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Sepia Saturday 255: Children, train sets, crafts, silhouettist, dogs, family groups

For many of the prompt images for Sepia Saturday, I see the image and immediately think of a photo that fits.  This one was a little more difficult.  I have no artists like Eveline Maydell in my tree (that I know of) and no photos that jumped out at me as having the same feel.  The one below kind of came close to the feel of the photo, even though mine is a perfectly posed family photo.  It’s a bit of a departure from the prompt image, but it’s still Sepia and Saturday!

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The image is just about an 8×10, mounted on heavy boad with the photographer’s studio name embossed in gold, “Lipp Studio,” in Philadelphia, PA.  The studio doesn’t exist anymore, but even without that hint, my great grandma Olga labelled the photo, “Mother’s sister, husband, Maurice & Gordon, Shugg Family.”  Bessie looked much the same throughout her life, so it’s been pretty easy to pick out photos that she’s in anyway, and this is no exception.  Bessie Battin was born in Lawhitton, Cornwall, England in 1870.  After marrying Arnold Shugg in 1900, she came to the US with her husband and two children in 1911, almost 20 years after her sister (my 2nd great grandmother Jessie) arrived.  They settled in Philadelphia, PA about a 5 hour drive away from where Jessie and her family lived.  The sisters appeared to have kept in close contact, exchanging photos over the years, and Jessie’s daughter Olga even visited Philadelphia to see Maurice Shugg and his wife, Mildred Pruden.  Marurice (the older boy in the photo) and Mildred never had children, but Gordon (the younger boy) had a child, Mary, who married Joseph Delphidio.  I don’t have a lot of information on the descendants of Bessie and Arnold, but I apparently have a few fourth cousins floating around somewhere, related via Bessie.

As for the book Bessie is holding, all I can make out is that it says, “Record,” on the front and is very well worn.  As far as a date goes, Gordon was born in 1905, and they arrived in 1911, so something like 1915 sounds about right.  If you happen to stumble across this photo and are related to the Shugg family, please get in touch!

2014.11W.05

One Local Summer 2014 – Meal 22

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TWENTY TWO!  Yeah, that’s a lot of orange on that plate (Heyooo Dutch reference again), but it’s delicious orange!  The plate contains a pork butt steak with steamed carrots, mashed sweet potatoes, and a chunk of delicious Fat Cat Cheese.  Mmmm root vegetables and meat, all washed down with a glass of sweet apple cider.  Husband braved the chill outside to cook the pork on the grill after it was rubbed with a sweet and spicy  rub  which, while the rub isn’t made from locally sourced ingredients, it is blended by a local woman, so I’ll count it as a partial win.  This is probably one of our favorite cuts of pork because it’s easier to grill up and still keep it tender and juicy.  Pork goes from edible to rubber quickly if you’re not careful with the temperature, but the butt steaks seem more forgiving.  It was devoured quickly, but there was enough steak and vegetables for some leftovers.

Just a quick note too, the cheese maker, Birchrun Hills, has started a Kickstarter to help them “Raise a Cave” at their farm.  They’re currently renting space at another facility to make their cheeses which isn’t incredibly cost or time effective.  We love these folks SO much and enjoy supporting local agriculture, and hope you might consider sending a few dollars their way!  It’s always great to see Sue at our local farmers market, and we’d love to see this succeed.  Also, if you haven’t yet been able to find their Smoked Blue Cheese, you aren’t really living.  Honest.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/993112740/birchrun-hills-farm-raise-a-cheese-cave

Ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes – Jack’s Farm
Carronts – North Star Orchard
Apple Cider – North Star Orchard
Pork Butt Steak – Countrytime Farm
Cheese – Birchrun Hills
Milk – Camphill Kimberton
Non Local – Salt, Pepper

Square Hue November 2014

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In  the September Goodebox there was a full-size Square Hue polish.  While I wasn’t too keen on the color, I really liked the formula (covered in two coats, long lasting, five-free).  There was a special offer for a special treat, so I figured hey, why not give it a shot?  This is my first month.  Couple of things I didn’t know and weren’t made entirely clear when I signed up.  The spoiler image for the next month contains the colors that will be in the next box.  Had I realized that and seen the image, I probably wouldn’t have signed on for that month.  The next month’s box is billed around the 3rd or 4th day  of the month prior (So, December is billed November 4th).  If you don’t remember to check the spoiler image and cancel before that date, you’re in for a box you might not want depending on the colors involved.  I wish they would email a day or two before billing with the spoiler image so that you have a chance to opt in or out of the next month’s shipment.  Anyway, November’s theme is Prague!  Having been to Prague, these were not at all the colors I imagined and I was pretty  disappointed with the dark, grey and gloomy colors selected.  When I think of Prague, I see red tile roofs against the green copper patina spires and domes of churches all sitting above white and cream colored buildings.

  • ParizskaMicro Glitter, right – It’s basically a cream  grey with silver glitter added in which means after two coats, it’s lumpy and bumpy from the glitter underneath and is almost  like one of those Sugar Coat nail polishes.  It drives me crazy.  I like the idea though of adding glitter to a cream polish, but it just doesn’t work for me.
  • Vaclavske NamestiShimmer, left – I actually kinda like this one.  It’s a deep plum color with a hint of shimmer and is great for winter parties.
  • Na Prikope –  High Gloss Creme, center –  The color is just horrendous and looks a little like mossy concrete.  This isn’t at all something I can wear and will probably trade off to someone who does like it.

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A second box?  Yep, that’s the bonus special treat!  One of the prior months’ boxes packed up and shipped out in addition to your monthly order which makes six polishes for $19.99 including shipping.  I received the August 2014 box with the Beverly Hills collection.  I’d already received Rodeo Drive as my sample in the Goodebox and really don’t like the color at all, so I was kinda bummed to now have two of the same polish that I don’t like.

  • Rodeo Drive –  Micro Glitter, right – It’s just such an odd hue – somewhere between brown and pink and I really hated the way it looked.  Any other color, and this would’ve been a great polish.
  • Cannon Drive –  Micro Shimmer, left – I have to admit that I like this one – it’s a light, shimmery not-quite-pastel violet and  is a fun color.
  • Wilshire Boulevard –  Micro Shimmer, center – Absolutely my favorite of all six.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE blue and this is a shimmery royal blue that’s just the kind of color I like to wear, and I have nothing like it at all in my collection of blue polish.  I can see this being a new go-to favorite.

All in all, it’s a great deal for a first order, and then if you keep on top of things, you can suspend and reactivate your account when the spoiler image has colors you like.  I don’t need three new nail polishes every month, but I could see doing this a few times a year for a treat.

Sepia Saturday 254: Couples, Clinches, Crossings, Hitching a Ride

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This was as close as I could come to the prompt image for this week’s Sepia Saturday.  A man helps a woman steady herself next to a waterfall!  It doesn’t look like they were crossing the falls, maybe just standing near it for the photo, but it’s still a great image.  We don’t know who this is for sure, but I have to assume it’s someone related via my husband’s paternal grandmother Hilje “Hilda” (Dijkema) Jaarsma.  I have a hunch, based on another photo that’s labelled, that  the woman may be one of her aunts (either Ellechien VanEerden or Gertrudia Dijkema Visser).  It’s really hard to tell, and of course none of hte photos are labelled.  No clues on the man though.  I don’t think Ellechien was married, so it points to this more likely being Gertrudia, but then again I could be completely wrong on all accounts!  It was likely taken in Holland, sometime around 1935.  A quick search, and it looks a lot like the Sonsbeek Waterfall in Arnhem!

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This appears to be the same man and woman as above.  If you look closely, you can see the man is holding a walking stick behind his back, possibly the same one he had in the photo at the top.  Again, I can’t verify anything about the photo, but hey, it’s a crossing, even if assisted by a bridge.  I thought the bridge may have been unique enough to turn up in a google search,  but I’d searched for it for a while and came up empty.  Then, after stumbling across the image for the photo above, I found it’s  a bridge in the same park (Park Sonsbeek) in Arnhem!  So, now I’ve got the where, but still no who!  Maybe if one of Wessel Visser’s relatives happens to stumble across this blog, they be able to confirm or disprove my theory.  Wouldn’t that be great!  So, yet another Sepia Saturday that brings me a new snippet of information through careful examination of old, unlabeled photos.

2014.10W.17

One Local Summer 2014 – Meal 21

DSC_1295Husband cannot get enough of cooking One Local Summer, so we’re still marching along!  The idea for this one came up two months ago when we purchased a waffle iron.  Husband spent a while researching irons to get the right combination of affordable, easy to use, and durable, and we came up with a winner.  It’s surprising for a brand of appliance I don’t generally associate with reliability and quality, but hey, nearly 1500 amazon reviewers can’t be wrong!  Anyway, in case it’s not obvious at this point, we made Chicken and Waffles!  The version we’re familiar with is the PA dutch version that used something that looks more like pulled chicken with gravy (or creamy chicken soup)  instead of fried chicken.  Adding a little more food history for you, the PBS program The History Kitchen has a great article on the origins of Chicken and Waffles (thank you again, Holland).  In any case, they came out DELICIOUS and so very filling.  Both of us barely managed to finish off one waffle heaped generously with the chicken mixture and we both quickly lapsed into a deep food coma post-dinner.

Ingredients:
Raw Milk – Camp Hill Kimberton
Butter – Spring Creek Farms
Flour – Mill at Anselma
Chicken thighs – Deep Roots Valley Farm
Eggs –  Deep Roots Valley Farm
Leeks – North Star Orchard
Red Onion – Jack’s Farm
Non Local – Salt, pepper, beer

Petit Vour October 2014

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This box didn’t wow me as much as the September one did, but let’s face it – there’s probably not another box that will ever top September’s for me!  It was simply perfect.  This one though isn’t bad.  I must’ve been at the tail end of the shipping window because this showed up at my doorstep on November 1st.  Oops.  The theme of the box this month is, “Beauty Thrillers.”  Anyway, on to the contents!

  • Pacifica Deovean Natural Lipstick – .07 oz / $14  – (Full size sample, value is $14)  I really like the formula – it’s creamy without feeling sticky and thick like regular lipsticks and I can barely tell it’s there which is a total win.  Unfortunately, I’m not entirely sold on the color I received (Rebel Sol) since it’s coral-ish and way too yellow for my face.  I tend to do best with berry colors, but there doesn’t seem to be one in the line.  The bright red Firebird color is way too intense for me, and XOX might be a little too pale.  No happy medium!  If they expand their color selection, I’m totally in.  Really affordable too for a lipstick.
  • Flo + Theo Body Butter – 4 oz / $28 – (Sample is 1.5 oz i think, value of $10.50) Oh man do I love this.  The body butter is really rich and thick  so while it’s not great for hands because it can be a touch greasy, it’s perfect for overnight on hands or elbows, knees, dry legs, etc.  The scent is out of this world!  I love lavender so much, and this one has a warm, botanical lavender scent instead of a sweeter lavender which is wonderful.  And, just FIVE ingredients!
  • Forager Botanicals Natural Eau de Parfum – 2 oz / $98 – (Sample size is 1 mL, value of $1.66, also available as a four fragrance sampler for $25, so value between $2-$6) I received “Nectar” which isn’t really my sort of scent.  The citrus just seems off for me.  The scent is light and subtle, and a little goes a long way.  I do like the warmer notes in this scent though, and I may spring for the sampler to see if I like the other scents!
  • Lavina Argan Oil – 60 mL / $35 – (Sample is approx 6 mL, sample is worth about $3.50)  The only full size I could find was on Lavina’s website for $35 as opposed to the $20 on the product card.  I’ve never used Argan oil before, so this is a real treat!  The ends of my hair have been SUPER dry since I’ve been dyeing them blue.  There’s no strong scent to the oil, and my hair did soak it up right away.  I’ll have to see how it works out on wet hair too since I could see this working best post-shower.
  • Schmidt’s Natural Deoderant – 2 oz / $9 – (Sample size is .5 oz, value of $2.25) Oh man, just like November’s Goodebox, here I am with another natural deoderant sample.  I still haven’t found a natural deoderant that actually works, even if  the scent on this one is really great.  None of these manage to keep my pits dry because none of the ingredients actually stop perspiration which leads to the bacteria on your skin creating an odor.  Most natural deoderants only mask the odor and don’t effectively stop sweat or bacteria  for a full day.  It sucks, and I hate that none of these work for me because I’d love to switch to a natural deoderant, but it has to actually be effective and still working at 5pm without reapplication.  Also, I’m really grossed out by the idea of spreading deoderant on my pits with my hands.  Stick only, please!  I’m still going to try this, but on a day when I don’t have to worry about walking around in public smelling like I just left the gym.  For the meantime, you can hold on to my natural products fanclub card when it comes to deoderants.  They just don’t get the job done.

It was neat to see five samples in the box this month, adding up to around $35 which well covers the cost of the box.  Can’t wait to see what they put together for next month!

Sepia Saturday 253: Miners, Angling, Fishy Tales, Three Men

Well, no anglers, but we have miners in every section of the family tree for this week’s Sepia Saturday.  The majority of my family lived in or around, at one point or another, central Pennsylvania, well known for its coal mining industry.  There are SO many photos I can add in here, so I’ve picked out a few of the best, including a link and update to an old post.  This is going to be a huge post, so bear with me.

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This photo was originally posted here a few years ago.  The label on the back reads, “Herb and D. Alexander on the way home,” and was written partly in great grandma Olga’s younger handwriting, then clarified below with, “on the way home,” in the handwriting more characteristic of her older years.  Herb is definitely Alfred Herbert Powis, Olga’s brother, sitting on the left.  D. Alexander is likely to be Dempster William Alexander (1898-1978) since he’s the only one from the local censuses who fit the age and name.  Both boys grew up in Clearfield County in Pennsylvania and while I still can’t tell which mine this is, it’s just a fantastic picture of the equipment, the soot on their faces, the lunch pails, and everything.  They’re not clean and posed – it’s more a relaxed sort of photo and one of my favorites from the collection.  For a date, I’d estimate it around 1916 or so, prior to Herb going off to war.

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Fairly recently, I was going back through the scans of great grandma’s photo album when a pretty faded photo caught my eye.  I’ve done a little bit of photo magic to increase the contrast, but it’s a really fantastic photo.  The boy on the mining cart is Earl Powis Jr, son of Earl William Powis.  You can see rails in the background and even what looks like a donkey about dead center above the cart.  It’s neat to see the other side of what appears to be a similar car to the one at the top of this post with all the controls and whatnot.  This one probably dates to 1927-1930.

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My grandfather, Leon Kitko (Olga’s son), ever the joker, wrote a few notes in his mining log book for the Ebensburg Coal Company.  If you can’t read that, after the last printed line, it says, “and all the other ways in which you could kill yourself without even trying.”  It was undoubtedly not the safest of work environments even if you followed all the safety precautions in the booklet.  He grew up fascinated with coal mining and the machinery that went along with it, leaving behind a scrapbook full of photos of the machinery including photos of him as a child playing with replica toy coal shovels he built himself.

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Two images Grandpa Leon took of coal miners and their families.  Fred Frye on the left with a D-8 Bulldozer, and John Ruffin and family with a shovel in the background.  One has the date of 1948, and I’m assuming the other is about the same date.

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A Bay City Shovel at work in the coal mines.  Most of these operations were strip mining, cutting away or stripping the side of a mountain to get at the veins of coal.  Hardly glamorous work, and you can see a man’s rear sticking out of the door of the machine there, checking something or another.

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Finally, the Bituminous Miner’s Certificate for my other grandpa, John Rachocki dated 31 October 1939.  This is just a great document because it shows his birth date and place as well as the position he held (Mine Foreman).  Grandpa John died when I was four, so I don’t remember him that well, so having paperwork like this is really precious to show who he was and what he did throughout life.

And that’s it!  Just a few pieces of history for the mining industry in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania.

2014.10W.05

One Local Summer 2014 – Meal 20

DSC_1294-rgbMeal 20.  Meal TWENTY.  Thanks to the husband’s big interest in One Local Summer and his culinary creativity, we’ve pushed well past the goal of 14 meals and made it to twenty meals with still more planned.  He’s back home again and decided to work up a meal he remembers fondly from his childhood.  His mom was regularly cooking for a table set for  10 or more people, so recipes that were cost effective and served lots of people at once were the standard.  This is called Hutspot, a Dutch meal consisting of mashed carrots, parsnips, potatoes, and topped with bacon.  It actually dates back to the 1500s in Holland and was no doubt a part of Doug’s paternal family that came over from Holland in the 1950s.  History and dinner!  I’ll admit that it’s kind of bland (that’s the point though) but the bacon on top is a nice touch and the use of root vegetables means you could’ve likely made this most of the winter as well when fresh vegetables were scarce (pre-electricity).  Perfect time of year to introduce this into our One Local Summer set of meals.  On to the ingredients!

Ingredients:
Turnips – Jack’s Farm
Carrots – Jack’s Farm
Potatoes – Our Garden
Bacon – Countrytime Farm
Maple Syrup – Miller’s Maple
Non Local – Salt, pepper