Alma Boss: The Ghost of Christmases Past

Last year I had a minor obsession with Alma Boss - a woman who lived in Kansas City in the 1920s-1940s. She's not a relative, I've never met her, there's no information about her on the usual internet resources . . . So, why does this Christmas make me think of her? Because I spent hours last fall with her scrapbook. In anticipation of Christmas decorating, I won a large scrapbook on eBay that was filled with vintage Christmas cards. My plan was to make a garland with cards from the '20s and '30s for our mantel (the garland turned out really well, but that's another story).

The scrapbook was somewhat intact although rather worn - lots of brittle pages barely held together (I don't have pics of it - you know how it is in the Pre-Blog World- you don't photograph every mundane detail of life . . .). Some of the cards were loose, but many were still glued to the yellowed paper and in the process of removing these from the scrapbook and sorting through the almost-three decades of cards, I developed an affection for Alma and for vintage cards.

The cards from the 1920s are just cards - no fold-overs. Many have vivid colors and are hand-bordered in gold. The 1930s cards are mostly folded with those distinctive graphics that are reminiscent of old film titles.

Animals are a popular theme on the '30s cards - or perhaps it's not a trend, but a reflection of Alma's pet doggie?

The cards from the '40s are especially poignant - like this one sent just days or weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack.

As I worked to undo Alma's careful gluing, I wondered about her life. Like most of us, she received cards from many of the same people year after year. I started to recognize the names on the cards - relatives who shared the surname Boss, friends whose cards reflected their marriages and growing families, possible beaus. Some people like the Madsens below had expensive cards with their names imprinted. Others wrote chatty notes, one especially funny one from a female cousin tells Alma to "get married if you want to gain weight - I now weigh 180 ha ha" - who would write that today? (Or perhaps it was a passive-aggressive insult during the lean depression years?)

There are so many intriguing people between the pages of Alma's scrapbook - like her friend Opal Howard who faithfully sent Christmas and birthday cards for over twenty years, including this card below that appears to be hand-painted. Inside is simply her name written in plain calligraphy. Her cards show that she eventually married and then did not have time to paint her own cards!
I also found the Klein family interesting - for about 10 years Joe Klein always sent Alma a Christmas card. Then he married and he and Mrs. Klein sent the Happy New Year card seen below (note the Hebrew phrase). This was the last card from the Kleins to Alma . . .

Alma's scrapbook also contains birth announcements - a few with heartbreaking notes of the child's subsequent death. As you would expect, she preserved birthday, get well, and cards for other holidays. And on a more personal note, Alma appears to have had a love interest named Jack. He sent the card below which must have been more humorous then than now . . .

What's not visible in the photo is that Alma wrote his name 'Jackson' in the bottom right corner. There are probably 40 cards from Jack - Christmas, Easter, Birthdays, Valentines. He always signed the cards 'Jack', but Alma frequently noted his name as 'Jackson' - perhaps she felt the nickname Jack was too casual or undignified? Perhaps this is why he remained a beau for twenty years? It's obvious they had a close relationship because most of the cards have little notes or references that are meaningless to outsiders - we can only guess what he meant when he signed as 'The Hi Hat' or 'Your X Sheik' or modified a card meant for a Boss to read Bossy (again, perhaps a clue to their relationship)!

For Easter he always sent flowers as recorded by Alma on the cards. Tulips were a favorite and thanks to Alma's meticulous notes we know how many he sent and the colors. So, what happened with Alma and Jack? As I unpacked the cards again this year, I was reminded of their story. Did they marry? Was there another scrapbook that chronicled Alma's later life? What happened to all her friends? How did her scrapbook end up at an estate sale and then on eBay? I may never know what happened to Alma, but I can enjoy her beautiful Christmas cards and hope she'd approve of them decorating our mantel . . .

Oh! To Be in England in December

This time last year I was in England on a business trip - not the best time of year to be out of the country for 9 days, but the perfect time to be in England. Because what's more Christmassy than the home of Dickens? Fortunately I had a free day mid-week (due to an all-day holiday party to which I, as a contractor, was thankfully not invited) and was able to visit Blenheim Palace.


For a garden-loving, anglophile history buff few destinations compare to Blenheim.

It's the ancestral home of the Churchills, birthplace of Winston Churchill, with gardens designed by Capability Brown. The palace was festively attired inside and out. The trees below were very lovely - you would expect two small (well, when compared to the palace!) trees to just disappear, but these were very eye-catching.

There were also rows of tree nestled between columns on the wings, as seen below.

Very nicely done and quite cheery - don't you love the repetition and symmetry? Blenheim Palace is in the village of Woodstock which is a charming town with a variety of pubs, tea rooms, and shops. It was decked out in decorations that, while typical for English towns, were slightly nostalgic and exotic for me, like the over-the-door tree at this restaurant.

And the cosy streets leading to the town hall . . .

. . . where this tree was cheerily standing. (It's hard not to compare this with our town's fake perfect-triangle tree surrounded by tatty fake gifts . . . sigh.)

Wherever your travels take you this December, I hope you find a little holiday spirit!

Etiquette for a Parallel (Parking) Universe

If I say 'Driving Etiquette', what's the first thing that pops into your head? Speeders? Tailgaters? Mobile phone junkies? People who park in the fire lane at the grocery store? Drivers who park over the line in a crowded parking lot? People who empty their ashtrays at intersections?

Or, perhaps you don't have a complaint about other drivers, but a question about your own driving - 4-way stop etiquette, gas pump etiquette (I recommend moving to New Jersey where it's illegal to pump your own gas - what a great state!), or the etiquette when merging in a construction zone . . . the list is endless. But, today I want to address one simple aspect of driving: Parallel Parking.



The rule is this: If you don't know how to parallel park, don't do it!


It's that simple. Don't block traffic while you back in and out and in and out trying to get your car close enough to the curb (100-point turns are only amusing if the driver is Austin Powers). I learned to parallel park in Driver's Ed - perhaps they only teach that in small towns where students have the opportunity to practice in a real setting . . . ? Because many of the drivers who try to park in this town fail miserably - so why don't they use the off-street parking instead? It's free and usually available in the same block!

If you want to parallel park, but don't quite have the courage to try - here are the steps (as learned from Mr. Hunter in 1978):

1. Pull your car parallel to the car in front of the space in which you wish to park. Your car must be at least as far forward as the parked car (this is where most people go astray).
2. Reverse slowly. When the middle of your car is beside the rear bumper of the car beside you, begin to turn - think of your back right tire going towards the curb in the center of the parking space.
3. As you continue to reverse, straighten out the turn and your car should be parallel to the curb by the time you're fully in the parking space. (Don't straighten out too early, then you'll be too far from the curb!)
4. Pull forward to center your car in the space.

That's it - it's really quite easy and fun. With a bit of practice (not during a busy time on a busy street!), you'll be able to park with just these two movements every time. And, as I learned in Drivers' Ed all those years ago (feel free not to do the math!), if you don't get it right in the first two movements, you will probably not be able to correctly park by small back and forth movements! At best your vehicle will be parallel, but quite far from the curb.


And, once you've mastered that you can move on to parking on the reverse side of the street - that does take a bit of practice!

And since we can all use a refresher from time to time - check out this snippet of a clever song I heard recently on Car Talk: Driving Lesson by Don Burnham. You'll probably want to buy the CD or song; I'm putting it on my Christmas list right now! (Who doesn't need a reminder to "keep those round black things down; keep that shiny side up!)

Happy Motoring!

Something Old, Something New, Cookies - Cookies, Just for You!

I love holiday baking - do you? This weekend I baked two big batches of cookies - one new recipe that I've been planning to try for several years and one old recipe that is a favorite of many on our cookie gift list. Let's talk about the new recipe first - Mocha Almond Cookies.

They're very pretty as you can see. It's an easy recipe that is also fast - the only time consuming thing is rolling the cookies into balls and then rolling them in sugars (granulated, then powdered). I think kids would love rolling these - rolling them in granulated sugar first keeps the powdered sugar suspended and as they bake it cracks revealing the yummy chocolateness beneath! Here's the recipe:

Mocha Almond Cookies (from Martha Stewart's Holidays book)

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate (you won't be sorry if you use good chocolate here!)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
6 tablespoons coffee-flavored liqueur (I used Kahlua)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup blanched almonds, finely chopped or ground
Extra sugar, for rolling
Sifted confectioners' sugar, for rolling

1. Melt chocolate and butter in microwave, stir in liqueur; keep mixture warm.
2. In separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar until fluffy. Stir in chocolate mixture.
3. Sift together flour and baking powder; stir into chocolate mixture.
4. Stir in almonds. Chill dough until firm.
5. Roll into one-inch balls (another great use for a small scoop) and chill for 10 minutes.
   
6. Heat oven to 325.
7. Roll balls first in granulated sugar then in confectioners' sugar, coating well.
8. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool on rack.

Leah's notes: These cookies are better the second day - more moist and more chocolaty. These are a good choice for mailing/packing/exchanging as they don't crumble and are rather 'sturdy'.


Now on to the sugar cookies - this recipe makes the best sugar cookies I've ever tasted. It's easy, easy, easy and the cookies are light and crunchy with just a hint of almond.

And, if you're in a hurry (as we often are at the holidays, right?) you can use this dough with a cookie press and have five dozen cookies baked in an hour. Sometimes I do roll these out and decorate them, but often I use a cookie press (you don't even have to chill the dough!). As you know, cookie press cookies lose a bit of their shape during baking, but they're still very cheery and extremely tasty! (And some cookie press shapes are better than these trees - wreaths are a great choice.)


Queen Street Sugar Cookies

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (yes, this is the secret to the yumminess!)
1 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/2 cups flour (I use self-rising; if using all-purpose add 1 t. baking soda & 1 t. cream of tartar)

1. Mix butter and sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Mix well.
2. Stir in flour.
3. Chill at least three hours. Roll to 3/16" and cut into desired shapes.
4. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 7 to 8 minutes.

Leah's notes: Do not chill if using a cookie press, just press and bake immediately after mixing. Sugar cookies are best if they don't brown, so remove from oven as soon as cooked. You can sprinkle with sprinkling sugar before or after baking.

Happy Baking!

Give It Up for the Josef Elves!!

If you saw these elves in person, you would really give them a standing ovation.

These cheery little elves were made in the '50s or '60s by a company called Josef Originals. (They are best known for their birthday dolls.) Several years ago a friend found a few of these while cleaning out an estate in preparation for a house renovation. They did not appeal to her (one woman's kitsch . . . and all that) and since I liked them, she gave them to me . . . and thanks to eBay, that was just the beginning!

We were not familiar with these elves and wouldn't normally collect this type of knick-knack, but our original two elves were just so cute that we did the natural thing - looked on eBay, and discovered that there was a whole collection so over the years we've purchased . . .

and sold . . . and upgraded, until we have almost all the elves and with one exception the ones we now have are in great condition.

The one above is the exception - he's broken and chipped and has a stain on his face (or her face - who can say with elves?). But, whenever we've seen this one (The Sitter), he's broken due to the precarious manner in which he sits (notice that his seat today is a stack of miniature cupcake cups).

There are two rare ones that we'd like to own - one is stirring something in a large mixing bowl (I believe the bowl is an acorn cap!) and the other is pouring tea into a tiny cup - unbelievably cute! And as we all know, cute comes with a price - and so far we've been outbid on the few that have surfaced on eBay. (The more typical ones go for $10-20 in good condition. Broken and poorly repaired ones can be snapped up for under $5.)

The ones with labels are more valuable to some collectors. As a side note - the picture above is closer to the actual green color - in many of the pics the green looks faded and dusty (they are, in fact, very clean!).

And here's a picture we like to call "Elves on Camo". So now you've met the Josef Elves - I hope the pictures capture their whimsical nature. They are one of my favorite Christmas decorations and always bring a smile. (Be careful if searching for these online - Josef made other types of elves that are pretty scary . . . some have 'real' troll-type hair ~ shiver~!)

And if you have little ones who would appreciate a non-breakable elf, check out the Elf on the Shelf book. It's a fun book with an elf doll - the elf hides each night and your child can find him in the morning. We know kids who get almost as excited about the elf as Santa!

Have an elf-tastic weekend!

What is Barbed Wire, Alex?

You Jeopardy fans will recognize my 'answer in the form of a question'. The answer for this question is:

"Collectors of this 'devil's rope' look for 18-inch pieces with unique barbs, prongs, points, prickers, and stickers."

Yes, barbed wire collecting is very popular. Who knew?

Barbed wire is sometimes credited with taming the West, because it enabled ranchers to fence-in their cattle (and you only have to watch one re-run of Gunsmoke, Bonanza, or The Big Valley to know the importance of good fencing!). It was a huge innovation because there was not the money nor the labor to create wooden or stone fencing and for decades inventors were searching for a wire fence that could stand up to herds of cattle. The breakthrough came from someone whose name is well-known to 21st century Americans - Glidden.



Others had ideas for adding barbs to wire, but none were successful. In the 187os, Glidden patented his idea for two strands of wire - one smooth and one barbed - twisted together. Voila! (Okay, if you've watched Deadwood, you know that they didn't say Voila in the west, but you get the idea . . .) As is always the case with a great invention, others inventors copied it and lawmakers legislated it. To find out more about its interesting history, check out the Barbed Wire Museum website or read more about the Supreme Court ruling in Glidden's favor here.

Image courtesy the Devil's Rope Museum

By 1890, fenced pastureland had virtually replaced the open range in the western United States and eventually there were over 570 barbed wire patents and more than 1,000 different patterns. So as a collector there are lots of choices - choose a pattern or even wire from a certain location - like D-Day wire from the Normandy beaches. So, this might be the perfect gift for the person on your list who has everything - odds are he/she does not have any barbed wire.

I'd love to hear about your collections - even if you stick to more typical things like china or stamps!

128 Cheeseballs . . . and counting!

Who needs 128 cheeseballs? Someone having a party, of course. You may be thinking someone having a really large party . . . but the cheeseballs in question are individual-sized. The party in question was last night (at the house of friends) and here are some of my favorite things from the evening:

These beautiful napkins and ornament napkin rings. The rings on top soon held a lovely place card.

The dining room almost ready for guests. I love this dining room - it's elegant, yet warm and welcoming. For a large party, the furniture is re-arranged just a bit so the table can be extended. The sideboard usually sits beneath the mirror - what a good way to make the most of the room. By placing the table on the diagonal and moving a few other pieces, all the leaves can be added to the table. This really appeals to me because so often we only think of our rooms in one way . . . and there may be lots of possibilities for special occasions or even every day.

I also really appreciate the open, clean table setting. While I like elaborate tablescapes, they are usually designed for the designer and not the diner. It's very uncomfortable to dine on a cluttered table with barely enough room for the placesettings. Also, centerpieces that cover the whole center of the table and extend to within inches of the glassware are just too much - in my opinion. So when a table is actually in use, I find this type of setting just perfect.

These aprons always make me smile. There are three of us who have these (one is missing from the photo) and we've worn them for four years now and they still look like new! Perhaps because they're not worn for the real cooking . . .


And finally, these individual cheeseballs. These are leftovers, photographed a few minutes ago in a not-so-artistic arrangement. I wanted you to see how cute they are so I hope you'll overlook the presentation. These little cheeseballs are perfect in so many ways - for one thing they are great as leftovers - even as good as new (these are freshly rolled in parsley and paprika), whereas a big cheeseball may taste okay the next day, but it lacks something in visual appeal. I'm not going to tell you the other ways in which they're perfect - you'll have to make some for your next party and then you'll know! Half of these are white (rolled in parsley) and half yellow (rolled in paprika), but you could make them all the same and simply vary the coatings. Any cheeseball recipe will work; if you have a stainless kitchen scoop you can make the mini balls quickly. (As a side note, this is one of the most-used tools in my kitchen - I have three different sizes and love them all!)

There are so many yummy cheeseball variations and one of the easiest is simply goat cheese rolled in herbs. Here's the basic recipe for the cheeseballs above: 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese (at room temperature), 8 to 10 ounces sharp white or yellow cheddar (much tastier if you shred it yourself, and easier to shred/grate if cold). Mix these together with a fork or pastry blender and add: 1) 1-2 T. Worcestershire, or 2) 2-3 T. chutney or hot pepper jelly, or 3) 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or4) whatever seems tasty to you! Remember the flavors may become stronger as the mixture chills. Yield: about 60 small cheeseballs. Coat with paprika, parsley, etc. just before serving.

Hope your week brings a bit of the holiday spirit and some yummy treats! I'm off to deal with the leftovers . . . one way or another!

Springtime in December and a Coyote's Thoughts Turn to Battle

Oh, the weather outside is frightful . . . it's cold and rainy today. Yesterday, however, was a great December gardening day - sunny with temperatures in the upper 50s. We have had some recent days that were warm enough to confuse the spring bulbs - just look what's popping up:

Some things in the garden are on the right track, however. This camellia (Debutante) is just starting to bloom and it's full of buds. The exciting thing is that there are fewer discolored petals than in previous years. For a few years, I thought these were caused by flower blight and I made every effort to eradicate it, but now I'm not sure. At any rate, this year some of the blooms are perfect (as seen in the top photo) and the others are still pretty - if not totally free from blemishes.

And just in time for decorating the mantle and feeding the winter birds, our Winterberries are full of berries - not bad considering they were planted in April!


And, it's also the season for small victories over the deer and a whole new strategy! Thanks to my vigilant spraying, they've only munched one branch from this Winterberry this week . . .

It may not sound like a great victory, but it gives me a warm Churchill-like glow: "Never in the field of amateur gardening has so much been destroyed by so few" - so, in response, I shall fight them in the roses, I shall fight them in the pansies, I shall fight them in the Winterberries . . . I will never surrender!!

I'm very happy with my new approach - those of you who have followed my gardening woes this year know that my old strategy was Wile E. Coyote-esque, right down to the scene where I let the deer turn me into a crazed loser smushed under my Acme anvil. This new Churchillian approach is going to lead me to conquer the invading deer gang . . . I can hardly wait for the games to begin! Of course, if I'm victorious over the deer that will mean I have a Victory Garden! (Sorry, I never can resist a pun!)

Stop by tomorrow for some yummy holiday party food and fab decorations!

The Bloggers' Twelve Days of Christmas

Here's my version of the Twelve Days of Christmas - along with some related must-haves! I hope you won't mind that I skipped right to the last verse . . .

The Bloggers' Twelve Days of Christmas
On the twelfth day of Christmas
The blog world sent to me
Twelve bloggers blogging,
Eleven foll’wers foll’wing,
Ten tags a-clouding,*
Nine ladies crafting,
Eight minutes writing,
Seven hours re-writing,
Six pics a-cropping,
Five New Com-ments!
Four new ideas,
Three more hits,
Two giveaways,
And a way to express myself!

And what could make your Christmas days brighter than these Twelve Days of Christmas plates from Williams-Sonoma?

Or these Boho Holiday plates from Rosanna?

Or, these Twelve Days table linens from Williams-Sonoma?

Or Twelve Days ornaments like these from Crate and Barrel?

Hope your December is off to a good start!

*A Cloud Tag is a visualization of word frequencies. On my blog the topics appear in a cloud tag - the topics that appear more frequently are larger and bolder. There are lots of websites that let you make your own cloud tag - try it for your next presentation/art project/school project/blog, etc. Just google cloud tag and you'll see . . .