Gail Ingis's Blog, page 2

Yikes! I’m Going Gray at 84!

Hi-lights and trim

The COVID pandemic, while challenging and exhausting in so many ways has had one positive effect on me and, I suspect on you too. It has helped me “embrace” my gray hair – the color represents those years of trial and error–and all the little pieces woven into my hair. I recently went back to the hairdresser for the first time since COVID, and I decided to let my “golden years” show.

Yikes! I’m going gray at 84!

Hi-lights and trim

COVID has helped me “embrace” my gray hair – the color represents all those years of wonder, success and all the little pieces! Now, since I went back to the hairdresser for the first time since COVID, I’m letting my “golden years” show.

Need Directions?

 

Are you in need of directions? No problem. You can find them at Walmart (and other stores too). Just follow the arrows. Go no later than 7:30 am, plan to be done by the bewitching hour—8:00 am.

Seniors are privileged on Tuesday’s from 6:00 am to 7:00 am. In case you didn’t know, we are seniors. No one is there except the folks that work there when they are friendly, smiley and eager to please, until the bewitching hour when no one follows the arrows. I had to wait in line for my turn to get into the isle because a man was taking up the space with his cart going the wrong way. Hopefully, he doesn’t drives his car the same way. I could tell right through her mask that the lady behind me made a face toward him. I said it’s okay, you go next when the man decides he’s done, just be careful as he comes out of the isle. I’ll come back later.

 

Tom and his cart

I needed a little notebook for my lists, and only a worker was in the stationary isle. I

asked if he had a pencil to try in the notebook spiral. I felt guilty because he turned one of the desks inside out to find one for me. I was impressed and thanked him lots. I told the young man to never mind because the spiral looked like it would work. He smiled and thanked me. Imagine that?

What does Walmart have that makes us a shopper there? Can’t usually beat the prices. And their knockoffs in various departments are terrific, and I’m not talking about clothes, but feminine things, vitamins, over the counter meds, and more.

Guess what they have lots of . . . bleach.

Lots of bleach

My current books

Birthday blowout!

Birthdays, ah, we love them, but do we? They’re inevitable, some are good, some are weird, and some are long-awaited. We can’t wait to reach thirteen.

WOW, finally—I’m a teenager!

A teenager at thirteen doesn’t seem to make much difference except we begin to feel grown-up, and start to notice our parents are becoming disagreeable.

Then there’s that sweet-sixteen party for the girls, leaving the boys out in the cold unless they get invited. Well, that’s a piece of cake to figure out, we can dance with them. If they don’t know how we can teach them.

But wait, isn’t eighteen grown up? We get to drive. That’s the driving age in Brooklyn and New York City—and vote. Both driving and voting are huge responsibilities. The day my driver’s license arrived in the mail—I couldn’t wait to open the envelope—’PASSED.’

Dad danced with me when I showed him my shiny new license. “Good job, now I want you to pick up your mother at work, she gets off at 5:00 pm.” She worked on 47th and Broadway in New York at a place they make dungarees, Blue Bell. I did it! I took the Belt Parkway to the Gowanus Expressway and over the Manhattan Bridge, and I drove back the same way with my Mom in the car. “Good Job,” she said.

The other biggie, voting. We choose all kinds of governmental people, like the President of the United States. You’ve almost forgotten all the fun you had at your sweet sixteen, dancing with the boys, eating goodies and blowing candles out on your cake–and now you can vote? Have you been following the presidential candidates and the promises to their country, their philosophy, and their skills to make appropriate decisions that will affect the people and you?

Are you busy graduating from high school, and choosing a college, be it virtual or not? I don’t know—the responsibilities of an eighteen-year-olds’ are daunting, aren’t they?

Should I go on? What happens at twenty-one, turning thirty, or even forty, supposedly over-the-hill? I don’t think there’s an over-the-hill anymore. We are healthier than ever. We exercise, make our hearts more robust, and our lungs better to fight off dangerous viruses.

In this house, we’ve seen fifty, sixty, seventy, and even eighty. Life has gotten better and busier, and okeydokey as daddy used to say. We win contests for writing, for dancing, for fashion. We promote healthy products for Beautycounter, the most innovative and forward-thinking company in the USA!

Where will it all end? In heaven, I guess. I’m just too busy. Heaven can wait.

My current books

 

My Big Brother Jay Gerber – Success Written in the Sky

From the army to the skies – Jay Gerber never backs down from a challenge.

My big brother, Jay Gerber, is my spokesman for his memoir. You guessed it, I’m writing his story with him.

Jay has accomplished more in his 87 years than most people could in two lifetimes. But he’s not done yet! He wants to get it all down in a book – all his adventures, and he asked me to write it.

It was the beginning of him becoming a mature teenager—oh, I know that’s an oxymoron–but the high school at Carson Long Military Institute taught Jay a thing or two. Then off to college, then into the army, then back to university and successful completion of medical school. He did a short stint as a podiatrist but was too busy making movies, flying, then sat in his own Piper Cherokee 180, and filming football for NFL Films. Not necessarily in that order. And somewhere in-between he married a gorgeous blue-eyed blond, My fabulous, amazing sister-in-law and friend, Barb.

His love for flying and football always took center stage, and his knowledge in technology and photography is embedded in his DNA.

Jay has earned many accolades over the years.

At seven-years-old, he built his own planes from balsa wood and tissue paper. It all began after a trip with Dad to the 1939 World’s Fair Aviation Exhibit. He built the planes while I watched as he glued the pieces together and smelled up our shared bedroom. No, we don’t remember getting a hit from the glue. Back then, the glue was handy to put things together. Then he added rubber bands and threw the planes up in the air till they ran out of the twisted rubber bands and crash-landed. He didn’t care if they got damaged—he fixed them and threw them back into the air again. I asked Jay to build one for me so we could fly them together.

 

 

This model planes grew in size, then he installed engines and even created a control shift like the stick shifter in Dad’s 1938 Plymouth. He landed the plane by doing something with that stick, remote control is what it’s called. The planes kept growing until he eventually bought a ready-made plane that he sat in and flew. Jay was fortunate to own a Piper Cherokee 180 and then a Cherokee SIX 260. He certainly earned his wings including the private instrument, commercial, and twin ratings.

He sold the Cherokee SIX to a ham radio retailer. As part of the sale, he received a ham radio station. This led to his extra class license as an N3AW and a ham radio contest station where he competed in many worldwide phones and CW [Morse Code] contests.

“Very few people build their planes anymore. Many of these ships come pre-built as carbon fiber fuselages and foam core covered wings…and are beautiful…we have to do a lot of work to install all the motors, radio equipment, and servos (surface control devices) which are very costly,” Jay said.

And at the ripe young age of 72, Jay learned to play the piano. Well, it’s about time he learned. I’ve been playing since the age of 7. I asked Jay was he jealous of me playing the piano? “Nope” because he played clarinet and sax, and had a band when he was in college.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, what would retirement be without adding a few rounds of golf into the mix as well? Leave it to my brother — he’s an expert on the links too.

He’s been honored by the Academy Model Aeronautics (AMA) for his brilliance in all the above. For most of his career, he worked for the NFL in their film and technical division.

Franco Harris, Steelers running back & President George Washington

 

Jay is also the guy who filmed the famous Immaculate Reception play during the Steelers and Raiders divisional playoff game on December 23, 1972, at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. At the airport, there’s a statue of Franco Harris, who caught the football, next to one of George Washington. You all know who that is, right

The time Jay and I spend together is the best part of writing this book. All the memories of our childhood, teenage adventures, and the joyful and poignant changes that adulthood brings. Through it all Jay has always been my big brother. My first hero. And my dear friend.

 

Jay filming for NFL in the press box

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is us!

Jay and Gail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gail (Gerber) Ingis is an artist, interior designer, and published author. Her historical romances Indigo Sky and The Unforgettable Miss Baldwin are both available on Amazon. Gail is currently writing a memoir with her brother Jay S. Gerber. He’s a man that rose from rags to riches, find out how in his memoirs, maybe by the end of this year.

My current books

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Great Cheesecake Mystery

We picked a good day to prune our aged cherry tree. Lots of healthy exercise and well worth the work. After we finished the tree we made the cheesecake.

We did a much better job pruning the cherry tree than we did with the cheesecake!

The Cheesecake recipe that I’ve been making for fifty years was the best, I thought.

Then my almost 24-year-old grandson, Matt, began baking. One Thanksgiving, maybe three years ago, when it was dessert time, he pulled his work of art from the refrigerator and set it on the counter in all its glory, as a centerpiece, like a jewel in the crown, surrounded by dirt cake, thumbprint cookies, tiramisu, and Aunt Madeleine’s handmade chocolates.

 

Working up an appetite before we dig into the cheesecake.

I’ve been baking almost my whole life. I’ve made my share of delicious cheesecakes. Yeah right, my cheesecake is nothing compared to Matt’s. The best I ever tasted. The best. I asked him for the recipe, but alas, he couldn’t tell me, he had made a promise. He said the person who gave him the recipe said that it was an old family secret recipe. A SECRET? Whoever heard of such a thing? And this mysterious person made my Matt promise that he would never reveal the magic ingredients. Imagine that!

“But I’m your Grammy,” I said to Matt. “Surely it would be acceptable to give me the recipe.”

“Nope,” Matt replied. “I’m sorry, Grammy but a promise is a promise.”

A couple of years went by, and I asked Matt again if he would share?

“The person that gave me the recipe has passed away,” he replied. “But nope Grammy, a promise is a promise.”

Well, I resigned myself to my fate. I would never get that recipe. But you know what? Matt impressed me with his solemn vow to the person who gave it to him.

Springform into action!

The other day I FaceTimed with son Rick and Matt was home. I was curious, so I asked Matt what kind of pan he uses to bake his cheesecake.

“Spring-form pan,” he said.

“Oh good, that will be much easier for me than my trusty pie plate.”

I told Matt that I had just made a cheesecake—it was good but the sour cream topping was a little too soft when we ate it five hours later. I refrigerated overnight and it firmed up more to perfect.

I decided to bake another one this week and use my regular two packages of cream cheese but this time I’ll add a cup of sour cream to the mix rather than use it as a topping.”

“That’s what I do,” Matt said.

The ingredients

Aha! He didn’t tell me his recipe, but his agreement got me all excited,

So I tried to guess at his recipe. I tried to solve the cheesecake mystery but unfortunately, I didn’t crack the case! The cheesecake that I took out of the oven collapsed on me. I added the sour cream to the batter instead of smearing it on top. And so it fell in the center and it was also browned the top like a grilled steak. It tasted pretty good but it wasn’t MY usual cheesecake. This is what happens when you try to be a cheesecake sleuth!

My original, trusty, fifty-year recipe is here below for your perusal. Gail’s Cheesecake. I’m not so secretive with my recipes.

GAIL’S CHEESECAKE:

Crust for Cream Cheese Cake

This was my attempt at trying to guess at Matt’s cheesecake and as you can see it didn’t turn out right. I had to cover the top with some fresh sour cream. But it’s tasty.

Poor cheesecake!

Use 9” pie pan

12 full Graham crackers

3/4 stick of butter, melted

Roll out crackers or use a blender, brush some butter on the pan first

then put the crumbs in the pie plate and add melted butter.

Blend with fork and spread. Then take a smaller pie plate to even out shell

If using for other pies: bake 10 min at 400 degrees

There’s nothing like enjoying a bite of cheesecake with your sweetheart.

Gail’s Cheese Cake

1lb cream cheese (2 packs eight oz each)

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg, 1 egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla

Mix 15 minutes on 1 speed. Add to pie shell & bake 375, for 20 min

Topping:

½ pint (or 1 cup) sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Mix 10 min on 1 speed, add to the hot pie. spread on top. Turn up the oven to 400 degrees, Put the pie in the oven for 5 minutes. Let pie cool. Then refrigerate. Do not cut for three hours. Best if the pie is placed in the refrigerator overnight.

No springform pan, all the butter leaked out leaving the graham cracker crust too hard. I still have my good old 8″ pie pan.

Gail Ingis is an artist, interior designer, and published author. Her historical romances Indigo Sky and The Unforgettable Miss Baldwin are both available on Amazon.

My current books

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Room With A New View

Great Room

From our hearth to yours.

Tom and I have been hanging around the house a lot lately – as everyone is and we had the idea to freshen things up. What better way to pass the time than an easy (and free) home project. When was the last time you rearranged your furniture? How about today? You can give your main room a different look by changing where you’re seated. Build your seating around a painting, television or fireplace. Remember your traffic pattern too. How do you get to the seating? Three feet between furniture works. If you have a coffee table, keep the table about eighteen inches away from the sofa so you can put down your wine goblet.

I could go on, but because you are spending most of your time at home these days, try out what you rearrange and if you don’t like it change it!

family photos

Do you have a collection? Paintings, African masks, antiques, signed baseballs or model airplanes that you’ve built? Collect music boxes. Look around your house—you may already have a collection.

Framed photographs of horses, dogs, or animals make interesting components.

If you want to use framed pictures, here’s an idea of how to hang them. The center of the grouping should be at eye level—that means 5’-6” off the floor, the spacing between each picture is about 3 inches. You can create a rectangle or square with the outside of the group. For more ideas go to Pinterest.com, once there look for Framed Pictures. Lots of terrific ideas.

kitchen

The images I have here are of our Great room where we spend all our time, and it’s open to the kitchen.

Maybe you’re passionate about family photos. We all enjoy finding folks we know in the pictures. Set them up on a table as a conversation piece. The picture here is an idea.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m a seasoned, professional Interior Designer and taught the subject for half of my fifty-year career.

Gail Ingis is an artist, interior designer, and published author. Her historical romances Indigo Sky and The Unforgettable Miss Baldwin are both available on Amazon.

My current books

 

A Room with a New View

Great Room

From our hearth to yours.

Tom and I have been hanging around the house a lot lately – as everyone is and we had the idea to freshen things up. What better way to pass the time than an easy (and free) home project. When was the last time you rearranged your furniture? How about today? You can give your main room a different look by changing where you’re seated. Build your seating around a painting, television or fireplace. Remember your traffic pattern too. How do you get to the seating? Three feet between furniture works. If you have a coffee table, keep the table about eighteen inches away from the sofa so you can put down your wine goblet.

I could go on, but because you are spending most of your time at home these days, try out what you rearrange and if you don’t like it change it!

family photos

Do you have a collection? Paintings, African masks, antiques, signed baseballs or model airplanes that you’ve built? Collect music boxes. Look around your house—you may already have a collection.

Framed photographs of horses, dogs, or animals make interesting components.

If you want to use framed pictures, here’s an idea of how to hang them. The center of the grouping should be at eye level—that means 5’-6” off the floor, the spacing between each picture is about 3 inches. You can create a rectangle or square with the outside of the group. For more ideas go to Pinterest.com, once there look for Framed Pictures. Lots of terrific ideas.

kitchen

The images I have here are of our Great room where we spend all our time, and it’s open to the kitchen.

Maybe you’re passionate about family photos. We all enjoy finding folks we know in the pictures. Set them up on a table as a conversation piece. The picture here is an idea.

Feel free to ask questions in the comments. For those of you that don’t know me, I’m a seasoned, professional Interior Designer and taught the subject for half of my fifty-year career.

Gail Ingis is an artist, interior designer, and published author. Her historical romances Indigo Sky and The Unforgettable Miss Baldwin are both available on Amazon.

My current books

 

Coronavirus Versus Us – Just a couple of lovebirds taking it one day at a time

That’s Tom on the left.

Shades of Red

Roses are red . . . We’ve all heard that little ditty numerous times. But have you ever wondered what makes red such a powerful color? Why does red make a bold fashion statement? Why does it look great as a feature wall in your home? Why does red pop on a book cover?

Amy Butler Greenfield’s fascinating book, A Perfect Red, traces the history and cultural impact of the color red. And guess what? It all began with a little red bug called cochineal. Vast fortunes were created and international intrigue bloomed as countries battled to figure out how to beat Spain’s hold on the trade of a red dye. So valuable – it was traded on commodity exchanges in the 17th century.

And of course I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much I love red as an artist and painter. I often weave red into my paintings, like the one shown here.

 

And if you’re curious – here are some other fun facts about red:

Threads of Wisdom 36×36 Oil Ingis Claus

Clever red fingernail polish names: Red Abandon, Little Red Wagon, Don’t know . . . Beets me, Wanted . . . Red or Alive. Life is a Cabernet, An Affair in Red Square, and Breakfast in Red.

Remember Dorothy’s beautiful, magical silver slippers from The Wizard of Oz? Not silver, you say? Well they started out as silver in the novel but when the new Technicolor process was used in the film version, the moviemakers wanted a color that popped—so, of course, they chose red. Ruby red.

Charles and Ray (Bernice Alexandra) Eames: Together the husband and wife duo created some of the 20th century’s most enduring designs. Charles and Ray Eames are known for their classic modern furniture and for their pioneering work with materials such as molded plywood, which they created by pressing sheets of wood veneer against a heated mold. Through this work, in the 1940s the couple developed their iconic LCW (Lounge Chair, Wood), which has been called the best design of the 20th century. The Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair Wood Base, currently sold by Herman Miller, is striking in red. Today, the chair sells for north of a thousand dollars and is made in the United States.

While writing my 2019 published Unforgettable Miss Baldwin, I saw red everywhere. My heroine has red hair, she blushes a pretty shade of red, her lips are full and red . . . Red has seeped into our language: seeing red, caught red-handed, down to my last red cent, red herring, a red-letter day, like red to a bull, red tape, go beet red, in the red,  red-blooded, red-carpet treatment, red-light district . . . well—you know. And of course, my sweet Tom and I love to paint the town red.

I’m currently writing an essay based on my memoirs and how red integrated my life.

What’s your favorite red—either in your home/office or in your personal life?

Used with permission, © 2014, Icon Magazine American Society of Interior Designers.

Gail Ingis Claus is an author, artist/painter and interior designer. Her historical romance, Indigo Sky can be purchased on amazon.