the post office would accept applications and take pictures. They usually do this anyway, but only for a few hours on Saturday morning. This time, though, they had full facilities available all day, so we braved what we knew would be a bigger than usual crowd and went in.

As it turned out, the crowd was not as big as we imagined: only about an hour's wait. So after showing our birth certificates, driver's licenses, and taking a couple of mug shots, we paid the fee and started the process. We were told that everything should be done by early December, which means if we really wanted to spend Christmas in London or Paris, we could.

It may be a while before we actually use them for foreign travel, but the point is to have them, then all we have to do is save a little money and we really can go anywhere. It's pretty exciting to be able to join the ranks of the world travelers.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

All Hallow's Eve

Halloween is one of those holidays that has changed in my view over the years. Growing up, I always liked wearing costumes (sometimes even to school) and trick-or-treating. Between the houses on my street and the next block, I would get so much candy in my bag that it usually lasted past Thanksgiving. I knew it was not a religious holiday, but my family never felt like there was anything wrong with a little costuming and candy begging.

Then in my teen years, I had a kind of spiritual awakening. One of the results of this was a rejection of Halloween, because I felt there were too many associations with the occult and other activities I did not agree with. So for the rest of adolescence and most of my young adulthood, I chose not to recognize the occasion. No costume, no decorating, no turning on the porch light because there was no candy for trick-or-treaters.

My church and college did have a sort of "Harvest Carnival" with the opportunity to bob for apples, play street fair-type games, and take home candy, all in a safe, well-lit, non-threatening environment, with no scary costumes allowed. Even then, I was not entirely comfortable going, and some years I still skipped it on principle.

My views have since softened, and I take a more relaxed stance now. I still enjoy dressing up, but I usually keep the costume more fun and less scary. We do leave our light on, but we don't turn the front lawn into a graveyard or do any great decorating job. And we bought less candy this year because last time we had so many leftover sweets that they lasted until almost Christmas. Well, I suppose that part wasn't so bad after all.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Anniversary Thoughts

Our anniversary is October 19th. Hard to believe it's been 12 years. Halfway to the silver, and a quarter of the way to gold! But we'll settle for a bit of silk, nylon, or linen, since that's what the gifts are supposed to be for the twelfth year. Personally, I can skip anything nylon (not crazy about synthetics), but some nice silk bedsheets would be cool.

After living in San Diego, Miami, Los Angeles, Orange County (Fullerton), and now Bakersfield, we feel like we have never put our roots down. This is our fifth year living in one town, easily the longest in one area, yet we've moved from an apartment to a house, so it still seems like we're nomads.

We know a lot of couples go through this the first few years of marriage, but then once the kids come along, they decide to settle. I think what has helped for us is actually buying a house. Owning property has given us a much better sense of belonging than we imagined it would. No matter where we end up or how many houses we live in, we will always remember this as our first.

No one can say where we will be for our 50th anniversary, but it's nice to spend the 12th together in our own home. There are no travel plans this weekend, but the bug has bitten yet again. Who knows where we will go next?

Getting Back To Basics

We have tried to go back to natural living, as much as we can in a modern society. We avoid food with artificial ingredients, try to wear natural fiber, and limit our use of disposable plastics. It's a system that is far from perfect, but we have to take small steps.

This way of thinking might have started around the time we got into re-enacting. When we were building our impression, we looked in antique stores and anywhere else for things we could use in camp. They had to be made out of wood, iron, ceramic, or something else that would have been available in the 1860s. Then we extended that search to include our decorating in the house, and it eventually led to cooking 'period-correct' food. So out went the margarine and in came the butter.

Things progressed to the point where we started reading books and online articles about natural and organic foods, and how many of the health problems Americans face that are caused by a diet high in calories and low in nutrition. Then we thought, "Maybe the hippies of the 60s and other counter-culture people were onto something." But rather than wear beads and sandals, we started our own little revolution at home.

It's not been easy to do. Throwing out any food in our pantry that had high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or hydrogenated oils meant that half our food stores went away like that. We had to replace them with more expensive foods that don't keep as long with no preservatives. We really started to feel for lower-income families that buy the cheap food because it's cheap, since that's what we had to do for years. Even after we settled more comfortably into the middle class, we still look for bargains, of course. Now, this is not a bad thing, unless you're trading your health to save a few dollars, because the negative effects of the poor-quality food are far more expensive down the road.

We know that not everybody is going to change with us. Either they can't, or they just don't want to. So we have backed off on our preaching to families, friends, and co-workers. If we can't change the whole world at once, we can start with us. Rather than try to convert everyone, we just want to inform people and let them make up their own minds. That's really how changes start, anyway.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Yuck! Cooking with Motor Oil!

This is from the Sept 08 email newsletter that I receive from Dr. Al Sears in Florida. Please read then go buy Coconut and Olive Oils.

To your health,
Jen

Are You Cooking with Motor Oil?
There is a food in your home right now whose name translates to Canadian Oil and millions of people use it every day to prepare their family’s meal. Are you?

What’s worse is that the food product is promoted as a healthy alternative to other cooking oils. Here are a few of the risks my research turned up on one of the commercial food industry’s favorite ingredients:

Heart attack
Stroke
Heart lesions
High blood pressure
Vitamin deficiencies
Hemorrhaging
Free radical damage
Retarded growth

I’m talking about canola oil.

This is something that’s been marketed for years as a “good” alternative to butter, lard, and other edible fats...but a group of chemists practically made it up from scratch. It isn’t found anywhere in Nature. Chances are you’ve eaten a lot of it without knowing it. You’ll find it in restaurants and kitchens all over the country...and it’s a potential killer.

Today, I’ll tell you what you need to know about canola oil, and give you a safe, natural alternative that’s actually good for you.

Meet the Canola Plant
Think about it: olive oil comes from olives. Peanut oil comes from peanuts. So where does “canola oil” come from?
Here’s a hint: the kind of “plant” it comes from doesn’t need sunlight, soil, or rain to thrive.
The word “canola” is an industry invention. And once you know where it really comes from, you’ll understand why the industry had to come up with a new name for it.

Canola is an artificial, processed oil made from rapeseed, a flowering plant of the brassica family, which includes cabbage, rutabagas, broccoli and turnips. “Rapeseed” comes from the Latin word for turnip, “rapum.” Not an especially appealing name.
It also turns out that for most of human history people didn’t think of it as an especially appealing food, either.

Asians used rapeseed oil to light their lamps for centuries. Then during the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, machinists found that it worked well as an engine lubricant. It even played a crucial role in combat operations for the US Naval fleet during World War II.

Today it’s used in all kinds of industries. It happens to be a great insect repellent. You’ll also find it in synthetic rubbers, ink, even soap...
Your Salad Dressing Could Be Toxic
You may be wondering how rapeseed oil turned into “canola” oil—and how it came to be considered a food in the first place.

It all started with the mainstream medical establishment and food industry’s obsession with so-called “bad” fats. Back in the late 70s, they were looking for something to replace corn and soybean oil.

They’d promoted these oils for years as more healthy than traditional fats like butter, lard, or palm oil. But new science was emerging indicating that the oils they were peddling to the public were actually unhealthy.

There were other healthy options available, like olive oil. But olive oil was too expensive to use because it wasn’t a major crop. And it doesn’t blend well into most mass-produced, processed foods. So the industry went looking for something inexpensive, “healthy,” plentiful that would be easy to store, transport, and include in commercial food production.

That’s how rapeseed oil made it onto the industry’s radar screen. It had been widely used in Asian countries. It was cheap, easy to grow, and there was a readily available source nearby, in Canada, where it was farmed in abundance.

Scientists found that it was rich in what they considered healthy vegetable fats, including omega-3. But there was a big problem: two thirds of the fat in rapeseed oil is “erucic acid.” This is a dangerous toxin that can cause deadly heart lesions.

Then in 1978 a few Canadian agricultural specialists figured out how to breed a strain of rapeseed that was low in erucic acid.1 Suddenly, the industry had its new “healthy” alternative. And that’s how it eventually got its name: “canola” stands for “Canadian oil, low acid.”

The problem is that canola doesn’t really resemble the rapeseed oil found in Asia. In places like India and China, they traditionally pre-cooked the seeds before they extracted the oil, and they used stone presses to make it. They sold it soon after they made it, so it was fresh and pure. The process was entirely natural.

Compare that with the industrial processes used to make canola here: high temperature pressing in metal vats; blasting with chemical solvents to remove the oil; bleaching; soaking in acid; and “deodorizing,” since some of the omega-3 in the oil goes rancid and creates a foul odor.

Traces of these chemicals remain in the oil, particularly hexane. Hexane’s a component of gasoline. It’s used to make shoes, leather products—even roofing! Its toxic effects on the body are well known. It causes nerve damage,2 and the gas emissions from industrial hexane can cause cancer. In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency issued regulations on commercial hexane use in 2001 because of the serious cancer risks.3

They Can’t Back Up Their Claims
One of the problems with all the industry’s health claims about canola is that there are virtually no studies of canola’s effects on humans. But the research done in animal studies paints a grim picture.

Canola has been shown to retard growth and cause heart lesions in rats.4
Newborn piglets fed a formula with canola oil developed a vitamin E deficiency in one study. Vitamin E’s a key ally in overall heart health, protects eyesight, and acts as a powerful antioxidant. They also suffered from sustained bleeding, because a diet high in canola lowered their platelet count (platelets are what help your blood to clot and stop hemorrhaging).5

Another recent study found that canola worsens high blood pressure, and stroke in rats genetically prone to these health conditions.6

Yet we’re still hearing about how good canola is for you. Millions of Americans are pouring this stuff on their salads or eating foods fried in it, thinking it’s great for their health. They may as well be eating their shoes.

Try This Truly Healthy Oil From Nature, Not Industry
For some reason, the word still hasn’t gotten out on this, but there’s a natural plant-based alternative to canola that’s plentiful, and safe for all kinds of cooking. It’s easily digested, free of toxins... and actually comes with a host of major health benefits.

It’s coconut oil.

I still scratch my head over why this isn’t the best-selling edible oil in the world. The fact is that conclusive clinical evidence of its health-promoting power has been around for over 30 years.

Coconut oil has the power to:

Power overall heart health
Boost your metabolism
Raise your antioxidant levels
Promote weight loss
Strengthen your immune system
Stimulate healthy thyroid function
Maintain healthy cholesterol balance


You can even use it as a skin care product. It helps to moisturize and keeps your skin elastic, radiant, and youthful.

Unlike canola, coconut oil actually protects the heart by keeping fat and cholesterol in your bloodstream in proper balance. One study looked at native island tribes in the South Pacific whose diets were heavy in coconut oil.7

They had perfect serum lipid and cholesterol profiles at the start of the study. But once they migrated to New Zealand and stopped using coconut oil, their total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol increased, and their HDL cholesterol (the good kind) decreased.

It’s also been shown to ramp up your body’s ability to convert fat into energy, increasing your metabolism and actually helping you to lose weight.
The most recent research also suggests that the natural health-promoting compounds in coconut oil can actually prevent free radical damage.8

Finally, coconut oil contains lauric acid, one of the key building blocks of your immune system and a powerful anti-viral/anti-microbial.

In other words, you should make coconut oil one of the staples in your kitchen. Unlike olive oil, coconut oil’s stable at very high temperatures, so you can put it on salad or fry with it. It won’t start to smoke and burn your food like olive oil.

I recommend finding an organic, extra virgin brand at your local health food store or on line. These give you all the health benefits and are free of any industrial contaminants.
____________________
1 RK Downey. “Genetic Control of Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in Rapeseed.” Journal of the American Oil Chemists Society. 1964. 41:475-478.2 Hathaway GJ, Proctor NH, Hughes JP, and Fischman M. Proctor and Hughes' chemical hazards of the workplace. 3rd ed. 1991. New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold.3 Anuradee Witthayapanyanon and Linh Do. “Nanostructured Microemulsions as Alternative Solvents to VOCs in Cleaning Technologies and Vegetable Oil Extraction.” 2005. National Center For Environmental Research.4 Trenholm et al. “An Evaluation of the Relationship of Deitary Fatty Acids to Incidence of Myocardial Lesions in Male Rats.” Canadian Institute of Food Science Technology Journal. 1979. 12(4):189-1935 Kramer et al. “Hematological and lipid changes in newborn piglets fed milk-replacer diets containing erucic acid.” Lipids. 1998. 33(1):1-10.6 Ratnayake et al. “Influence of Sources of Dietary Oils on the Life Span of Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats.” Lipids. 2000. 35(4):409-420.7 Prior et al. “Cholesterol, coconuts, and diet on Polynesian atolls: a natural experiment: the Pukapuka and Tokelau Island studies.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 1981. 34:1552-1561. 8 Nevin and Rajamohan. “Virgin coconut oil supplemented diet increases the antioxidant status in rats.” Food Chemistry. 2006. 99(2): 260-266.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Drama with the Kids

Usually when I come home from work, I have one or both kitties meet me at the front door, eagerly awaiting dinner and a little love (though the love mostly comes after the food). So today when I walk through the door and the house is silent, I find it a little strange. "Are they both asleep?" I think. But that hasn't happened before, because they are light sleepers and will wake up as soon as they hear one of us drive up.

So I continue through the living room and into the hallway. This is when I notice the door closed to our back bedroom, which we use as our office. This door is never closed, because we keep the cats' litter box there. Fearing the obvious, as I make my way down the hall, I see a shadow move under the door.

Sure enough, I open the door and BOTH cats come running out. How long they had been confined there, I will never know. It could have been for just a few minutes, but more likely it was several hours. At least they had access to the litter box and didn't leave a mess on the floor, but that long with no food or water (we keep those in the kitchen) and two big cats in a small space, who don't particularly like to be near each other, must have made for a difficult afternoon. I hope for their sake that they mostly slept the time away and didn't fight.

One whole year in this house, and that's a first. But knowing it's happened once, we may have to start using a doorstop so it doesn't happen again. This is especially true when we leave for the weekend.

I felt bad for them, but at the same time it's kind of funny. Makes you wonder what their story is. If only our pets could talk...

Monday, September 1, 2008

Theater Shows

One of my biggest hobbies, besides Civil War re-enacting, is musical theater. I was bitten by the bug in college and have since gone on to do several shows. I love the excitement of live theater, because every night is different: the audience response (or sometimes lack thereof) has a direct bearing on the outcome, and when everything is working, the atmosphere can be positively electric. You can feel the energy in the air, and the actors and audience feed off each other to create something magical. It always happens at least once per show when it all comes together, and those are the moments you live for.

I am not, however, much of an actor. My role has been that of musician: playing piano and keyboards, being rehearsal accompanist, and even leading the band during the show. Sometimes I have had small speaking roles as character of "Band Member" but only once have I had an actual cast part. The vain side of me (and don't we all have one?) loves to see my name in print, whether in the cast list, band list, or anything else, and when it's in the program more than once, well, even better.

So here is my history of shows I have done over the years:

Godspell: My first experience with musical theater. Incredibly fun.
Smoke on the Mountain: Not only played, but acted and sang.
Bye Bye Birdie: First time with a high school drama production (and first as a paid professional).
Lucky Stiff: Was the entire 'orchestra' (meaning: only musician). Very funny show.
Evita: Possibly my most challenging show (again, the only musician, so I had to try to play every part), but also one of the most rewarding and still one of my favorites.
Cabaret: Very intimate setting (small stage, two musicians) for the Empty Space theater. My first show that wasn't a high school or college production.
High Society: First show with Stars Theatre, a local musical theater company. Every show I've done since (except one) has been with this group.
Buddy: Based on the life of Buddy Holly, this one stretched my rock-and-roll chops.
La Cage aux Folles: Loved everything about this one. It ran for only four weekends, but we could have done it for six months.
Cats: Musically, this one was a bit strange in a few places, but visually, it was amazing. Played one of three keyboard parts with a full orchestra.
Brigadoon: After the challenge of Cats, this was a simpler role for me: I basically played the bass part on a synthesizer and added a few sound effects here and there.
Baby: Filled in 'missing' parts on keyboard and essentially created my own arrangement to support everything the piano was doing.

Some other shows that I've seen (either live or on film) that I would love to play for: Chicago, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, My Fair Lady, Chess, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King. If any of these shows comes to town, I want to be there. (In fact, Jennifer and I are going to see Chicago next weekend. But it's a touring group, so I'm not playing for it. Maybe next time.)

Sunday, August 10, 2008

My First Pie


Many of you know I don't cook. I just don't like it and am very grateful for Jeff because he keeps me fed.

Despite this, I DO love to bake. I make a mean double chocolate chip cookie! :-)

Well, for 2008, one of my goals was to bake a pie from scratch. I had never done that before. Guess I just concentrated on cookies and cakes. Maybe the fresh fruit part bothered me.

In the summer issue of Victoria magazine, there were many great recipes, one for cherry tartlets. Well, I had just bought a bag of sweet cherries and decided to make my first pie. (I don't have tart cups yet, but I do have a Pyrex 9" pie dish.) Jeff took a picture of me while I was getting the crust ready.

Trimming the excess dough around the pie plate.

Here are the mixed ingredients before it all came together.

And the final product: Yummy almond cherry pie!

Saturday, August 9, 2008

Costume College and eBook Craziness

Hi all!

So I have finally de-stressed from the crazy/busy push for Costume College 2008 and also publishing my new eBook.

This year's College was really great. I taught two classes: my fourth year of 19th Century Corded Petticoats and Regency Outerwear. Both were unlimited, lecture classes.


The Petticoat class was packed (again), literally; Standing room only in our small room. I had over 25 people show up that were very attentive and asked lots of questions. I had a hard-copy of my Feature Report from Cloak & Corset that I gave away in a drawing.


As for the Outerwear class, after doing all the research, I very much want to make several pelisses, a couple spencers, and a fur tippet (stole).

For more info, and a full report, please see my post at the Historical Sewing Blog.



In addition to the usual preparations for College, I was writing and finishing my first eBook: Modern Sewing Techniques for Historical Costume Construction.


In Costume College 2004 I taught a class (with Lana) about modern sewing techiques. That class and accompanying 17 page handout is why I started Cloak & Corset as a educational business. The handout was completely restructured into the eBook that is currently 267 pages of content with 170 color photos! My, that was a lot of work.

I am glad it's finally out there. A second edition is planned for a December '08 release as I have more photos and chapters that were not able to get into the first edition. (If you're reading this and are interested, don't wait to buy as you will get the 2nd edition *free* in December.)


But even though I have de-stressed somewhat from all the past several weeks, my plate is still full. My Civil War group, Historical Citizens, will have a full-blown set-up at the Huntington Beach event over Labor Day weekend. I'm doing a bit of sewing for it (e.g. new shirt for Jeff and new apron for me) so the cutting table is full again with fabric.

I also have a new design picked out for an 1830 day dress that will go with my new bonnet purchased at College this year.

And of course, the continued writing for Cloak & Corset with monthly ezine articles and Guinea Pig features, along with new products, I will be kept busy.

Drop me a quick email to let me know how your summer has been!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The eBook is here!


Jul 30 2008 - VID00014
Originally uploaded by sewgirljen

Go to Cloak & Corset now to get the best modern sewing tips to make your historical clothing spectacular!

The eBook: Modern Sewing Techniques for Historical Costume Construction is over 250 informative pages and contains over 170 full-color photos.

I'm so excited about this release. You will be amazed by the sewing techniques and methods you will learn.

If you have any questions, you can always email us or post a comment here.

Happy Sewing!

Friday, July 25, 2008

New Video Camera - Finley Talking


Finley talking 7-23-08
Originally uploaded by sewgirljen
This week I finally decided to order a Flip Video camcorder from Amazon.com.

I was testing it out and heard Finley going crazy at the back door wanting out to chase the toads. "What a great time to try out the new toy." So I hit record and got the Little One talking up a storm.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Gettysburg

For the 4th of July weekend, I had the privilege to travel to Pennsylvania for the 145th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. As most of you know, Jennifer and I have been involved with historical reenacting of the Civil War for about 5 years. She is one of the founding members of her civilian group, and I am a corporal in the 2nd Vermont Volunteer Regiment. Our events so far have taken us around Southern California, but this was a great opportunity for me to go out of state and do something back East. And if you're going to re-create a Civil War battle, there's no better place to do it than Gettysburg.

One of the major differences between western and eastern events is the sheer size. The largest event in California we've attended had about 800 total reenactors and 10,000 spectators. This weekend, we estimated at least 15,000 participants (and that number may have been closer to 20,000) with more than 50,000 spectators over the 3 days. It was amazing not only to see the difference of that many soldiers formed for battle but also to hear the sound of thousands of muskets and dozens of cannon going off in a constant barrage. On the the last day, to re-create Pickett's Charge, there were almost 100 artillery pieces firing at each other for the first 30 minutes of the battle. It truly was unlike anything I've ever seen or heard.

Even the weather seemed to cooperate. It was overcast almost the whole time, with a few scattered showers. How, you may ask, would rain help? Well, it kept the overall temperature down in the low to mid 80s. And even though it was humid and sticky, we all agreed that we would rather have a little rain than a lot of sun. (One soldier who attended last year told me the heat rose to over 100, and it was hot and miserable.) The rain also helped keep the bugs away. We could have been eaten alive by mosquitoes and ticks, but that problem was largely checked. And every evening the fireflies came out and danced for us, which is a treat that we on the West Coast do not get to enjoy.

Monday morning, after the battles were over and the soldiers had packed up and gone, I went to the National Park's museum and then took the time to walk around the battleground. (The reenactment was on a farm a few miles north of town, but the battle itself occurred largely south of the town.) I stood on Little Round Top overlooking Devil's Den, and I walked along Cemetery Ridge and the Angle where Pickett's Charge came over the wall. I felt like a lone pilgrim paying homage to the history and tragedy of what happened 145 years ago. Anyone who has made similar journeys will know how moving of an experience that can be.

I am grateful for the chance to go, and I hope to make other trips like it. I have yet to see many actual battlefields, so places like Antietam, Chancellorsville, and Vicksburg are still on my list of places to visit. Perhaps next time Jennifer can come with me, and we can experience it together.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

Happy Life Suggestions

For when you are down, go to this site for inspiration. Make sure to turn on your speakers. It's only a minute long and will encourage you. Post a comment with your suggestions.

Mine:
Say a little prayer of thanks each day.

Remember to laugh.

Carpe Diem,
Jen

Thursday, June 26, 2008

The Secret Vacation Spot - Revealed!

For those who don't know where our travels took us on vacation, here are a few photo hints.




The view from our room:


Local foliage:


A side trip (?)


TA-DA!

If you can't guess from this photo, you don't know Jeff & Jen.



That's right! Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

We stayed in Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa.


Beautiful grounds too! We even took advantage of the Spa with Jeff receiving an 80 minute massage and Jen getting a great deluxe facial with a mini massage.



Most of you voted on our poll that we were going to Hawaii. Well, we've promised that trip to come when Jen's mom can come with us, so that particular vacation is still in the future.

We believe our friend Becky was the only one who voted for Disney World. (She was one of the first to vote so hers was easy to track.) Congrats on guessing correctly where we would most likely visit. Your prize: Nothing! Just enjoy the photos at our Flickr account.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Ginny Pig sent a postcard

Greetings!

We sent an electronic postcard from our 'secret' vacation spot. See if you can guess where we are.

Jeff and Jennifer

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Jen & Jeff ready to dance


Jen & Jeff
Originally uploaded by marcailgaelyn
I'm so glad Becky snapped this photo of me and Jeff! This is about the only shot of the two of us at the SDI Ball. Doesn't Jeff look dashing!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

SDI Victorian Summer Ball


1876 Evening Gown left
Originally uploaded by sewgirljen
Well, I finished my dress (mostly). The roses were only safety pinned on - not too bad. Total hours: 194!

Jeff kept me going throughout the last 3 months in getting this project completed. I wouldn't have succeeded if he hadn't supported me. And my C&C partner Sara too!

As we were at the hotel after the ball, Jeff and I realized that we didn't get a photo of just the two of us (or of our whole group for that matter). Too busy enjoying the evening I guess.

But it was a fun night. I was thoroughly exhausted but satisfied with the way Jeff looked (he pulls off a 19th Century gentleman very well) and how my gown looked.

Please check my Flickr photostream to see the other pictures I did manage to take.

Now to bed to catch up with sleep!

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Summer To-Do List

Here's to the three reasons I became a schoolteacher: June, July, and August. I have been enjoying my vacation so far, but I admit that I haven't done much that's productive. So I have given myself a list of things to accomplish over the summer. (There are only so many hours I need to spend anyway surfing the Net and playing computer games, and as much as I love Netflix, I can't spend all day watching movies.) Of course there's always the home maintenance and yardwork, but that's pretty constant and year-round, so I won't count that. Nor will I count the 'Honey-do' items that Jennifer gives me from time to time. So following is a (partial) list of things I plan to do while on break.

--Practice musical instruments: piano, mandolin, and guitar

--Learn how to operate the sequencer on my synthesizer

--Record songs that I've written, after learning to use the sequencer

--Practice foreign languages: French, German, Italian, Spanish (my French is rusty but OK, and my Spanish and German are at least a basic understanding--when we take that trip to Europe, even a little language goes a long way, so I want to keep them in my head)

--Read at least two classic novels and two modern ones (I read fairly fast, but the one I'm on now, Vanity Fair, is pretty long and may take a while)

With proper time management, this should not be too hard to do. I would love to go back to school in the fall with the satisfaction that I didn't just blow my summer vacation but actually accomplished something meaningful.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Cats Weigh In

When my iron exploded a couple weeks ago, we headed to Kohl's for a new one and picked up a new scale too. (We had thrown out the old one last summer when we moved.)
Well, just for fun we decided to see how much poundage was in each of our kitties.

Boy were we surprised (sort-of)!

Big Boy Mocha topped off at 20 1/2 pounds.

Little One Finley wowed us at 16!!



This is a rare shot of them sleeping so close together. That is a YARD STICK between them. Yes, they are THAT large.


Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Vacation Hint

Well, it's May 27th and we see no one has voted for Seattle and Lake Tahoe as places we could possibly go on vacation.
Some of you may not know that we honeymooned in Seattle (and Portland), and also that Jeff's stepfather co-owns a condo at Lake Tahoe good for the whole family's use.

So as a hint to where we are going on vacation, we just purchased new swimsuits and are thereby eliminating Seattle as a possible location. Seattle in June just doesn't seem like the place that demands new swim clothes. (Although we would love to visit the Pacific Northwest again. The Lion and the Rose B&B in Portland, Oregon was fabulous and our first experience at a bed and breakfast. Highly recommended.)

Now don't count out the other "non-swimsuit" places as we have very nice accommodations that have great amenities nearby that we will take full advantage of. "Pampered" is the word I'm thinking of (and that does not mean diapers!).

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Fun in the Garden

One of the many fun things about owning a home is discovering the joys and frustrations of gardening. From rescuing a brown lawn from winter's slumber to watching new growth in the spring, it's a lot more fun (and work) than either of us initially thought.

Not long after moving in, we decided to plant herbs and marigolds in the flower boxes on the back patio. Most of them have moved on to the great garden in the sky, but we still have 2 or 3 marigolds hanging on. One spearmint plant, which we thought had died twice already, is still around, as are some chamomile and rosemary that have proven to be pretty hardy. RIP to the parsley, cilantro, dill, oregano, and catnip. Better luck next time.

Our next venture into landscaping was a row of rose shrubs, a gardenia bush, and two hydrangeas. In our excitement to plant, we forgot to take into account that the roots need to be soaked thoroughly, and the new plants need a LOT of water. Lucky for us, none of them died, but it is going to be an uphill battle. I love gardenias, especially the fragrance, so I really want that one to survive. (If you've never smelled one, it's kind of like coconut. It reminds me a little of that tropical tanning oil that was so popular before all the SPF stuff came out.) The roses are just starting to bloom on a couple of plants, so we have a few little lavender-pink blossoms out front. Yay! I just hope the water bill doesn't shock us too much.

The hydrangeas were another adventure. One started to get some very small blooms, but the other one never seemed to do anything. We called the company we ordered from and they sent a replacement, so we are hopeful that we can get a few blooms out of them before it gets too hot. We also found out that the color of hydrangea blooms can change depending on the acidity of your soil. The picture in the catalog was white, but ours have some blue in them from the acid. They look fine, but if we decide we want white, I guess we'll have to mix in some alkaline. The fun of chemistry. Who knew that flowers could be a litmus test?

My latest project involved a sago palm that had been planted by the previous owners. It didn't look too healthy at first, but we kept at it. It finally started to perk up, but it just wasn't thriving like we thought it should. Then one day we noticed a strange black ring around the trunk. We dug a little and discovered that it had been planted with the original plastic pot. No wonder the roots weren't taking hold! So this morning I dug around the palm, cut off the pot, loosened and soaked the roots, and re-planted. Maybe now it will start to grow like a palm tree and not a little shrub.

We don't have green thumbs yet. Far from it -- just ask the herbs. But it is fun to try. We are mostly focusing on the front yard this season, and then we'll dive in to the backyard, where the real fun will begin. That will probably require some professional help, but we have some nice ideas in store.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

The States We've Seen

OK, so I'm feeling just detail-oriented enough to actually list the states we've visited. This will also tell you a bit about our history.

1992: Met in California; started dating in 1994
1995: Road trip to Arizona, New Mexico (where Jennifer is from), Colorado, Utah, and Nevada
1996: Married in October and honeymooned in Oregon and Washington; drove through Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama two months later while moving to Florida
1997: Road trip to Georgia and South Carolina
1998: Road trip to North Carolina
1999: Moved back to California
2004: Drove through Oklahoma to see family in Missouri; also saw parts of Kansas and Arkansas
2006: Ten-year anniversary trip. Flew to Massachusetts, then drove and saw Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
2007: Flew to St. Louis and drove into Illinois to see friends

That brings everyone up to date on the 28 states we have seen. We have taken other trips, of course, and both of us saw other states before we met, but I've only counted the travels that added new states as we saw them together. Jennifer has seen a total of 31 states, and I've seen 38 so far. Most of what's left is the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes area, northern Rockies, Appalachia, and Mid-Atlantic, plus Alaska and Hawaii. So we still have a ways to go, but we always have fun taking pictures of the "Welcome to..." signs on the state lines and buying souvenir magnets. Our refrigerator looks like an atlas!

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Merry Month of May

Being the owners of our first house, we find there are lots of new things in our lives. We LOVE having our own washer & dryer (doing laundry right now, in fact) and a nice big backyard. I just finished cutting the grass, and I was reminded of the line in "The Shawshank Redemption" that said May was one fine month for working outdoors. It's true, although the weather in California is probably warmer than it is in Maine (where the movie is set).

We fondly remember our trip to New England in October 2006, and Maine had some of the best weather of all the states we visited. One day when we feel adventurous we will see that part of the country in winter. We know it's cold, colder than anything central California sees, but the idea of the snow-covered bridges and villages just seems so romantic to us. (That's fine, you say. Take your sub-zero temperatures and give me a warm sunny beach somewhere. One of the points of pride with us is that we go places most people don't guess. That's what is fun about that poll of ours. We will keep you guessing til the end.)

We are both looking forward to our vacations, trips, and so forth. It seems we try to visit at least one new state a year. We're up to 28 now, which works out to two states for each of the 14 years we've been together. (For our 10-year anniversary trip, we saw seven new states in 10 days!) But even though we're just over halfway there, it gets harder to find new ones and takes longer to get there; but we plan to see all fifty, as well as Europe. (Gotta get those passports!) This year I will add Pennsylvania when I visit Gettysburg in July. Our 'mystery' trip may add another state to our list, but we won't tell...at least not until we get back and show pictures.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Vacation anyone?

Jeff is counting down the days til school gets out (May 30th);
I'm biting my nails as I count down the days til the SDI Summer Ball (June 14th).

Jeff needs a vacation (although being a school teacher, the summer is a nice, long vacation time to look forward to). I will need a break after feverishly completing my 1876 Evening Gown before I plunge head-first into my Costume College classes to teach and costumes to make.
(Check out my Historical Sewing blog to see my progress.)

Therefore, the small part of me that is impromptu has decided we are going on a trip right after the ball.

Question is: where are we going? We've already decided - but can you guess??
Have fun in answering our poll!

P.S. With my C&C partner, Sara and her husband Jeremiah, and my good friend Becky (Sara's sister) travelling to England, and our other good friends Maegen and Charlie visiting Hawaii, the travelling bug has bitten, enticing us to discover someplace new (or old).

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Flickr

This is a test post from flickr, a fancy photo sharing thing.

Email testing

Testing a blog post.
Jen
 

If you're ready to jump-start your sewing projects, learn helpful hints and tips, and have more fun in your historical sewing and reenacting, then get your FREE sewing tips now at www.CloakAndCorset.com!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Our Kitties

Here are our little (well, not little) kitties. Both are Maine Coon mix with large frames, tufts in the ears and paws and long bottle-brush tails.


Mocha is 10 years old, dark chocolate brown and weighs 19 pounds!


Finley is a year and a half, white and orange mix and is only 14 pounds.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Hello World!


Here is our first blog post. More to come. For now, check out my website: http://www.cloakandcorset.com !