History

The family mythology on my mother's side was that we came to the U.S. as fine English gardeners to a rarefied family in Cleveland.

This summer, I was at my grandmother's and found this album filled with images that provided us with unprecedented access into their lives.

I followed them as they worked in the greenhouse...




Climbed up onto the roof...


Took part in a summer fair...


and danced around a maypole.


Fell in love...




and played.

A little tropical flora and fauna

This year has allowed me to travel a bit more than usual...

Mostly to Illinois to visit the Physicist (which often means side trips to other cities in the Midwest - we're to visit the St. Louis Arch this weekend... I'm lobbying for a side trip to the Ozark Trail).

I also took a long weekend to visit my grandmother in Florida about a month ago.
I wanted to visit the Everglades and see the ocean.

Although we were limited by time - I got to spend a great day seeing lots of things I don't get to see in our more temperate zone.






This guy here, he was <1 foot away. Since it had been a cold and dry winter, they move S L O W L Y - so being so close isn't as terrifying as it would seem.

Although the rangers suggested we didn't poke him to make sure he wasn't dead.
THAT'S why they're the Ranger...

Weekend

On Sat'y we installed a hitch on my car so I may tow the boat - it was supposed to take 30 minutes, but instead took 10 hours and 30 minutes, because they sent the wrong bolts with it.

But now I can install a hitch on a car!

We (rather, the Physicist) played with the trailer winch that had rusted - I hadn't realized the importance of this. Apparently, as it was, if I went up a hill, the boat could have slid off the trailer and the winch would not have stopped it.

Whoops.

But we're that much closer to launching the boat - the goal is Labor Day weekend...

On Sun'y, I had the unique experience of teaching my parents to use their new computer.
Neither have used one before.
It's amazing how vast and subtle the skills required to use a computer are - from manipulating the mouse to intuitively understanding how to navigate a web page to the vocabulary: email, Gmail, scroll down, click, cursor, etc...
Today's xkcd was terribly topical to this issue.
We went through the process of powering it on and off no less than 6 times - and I am proud to boast that I got an email this morning, which meant they remembered how to do it.

My little birds have learned to fly!!! *sniff*

Something to aspire to

I just learned that my 92-year old third cousin (my grandfather's 1st cousin) just returned from a trip to Israel.

Now that's something.

Inheritence

I spent the day at my grandmother's and came home with a box of whimsical, charming early twentieth century fabric love.

I always knew there was a seamstress and a quilter in the family, but I never who, when or where.

During the depression, my grandmother and her mother lived with the previous generation - the seamstress and the quilter. My great great grandmother, Ella Armstrong Coon made quilts from the fabric scraps left over from Clara's (her sister) work making clothes.

Clara started this quilt in the 20s, my great grandmother worked on it in the late 40s, my grandmother has worked on it on and off and I'm bound to finish it...










When she gave me the remainder of the fabric, it came from a box filled with other piecework...

Most were done by Clara, but we think these two were done by Ella, who would see something in a magazine and do it, just to see if she could.

Each piece is hand-stitched and many were done in the evening by kerosene lamp - grandma told she remembered sitting by the radio in the evening with them and working on quilt tops.








Other pieces weren't as well stitched, but the color play is amazing and the fabric itself is beautiful.



In the box were pieces that were almost complete...



and pieces waiting to be put together.



We have about 20 of the above pattern - and I think I'm going to hand-wash each one and mount it on padded muslin that can be framed - with the story about where these pieces came from for each of the descendants of these women.

We number about 20 - so I think there is more than enough of these brilliant pieces to shared.

Autumnal weekend

I spent the wonderfully warm weekend in Berlin Heights and Huron, where my family's from.

On Saturday, we went to my great-uncle's, built on the land adjacent to my great grandmother's house and surrounded by a wonderful collection of fruit trees: plum, peach and apples. She always had a little of everything growing and spent summer and fall canning for winter.

At one point, I wanted to buy the house and rent a pied de terre in Cleveland so I could spend summers there gardening and swimming, with a city place to hang my hat as well.

Here are a few highlights from the weekend spent with family.

A laden Jonagold


Nana and I try a self-portrait




A peck of Grimes Golden apples and Golden Delicious




Seckel pears


Sorry about the focus...

We had an early Thanksgiving on Sunday - My Grandmother the Snowbird flies south for the winter and my cousin leaves for Quantico in 2 weeks.

We were short a centerpiece so I grabbed the berry basket my father made years earlier and filled it with things from her garden: watermelons, apples, grapes, peppers, tomatoes and chestnuts.




It was a traditional, if not short, Thanksgiving - with all the trimmings.
And missing the threat of snow.

Little Opera Man

On this, the opening night of Le nozze di Figaro, I present to you a tenor-in-training.



Having my best friend and her newly expanded family in town reminds me of something I read recently - that feeling cared for is a survival requirement.

So true, so easy to forget.

Vacation Project (Part I)

So last week was my first week-long vacation in three years.
I stayed at my uncle's cabin on Kelleys Island - three days alone and the rest of the week with my parents since dad starts chemo in a week.

Nineteen years ago, he was into basket-making, and got charmed by Nantucket Lightship Baskets.
He made his first baskets while on vacation at the cabin, and I told him I wanted to learn how (on an island - it only seemed natural).

We started the weekend before I left, ordering supplies, digging out the molds and making the bottoms and ears.

Making the basket bottom


Before you start, you have to whittle down the ribs... he remembered that last time he built a jig and did it on an electric sander... this time all hand done.

Shaping the ribs


So here are the finished ribs, in one of his original baskets, with the mold in the background.



Once the tips are shaped, you soak them and place in a groove in the bottom. We kind of free-handed this, but it turned out well. Then you have to secure the bottom and ribs to the mold... very nitsy work.

Ribs secured to mold


Finally, you have to bend the ribs (while keeping them wet... and evenly spaced... and in the groove) and secure with a band to let them dry to the shape of the mold.

Molding the ribs


More in the next post, Blogger seems to have a photo limit...

Vacation Project (Part II)

So where were we?

Baskets. Yes.

So we started weaving the basket.
Again, nitsy work.
You have to whittle down the end and get it secured in the groove with the ribs... lots of detailed, swear-inducing work (at least for my dad).

The first couple of rows are tense, trying to get them woven tightly, making sure the ribs stay in the groove, keeping the damn thing damp and working with a 36" piece of cane that tends to twist and break.

Starting to weave


Weaving went fairly quickly, he'd weave while I went swimming or for a bike ride, I'd weave while he read or took a nap. It was done before we knew it!

Almost done


We got it off the mold and attached the rim to keep its shape. And then...

TRAGEDY!

The next morning my father picked up the dry basket and POP - the bottom fell out!



My theory is that the ribs got loose around the mold, so we were weaving the whole thing 1/4" larger, which was fine when the basket was wet and the wood was expanded (I'm really stifling the urge to make a shrinkage joke here - come on! WET WOOD GETS LARGER??? Who can resist!)

Anyway, when the wood dried, the rim, approximately 1/4" larger than the mold, pulled the ribs out of the groove.

My solution (after rending my clothes and gnashing my teeth) was to create a new bottom, about 1/4" LARGER and instead of a groove, split that thing in two, put it in place and glue it together.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Happy Birthday!

I've mentioned before that my oldest and dearest friend was pregnant.

Not anymore!



Look at that beautiful face...

Iconic summer images

I love a good beach and it appears to run in the family.
Some extended family was in for the week and they usually spend a day at the beach - it was bit chilly, but we had dinner at the docks. The kids wanted to go to the shore and so did I.
Luckily, the "real" adults were willing to indulge me when the kid's requests were tuned out.

I'll never understand why so many adults lose the urge to scramble on rocks, wade in the waves and skip stones... but I'm proud to say I'm not one of those adults.



I love this picture, it looks like he's squaring his shoulders and preparing to take on the wind and waves.

A rose garden & a miraculous hydrangea

I was in Lorain on the 3rd, making my 3 day weekend a 4 day mini-vacay.
It was a little rainy, but I stopped by Lakeview beach to see the rose garden in bloom.

It's been such a rainy summer, so things are lush and full and green and splendid, as evidenced below.









That evening, I went to Berlin Heights to prep for the big family party on the 4th. At my grandmother's, she told me to go out back and look at the hydrangea... I didn't think anything of it until I realized that this was a non-hearty indoor plant that I gave my grandfather in the last few months of his life.

Following his death, my mother tended the plant at home for the next year or so. We gave it to my grandmother a year later and she planted it. It weathered the first winter, but never bloomed - a florist told me it never would, given the species. But lo and behold, this year it's got a lovely bloom with more threatening.



Given that our family history seems to be told through plants it makes sense that this this little fellow has thrived.

A new blog...

Instead of random family posts - I'm creating an online collection of stilgenbauer what-not.

Inspired by my father and his endless need to create (and my need to keep and display whatever I can), I started stilgenstories to keep it somewhat organized.

Work in Progress I

Happy February!
About a year ago or more (cringe) I took on a project for our family to organize and create a generational quilt for my grandmother.

Pretty basic, just squares with embroidered hand prints and names... but I wanted to do something fancy for the center.

So of course it took me ages to get things back on track. This week I swore I would have the top done to hand over to my aunt to quilt and finish....

Ta Da!



Close up...

Out martha-ing martha

After a friday night of Strongbow fueled debauchery at Prosperity, I went to visit the family in Erie Co.

Dad got a smoker from my uncle and has been obsessed with cooking the perfect smoked turkey. As usual, it was amazing. Got-up-at-five-a.m.-and-started-the-process amazing.
And since it's that wonderful time between summer and fall harvests, we had the best of both along with dinner.

Sunday, I spent the day gathering the final tomatoes, zucchini, seckel pears from my grandmother's garden; but the lion's share of the time was spent gathering and husking chestnuts.

These aren't the kind that fell prey to the early 20th century blight, but they are edible and now represent my favorite part of fall.

We go out to the trees in turn, each coming back with a full half-peck basket. They're so plentiful that we sell them at a stand up the road, which is good, since I got gourds and pumpkins gratis.

I came home with a basket full of goodies, and spent this evening making concord grape sorbet and chocolate ice cream infused with chocolate mint.

I roasted chestnuts last evening on my neighbor's grill... v. good, but we left them too long with the chatting and the beer.

Throughout this weekend, I spent my free time knitting because after 3 attempts, I seem to finally get it.

So as long as I live within walking distance of downtown, I'll maintain my rural side. And I'm sure if I moved to a rural area, I'd become hyper-metropolitan.

So for now, I imagine my grandmother's as the country house and my apartment in Tremont as my pied de terre.

Quit yer bitchin

Ok... ok... a little self-pity never really hurt anyone, did it?

Anyway, fab weekend.

I stayed at my grandmother's who is out of town in ALASKA.
On a CRUISE.
With her BOYFRIEND.
She's 83~
Good for her.

*shakes head sagely*

Anyway, stayed there all weekend.

Went to the TIffin Flea Market...
1. NASCAR
2. Jesus
3. The War

o, and a beautifully felted cloche for winter wear.

But mostly NASCAR.

Spent the next day at my cousin's pool sunning and swimming and drinking Brandy Alexanders
with cousin K and her friend T who happened to have lived in my 'hood.

More sitting outside, but overlooking the Huron River at night.

Then more pool time the next day with a turkey smoked by daddy-o.
Everyone brought starches... with cheese... flavored with bacon...
It was like the Fourth all over again.

Interspersed weekend with biking, hiking, planting and picking... and a little wool-gathering.
Not to mention pushing a 1920s tractor out of a rut and into a barn...

I brought back 3 zucchinis as big as all outdoors from Nana's garden.

From one I have made:
Zucchini pumpkin bread - 1 loaf, 6 muffins
Chocolate zucchini pumpkin bread, 1 loaf, 3 mini loaves
12 zucchini feta latkes.

I have 2 more... any thoughts?

They are HUGE so not very good for raw use....

I may simply make loaf after loaf and freeze.
I think the chocolate will be good (it's baking now... yum...)

What a great way to end the summer.

Up next.. what to do with apples, pears and chestnuts....?

hmmm

So today was a weird day for me- not the best day - not the worst day -
but it brought home alot of things...
that bad things happen,
but good things happen, too
and they're often happening at the same time.

today i had birthday plans,
but then i got horrible news

so... what do you do?
it wasn't necessary for me to go home - my parents were dealing with the family to whom it happened, and i wouldn't be of any real help... i was even instructed to not send anything until further notice...

but birthday plans seemed empty knowing the depth of grief so close to me...

so i talked with friends... and went to the beach... and out to dinner...

i kept thinking about striking a balance between the need to be frivilous and fun when there is so much that needs attention and so many people who don't have the time for frivolity...

i knew someone years ago who spent so much time tending to those in need: homeless, hungry, disabled and sick - it was wonderful, if you were homeless, hungry, disabled or sick - but if not... well... get in line.

i know that in the time i knew him, i had a lot more crisises than ever before - or since - coincidence...?

so i know that balance is important - and i know that sadness breeds sadness and joy breeds joy - so today i decided to stick with joy, and save the sadness for a more appropriate moment...

so here's a little joy from about thirty years ago...

2 tragedies to add to the thousands

in the past week, two family friends were killed by sniper fire in iraq - two separate incidents - two wonderful men - two families sit at home with their grief.

the most recent one was 23 - he was a neighbor - he used to hit golf balls into our garden.

my dad would swear when he'd run over them with the lawnmower.

i remember when he was born - i was young, but old enough to hold him.

and his parents got a visit in the middle of the night last night - two soldiers with a terrible duty - a message and a flag to deliver.

its the stuff of a military parents' nightmare visions - and i'm sure they're brokering deals with the universe as we speak for it all to be terrible misunderstanding - that it was someone else - some other son.

eric should have come home whole.

bruce, too.

and countless others as well.

Thought

You know what I haven't done in a while...?



...ridden a carousel.

That sounds like fun.

Silhouettes

On June 21, 1953 my grandmother married my grandfather. It was a second marriage for both of them and my model for a working partnership. They took a short first honeymoon in Niagra Falls and the following year, went to Mexico. It was there they had this silhouette done.

My grandmother is recently widowed, and as a way to celebrate their 52 years together, I was asked to design, coordinate and create a family quilt for her. The sticking point had been what to put in the center.... but then I saw the silhouettes in her guest bedroom.

I took it to a friend's studio in the neighborhood, and they scanned, retouched and shaded it into this....



Aren't they GOOD?! I love it when skill and technology meet up.

They printed it on fabric so I can stitch it into the quilt top and get it to the "real" quilter to finish it.