Oh Christmas Tree! Retro!

The Year without a real Christmas Tree inside. Plumbing work and a new dog that would destroy both the branches and the ornaments. A loss but not a deal breaker here. I am sure it will be back next year. I have plenty of other holiday traditions with cookies, skating and TONS of outdoor lights.

Last year I featured a photo blog post of vintage cocktail dresses around vintage trees. Here is another link to Retro trees from the 50's & 60's that capture both the home and the resident of it. Some vivid snapshots for sure. 

Full link below: Mindcircle; People and their Trees

   

Holiday Lights in the Tundra

I have always been festive in terms of holiday decorating. But most of it had been an indoor vibe - the tree, the banister, some flash around the window panes. The first few years I moved into the house, I did construct this tacky blue star out of left over lumber scraps and hoisted it above the door for a few year until the entire unit collapsed on the side of the house. Curiosity was rekindled a few years back when I started at Gertens and holiday lighting became a part of my vocabulary. So each year I grab more on clearance and this year, have a Snoopy's House collection of dripping icicles; multi color LEDs and a big candy cane birch tree. With perfectly coordinated timers and a quilt of extension cords buried in the snow, I enjoy pulling home every night to the brightest house on the block.

Complete credit for this post goes to Karen Cooper who published a smart piece in the Southwest Journal about the history of holiday lights in Minneapolis. It states that it took only 3 years from the invention of the electric light bulb for it to emerge into the holiday market. And of course it was New York City that featured the first lit Christmas tree in 1882. The budding trend was 1st noted in Minnesota at the turn of the century when Henry Boos took the headlights from his auto to illuminate a giant evergreen nearby at 26th & Elliot.

But the true phenomenon arrived in 1914 with a city-wide effort to cloak Minneapolis in a holiday glow by encouraging many homes to light electric candles in their window sills. This was simplicity, and as costs of electric strings became more economical, displays evolved. Thus, by 1926 the fad became a contest decreed by mayor George Leach & the Minneapolis Electrical League. I was interested to find that this League was a civic/ commercial board which was promoting the concept of residential electric to the general public in those days. That seems so foreign to us 100 years later when current travels without a thought. But with this contest, Minneapolis was divided into different zones and a panel of judges would deem which neighborhood was awarded the prize in a quest to make it the "Brightest City in America." Who knew?

In only it's 2nd year the Chamber of Commerce and Retail Association jumped in and downtown saw miles of garlands and light strings culminating in a 75 foot tall tree at the pivotal Gateway Park. Henry Boos who was mentioned earlier, had now grown from car headlights into a mechanical Santa that climbed up his chimney on the roof. Homes began to outline their silhouettes in colored strings. Yard figures appeared. There were patriotic displays, manger creches, and oodles of snowmen.

Prizes were usually donations of electrical appliances like toasters and radios; eventually even television sets! It sounds pretty old-school, but the Minneapolis Jaycees kept this competition going until 1970 - a 44 year tradition. Sadly, because of the lack of color photography, there are limited pictures of the early displays. Attached is a single photo from the Journal article along with a few more vintage shots. 

Read the original feature below.
Southwest Journal - History of City Light Displays 

Killer Waffles

Being a lazy Sunday morning, Jeff is making a batch of blueberry pancakes and I am reading my New York Times. Dogs are around the house somewhere. A great morning.

I love waffles more than pancakes, but they are more cumbersome to prepare; one at a time in a single iron. Sometimes, during cold winter months, I make the effort with a fabulous recipe book I picked up. But to me, waffles are the ultimate eat-out Sunday brunch food. A shout out to Cities 97, I have now found a new destination for the craving. It sells itself as a Coffee Cafe with the motto - Be Woke, Stay Buzzed, but....

Buzz Coffee and Cafe has tapped into the donut craze and brought it into their own, with apparently multitudes of specialty types & 200 spinoffs in toppings. Their Instagram page is drool worthy to be sure. Even gluten free and vegan options  along with vegan meats. They rattle off names like Butter Beer, Candied Pecan & Honey, Chai, Chocolate Potato Chip, Banana Bread, Cranberry Chicken, Chili Dog..... this list goes on and on and really needs to be seen to be believed! How about a Mermaid - a purple waffle w/ sprinkles, whipped cream & Swedish Fish! What 8 year old would not want to try that? Or for adults, the Med Chicken - w/ chicken, spinach & provolone topped with basil and whipped butter!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Crunch

Two locations are on the outskirts in Plymouth and Burnsville. But this sounds like a road trip worth taking to me. If I went every week for a year it would take me 4 years to make a dent in all 200 varieties. Ponder that.

Vegan Strawberry Brie

Arkansas Black Apple

Here is a story for the Fall Harvest. We are just arriving at apple picking season and I would guess almost each of us will plan an outing somewhere in the area to grab a last gasp at warmth; with a hot cider, some music and maybe even a pumpkin patch.

In Minnesota we are famous for our Honeycrisp variety out of the U of MN. But I wasn't aware that we are truly a pioneer in terms of cross breeding to find something that is hardy to Northern climates as well as a crisp, sweet favorite. I cannot imagine the endless time and effort over the course of many years to yield results. This is not done in a laboratory but in row after row of orchards in both St Paul and the Arboretum. We are notable for the Sweet Tango, Honeygold, Zestar and Haralson among others. That is an impressive fruit basket!

But a variety out of Arkansas caught my eye earlier this year. It is an interesting breed both literally and figuratively. To grab them off the tree, they are a terrible tasting phenomenon. Apparently, the true payoff comes after months of cold storage to let them continue ripening over an extended period. The result supposedly has hints of cherry, cinnamon, vanilla and coriander. Interesting!

This particular crop traces its roots to Bentonville AR going back to 1870. With no horticulture data, it is merely assumed that it was a pollinating accident of a similar colonial Winesap variety. This dates back to the Johnny Appleseed tales of early Americana. The Arkansas Black reached a heyday in the 1920's until a moth infestation and the Great Depression relegated it to a back burner.

Currently, it is still not a hot market item. But with heirloom interest and risk taking in the food industry, it is at least popping up as a curiosity item. I am wondering where the closest vendor would be in MN to give them a taste?

The Great Pillsbury Bake Off and others

As a few of my friends are prepping their pies and other baked good for the MN State Fair. As I myself am pouring over some pickling possibilities for our Gertens work contest. As I am always harvesting left over produce to find new recipes for cherry salsa or peach turnovers.... I was recently talking to my mom about the old Pillsbury Bake Off. I remember her trying out a new variety of a pineapple surprise in hopes of winning some sort of $2000 pay-off in the grand scheme of All Things Baking.

Thanks to a feature I had bookmarked in the Star Trib from a friend Julie Kendrick, I got some useful stats on the contest now that I live much closer to it's original roots here in MN. It started way back in 1949 to promote flour sales. As cooking trends grew throughout the 50's, it was expanded as a way to promote box mixes, refrigerated doughs and other new trends that Pillsbury was introducing. Now it offers a cash prize of $50,000 along with a suite of GE appliances and a feature in the Food Network magazine. It was the pioneer of reality baking that is now a cultural norm on television programming.

2019 - Dublin Cheeseboard-Stuffed Appetizer Bread

 The contest prompted recipes that have now become staples in our kitchens. Peanut Butter Blossoms. Tunnel of Fudge Cake. Rocky Road Fudge Bars. The article also talks about how, like fashion, it sometimes foreshadowed trends in the national baking realm. The aforementioned Tunnel of Fudge Cake created a massive shortage of bundt cake pans in 1966, which spurred a profit opportunity for Nordicware, also in Minneapolis. They produced large quantities to meet the consumer craze. 1954 brought an onslaught of sesame seeds with the Open Sesame Pie. A Lemon Poppy Seed Bundt in 1966 was a new flavor explosion that is now common every Starbucks and Caribou. In the 1980's, oat bran was just coming up as an eating trend.

1950 - Orange Kiss-Me Cake

I myself have a satisfaction in trying out those unusual recipes to be that odd-man-out winner. Cantaloupe bread. Cardamom bread. Sour Cherry BBQ sauce. Along with that come some failures. Like my Triple Layer Coconut Tarte last Christmas. Rarely are they a disaster, but I regret the energy I put into them, so I return to staples like peanut butter cookies. Whether a crock pot or a baking sheet, I enjoy whichever season upon us then file away those new favorites in a plastic recipe box, flag them in a cookbook or save them as a digital bookmark.
 

1952- Snappy Turtle Cookies

I will let you know how my Lemon Pickled Green & Yellow Beans, Horseradish Pickles and Pickled Pumpkin turn out over the next few weeks.

original article: Memories of Past Pillsbury Bake-offs 

And the Winner Is.... every single winning recipe 

Glamour Showgirls

As my feeds filled up with shot after shot last week from Pride marches all around the country, I realize there is a universal fascination with what would be called Glamour Girls. Some lean raunchy & sexy while others are more like pageant queens. Almost all center around sequins, feathers and bright colored eye-makeup.

I don't know my history, but I would guess these #femmefatales really came into prominence with the early days of Hollywood whcih featured Vamps and Ziegfeld girls. Over time it yielded to burlesque, circus shows and even Spectacles on Ice. Playboy Bunnies put them on full display during the 60's.

This post is a draft saved almost 3 years back that was just waiting for the time to present itself to me. It was from a photo collage that showed the backstage antics of the traveling Side Show. There is something gritty to me about the congruence of pump heels in muddy fields of tents & train cars. They brought the glamour to the masses is rural areas that must have seen it as decadent. Whereas some of the 40's pin-up types seemed manufactured, there is something that appears to me to be genuine in these #carny girls. Maybe it is the photos with candid access, but I still prefer this to what many would now call Camp as depicted at this year's Met Gala. Give them a look and click on the link for the full album.

Mind Circle Showgirls

 

 

Our Gay Heritage

This is the time of the year when our feeds are flooded with pics of Gay Pride Parades, not only across the country, but around the world. So many happy faces of people of all types are celebrating their unique selves. We are lucky to be able express this joy in spite of the global unrest. We are certainly in better times!

With the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, we have a landmark moment to reflect on. We think on those heroes and the many that have followed in what can sometimes be called a crusade. Ask many friends and they will comment that I can be a crusader on many things, but I wear my flag on my sleeve in a much quieter and reflective way. I look back on the silent masses who did not feel the need to shatter the earth, but made much smaller murmurs.

And there are pictures of these unnamed couples. Almost all have no names attached and they were fine with that in the confines of their own era. But stumbling on Pinterest of all places, I find a different kind of quiet joy in these intimate moments of celebration. There are many of them out there. Here are only a few to share.

Vintage Fashions ala 1975

With all the ballyhoo about the Met Gala, I am pulling out a draft post going back a year. It has been waiting for the right moment to present itself to me. 

This year's theme was Camp, which is a great motif to play on. The concept of camp can lend itself from anything to drag to disco. Retro somehow always finds a way into campiness as well. And this fashion revisit is an entire on-line collection devoted to patterns of yesteryear. I am centering in particular on the year 1975. It sits reflecting on the flower power era which was still in bloom, as well as teetering on the brink of the discotheque craze that was about to take rage. Those fashions had so much to draw on in terms of color, pattern and even gender options.

Growing up in Erie, it was not quite the epicenter of fashion. But I got glimpses of it from the Sonny & Cher show or certainly the Osmonds. I dared to wear a fringe vest to school with a choker chain around my neck. That was BOLD! I loved my denim elephant bells and saddle shoes. I could get natty with an argyle vest. And a favorite was a pair of banana yellow bell bottoms. I have no idea where this sense came from????

My mom was handy with a sewing machine and could easily churn something out. Usually for the girls, but I remember a few spunky blazers and even a billowy Victorian shirt at some point that I loved. 
Check out some of these pages if you have time. This resource is not the actual patterns themselves, but just a catalogue of the pattern envelopes. However if you look for the comments under each listing, you can see there are still a handful of collectors out there who will trade.

 
Vintage Patterns : 1975

California Gold Rush

California is often viewed as a Utopia of sunshine and all things natural from sun tans to fresh avocados. I have visited family and friends from North of the Bay Area to the far south of San Diego & Balboa Park. And it was indeed stunning from the vineyards to the black sand beaches. It truly is blessed by God's bounty.

 
As if nature could not handle any more. This last March was a perfect combination of rain, moderate temps and a lack of damaging winds. It resulted in what is called a Super Bloom which usually occur every decade or so. So while we continue our slow spring turnover here in MN, there was a plethora of poppies there just a few weeks back. Magnificent!


 This occurred in the area of Walker Canyon outside of southeast Los Angeles. Of course there were the ever popular CA Poppies of bright mandarin orange, but also fields of yellow and purple blooms as well. What made this year's phenomenon momentous was the network of social media and a viral wave of public interest. There was such a massive exodus for the hour drive from LA that Interstate 15 resembled rush hour traffic. The same outbursts that drew crowds, began to draw caution as Riverside County declared a public safety emergency. Hashtags of #PoppyShutdown and #IsItOverYet eventually became "At this time, it is not feasible for us to keep visitors away from #WalkerCanyon." Clusters of tourists with strollers, puppy dogs and high heels attempted to conquer the rugged hillside after the desperate road blocks. I would have made the trip too!

The Golden Age of Travel

Every winter I rack up a small handful of miles due to my winter color guard & percussion judging. Friends have the misconception that I am some jet setter taking in tourist meccas across the country. When in fact, I am staying in suburban hotels in Omaha, Brunswick NJ or Schaumburg IL. This is not fashionable frequent flyer miles. Especially this last weekend after a sobering flight on #Spirit Air where my seat was no more than a folding lawn chair and my table tray would not hold a lunch pail.

 

However, many of the airports I pass through are elevating the experience of travel. Our own MSP International just took top honors in its size for the 3rd year. Many of us are old enough to remember the classic TWA Terminal that was so "mod" during the 1960's era in New York City. I'm not sure I was even aware that it still existed as it was replaced by the current JFK Terminal which brings the masses to the Big Apple. I just recall the stylish posh of it all built by renowned architect Eero Saarinen in 1962. At the time it was named Idlewild Airport until it became synonymous as the hub for TWA airlines. It got its last shout out during the filing of Steven Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can and ceased operating in 2001 slated to be torn down.

But here it is in 2019 ready to be rechristened as a luxury hotel. Of course the lobby pipes in classic pop from the 60's which range from Frank Sinatra to Dusty Springfield & Petula Clark. Snacks are sprinkled throughout the lobby on airline service carts. And mini fridges are stocked with both champagne and Tab! It even continues to use revamped rotary telephones.

But the stunning curves and openness of the original design remain its magnificence. The lobby retains the signature Chili Pepper Red hue of Saarinen's choice. Elegant staircases and wide double-paned windows keep the roar at bay but the view expansive. There are the requisite work out rooms, saunas and yoga studios. But also a 10,000 foot rooftop deck with pool. A museum with vintage uniforms designed by Valentino & Ralph Lauren. There are 8 bars, 6 restaurants and even the original Ambassadors Club where you can dine on French cuisine, Italian pasta or plain American BBQ. All this can be yours come this May for a mere $249+ a night.

This would be traveling in the lap of luxury. Not the meek travel that I pursue.

 

The Kitsch of Klimt

This feature has been in draft mode for well over a year. Since I have been spending my winter hibernation in the upstairs den with an endless paint-by-number kit, it surfaced again. My eyes are going bonkers from the tiny impressionist blotches. Even harder is trying to define the minuscule distinction between white, eggshell and vanilla tones on the cobblestone street that makes up a large portion of the painting.

Color has always been my entry point into the world of art. Gustav Klimt would have to be at the forefront of chroma. We were enamored enough of an Ikea print, that we have him prominently on display as the centerpiece of our dining room. The rich golds, oranges and maroons are stunning. 

Art seems to re inspire us in waves. Klimt has been back in fashion over the last few years. There was first the Helen Mirren film, a factual telling of his Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer which was titled Woman in Gold. There is the interactive showing in Paris Atelier des Lumieres that is over-the-top and continues to repeat of my Facebook feeds. I cannot even fathom submersing myself in it.
Atelier des Lumieres - Klimt 

But my original curiosity was this article in ArtNet News dating back to 2015. It is masterful photography work by Inge Prader that daringly takes his famous pieces and brings them to life with models. He is Austrian and the sittings were done for a fund raising benefit. The images are complex, intricate and provoking to say the least. Klimt was part of a Viennese Secessionist movement which was founded to encourage art to think ourside the box. "To every age its art. To every art its freedom." Each artist was exploring in their own uniqueness. This was also coming into the period of Freud and free thinking.

Almost 200 years later, the images (both the paintings and these photos) are sublime. Enjoy theses posted portraits and look at the full collection posted in the link.




 

Inge Prader - Klimt Portraits 

A Day at the Library

It is ironic that I am making a blog post about Libraries which most people would associate with Books. I have a love/ hate relationship with reading. I think it goes back to the SRA reading kits from Elementary if any of my generation remembers those. They were a reading skill testing set in Public schools from the 60s. You would read a short story on a cardboard folder and then take a test on how thorough your absorption was by flipping the card. Being a competitive type, I soared through the kiddie levels and led the class in those upper Gold/ Silver testing levels. As a result, reading was never really a satisfying experience for me, but a task I raced to finish.

There are a few writers who have ultimately enticed me like John Irving, Michael Chabon, the occasional David Sedaris and of course Armistead Maupin. But with the onset of the digital era, I am more content reading a blog, a newspaper article, cooking books or short stores at best.

This does NOT mean libraries have no worth to me. I loved the Erie downtown library as a child and a trip there was heaven. But I remember getting films to watch on an old projector as much as getting a children's book. Now they let you borrow a fishing pole to walk down to the dock and fish. I utilize my local library for access to tons of music; both audio and sheet. My cabaret career owes much to the public library. My sister is a librarian and has tons of resources she has pointed out to me that go far beyond books. I even use my local branch for printing out documents since my personal printer is more expensive to replace ink cartridges. It is a small but mighty building, an original Carnegie library.

 
Which all leads to this inspiring catalogue of historic and spellbinding buildings that are indeed institutions. If it were a choice between a museum, a cathedral or a library - I don't think I would hesitate. To me even a bookstore holds more treasures. The 19 listed in this collection are mind boggling. Sadly I have not been to a single one. I should add a few to my traveling Bucket List. Please give them a quick glance.


 Buzzfeed Iconic Libraries

Sainte-Genvieve Library - Paris France

Boston Public Library

National Library - Vienna, Austria