Popular Home Remedies & Superstitions

I know it is not hard to believe that I might have impulse bought a book.  To be more precise, it is really a booklet and not really a book, so I don't feel too bad when I add it to the already overflowing bookshelf.  It is hard to call 32 pages a book. However, I am pretty sure that most members of my circle of friends would have done the same thing and snatched this booklet up and brought it home for future reference.  After all, how could you pass up Popular Home Remedies & Superstitions of the Pennsylvania Germans?  Only a crazy person would pass up the $2.95 bounty of wisdom from days gone by.  I certainly am not crazy.

The plethora of wisdom and advice found within the pages, certainly speaks to a time gone by, but in some ways, it is still be applicable today.  When common etiquette has gone out the window, I feel that the hodgepodge of advice from several centuries prior could come in handy.  After all  my survival might end up being dependent upon knowing what is considered a death omen. (Counting the conveyances at a funeral is not only an omen of death, but tacky. Don't do it.)

It is my recommend that if you ever happen upon any of the limit printings by The Aurand Press that you snatch them up a quickly as you can.  The charm and rarity of this folklore is sure to bring at least a small smile to a dour face.  Below are a couple of my favorite words of advice that I have gained from this publication. 

" If you can arrange to kiss a girl while you secrete a heart of a turtle-dove in your mouth, it will act as a love charm- no one can be sure of what may happen as a result." 

"Scratch a dog where he can't scratch himself and he won't run away"

"Take a hold of the big toe of a person talking in his sleep and he will tell you anything he knows- like being hypnotized."

Broccoli Salad

Gardening and Broccoli Salad make up Summer. 

One of my favorite foods is broccoli salad. I know that sounds weird, but there is something about the crunch, the tang and the savory all mixed together that I absolutely love.  Nothing makes me think of summer and good times like eating a bowl of broccoli salad.

Recently I was talking with my niece, Hailey and she was trying to put her preferred preferences at the top of the menu for the next time she came to visit.  I am a planner, but seeing as that I don't have solidified dates for her next visit, this felt a little presumptuous.  It is kind of like calling shotgun for the ten car rides in the future. It is just a little far to plan in advance. However I was curious as to what was on her preferred menu. No surprise, she wanted ham loaf and avocado chocolate mousse. The thing that did surprise me, was the request for broccoli salad.  I thought kids weren't supposed to like broccoli. I feel like this is a further case that she is really my clone. 

Since I do not have a set date for her next visit, but I do not want to deny her the joys of broccoli salad, I decided to share my recipe for my favorite addiction. My friend, Lizzy had originally given me the recipe (which I am forever grateful), and I have made a few small tweaks based off of my preferences.

Broccoli Salad-

1. 1 Head of Broccoli cut into small florets
2. 1 Head of Cauliflower cut into small florets
3. 1/2 Red Onion diced
4. 1 Cup diced cooked bacon- (I have cheated and bought Real Bacon Crumbs and they taste fine.)
5. 1 Cup Shredded Cheese-(I like Cheddar, but mixed cheeses works also.)
6. 1/2 Cup Dried Cherries
7. 1/2 Cup Dried Cranberries
8. 1 Cup Mayonnaise (Don't use Miracle Whip- The flavor is off.)
9. 1/2 Cup White Sugar
10. 2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider Vinegar

Combine first seven ingredients in a large bowl or a gallon sized bag. I prefer to do a gallon sized bag, because it normally I am taking it with me somewhere.  In a small bowl, mix the last three ingredients until smooth.  Mix the sauce into bowl or bag.  If you are in a bowl, stir well to make sure everything is evenly glazed.  If you put it in a bag, seal the bag (double check that it really did seal) and then pretend it is Shake N Bake and shake it all around.  When you think you are done, shake it some more. Everything should be covered in the glaze.  Put the broccoli salad in the fridge and let it chill for two hours.  Once it is chilled, chow down.

Side note for Hailey- Your does not have the cheese in it for obvious reasons. Double check your mayo and make sure there isn't any dairy in the ingredients. Other then those two items, this is that salad you had last summer.  Enjoy!

One Word

“This is how you do it: you sit down at the keyboard and you put one word after another until its done. It's that easy, and that hard.”

― Neil Gaiman

This quote comes to mind when ever I write letters. I don’t always know what I am going to say, or even how to say it. I also lie to myself when I write and tell myself that spelling doesn’t count, is is the thoughts behind the words that count.  After a letter is in the mail, I will then ponder over everything I wrote and drive myself crazy over any spelling errors I may have made.

Recently I have decided to bump my letter writing game.  I decided that I would participate in the Adopt a US Soldier.  The AAUSS is a non-profit organization that has volunteers send letters of encouragement and gratitude to deployed men and women in over 141 countries.  Supporting a soldier to me feels like supporting a human that is trying their best to make the world a better place.  It is not the same as supporting a political party.  The way I look at it is that everyone at one time or another has had a terrible boss, and you either do your best with what you have and try and make the world a better place or you move yourself to a better place and hope the next boss isn’t as terrible. (I know I went off on a tangent.)

To sum it up, I am sending a letter at least once a week to a person I don’t know. That person may or may not write me back.  I think I can handle this. It is just like Neil Gaiman says, “...You put one word in front of the other until it’s done. It is that easy and that hard. “

If you want to look into the AAUSS program, please visit their website.  http://www.adoptaussoldier.org/

If you want to look at awesome stationary, La Papierre is one of my favorite Etsy stores.

Touring Troegs

I love factory tours.  I think they are interesting and fun. And often times they have free samples at the end. (I don’t really care about the free samples, but it is nice.) This year for Gat’s birthday, we took a tour of Troegs Brewery.  The brewery tour was only $5 and was totally worth it.


Here are a few of the highlights from the tour:

• They have an art contest every year for their gallery.  Prize is $500. (I want to do this, somehow)
•  They work with local farmers. (The Dear Peter story has forever made me look at apricots differently.)
•  Their full time employees get a case with their paycheck. (Totally awesome.)
•  Caramel malt can not be mistaken as trail mix. (And the chocolate malt is a lie. There is no chocolate involved, it is describing a color not a flavor.)

Gat and I learned a fair bit about beer.  We tried some samples and took a look at the fancy machinery. It was pretty neat to look at everything, and in the event of the world ending, it is certainly a place to take refuge.  If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Hershey, PA I would recommend to check out Troegs and grab a bite to eat.  The duck confit and poutine is amazing and the bear will put a smile on your face.

Delilah Dirk and the King’s Shilling

Picture from Turkish Lieutenant, (My computer is being disagreeable) 

I am making my way through my To Be Read graphic novel stack.  I just finished up Delilah Dirk and the Kings Shilling by Tony Cliff. It was everything that I had hoped that it would be.  

There was action, adventure with a flair of drama coupled with the need for a really good cup of tea.  If you read the first book, Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant, you will not be disappointed with where this one continues in the story.  The art and design of the the novel flows well with the story, and some of the panels were an absolute joy to sit and look at the detail. 

I look forward to hopefully more adventures of Delilah Dirk. Until then I think I am going to brew myself a cup of tea. 

Questions for a Dentist

There are many people that dislike an appointment with the dentist. I am ambivalent to it. I don’t have a horrible dental history and my dentist seems to understand that I am a wuss when it comes to any sort of procedure. I was at a check up recently and discovered that my mind wanders to weird paths while I am waiting for the fingers to come out of my mouth. 

I am not on casual enough terms with my dentist or hygienist to ask there weird questions to. To solve this, I need someone to volunteer their plucky child to ask these questions for me. These questions would just be weird from a person in their mid thirties, but would come off as cute and possibly adorable from anyone in the five to ten age range.  

The questions:

1. What are the chances of getting a virtual reality helmet for when you are on the chair?  That way you don’t have to stare into the light and you can swim with sharks. 
2. In the vampire apocalypse, do you think any other doctor practice other than dentist survive? (Because fang rot would be a huge concern.) (Maybe a chiropractor?)
3. Is that your stomach I hear rumbling?

I know it isn’t a huge amount of questions, but they would sound harmless coming from someone much younger and with a little less of a filter than I have. 

Best Costume Award

I am a little bit of curmudgeon when it comes to Halloween. I enjoy handing out candy to Trick or Treaters for the most part.I believe that Halloween is good family fun and brings a community together.  I get a kick out of seeing the different costumes on the kids and it might be the only time I actually talk to my neighbors.

There is a small part of me that gets cranky.   I get cranky when I see newborns trick or treating.  Newborn babies are little more than slugs and they have a very limited diet. I can guarantee that the precious bundle of joy is not going to be chomping down on a Babe Ruth or relishing SweetTarts that I am handing out.  I get it if you have other kids you are walking around with, and it makes sense; however when it is just you and a newborn strolling the streets getting free treats I get cranky.

With my predisposition of crankiness towards newborns, it took me buy surprise that one of the best costumes this year for Trick or Treat night was a mother and new born combo. I was blown away by the Log Lady costume.  The newborn was the log.   It was simple, but unique and made sense and made me laugh. (And there were other kids, so it wasn't opportunistic hustling for chocolates.)

 I think it was one of the few times that I had to take a picture, since I wasn't sure if anyone would believe me that there was a Twin Peaks costume out there. Much less the Log Lady.  It is right up there with the year that Old Greg came knocking for Halloween.  It restores faith in the creativity of humanity.  My final thought is, that if you are going to con me out of sweat treats, then at least be creative about it, so it doesn't feel like a con.  Saying "One for Baby and One for Mommy" when it comes to treats makes me want to hand out canned goods or books or tooth brushes instead of doses of cavity starters.  Be creative.