Any man can lose his hat in a fairy-wind. - Irish Proverb - UPDATE

John Michael Gray of The Hat Sisters has gone to glory. Rest in Peace and Feathers. A GoFundMe site has been set up to help Gray’s husband and Hat Sisters partner defray medical expenses. From the page:

In time of great social turbulence, profound illness, isolation and heartbreak in the gay community, John Michael Gray and Tim O’Connor created an extrodinary and heroic presence, by creating flamboyant works of fascinator haberdashery. The Hat Sisters joyously and generously entertained people from all walks of life with their unique and artistic fashion statement. They did not walk away from controversy. They walked towards acceptance, breaking down barriers of prejudice wherever they went. Just as they walked for us then, we will walk for them now.

I need to get out more. I just found The Hat Sisters. They have been making hats for fun, charity and each other for 30 years. I love hats. The Hat Sisters could be seen in their natural habitat at Carnival in Provincetown in July for many years. 

Life is Good or Drunk Ramblings

I got a bottle of Stella Artois and some decent doob. I got the Monday night quiets. And that is good. It is cooling down a bit outside.

Huma and Hillary prove the law. When a husband acts like a manwhore and follows his dick, it always his wife's sin/fault/responsibility. I get married and his dick becomes mine. I do not ever want to be a dicksitter.

Walter brought me a copy of the Polish paper and the St. John Cantius festival is happening again. Maybe I can find some old Polish Eagle to jump on. And I need real Polish food like a drunkard needs his booze.

I will give more information about the festival, but at the moment I am trashed. And happy about it. And dancing my ass on out here in internetland.

Smile with Music

Even though I am sick to death of this election, I am going to make telephone calls at the Democratic Party local headquarters on Wednesday night.

I give good phone. I used to work on the phone selling advertising for the Princeton Packet group of newspapers. I started in classified and won a prize selling the most Pick a Present ads at Christmas.

Never volunteered for a political party before. Did lots of volunteer church work. Trashmouth old me cleans up good if I have to. It is so hot that I spend most of my time at home in my undies. This was a good excuse to put on a skirt, some jewelry, a little Chanel.

I met Alvin, my section leader. He is 26 and cute. Too clean cut for me. I like the faintly evil type. August, the month of boredom and flies.

Art from Freaking News. 

Smile is based on an instrumental theme used in the soundtrack for the 1936 Charlie Chaplin movie Modern Times. Chaplin composed the music, inspired by Puccini's Tosca. John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons added the lyrics and title in 1954.

I love my Daughters

Luscious Lulu accompanied me to the yarn store, we tried on a million shoes and bought none. And then Margarita's. Good Mexican restaurant. Always crowded and noisy. I had Chiles Rellenos and a Corona.  I have done my physical therapy duty. It hurts good hurt. And I am hanging at home. 

Tomorrow Lizzie Borden is taking me to the garden store in her car so I can carry stuff I cannot carry on the bus. Life is good. Tomorrow it may not rain. I may see Sun. I am going to plant cilantro and basil for sure. Life is good.

Art from Sun Inspired Mandalas.

I decided I am going to stop reading or looking at or listening to anything about the election for my own mental health. Woosah.

Sitting at Home in the Polar Vortex

When unhappy or bored, I look at pictures of animals. HippySloth spoke to my condition.

I will be back to complain and disclaim as soon as I get some coffee. We are out of coffee. Bad planning.

Bill Maher fires up on the air. Why does he always grin like a 2 year old found whizzing in the geraniums. I did good, Mom, right? Yes dear.

SCOTUS COMES OUT FOR MARRIAGE!

Right on Time Barbecue Sauce

I am blessed with seriously foody friends. Only a friend will give you their prize recipe for Barbecue Sauce.

Iron Pyrite's Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

1 stick of Butter
1 chopped white Onion
1 minced Garlic clove
4 teaspoons of Tabasco sauce (more of less to suit taste)
1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice
2 tablespoons of Chili Powder (more or less to suit taste)
2 cups of apple cider Vinegar (rice vinegar will give a more “sour” finish)
1 32-ounce bottle of Ketchup (more or less to suit taste)
1-1/2 cups of Brown Sugar (more sugar will tend to thicken the mixture, and make more of a glaze on the meat)
4 tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce (Lea and Perrin’s is good)
Fine ground Black Pepper (add to suit taste while cooking)

Melt butter in a large frying pan, and sauté the onions and garlic until light brown. I like to sauté the onions and garlic starting with a low heat, then gradually increase the heat up to a “medium” level, until the onions and garlic start to “liquefy” in the butter. If you choose to do this, you will have to ensure that the onions and garlic are finely chopped/minced.

Bring the heat down to a high simmer, and add the remaining ingredients, starting with the ketchup; thoroughly stir the ketchup into the mix, then add the brown sugar a few small scoops at a time, so that it will not “clump”, and continue to stir consistently.

Once all the ingredients have been added, bring the heat down to a low simmer, and stir frequently for about 45 minutes to an hour. This is time to add the “suit to taste” ingredients that you like. Keep refrigerated - will keep well in the refrigerator.

World Food Day Posters 2014

Congratulations to the winners of World Food Day Poster Contest 2014 entitled ‘Family Farming’.

I present my favorite posters  because the children's art is so amazing and energizing. 

Go to the link to see all the posters in the contest and the names of the artists and their ages. You can also find out how to enter your child or your class in next year's contest. 

OMG GOP WTF? - Open the Old Cigar Box

Tom Delay hates the new Cuba policy.

“This is surrender,” DeLay said. “This is a president who is a socialist to begin with reaching out to his socialist friends and opening up relationships with one of the most oppressive regimes in the world. The only worse one I can think of right now is North Korea.”

China and Saudi Arabia are repressive regimes. We have relationships with them. North Korea? Tom is nothing if he is not fashion conscious. And just a chickenshit scared as SONY evidently. 

Tom Delay is not integrity challenged. Hell no! As Kinky Friedman once said "I'm not supporting their economy, I'm burning their crops."

BuckeyeB's TEX-MEX Munch Mix

I am not interested in football. I am surrounded by those who do like football. They need football snacks, so I make them snacks. 

BuckeyeB has been kind enough to give me (us) her famous snack mix. You will not believe how good this is until you make it. I give it to you as she gave it to me. 

TEX-MEX MUNCH MIX

1 box (12 oz) Cheese-It type crackers

1 stick butter (butter)

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix (I use Ortega Hot & Spicy)

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire

½ teasp. Seasoned salt

Pre-heat oven to 250. Spread crackers on a large foil/parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer. I always eat a handful at this point, ‘cause the box sizes were different when I first put this recipe together, & there’re too many crackers in a 12 oz. box for my cookie sheet…& ‘cause I’m the cook & I can!

Melt butter in a small saucepan & add the rest, mixing well. Pour over crackers & mix well again. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

When the 1st batch goes in the oven, mix up another batch of the butter mix & do the same with a roaster pan full of whatever you like/have on hand, things like…

1 large can French’s Onions (no generics)

1 can salted peanuts

1 can potato sticks

Corn chips, pretzels, bagel chips, crackers…whatever. Put this pan in the oven when you stir the first batch the first time, & bake it for the remaining 45 minutes, stirring every 15, too…otherwise the onions burn.

Turn both batches out to cool...I use the top of a copy paper box...& sprinkle with a little salt of your choice. I use plain ole kosher! 

If you make a bunch of batches…like at Xmas…write down the
time you put the crackers in the oven, or you start losing track. Trust me!

ENJOY!

Ms. Mary Walker's Green Tomato Chutney

I know that I am not the only gardener in Pennsylvania gazing at a bumper crop of tomatoes. Ms. Walker has been kind enough to share her recipe for Green Tomato Chutney with me.

You can learn more about Ms. Walker, British expatriate HERE. 

Unconditional surrender of Europe occurred on my 11^th birthday and, in the evening my dad suggested that we ‘go for a walk’. My sister warned that we would be late for the curfew. My Dad simply answered – “It’s such a nice evening, I don’t think we’re going to worry about that tonight”. Cat’s Whisker receivers WORKED! 

Mi casa es su casa. So I am sharing with you, Cher Reader. I give it to you as she gave it to me. Stay tuned for her recipe for Garlic Jam. When Ms. Mary said Garlic Jam, I began to salivate immediately.

GREEN TOMATO CHUTNEY

5 lbs chopped green tomatoes
1 lb chopped onions
1 tsp whole peppercorns
1 tsp salt
1 lb sugar
1-1/2 cups vinegar (I use either white wine vinegar or cider vinegar)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup sultanas

Mix tomatoes, onions and peppercorns in a large bowl and let sit overnight (covered)
Bring vinegar and sugar to a boil (until sugar is melted) 
Add sultanas and raisins and simmer for 5 minutes
Add tomatoes and onion mixture and simmer till thick (about 40 to 45 minutes).
Put into 8 oz jars - leaving about 1/4inch head-space - and can for 15 minutes.

Smile when you say "Open Carry," Partner.

Open Carry Guitar Rally
July 4th in Texas

They came early. 
They brought their axes. 




Nobody got hurt. Nobody was scared. Even though there were some weapons of mass production and aural dissemination. 

When it was over, everybody went home tired, happy and humming. Barry Kooda and friends made it happen. And they swear they are going to do it again. 

Reading to Cats

This is the feel-good Pennsylvania story of the month. I love cats.

The Animal Rescue League of Berks County PA has a program called “Book Buddies.” Children volunteer to read to sheltered cats. Via Reddit.

Have patience if you go to their website. Everyone is going there for more information, more pictures and to donate to this great program. The boy in the photo thought he was "too dumb" to learn to read. Nope. His reading and grades have improved tremendously. And the cats are finding forever homes.

Garden Dreaming in Snowy Philadelphia

Borage

SPRING will be here March 21 and I am dreaming my new garden. I have a very small back garden. Every year I do something different. Ask me "So what is new and exciting" and I will tell you more than you ever wanted to know about Bees.

You can grow Things to Eat and Flowers in the smallest space. If you are new to gardening and/or tend to be neat and like structure, you may find Square Foot Gardening of use. Or you may plant a Spiral Garden. Or grow vegetables in a pipe. 

Origanum Syriacum

I come from Farmer stock and I am of the "just throw it in there and see if it grows" school of garden thought. Nature is wild and so am I.

Even I dream and plan. You have to plan. Ever grow too many Zucchini? No? Never do that. Your neighbors will only absorb so much Zucchini before they run when they see you coming.

This year I am adding two new Herbs, lovely blue Borage to attract Bees and an exotic Oregano used to make a condiment called Zaatar to sprinkle on my Hummus. It is so worth it to grow Herbs. I thought I hated Oregano until I grew some and tasted the dried Herb I grew myself. Nothing like that dessicated stuff in the supermarket. And I sent for my Fig Tree.

Every warmish sunny day I am outside staring prayerfully at my Texas Star Hibiscus and hoping for that first shoot. I planted it last Summer. It is said to be hardy but it has been a long snowy Winter here in Philadelphia. Even in Texas they pamper it. We shall see. No room in a row house garden for sissy plants.










Last but not least, I am excited about the Three Sisters garden concept, so I am going to squeeze in one of them somewhere. Squash tends to spread. I have too much shade from neighboring back gardens. So maybe I will have to borrow a garden? And so my fevered garden dreams grow and go.

When I Get Low, I Get High

Click Me!

 “Why is marijuana against the law? It grows naturally upon our planet. Doesn’t the idea of making nature against the law seem to you a bit . . . unnatural?” ― Bill Hicks

Please notice, Ladies and Gents, that Randy Pall is now being described as "libertarian-leaning." That is because no Libertarian with integrity would propose such legislation.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) has thrown his support behind legislation that Republicans could use to force President Barack Obama to crack down on legal marijuana in states like Colorado and Washington.

Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, the libertarian-leaning senator said he supported the Enforce the Law Act, which has been approved by the House. The legislation would allow Congress to sue the president for failing to faithfully execute laws. - Eric W. Dolan 

“The amount of money and of legal energy being given to prosecute hundreds of thousands of Americans who are caught with a few ounces of marijuana in their jeans simply makes no sense - the kindest way to put it. A sterner way to put it is that it is an outrage, an imposition on basic civil liberties and on the reasonable expenditure of social energy.” 
― William F. Buckley Jr.

“And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.” 
― Anonymous, Holy Bible: King James Version

Knit for Nature

Click Me!

Calling all Knitters. Sick Penguins need sweaters. Knit and purl, Darlings. 

For those wishing to donate a jumper, the island’s Penguin Foundation has created a handy knitting pattern guide. "Jumper" is Australian for sweater. 

If you cannot knit, send a bit of money. They probably need the money more than they need the jumpers. Just my opinion. Money is always in good taste. 

Jumper Contest Winning Entries

If you love Penguins as much as I do, consider making a trip to see the Penquin Parade. Failing that, knitting a Penguin Sweater is a great way to pass knitting knowledge to a new generation and teach love of nature and geography. Get busy. Be Happy!

Click Me!

Smoke House Sausage and Sauerkraut

I was fond of Smokies sausages when I was a child. It was the lunch treat my Polish Mother, the Polka Queen, brought home every Saturday from the supermarket. They disappeared for a bit but Oscar Mayer recently started making them again.

If you are fond of traditional smokehouse flavor and are food additive conscious, I recommend Czerw's Kielbasy and Polish Provisions. Their home made products contain no by-products, artificial color, fillers, or added water.

Shop early in the week, especially on Easter. You will find that lines of people go around the block on Easter. Poles take Easter seriously. 

I buy barrel Sauerkraut, smoked Cajun Kielbasa which my children love, and Kabanosy, a sort of hot Polish Slim Jim. We have lots of assimilation in Foody Nation Philadelphia. You can get directions, history of the shop, and a list of their products at their website.

 Jan Czerw, Grandfather of the current owners, immigrated from Mislsi, Poland. In 1938, Jan Czerw converted a horse stable into a shop. He built the brick ovens meat is smoked in himself. Czerw's Kielbasa still stands in that original spot, using the same brick ovens built almost 70 years ago. For the Czerws, traditon and quality are standard.

Wesolych Swiat i dobre jedzenie!

Note: There are about 600,000 Folks in Philadelphia who think of themselves as Polish. All those good Folks like to eat good Polish Food. I am going to tell you where I find it. There many excellent Polish shops and food purveyors in Philadelphia. I do not pretend this is a thorough list of every single Polish shop in Philadelphia or nearby. It is where I shop. Maybe you know a good place? Leave a comment and I will go there and give it a try. And write about it. - Plum

My Warmies, My Dog and Me

There is a way to stay warm in Winter, indoors and out. That way is wearing layers of clothing. And never forget your hat.

Nevertheless, layers are a good thing because they trap air in between them, which acts as an insulator for heat. And they can be put on and taken off depending on the varying situations  - Alok Jha, How to Dress for Antarctica

I am not dressing for polar regions. I am a Holiday Inn kind of girl. I do not camp out. A dog showed up at my house one day, fully grown, and now she is my Baby. I like to go outside and walk the dog in the snow. And I consider the weekday one mile walk to the post office part of my plan to stay healthy and active.

Layering your clothing is a tried-and-true way to maximize your comfort in the outdoors. The beauty of this simple concept is that it allows you to make quick adjustments based on your activity level and changes in the weather.

Each layer has a function. The base layer (against your skin) manages moisture; the insulating layer protects you from the cold; the shell layer(outer layer) shields you from wind and rain. You simply add or subtract layers as needed.

For a deeper understanding, read on.

I write this for all the Folks like me who walk their dog in the snow. Now you know how to keep from shivering. I write this to introduce CuddlDuds warmies. I wear them. I write this because I love my dog. Dogs are good people. They need lots of exercise. This post was created in partnership with eAccountable. All opinions are my own. Let it SNOW!

Fallen Fruit Park with Update: Neighborhood Infusions

UPDATE: I did more research about Fallen Fruit artists cooperative. I think the ongoing INFUSIONS project is fascinating. It is a new frontier for this Community Artist.

An ongoing project by Fallen Fruit, in collaboration with Greenbar collective organic distillery in which we pick the fruit we find on a certain street or locale, infuse it in vodka, and name it for the neighborhood.  We’re interested in the essence of that place, to think about its unique qualities but also look at it as a template for creating more livable and individualized neighborhoods. The question Neighborhood Infusions asks is tinged with irony: can you capture the essence of a place in a bottle?  The work is served off the wall by docents (rather than bartenders), who take time to interpret its implications for those interested in consuming it.

I found the City Farmer News website. It seems to be The Blog about urban farming. Those with an interest must go there. I found this new work of art there - a Fruit Park. I have been envisioning turning the many pocket parks in Philadelphia into mini fruit farms. I cheered when I saw that I am not alone in my thinking, planning, plotting ...

Grand Opening On Saturday, January 5, 2013 At Del Aire Park

Press Release
Dec 26, 2012

The trees were planted with the support of the Los Angeles County Arts Commission Civic Art Program and the guidance of Fallen Fruit, an artists’ collaborative founded by David Burns, Matias Viegener and Austin Young, whose mission is to unite communities through the creation of sustainable public art projects. Del Aire residents planted 27 fruit trees, eight grape vines, more than 60 trees were given away to neighbors. Once the trees bear fruit, all park visitors will be encouraged to pick from the new edible landscape at harvest time. Within three years, the trees are expected to be completely sustainable and drought tolerant.

The Fruit Park, which was funded through a creative use of county civic art dollars, is part of a larger plan by Chairman Ridley-Thomas to see community gardens planted in every unincorporated area in the Second District. So far, new gardens have been established in Florence-Firestone and Lennox, and locations and funding have been identified for gardens planned for Willowbrook, Athens and Baldwin Hills.

Turkey Crack-Up

I found this in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1945 collection of essays, notebook excerpts, and letters, The Crack-Up

TURKEY REMAINS AND HOW TO INTER THEM WITH NUMEROUS SCARCE RECIPES

At this post holiday season, the refrigerators of the nation are overstuffed with large masses of turkey, the sight of which is calculated to give an adult an attack of dizziness. It seems, therefore, an appropriate time to give the owners the benefit of my experience as an old gourmet, in using this surplus material. Some of the recipes have been in my family for generations. (This usually occurs when rigor mortis sets in.) They were collected over years, from old cook books, yellowed diaries of the Pilgrim Fathers, mail order catalogues, golf-bags and trash cans. Not one but has been tried and proven — there are headstones all over America to testify to the fact.

Very well then. Here goes:

Turkey Cocktail: To one large turkey add one gallon of vermouth and a demijohn of angostura bitters. Shake.

Turkey à la Francais: Take a large ripe turkey, prepare as for basting and stuff with old watches and chains and monkey meat. Proceed as with cottage pudding.

Turkey and Water: Take one turkey and one pan of water. Heat the latter to the boiling point and then put in the refrigerator. When it has jelled, drown the turkey in it. Eat. In preparing this recipe it is best to have a few ham sandwiches around in case things go wrong.

Turkey Mongole: Take three butts of salami and a large turkey skeleton, from which the feathers and natural stuffing have been removed. Lay them out on the table and call up some Mongole in the neighborhood to tell you how to proceed from there.

Turkey Mousse: Seed a large prone turkey, being careful to remove the bones, flesh, fins, gravy, etc. Blow up with a bicycle pump. Mount in becoming style and hang in the front hall.

Stolen Turkey: Walk quickly from the market, and, if accosted, remark with a laugh that it had just flown into your arms and you hadn’t noticed it. Then drop the turkey with the white of one egg—well, anyhow, beat it.

Turkey à la Crême: Prepare the crême a day in advance. Deluge the turkey with it and cook for six days over a blast furnace. Wrap in fly paper and serve.

Turkey Hash: This is the delight of all connoisseurs of the holiday beast, but few understand how really to prepare it. Like a lobster, it must be plunged alive into boiling water, until it becomes bright red or purple or something, and then before the color fades, placed quickly in a washing machine and allowed to stew in its own gore as it is whirled around. Only then is it ready for hash. To hash, take a large sharp tool like a nail-file or, if none is handy, a bayonet will serve the purpose—and then get at it! Hash it well! Bind the remains with dental floss and serve.

Feathered Turkey: To prepare this, a turkey is necessary and a one pounder cannon to compel anyone to eat it. Broil the feathers and stuff with sage-brush, old clothes, almost anything you can dig up. Then sit down and simmer. The feathers are to be eaten like artichokes (and this is not to be confused with the old Roman custom of tickling the throat.)

Turkey à la Maryland: Take a plump turkey to a barber’s and have him shaved, or if a female bird, given a facial and a water wave. Then, before killing him, stuff with old newspapers and put him to roost. He can then be served hot or raw, usually with a thick gravy of mineral oil and rubbing alcohol. (Note: This recipe was given me by an old black mammy.)

Turkey Remnant: This is one of the most useful recipes for, though not, “chic,” it tells what to do with the turkey after the holiday, and how to extract the most value from it. Take the remnants, or, if they have been consumed, take the various plates on which the turkey or its parts have rested and stew them for two hours in milk of magnesia. Stuff with moth-balls.

Turkey with Whiskey Sauce: This recipe is for a party of four. Obtain a gallon of whiskey, and allow it to age for several hours. Then serve, allowing one quart for each guest. The next day the turkey should be added, little by little, constantly stirring and basting.

For Weddings or Funerals: Obtain a gross of small white boxes such as are used for bride’s cake. Cut the turkey into small squares, roast, stuff, kill, boil, bake and allow to skewer. Now we are ready to begin. Fill each box with a quantity of soup stock and pile in a handy place. As the liquid elapses, the prepared turkey is added until the guests arrive. The boxes delicately tied with white ribbons are then placed in the handbags of the ladies, or in the men’s side pockets.

There I guess that’s enough turkey talk. I hope I’ll never see or hear of another until—well, until next year..