Cheryl B. Dale's Blog: RANDOM MUSINGS, page 29
June 14, 2013
LIVING HISTORY
They used to call them reenactments. Now they call them living history. But it's the same thing: people dress up like people did in colonial, revolutionary, civil war times and make believe for a few hours/days. I've been trying to get my guy to join the group around here but so far, without success.
Last weekend, they had the reenactors/living historians at Horton House on Jekyll Island and we went over to see what was going on. There was the obligatory Oglethorpe (illustrious founder of Georgia) naturally, along with some firing demonstrations of muskets (loud). Oglethorpe is the one on the left--the one not hidden by the woman's mob cap on the lower right.
Thirsty? We got water in mugs made of the stoneware stuff that they used back then. But of course, with real dishes, you have to have someone to wash them. You can't see it, but she had a pan of soapy water on her left and a clear pan on her right. Guess this one was the first rinse water.
There were also spinning wheels. We got to see women spinning yarn, then we got a lesson on dying yarn. Another lady had indigo cakes and showed us how she dilutes them in water and dips the yarn for varying shades of blue. Dying her hands blue at the same time! See the blue stuff hanging up in the back? That's dyed yarn skeins.
There were also rope makers (twisting palm fronds/other plants to make ropes and then using the ropes to braid seats for stools and chairs), tinsmiths (kids were allowed to hammer designs in ornaments), rag doll makers (kids/adults were happy to put together the simplest rag doll design I've ever seen!), a butter churner (he made great butter), bread cooked in iron pots in the coal (with the homemade butter, talk about good!), and lots of other things.
Oh, and there was a colonial toy booth, featuring toys like sticks and hoops and other games. It was fun seeing today's electronic age kids trying to play with them.
All in all, we had a great time.
Last weekend, they had the reenactors/living historians at Horton House on Jekyll Island and we went over to see what was going on. There was the obligatory Oglethorpe (illustrious founder of Georgia) naturally, along with some firing demonstrations of muskets (loud). Oglethorpe is the one on the left--the one not hidden by the woman's mob cap on the lower right.
Thirsty? We got water in mugs made of the stoneware stuff that they used back then. But of course, with real dishes, you have to have someone to wash them. You can't see it, but she had a pan of soapy water on her left and a clear pan on her right. Guess this one was the first rinse water.
There were also spinning wheels. We got to see women spinning yarn, then we got a lesson on dying yarn. Another lady had indigo cakes and showed us how she dilutes them in water and dips the yarn for varying shades of blue. Dying her hands blue at the same time! See the blue stuff hanging up in the back? That's dyed yarn skeins.
There were also rope makers (twisting palm fronds/other plants to make ropes and then using the ropes to braid seats for stools and chairs), tinsmiths (kids were allowed to hammer designs in ornaments), rag doll makers (kids/adults were happy to put together the simplest rag doll design I've ever seen!), a butter churner (he made great butter), bread cooked in iron pots in the coal (with the homemade butter, talk about good!), and lots of other things.
Oh, and there was a colonial toy booth, featuring toys like sticks and hoops and other games. It was fun seeing today's electronic age kids trying to play with them.
All in all, we had a great time.
June 6, 2013
HAIRCUTS
Went two or three weeks ago and got my hair cut. I'd wanted to let it grow out, but with summer's arrival, I changed my mind. So it got gone. Short all over but not in any style I recognized. A strand on one side curled up. A strand on the other side waved back to the mirror. My cowlick in the back stood straight up. Pretty discouraging.
So yesterday, I thought: Time for a change.
My beauty salon was crowded so I went up to the barber shop; they advertise family cuts so why not? Went in and asked, "Can I get a haircut?"
The lady said, "Sure. Step right back here."
Now I really look like Mark Harmon.
Do we ever get the haircut we want?
So yesterday, I thought: Time for a change.
My beauty salon was crowded so I went up to the barber shop; they advertise family cuts so why not? Went in and asked, "Can I get a haircut?"
The lady said, "Sure. Step right back here."
Now I really look like Mark Harmon.
Do we ever get the haircut we want?
June 4, 2013
RONE Finalist
I am a little shocked but quite thrilled to learn my SET UP is a finalist in the InD Tale contest. Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote for it.
Now it and five other books go to a panel of judges who'll read and rate each one. The winner will be announced in conjunction with the Romance Novel Conference being held in Las Vegas this August. I even got a little award thingie! Isn't it cute?
Now if I can just figure out a way to get to Las Vegas...
Now it and five other books go to a panel of judges who'll read and rate each one. The winner will be announced in conjunction with the Romance Novel Conference being held in Las Vegas this August. I even got a little award thingie! Isn't it cute?
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Now if I can just figure out a way to get to Las Vegas...
June 1, 2013
ROACHES
Our new house, though we had it sprayed before moving, has a few bugs. Itsy bitsy spiders and roaches. Or maybe palmetto bugs. (That's what the guy says they are. They look pretty roachy to me.)
Anyway, we were sitting in the den watching TV the other night, and the girl cat lets out the most earth-shattering shriek. I rush in and she's sitting in the bedroom doorway to the kitchen. She looks up at me, then cuts her eyes to something on the kitchen floor, then looks back up at me. "Do something."
I go over and it's a roach. Not a little one but not a big one either. Kind of medium size.
I peer at it and it looks dead. I tentatively prod it and it moves. I squeal and the girl-cat, still sitting there, looks at me like: "Hey, I called you in to kill that thing, not scream at me!"
So I stomp it and get a paper towel and put it in the trash.
The girl cat gets up and struts over to inspect where it had been on the floor. Then she struts around a bit more, rippling her tail like: "I did it. I saved the household. I'm Numero Uno around here."
The boy cat came out from his napping place and didn't know what was going on. Neither did the guy in front of the TV.
Sigh.
Anyway, we were sitting in the den watching TV the other night, and the girl cat lets out the most earth-shattering shriek. I rush in and she's sitting in the bedroom doorway to the kitchen. She looks up at me, then cuts her eyes to something on the kitchen floor, then looks back up at me. "Do something."
I go over and it's a roach. Not a little one but not a big one either. Kind of medium size.
I peer at it and it looks dead. I tentatively prod it and it moves. I squeal and the girl-cat, still sitting there, looks at me like: "Hey, I called you in to kill that thing, not scream at me!"
So I stomp it and get a paper towel and put it in the trash.
The girl cat gets up and struts over to inspect where it had been on the floor. Then she struts around a bit more, rippling her tail like: "I did it. I saved the household. I'm Numero Uno around here."
The boy cat came out from his napping place and didn't know what was going on. Neither did the guy in front of the TV.
Sigh.
May 25, 2013
PRETTYING UP THE PLACE
Riding around yesterday, we went by the water department. Don't know who had the idea of painting the water tanks and buildings, but the view certainly added enjoyment to our ride.
Note the big humpback whale in one of the pix!
Gotta admit, the county does a bang-up job in keeping things looking good!
Note the big humpback whale in one of the pix!
Gotta admit, the county does a bang-up job in keeping things looking good!
May 19, 2013
FERAL CATS
Turns out the reason the squirrel population isn't so much in this neighborhood is the feral cats. They're gorgeous, all of them, but still wild. I think one we saw prowling through our back (fenced-in) and tiny yard before we made the move was feral.
Seems like there wouldn't be as many birds, but guess they're more observant than the squirrels. I was following my guy out of the neighborhood yesterday morning, he off to his art class and me off to hit yard sales. He braked in front of me and waited. I thought he'd forgotten to tell me something and would get out, but no. He kept sitting there in his car. Then I saw a sleek black cat crouched just to the side as if stalking something. In a moment the cat darted across the street and my guy went on.
I started to go, too, but noticed the cat slinking behind a tree, still stalking. Just as I rounded the tree - one of the huge water oaks we have here - the cat pounced on a squirrel who'd been sitting on the ground. The squirrel tried desperately to get away, leaping in the air and thrashing around, but the cat clung to him determinedly. I was in shock, the car advancing automatically so I never saw what happened. But I'm pretty sure the squirrel got gone.
Awful to witness a murder first thing in the morning. And yes, I know the cat was hungry and this is nature and all that. But still...Right before my eyes?
Seems like there wouldn't be as many birds, but guess they're more observant than the squirrels. I was following my guy out of the neighborhood yesterday morning, he off to his art class and me off to hit yard sales. He braked in front of me and waited. I thought he'd forgotten to tell me something and would get out, but no. He kept sitting there in his car. Then I saw a sleek black cat crouched just to the side as if stalking something. In a moment the cat darted across the street and my guy went on.
I started to go, too, but noticed the cat slinking behind a tree, still stalking. Just as I rounded the tree - one of the huge water oaks we have here - the cat pounced on a squirrel who'd been sitting on the ground. The squirrel tried desperately to get away, leaping in the air and thrashing around, but the cat clung to him determinedly. I was in shock, the car advancing automatically so I never saw what happened. But I'm pretty sure the squirrel got gone.
Awful to witness a murder first thing in the morning. And yes, I know the cat was hungry and this is nature and all that. But still...Right before my eyes?
May 17, 2013
PACK RAT
Still pooped from moving and company may be coming Memorial Day so not much time to blog. I did want to get this in though.
In case you don't know, PACK RAT is one of those companies that bring a storage bin to your house. You load up all your stuff, they cart it to one of their nice warehouses, and store it for you. Then, when you're ready for your possessions' return, they bring the storage bin back (to the old address or a new one) and you unload all your precious things.
A perfect solution for that gap between moving from the old house into the new. Sad they can't choose which stuff needs to never return, but I digress...
Somewhere during our move, we happen to have lucked into a miniature replica of the Pack Rat storage bin. It's cute as can be and it works perfectly for storing my salt and peppers. And here it is. Advertising and all.
In case you don't know, PACK RAT is one of those companies that bring a storage bin to your house. You load up all your stuff, they cart it to one of their nice warehouses, and store it for you. Then, when you're ready for your possessions' return, they bring the storage bin back (to the old address or a new one) and you unload all your precious things.
A perfect solution for that gap between moving from the old house into the new. Sad they can't choose which stuff needs to never return, but I digress...
Somewhere during our move, we happen to have lucked into a miniature replica of the Pack Rat storage bin. It's cute as can be and it works perfectly for storing my salt and peppers. And here it is. Advertising and all.
May 12, 2013
BACK YARD
Our back yard is lovely. Miniscule but lovely. Whoever lived here before us planted very carefully, because all of a sudden it's burst into bloom.
Stepping out the back door and looking to the left, we have lovely yellow daylilies:
Then, slightly to the right, a fragrant jasmine:
Past the jasmine are roses and some purple flowery bushes:
And toward the end of the walk, one lone poinsettia:
And the cats are licking their chops over the birds they see out the sliding doors. They keep begging to go out, but I keep telling them they can't. But I think they're going to like it here anyway.
That's assuming we ever get settled.
Stepping out the back door and looking to the left, we have lovely yellow daylilies:
Then, slightly to the right, a fragrant jasmine:
Past the jasmine are roses and some purple flowery bushes:
And toward the end of the walk, one lone poinsettia:
And the cats are licking their chops over the birds they see out the sliding doors. They keep begging to go out, but I keep telling them they can't. But I think they're going to like it here anyway.
That's assuming we ever get settled.
May 9, 2013
LOST COFFEE
Tonight will be our fourth night in our new home. We are slowly but surely getting sorted out. Unfortunately, one of the lost items was my guy's coffee. I was sure I had packed it for the big day Monday when the movers came, but no.
Tuesday. No coffee. I kept saying, "I know it's here somewhere." Nope.
Wednesday. No coffee. I (and my slowly growing frantic guy) opened every box we had left unpacked. I was optimistic. "It'll turn up." It didn't.
Thursday. No coffee. BUT...Back at the ranch, picking up some more small items, I happened to look in the pantry that I was sure I'd emptied out. And there it was. Coffee can, measuring spoon, filters...Everything he needs. So tomorrow, no more McDonald's!
Tuesday. No coffee. I kept saying, "I know it's here somewhere." Nope.
Wednesday. No coffee. I (and my slowly growing frantic guy) opened every box we had left unpacked. I was optimistic. "It'll turn up." It didn't.
Thursday. No coffee. BUT...Back at the ranch, picking up some more small items, I happened to look in the pantry that I was sure I'd emptied out. And there it was. Coffee can, measuring spoon, filters...Everything he needs. So tomorrow, no more McDonald's!
April 28, 2013
I HATE CLEANING HOUSE
Always have and always will.
So we bought a house and guess what that means. Cleaning. Yep, it isn't brand spanking new but was reasonably clean. Still, when I move into a place I want to make sure it's absolutely sparkling. That way I know it's my dirt I'm diving into when I do regular cleaning.
So instead of being down in the Village -- where the sequel to the movie The Anchorman is being filmed -- and gawking with the other locals, I've been stuck inside a newly painted house.
I can't complain too much. My guy has been working like a peon ever since we closed last month, supervising the roofers, the tilers, the carpeters, the floorlayers, the painters...He helped paint, too, and now he's doing some stuff we didn't have painted and later decided needed painting, like the insides of drawers and cabinets that looked good but were the wrong color.
Oh, and he's been moving stuff out of our storage unit, too.
While I've been scrubbing bathroom toilets, tubs, tiles and a shower that wanted to keep its stains. And scouring closet shelves and the refrigerator, after dusting bookshelves and putting away all the books brought from storage. I still have the microwave and the range to clean, along with a metal rack to hang pots and pans. And that reminds me, the ceiling fans must be dusty... Ughhhh.
So far, the cats aren't helping. They've been barfing up hairballs because we've been leaving them alone and won't tell them what's going on. So not only am I polishing up the new place, I'm having to pick up after them at the old place.
If you haven't caught on by now, I'm pretty annoyed. I want to catch a glimpse of some real Hollywood actors! I want to see lights, camera, action! And I really really want to see the end of this housecleaning morass I've been dragged kicking and screaming into!
So we bought a house and guess what that means. Cleaning. Yep, it isn't brand spanking new but was reasonably clean. Still, when I move into a place I want to make sure it's absolutely sparkling. That way I know it's my dirt I'm diving into when I do regular cleaning.
So instead of being down in the Village -- where the sequel to the movie The Anchorman is being filmed -- and gawking with the other locals, I've been stuck inside a newly painted house.
I can't complain too much. My guy has been working like a peon ever since we closed last month, supervising the roofers, the tilers, the carpeters, the floorlayers, the painters...He helped paint, too, and now he's doing some stuff we didn't have painted and later decided needed painting, like the insides of drawers and cabinets that looked good but were the wrong color.
Oh, and he's been moving stuff out of our storage unit, too.
While I've been scrubbing bathroom toilets, tubs, tiles and a shower that wanted to keep its stains. And scouring closet shelves and the refrigerator, after dusting bookshelves and putting away all the books brought from storage. I still have the microwave and the range to clean, along with a metal rack to hang pots and pans. And that reminds me, the ceiling fans must be dusty... Ughhhh.
So far, the cats aren't helping. They've been barfing up hairballs because we've been leaving them alone and won't tell them what's going on. So not only am I polishing up the new place, I'm having to pick up after them at the old place.
If you haven't caught on by now, I'm pretty annoyed. I want to catch a glimpse of some real Hollywood actors! I want to see lights, camera, action! And I really really want to see the end of this housecleaning morass I've been dragged kicking and screaming into!
