Sapsucker Woods..Oh Yeah.It Is A Real Place

This is what a Sapsucker can do..hope one never makes you their enemy

One of our field trips in either 5th or 6th grade was to Sapsucker Woods, in Ithaca , NY.

The things I remember most were the wooden platforms that went through the swamp, and felt very dangerous. It was a cold damp day. I was sure that someone was going into the water( hopefully not me, since I did not know how to swim).I also remember being with my BFF. Back then we were blood sisters, although Diane( Fulkrod Belton)

Diane at Sapsucker Woods

and I were to chicken to prick our fingers, so we buried notes in her garden. Diane would later be my Maid Of Honor..I wish we lived closer, but we do talk occasionally, and there is a reunion in the making in the works for October..not at Sapsucker Woods

I do not remember any birds..but I am sure that the real objective of field trips were socialization, otherwise why would we spend so much time on the bus.

Years later my boyfriend( now hubby) and I took a day trip to SW. Do I remember birds? Not a chance..it was all about socialization 🙂

FunHog University

This is out of order but needs to be written about now. Today I went to Nestor’s store to get my obligatory FunHog t-shirts and bumper stickers before the doors close forever. Karen(Nestor) reminded me that my whole family(minus my husband) had a job there at one time.

So a few Nestor memories.

First personal one is about Pete. Bill and Robbie(their son) went to Datzyk Montessori School together.  One Sunday there was a  brunch and program for the families. Of course the children put on a show. Robbie became overwhelmed on stage and began to cry. Pete went on the stage and was so tender to Rob, I will never forget that Father and Son moment.

Many times I would take all 4 of my children in to the store for ski rentals. Yikes..what was I thinking?! Later when I became an employee there, I apologized profusely.

SO fast forward to November 1994, I go into the store for some ski stuff, and mention casually that I sure could use a job there, since I was shopping for 6 skiers. Karen responded..”You are hired.” Started right away.Don’t think there was even a background check. As Bogart says in Casablanca “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”

I learned to “ride” while working there..more bruises than I care to remember. Last time I rode was with Sarah on her birthday at Blue Mtn. She ended up with a probable broken tail bone and I got a hematoma on my butt the size of a tennis ball. End of that sport. Pretty sure Sarah quit that day too.

Then everyone siad you must learn to rollerblade..more bruises..especially my ego when I went to take a test to be an instructor. Mean teacher wouldn’t pass me..I think he didn’t like older women. The young guys from Nestor’s were ready to go beat him up..aww. Ended up going back for another session, and finally got certified(not certifiable yet).

My favorite event was always Used Equipment Sale. There will never be anything like it. The s**t people would bring to sell was amazing. It was supposed to be fairly current.Someone brought a hat and sweater set. I had the same one in 1969..not being afraid to ask..I probably said, “Are you kidding me?”. The person was perfectly serious  about selling it. The odors that accompanied some of the clothing was not to be believed either( it was supposed to be clean). The day of the sale was always a hoot too. People would start lining up by 2 for the opening at 6. Since this all took place in a tent, there had to be guards for the night and the employees were encouraged to do the job. I even got a turn sleeping there, although I slept in my van with Shana. Oh fun times.

Christmas was a very busy time but Pete and Karen provided a party which we all looked forward to..music , food, drinks, fun!   Christmas Eve was a festive atmosphere in the store too. No details, but my daughter Sarah had a Christmas Eve to remember(or not) there..Can you say Jello Shots?

Most important is my friendship with Karen that has lasted all these years. We have had some very special times. Chicks on Sticks, The Philadelphia Distance Run and winning a bottle of JaegerMeister to share on a plane ride home from Lake Tahoe.

Karen ..hope you are as glad you hired me as I am..Love you..and your family! Good Luck, Have Fun, Stay Fit, Live Long!

Growing Up on Cookies

My daughter just texted me with an idea about recipes. It seems like the perfect idea to add recipes, in particular Mom’s recipes to the blog. My niece Margaret has a great blog The Irish Mother.  Margaret has already included 2 of Mom’s recipes that I grew up on. Sadly for me, I can’t eat a lot of Mom’s best recipes since I now have Celiac Disease and am Gluten Free. So much of Mom’s comfort foods do have flour in them, and many I have learned to use substitutes, BUT nothing can replace the flour for the wonderful Grandma Rolls.

There was rarely a day when I would come home from school and there was not something baked for dessert. Cookies, cupcakes, cakes and pies. Pies were usually saved for baking on Sundays. No Cuisinart or Kitchen Aid, but the work done by hand just made everything that more wonderful. When I think about her making Christmas cookies, especially Kolachkies, my respect for her talent and patience soars.

The recipe that seems to be most everyone’s favorite bar cookie is Butterscotch Brownies( not Blonde Brownies 🙂 ). I have even been able to make it GF with really good results. I will include Mom’s recipe, but should you need it to be GF just let me know and I will tell you how to make the substitutes. Be ready to be comforted.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 8 by 11 pan.

Melt 2/3 cup butter with 2 1/4 cups light brown sugar.Cool slightly.

In mixer combine 3 eggs with 1 tsp. vanilla.

Add dry ingredients, 2 2/3 cup flour, 2 tsp. baking powder and 1 tsp. salt

.Mix until smooth Add butter/sugar mix to this and mix until well blended. Add 1 cup chopped walnuts and a 6 oz. pkg. Semi sweet chocolate chips.

Spread into greased pan. Bake for 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out dry(except the melted chocolate).

I have a color picture here because Black and White would not show how wonderful they are.

Zopp’s and Other Neighborhood Hot Spots

I sure wish I had pictures of neighborhood places but I don’t, but I need to tell you about them anyways.

First Zopp’s…the little grocery store that was one door away from my house. Mrs. Zopp was there most of the time. Sometimes she seemed a little mean but most of the time she was glad to take your money.

My Mom would send me for a loaf of bread, 28 cents, I could use the 2 pennies for purchases. My 2 favs were stick pretzels and fireballs. There was all kinds of penny candy there..Pixie Stix , Candy Lipstick or wax filled liquid.After the bread was used we used the bag, which was made of wax paper , to wax  the slides of our school playground. great fun whipping down the slides!

Zopp’s had a small deli counter. I loved when my Mom would let me get bologna. Fresh slice bologna was the best, especially fried in butter.( wow, can you say Heart Attack on a Plate?) Another treat was when I could get a can of mushrooms and Mom would fry them up in butter and garlic. But the best thing I got at Zopp’s was a pair of  play dress up shoes. They were on the toy rack, they were plastic, I saved my money and they became mine. I remember saving diligently and the day I purchased them was a day of Nirvana.

Up the street was also a hot dog stand. On an occasional Saturday, Mom would let me get lunch there. I have no idea what brand hot dogs they sold, but they were really yummy. They also had Root Beer, but the special part was they sold it in a container that could be used later as a megaphone. Pretty sure it was A and W.

For a short run there was an in ground trampoline place.SO fun. Many years later we went to Long Beach Island with Sarah and Deborah and there was one there too. I hope they have happy memories of in ground trampolines like I do. I would bet that the jerks liability lawyers shut those places down .

Another great place within walking distance was The Army Navy Store. You could get most everything to wear there.I think it was Hank’s. I googled it but nothing came up. I don’t remember anything in particular that I purchased there, but jeans and shorts definitely come to mind.

This is The Spot Diner. It started off as a very small place, certainly ot this one in the picture. Every once in awhile I would go there and have an amazing turkey sandwich and Greek salad. Oh yum!Walking to places in the neighborhood was great. My shoes were made for walking(and now running 🙂T

Stand By Me

On Wednesday I flew to Denver with my husband and son to babysit for grandchildren. My son had Stand By Me on his IPAD, although I was hoping for Happy Feet. If you have not seen this movie you will not understand why I am writing about a movie instead of my childhood. This movie has the real essence of 1959 when it takes place. Each time I watch it I take a time machine back to the feeling of that time..simple, safe, and easy. I would often ride my bike to my BFFs house alone without fear. Blood sisters was something we all did. I did not however smoke cigarettes.

The soundtrack from this movie is one of the best ever..favorite song is probably Lollipop. That evokes memories from when Bill was sick and watched this over and over..he loved that song and did a great popping sound.

No picture since I am writing this on my IPAD..but as an aside my granddaughter saw my baby picture and asked if it was her cousin Emmie. Life really goes full circle.

Valley of the Dolls

 

I loved dolls. I loved the smell of a new doll..I loved dressing dolls, I loved playing dolls.  I still love all that. The best part of being a little girl was definitely dolls. Tiny Tears..so awesome that she peed when you gave her a bottle..oh man..that would sure not be so awesome when I became a Mom. Dolls are just practice for adulthood..as should all toys be.

I loved the Shirley Temple movies..Heidi was the first one I saw. That poor girl was so mistreated. I got the doll for Christmas..but one day I found it hidden under my Mom’s bed. When I was alone I would sneak looks at her..wow I could hardly wait to dress her.

Then came Barbie..wow those were good times. My friend Jeanette Smith( who lived on the road named after her family) had the first Barbie and the most accessories. I loved to go to her house and play Barbies( and Ken and Midge). dressing with all those high fashion clothes..Jackie Kennedy knock off clothes. I had a red velvet coat and pillbox hat that was TDF.

So when I had my own little dolls it was only natural to want to dress them up..and now I have another set of girl dolls, that I love to knit for( and I did knit my own Barbie a shawl back in the day) and buy clothes for.It’s a little harder to dress a moving target these days but still so satisfying to see all of them (including the little Kens) dressed up. Leila is already dressing her dolls..Emmie, get ready !

mie and Leila will be

Boston or bust..

This is out of order in my blog( there are many out of order things in my life) but I have to mention the Boston Marathon since today is the 115th running..and a new world record was set today.

I LOVE to run ! When I was in high school the first woman registered and ran it. The next day in the paper was a picture of her being attacked by the race director who had delusional thinking believed that women did not belong in the race..jerk. I remember thinking, I wanted to do Boston someday. I was only slightly athletic. The 50 yard dash was not for me, but I could run around the track at my own pace for what I thought was a long time.

Fast forward to 1983, my first Boston Marathon. I qualified as a nurse. It was a warm day and the first day I had run in shorts that season. definitely not heat acclimated. My feet paid the price with blisters like I have never had before or after. This was pre Gator Ade days and I got very dehydrated. It just didn’t matter..I RAN BOSTON!

Fast forward again to 1992..I qualified with a time of 3:41:00..Toronto Marathon…and I felt amazing. I was well trained and it paid off.

One more fast forward to 1996, the 100th running of Boston. Anyone who was a runner wanted to be there.I got to share it with Bruce. The weather was great, the crowds were supportive and the memories will always be with me. As we approached the finish line I began to cry! Women at one time were not allowed to do this! I didn’t want it to end. Thanks to those women who paved the way so that a high school girl with a dream could see it come true.

Learning to Love a Great Mystery !

Besides Dick and Jane my real love of reading came when I learned about Nancy Drew. I could not read those fast enough. I remember staying up late at night, under the covers, WENE on my transistor radio and reading. I read all we had in our school library( which had a very limited   selection). One Christmas my parents bought me a set of Nancy Drew books. That was an amazing winter vacation..so much to read! Nancy Drew had a coupe to drive. A coupe..what the heck was that? There are other words that were dated also. I looked up some words that might sound a little old fashioned in the books. I found shan’t,sleuth,and Miss Flora to name a few. My sisters’ read these books 20 years before me. In the 1959 copy that  I have of The Hidden Staircase( the first one I read) there is this line on the copyright page, This new story for today’s readers is based on the original of the same title.

For those of you who have read my previous blogs, I am sure it will be no surprise that I still have my original copies of Nancy Drew. Funny though I just was looking at this one and found a certain book lover daughter of mine, has written her name in it.

I really tried to like The Hardy Boys. All that boy stuff was just not as interesting. I tried to like The Bobsey Twins, but it was kind of juvenile. Only Nancy Drew would do.

It seems strange to me now that I never was so afraid that I would skip ahead to read the ending. As an adult that has been something I do on occasion. I need to know the main characters land on their feet. I hate to be scared by a book.

So if anyone out there knows of a good mystery series that won’t scare me too much, please let me know.

Philadelphia Sales

This was one of the frist 2 things I knit. This is from a 1962 McCall's Needleworks magazine( I know my hoarding is really beginning to be more obvious)

Saturday nights were often spent with Mom( and rarely Dad) at ” Philly Sales.” PS was a cheap discount store on Clinton Street  in Binghamton. I have never been to a store that had the charisma of PS. Honestly the place was a four story fire trap, no elevators and a scent that has never been replicated. The main entrance was in the basement level. When you walked in there was a popcorn machine.Of course you smelled it the whole time you were shopping and since they located it next to the exit, you could not leave the store without a bag of popcorn for the ride home. That was the base of the scent that permeated everywhere. Whatever you bought had the scent too. There were often great sales after the acquisition of goods from a store that went out of business. There were big ads in the paper and people would line up to get the best stuff.

My mom bought most of her yarn there as well as her fabric. I loved looking at the pattern books. They were large, maybe 30 inches by 30 inches. There were special tables to sit and browse through the books. When the new editions came out, we would sometimes acquire the old ones. To have one of those books at home to “read” over and over. Mom was a great seamstress and I was lucky to have a great wardrobe of her hand sewn clothes.

Red Heart yarn was the wool of choice. The first thing I knit was either a hat or slippers. I am sure I used Red Heart yarn from Philly Sales. The yarns of that time can’t compare to what is around today but the memories of Philly Sales can’t compare to anything else.

I am almost certain this came from Philly sales.

I just asked Bruce if I had ever taken him there and what he remembered. Yes I did take him there and he remembered that it was packed with stuff, narrow aisles and a strong odor.

Accidental Childhood

My siblings did not get to do many of the things I did. They grew up post Depression and during WW2. I believe that my parents really didn’t mind having to do another childhood ( sort of a do over). My Dad traveled with his job quite a lot. In the summer he would take Mom and me with him. He worked on The Northway( interstate north of Albany) and found ways to mix work with fun. We would go to Saratoga for horse races, visit museums in Albany. My Mom and I went to The North Pole, a touristy place near Whiteface Mountain.

I remember going to a restaurant in Schenectady that served German food. We had Sauerbraten and latkes potato pancakes. My Mom only made potato pancakes once that I remember. Now that I am Jewish and celebrate Hannukah, I have become a fairly accomplished latke cook. There are never leftovers.

My Dad treated me to my first ride on an airplane

Mohawk Airlines offered a special event. For a minimal price ( I’m thinking $2.50) you could be flown for a tour over The Triple Cities. It was a nice fear Sunday and a great ride. Just Dad and me 🙂 . Mom wasn’t a fan of flying so she waited at the airport. Eating Sunday dinner at the airport was a very popular thing to do in the 50’s and 60’s. After the plane ride we had dinner at the airport. My husband remembers eating at the Philadelphia airport when he was young.

Another Sunday dinner spot was Red’s Kettle Inn. It was an Italian place near where The Triplets played. They were a farm team for The Yankees. Dad often took me to games, although I don’t remember Mom going( She probably encouraged Dad to go alone with me, like I do with Bruce and Bill).  Dad was the ultimate Yankees fan. He didn’t collect all the memorabilia but he had met The Babe. He was working in NYC during The Depression. His cousin was Ed Sullivan, who was a former boxer and then sports writer. He took Dad to a Yankees game and  into the locker room prior to the game. The Babe was there having a hot dog and beer.( which was apparently a pregame  ritual).He told me this story one Sunday after Bruce and I had been to Utica to run a race. I knew Ed Sullivan was his relative but was surprised to hear this story. My kids love this story and we have repeated it often.

 

So Mom and Dad got to do the kid thing again with me and lucky for me they seemed to embrace it.