With the start of school just around the corner, the television has been filled with ads about back-to-school supplies: backpacks, pencils, pens, paper, notebooks, etc. from Target and Staples, haircuts from Super Cuts, school shoes from Famous Footwear, and clothes from Old Navy and JCP, and the list goes on and on. Anyway, it made me think about getting ready for my own schooldays way back in the 1950s.
Sophy is 13 years old. She lives in the dangerous and oppressive slum of Huruma in Nairobi, Kenya. Sophy's future would have been a bleak one except for one thing, she had the opportunity to attend school. Today she is attending the Furaha High School and is in the top 1% of success in the nation. This was made possible by the Furaha Community Foundation who runs a school in the slum, and the Foundation is just one of the organizations partnered with When I Grow Up, a ministry of Redeemer's Church in Reedley.
When I think about my mother at work in the kitchen, there are a few kitchen icons that immediately come to mind: a set of primary colored mixing bowls, a fancy covered casserole dish with a stand, and a set of clear glass custard cups. I mean, it was impossible to make cookies without the large yellow mixing bowl and the green one was the perfect size for macaroni salad.
This week we are combining vintage kitchens & mystery fun with a review of the first book in a new series by Victoria Hamiliton, A Deadly Grind, an interview with Victoria & a chance to win a copy of the book. Details at the end of this article. Also in this issue is a vintage kitchen collectibles article by our resident historian Diana Bulls.
The fate of Jesse Morrow Mountain still waits to be seen. Will Cemex, a huge multi-national company, prevail and reduce Jesse Morrow to gravel, or will the so-called “Gateway to the Sierras” remain in its current pristine condition?
One of my favorite memories of my grandmother is that of her bottomless cookie jar. Grandma’s cookie jar was always full of snicker doodles, chocolate chip, peanut butter, or my favorite, Oatmeal Crunchies. The old black, crockery jar was shaped like a bean pot and had painted red cherries arching across its front. It sat on the counter just inside the kitchen door, which made it handy for marauding grandchildren. My brother, Bill, was caught red-handed one day and dropped the cookie jar lid on the floor, where it broke in half.
For millions of children, the night of December 24 is the longest night of the year. While tucked in their beds, they anxiously await the arrival of Santa Claus, the gift-toting, jolly visitor from the North Pole. But who is Santa Claus anyway?
This is the third part of a three part series. The trip can actually be done all in one day, or you can break it up into two shorter trips. Trip One: Oakhurst; Trip Two: Oakhurst to Mariposa to Hornitos; Trip Three: Oakhurst to Hornitos to Coulterville.
This is the second part of a three part series. The trip can actually be done all in one day, or you can break it up into two shorter trips. Trip One: Oakhurst; Trip Two: Oakhurst to Mariposa to Hornitos; Trip Three: Oakhurst to Hornitos to Coulterville.
The first part of a three part series. The trip can actually be done all in one day, or you can break it up into several shorter trips. Trip One: Oakhurst; Trip Two: Oakhurst to Mariposa to Hornitos; Trip Three: Oakhurst to Hornitos to Coulterville.
