Sorry - I Got Busy...

Last Full Moon of 2013

Oy. Here's a lovely picture of the last full moon of 2013. And I have to tell you - It's screwing me up, big time!!

Monday, my yoga studio owner calls; she's had the stomach flu. I missed her first call, and she had to cancel a class. Then she called again: the gal who does the 5:30 p.m. class was stuck on Rt. 55. And not moving. So, at 5 p.m., I whipped over to the studio to put a sign on the door (I'm truly about 6 minutes from the place).

Tuesday, we had The Great Potica Bake (more on that later). 

Wednesday, I did the 9 a.m. class; then the 7 p.m. class at the studio because of said stomach flu. Wednesday night, I got an emergency text from my teacher/owner. The gal who was supposed to teach Thursday 9 a.m. fell. And broke her wrist.

I'm tellin' ya --- it's just a mess. 

This is a shot after my Wednesday night class, out the back yard. Yep, with the cell phone camera. But it's still a decent shot. I saw it this morning, with Venus, I think, or maybe Saturn? But I'm not sure the picture will turn out. 

I had several articles from the Chicago Tribune to blog about, but you know what? I'm just not going to do that. I think it's time for just some chit-chat. 

The Great Potica Bake...

Long loaf

Kid #1 asked if he could come and do potica (po-TEETZ-ah) - a very old family recipe. Known only if you marry into or are born into the family. I'm dead serious. Those of us in The Potica Maker's Guild guard our recipes zealously and we don't share significant details unless you're our kid or our spouse. And Heaven help you if you marry a member of The Guild - because everyone believes (in all truth) that their potica is the best. I know mine is. The best. Ever. 

So, I know things are serious with The Girlfriend because she came along. We let her grease pans and work with some of the minor ingredients. 

Hey - you gotta earn your privilege to roll the dough. 

I put Kid #1 in charge of filling. We were only going to make one batch, which makes about 3 loaves. He talked me into a double batch. And then made enough filling for FOUR batches. That works out to 12 loaves. Each loaf weighs anywhere from 1.5 - 2.5 lbs. 

We started at 10 a.m. and I took the last loaves out of the pans to the cooling racks at 7:30 p.m. In the meantime, I feel like a truck has run me over. The best rolling pin on the planet (except for my dad's solid oak one with ball bearings that my mom won't part with - just sayin') is my marble one. But it weighs about 12 or 14 lbs. It's a big rolling pin. 

After slinging that around for ages, you get sore. Top that off with the cast iron pans and you get some muscles -- or rather, you FIND muscles that you might not have used in a while. 

Cast Iron Pans

When I was a kid, my dad used to make these to sell for extra income. I started greasing pans. Moved up to grinding spices. Then moved up to making the filling. Eventually, I got to help him load the loaves into the pans, and now I bake them on my own, since he's been gone over 20 years. We started this process before Thanksgiving and continued to nearly Christmas time. We now bake them for only Christmas and Easter, because it's so much work! 

So, we have The Potica Cloth. It's this ragged damask tablecloth that I remember from my childhood. It's square, and worn to threads. I've darned it several times. This year, after over 50 years - closer, probably, to 75 or 80 years, maybe - it's time to put it to rest. My mom said to toss it out. I don't know that I can do that... I have framed my dad's hand-written recipe. Which, by the way, is 1 page long, and the actual directions are 2 or 3 pages, if you write out every step! I love the ingredient list: Flour... That's helpful. "Add as needed." Also helpful. That's why the tradition is that you pass the skill along by doing. 

I have to suss out a 100% cotton damask cloth. And then I have to wash the living daylights out of it to remove all the sizing and get it soft. Wish me luck. It's Potica Cloth II - kind of how you name a Pope.

Above is a picture of one of the long loaves, using my granny's loaf pans. She left me 5 of them, and I have to find a few more. I like the look of the longer loaves. We also did about 6 in cast iron loaf pans. They bake up ok, but the dough is really, really fussy. This time, the long aluminum pans worked better.

So in the midst of the greasing, The Girlfriend says, "Ewwwwww - I've never touched Crisco." Well, that's what we grease with. She was, jokingly, whining about how icky it was and how she didn't like it and then said, "Do I get to stop if I keep whining?" Well, before I could open my mouth, Kid #1 says, "Do you KNOW how many pans she'll make you grease? She raised boys. Just suck it up and grease the pans." 

Yay - I raised him right!! She just laughed. She's the youngest of several sisters; so it's vastly different in this house of boys. 

Charity Afghan

The Elkhound Afghan...

Finally, that project is done, blocked, and photographed. Hubby took the picture and I just e-mailed our group. 

We haven't decided what to do with it. Well, we're definitely raffling it off, but we're not sure whether it'll be a spring one, whether we want the funds to go to a specific thing: like perhaps to help senior elkhounds with their medical needs - the ones in fosters awaiting forever homes. 

The squares are done in several crafts: knitting, crochet, and Tunisian crochet. I wove the ends together and used ivory yarn as "filler." We wanted 12x12 squares, but the measurements were somewhat creative. The edging is 3 rows of crochet, with the last being a small scallop. 

It looks a bit small in this picture, but it's nearly 6' long and at least twin-sized bed wide. It's all out of Jiffy, a blend of wool and acrylic, so it's washable and fluffy. Of course, the colors are those of an elkhound, and yeah, the girls were interested in it so even though it's been fluffed in my dryer, my elkhounds have left a bit of their own fur in the weaving. 

I'll keep you posted as to what happens with it. 

The February Lady Sweater...

Just starting

Well, I cast on for the sweater. And I frogged swatches twice. But I'm now going along nicely, but I changed up the buttonhole because I didn't like it. Other than that, I think I'll keep it in the pattern style. It's a swingy sweater with bell sleeves, but they're about 3/4 length. It'll be nice in the spring and summer. 

Today, after the 9 a.m. yoga class, I got to sit and knit a bit, and tonight I'll do the same, because FINALLY there are decent Christmas movies on!! I wish I didn't have to get up at dark:thirty for the dogs, because one of my favorite movies is on in the wee hours. 

Must remember! Note to self: You're working from the top down, so don't forget to measure and not just whiz on by the placement of buttonholes! I haven't gotten buttons yet, but they'll come. I looked yesterday in Betsy's but I didn't find anything I liked. I may go a little flashy on the buttons since this is a solid color yarn. If it was a hand-painted or variegated, I'd go wood or simple metal. But this needs a little spice, and the lilac (a/k/a "geranium") will be hard to match. 

I'm starting to see the shaping here. There are M1 increases at 4 points, with a K1 in between each pair of M1 stitches. I'm excited to see how this works out because I'm loving the feel of this yarn. I haven't looked at what it cost yet; I'm afraid it would scare me! If I have enough left, I'm sure there's a pair of mitts in my future in the lace pattern to match, or maybe a hat. 

Are you loving those adorable sheep stitch markers?? The pattern called for 6, but there are 4 increases... so that's actually 8. But there are only 6 sheep per pack. 

Yoke-down construction

Last-Minute Shopping...

After the yoga class, I stopped at the local Menard's. I picked up some nice gift bags and just about every "food bag" they had. I needed treat bags for the Christmas Baking. And the gift bags were on sale. I love gift bags. For those of us who wrap gifts like a 2-year old on a sugar high, gift bags are certainly the way to go. 

I also picked up some "critter food." The critters are stalking our bird feeders, so I figured it was easier to feed them in another part of the yard. I'll toss that out in the yard in a bit. It's getting toward dusk and that's when they like to eat. We'll see what we get.

So far, we've missed the "snizzle" and we're supposed to get lots of snow, through Christmas. I'm hoping for a white Christmas. 

Random Picture...

Just a cute shot of the critter-prints on my deck. Squirrel, I think. 

Critters

I just went out to put the seed on both the deck rail and in the front yard. Not sure if we'll get deer. We have done in the past. But likely, we'll stick with rabbits and squirrels.

Dinner for tonight: I'm having Butternut Squash Soup. Kid #2 is having Creamy Potato Soup. Both are homemade and I'm getting them out of the freezer and into bowls! We like to make soup in big batches. Kid #2 got pretzel buns to eat with the soup. 

As soon as Kid #2 gets home, he'll take the girls out and then I'll feed them. After dinner (ours AND theirs), we'll settle in for the Christmas movies. 

I bet the dogs will be excited if we've already had critters visit, because they will certainly smell them!

The local PD issued a weather alert - so it looks like we may miss the snow, but we will certainly get rain and ice. Lovely. I'm staying inside tomorrow. I almost got T-boned last night on the way in to yoga, because of the full moon and/or a nut-job who couldn't see my truck. Through his windshield as he pulled out from a driveway at about 30 mph. 

I'm just tellin ya - that full moon will bite you every time. 

Comments...

As always, I encourage comments! And feel free to share my blog with your friends. 

Where's The Ribbon for THIS Cancer?

Sorry I'm a day behind, but for a day where I had "nothing planned" it was awfully busy. More on that later.

So yesterday's Chicago Tribune had a front page article entitled, "Stigma adds to burden of lung cancer patients" and it described a woman who is 31 years old and has lung cancer.

And before you sniff, no, she was NOT a smoker. And that's the biggest reason you won't see anyone sporting ribbons (there's even controversy about the color of the "lung cancer" ribbon) during November.

Which is, by the way, Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Who'da thought? While October is awash in pink, there's not a peep about lung cancer in November. Of course, we're all having "The War on Christmas" (snort) - and the true "war on Thanksgiving." But not a peep about lung cancer.  

Statistics are pretty grim. According to the American Lung Association, lung cancer is the SECOND most diagnosed cancer. Yet it's the MOST COMMON cause of cancer death. 

And the stigma around the disease is much like the nicotine-covered stench of cigarette smoke. Just today, I read an obit in the Trib about Carol Cooling-Kopp, who was the special events chief at WMAQ, a local channel. She died, at age 56, of lung cancer, and here's a paragraph from her obit:

"Mrs. Cooling-Kopp, 56, died of lung cancer Wednesday, October 30, at her Arlington Heights home, said her brother Jim Cooling, who noted she was a nonsmoker."

And the gal in the article yesterday, Meghan O'Brien, the 31-year-old who was diagnosed with Stage Four lung cancer (there IS no "stage 5" by the way), notes that while her cancer is the result of a rare genetic mutation, she is often asked, "Are you sure you didn't smoke?" -- as if you'd forget something like that. 

There's no funding equal to that of breast cancer, and there's that stigma that lung cancer people "brought this on themselves."

Why am I so het up about this? Well, for a couple of reasons. The first was a friend, by the name of Reverend Barb Donica, who died in her 40s of lung cancer. She never smoked. 

The second is my mother. She never smoked either, and she's very much alive. With emphysema. Thanks to my dad, who DID smoke. And who died of pancreatic and liver cancer. 

People often ask my mother if she smoked. And they don't always believe her when she says no. Much like my friend Barb..."Are you SURE you've never smoked?" 

Unfortunately for Ms. O'Brien, her cancer has already invaded other organs. I am sad for a young woman who hasn't even begun to live her life. I'm sad for my friend who died, leaving small children. And I'm sad for my mother because, even though I don't know of any correlation between emphysema and lung cancer, the fact that she lived with my father for over 35 years, God alone knows whether she may eventually contract lung cancer thanks to second-hand smoke.

The symptoms of lung cancer can be vague -- just like our good buddy "Ovarian Cancer." You can have the typical constant cough, be breathless and have lots of bronchitis.

Or you can have headaches, lose your appetite or have blood clots. Ms. O'Brien, a physical education teacher, by the way, had a backache. 

Cancer sucks, to use the vernacular. Why on earth would we penalize cancer patients even more by looking at them cross-eyed as if to say, 'You deserve this, buddy'? Support the American Lung Association and do your research. And if you can figure out what the ribbon is supposed to look like, please wear it. Do it for someone you love, because according to the latest statistics, lung cancer is projected to kill nearly 160,000 people this year in the US - more than colon, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancers COMBINED. Combined. In 2012, the National Cancer Institute spent almost twice as much on breast cancer research as on lung cancer. 

Yet, lung cancer is the one you will likely die from. 

Knitting...

So yesterday, I awoke (at 4 a.m., thanks. Urgh) to a day in which I had no meetings, no appointments, no errands... a very rare free day. And I was busier than a one-armed paperhanger (one of my dad's favorite sayings). 

I decided to do some things, and actually did them. Knitting was not among those things. 

But I did finish the charity afghan!! Hubby will be taking the picture today. It looks lovely, actually.

Didn't pick up the needles otherwise. So today, being the day before Thanksgiving, I have my knitting at work. Let's face it - they're letting everyone out early, no traditional classes are being held, and the only reason I'm here, frankly, is that I had to let the HVAC guys in. And I may not stay anyway... I have more comp time than I can use, so I may as well take advantage of it.

Baking...

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

 The Baking has begun. Yesterday, it was double batches of carrot cookies and Aunt Mary's Oatmeal Cookies. My real, really truly Great-Aunt Mary's recipe. See the card??? 

The Carrot Cookies are a random addition, and that's because we had a lot of carrots leftover from the garden. I can't really taste the carrots in them; but they are a nice quick cookie. They also freeze well. 

I made a plate for the elder guy next door and we'll bring it over. I will also make some carrot pineapple bread for later. 

There's also a good chance that I'll make some Kolachy too. They're a cream-cheese-based dough with a thumbprint where you put fruit filling. Yummy. 

I think Kid #2 might be doing his baking today, but if he's not, then I'm going to press on. I think I'm going to knock one cookie off my list. I've been teaching the kids the "Family Traditionals" because you really have to be shown. Those recipes are often ingrained in a granny's memory, and you have to watch what's done because nobody wrote them down. I want to write them down, and show the kids. They can even video it if they want!

Since we're doing potica this year, I will knock off the Roski. Heck, ONE recipe of that makes 100 of them!!! So we don't need to do those this year. We can do them next year. 

For Aunt Mary's recipe, all I changed was that I added golden raisins and I added some cardamom to the recipe. They're kind of Plain Jane oatmeal cookies, and my usual style is "garbage cookies" which everyone loves. But I thought I'd try these again. I like adding the golden raisins. Otherwise, it's her recipe. 

The secret (which isn't so secret, actually) is that you simmer the raisins till they plump up and use the raisin-water in the batter. I stuck a cinnamon stick in the water. 

Aunt Mary's Recipe

The Pope...

Ok, I could like this guy. Seriously. Not enough to re-join the Roman Catholic Church, but enough to be thankful that he seems to be just as much - if not more - fresh air as John XXIII.... Remember, John was also an outlier and he ushered in Vatican II. Which, of course, many traditionalists would like to abolish. 

Here's his latest, and I love it. Everyone knows what actually "trickles down" with trickle-down theories of economics. And he puts it ever-so-elegantly. And makes a point, thank you very much, Your Holiness. This paper has been reported on in just about every major news outlet, as it should be. 

And of course, the uber-right-wing has heads exploding all over the place. Because (sputter, sputter, sputter) he's NOT RIGHT. Trickle down HAS TO work, because St. Ronnie said it would. But it doesn't and it's been debunked by actual professors and people with lots of education. 

2013 Ornaments in progress

This Pope is more "Jesus-oriented" in terms of who Jesus really was and what He did. Pope Francis is also very "Francis-like" because to my mind, St. Francis was an embodiment of Jesus in his writings and his actions. 

Good for him. The Catholic Church needs him. 

Ornaments...

The ornaments progress. They're all painted. But they're not finished, so I will take another shot after they're all nice and pretty. 

There are fewer, yet I am having trouble finding them! Michael's doesn't carry the selection they have advertised and I suppose I'll have to go to the Internets... I like to try to have a theme for each kid, but this year, Maya gets a plain one (the blue one with stars). If I can find some jewels, I'll glue those onto the middle of the stars for her. She had been "angels" but I couldn't find any. 

Yes, I probably should have counted up and bought them when I had the chance. I've been doing this for nearly 30 years, though, so please...when I needed to buy them up, I didn't have the money. Now that I have the money, they're hard to find. 

Random Picture...

Knit Knitche

This is a really crummy picture of my "knitting knitche" (and yeah, I know it's spelled wrong). This is where I spend my knitting time, and I really need to clean it off today. Perhaps when I get home, that will be done, since it's on my Big Honkin' To Do List. 

Along with finding time to wrap Hubby's birthday gift and fish out a card for him... I can distract him by having him wrap presents. That's it. That's a plan! 

I will also get at least one Fluffy Scarf going. I only have two of them left. 

And because I've managed to pack on some turkey pounds I will Step Away From The Fridge today. Knitting will help. 

Baking will not, unfortunately...