Ladies of the House--AK

I'm on Facebook!

2011-07-22T07:18:00.002-08:00

Grandma Tillies Bakery

Sheesh--it's about time LOL

WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME!

2011-07-17T18:18:00.005-08:00

I have been missing for awhile quite awhile from blogging, haven't I?

Sorry 'bout that! It all started when we went on vacation down to our

cabin for 2 1/2 weeks and when I got back I literally had a cake due the

next day, so I just kind of fell out of the habit of writing.

There are some new things happening around here and one of the biggest

is a possible retail storefront for Grandma Tillies Bakery! We are in the

paperwork stage right now and the whole process seems as slow as

molasses in January to me.

It is just a tiny space, only 209 sq. ft, but the good part is it is right in

the downtown area and easily reached by walking. There is plenty of

parking and a nice big sidewalk in front at street level, all important

things to consider in a retail location.

I will not be baking there, but will bake in my health department

approved kitchen and packaging everything there to sell down in the

store. The owners of the building are kind enough to lease me an extra

refrigerated display case they have in storage, so I will be able to sell

things like cream pies and parfait type desserts.

So wish me luck, I will be updating as things move along.

Here is my husband inside the new space (which we will be painting

a nice light shade of vintage yellow) My plan is to decorate so it looks

like a kitchen from the 1950's era.

MONDAY MAPLE SALMON

2011-06-06T21:05:00.005-08:00

There is quite an assortment of vessels to watch

out on the water now that everyone is coming

back to town. At any time you can watch mega

yachts driving by next to commercial fishing

boats and the huge Coast Guard cutter.

Today I thought this was interesting:

The first barge had 2 huge mounds of sand or gravel and

is headed towards the airport.

The 2nd barge has a huge crane on it, along with assorted

other vehicles and equipment. We only have one road

through town, so it probably makes a whole lot more

sense to move this stuff on the water rather than

getting out and blocking traffic for miles.

Our part-time neighbor is here now and has been out

fishing a few times. He doesn't keep all of the salmon

he catches, he brings us quite a bit of it. I am always

looking for new ways to fix salmon and came across

this recipe that is kind of a teriyaki that is made

with maple syrup. It is really good and very easy.

It is as simple as mixing a few ingredients

pour them over the fish in the pan, marinate

for 30 minutes and cook for 20 minutes

at 400 degrees.

Delicious!

MAPLE SALMON

Ingredients

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 pound salmon

Directions

In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.
Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture.
Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes,
or until easily flaked with a fork.

THE GREAT WEATHER CONTINUES

2011-06-02T09:10:00.002-08:00

It has not rained in so long! The weather is unusual

everywhere and we are fortunate enough to be on

the receiving end of unusually NICE weather.

Everyday we come upstairs and see this:

It is so hard to believe that parts of the country are

being pounded by tornadoes!

Check out the eagles on the breakwater in front of

my daughter's school. I counted 36 and that doesn't

include the ones flying around. If you click the

picture it should get larger:

The darker birds are also Bald Eagles, they are just

immature. The signature white head of the Bald Eagle

comes later.

I found this in the store the other day and thought it

was interesting--Beef Bacon. I read the label and there

are no nitrates or nitrites because it isn't made

like regular bacon. There is almost no fat and it

is made down in WA state.

The ingredients are Beef, Water, Sea Salt,

Organic Honey and Celery Powder--that's it.

I bought a package (on sale for $4.99) and it was

really good! I can't stand that fake bacon in the

vegetarian aisle. This texture is almost the same

as regular bacon and it has a nice flavor without

being at all greasy.

I can't remember the regular price, but I will

be buying this from now on when I have a

recipe that calls for bacon.

I leave you with another cream puff from here in town.

This person was driving ahead of us. Although it looks

like he is heading left, he was actually driving straight.

I suppose it is kind of balanced by the way it is leaning

down towards the right...

Have a great day!

DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY...

2011-05-30T15:34:00.001-08:00

CELEBRATING SPECIAL PEOPLE POST

2011-05-29T12:49:00.003-08:00

It has been a packed week with many, many

activities. First was our younger daughter's

graduation from the 8th grade. It was a

nice ceremony with a few songs by the

younger kids and an inspirational talk

given by the pastor.

Isn't technology great? Here are the scuzzies

(my daughter and 2 nieces) performing a

song during the graduation ceremony. My

brother is holding his iPhone and my mom

and niece are in WA state watching the

whole thing live--so cool!

Then on Thursday a friend that my husband went to

school with visited us from Poland. He works for

one of the cruise lines and this was one of the stops.

He was very sophisticated compared to us! He has

traveled the entire world on the cruise line, even

Antarctica! He showed us a map on his laptop

that has push pins of all the places he has visited

and the map was nearly full except for most

of Africa. He brought us a bottle of red wine

and I made Beef Bourginon with it.

I wonder what he thought after leaving here...

just look at the shirt my husband is wearing LOL

And then that same day it was our older daughter's

20th birthday! I was so slammed with orders that

I wasn't able to make a masterpiece for her, but

I did manage to make a red velvet with cream

cheese frosting that we all enjoyed very much.

Mostly because we got to have actual pieces of

cake, not just leftovers and scraps.

We surprised her with a ticket for her best

friend to come and visit her here while we

are gone in June. They will have so much

fun, play tourist and probably laugh way

too much.

In case you ever wondered what 100 gingerbread

men cookies looks like...

THIS WILL HELP

2011-05-25T07:55:00.003-08:00

I received this information from a friend today about fixing the
budget problems the US is facing. It seems to me like all of the
"fixes" that are being proposed don't really make a drop in the
bucket as far as dollar amounts.

If the following ideas were enacted the dollar savings to the
American people would be staggering. I really don't understand
how this all got to the point it is at, but I have read what the original
Founding Fathers wanted for the leadership of America, and it most
definitely was not what we have now.

Congressional leaders were supposed to serve their term and then
someone else would be elected while that person went back to their
life. Somehow it has morphed into lifelong careers with more and
more benefits being voted in for themselves while they control the
entire structure of America.

Please read and if you agree, copy and paste into an email and send
it along.

The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only

3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it.

That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.

Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to

become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

I'm asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty

people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.

In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the

message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. Term Limits.
12 years only, one of the possible options below..
A. Two Six-year Senate terms
B. Six Two-year House terms
C. One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms

2. No Tenure / No Pension.
A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when

they are out of office.

3. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security.
All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security

system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system,

and Congress participates with the American people.

4. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

5. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay

will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

6. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the

same health care system as the American people.

7. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

8. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/11.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen.

Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in

Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned

citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home

and back to work.

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take

three days for most people (in the U.S. ) to receive the message. It is time.

WILL IT EVER GET DARK?

2011-05-24T08:06:00.006-08:00

I woke up at 4:00am this morning and it

was bright light outside. Like, total daylight.

It can really mess with your mind! It seems

like time to get up, but unless you want to

be tired the rest of the day you have to

make your mind rest again and get back

to sleep. Some people put up dark

curtains, but that would make total

sense now, wouldn't it.

My husband just went ahead and got up.

He got a new iPhone, so 4:00 am is as

good a time as any to figure it out, right?

Some friends of my husband were heading

out to bear hunt for a week and called to

ask if he would take their gear out to the

remote cabin for them.

We have a drop bow boat that goes right up

to shore, so they took their boat and he

followed them with all the gear. They

anchored their boat in the bay and he was

able to go right to the shore with their

heavier stuff, which helps a lot.

Before he did that he went out early in the

morning and set a skate, then went back

and pulled it up after he dropped them off.

A skate is a long line that you lay along the

bottom of the ocean with 15-30 baited hooks

on it. The bottom fish smell the bait and grab

the hooks. This is a way to catch some

really big fish if you manage to pick the

right spots.

He must have picked the right spot because

there was treasure on the line when they

pulled it up:

These may be uber-ugly, but boy do they

taste good! They are Ling Cod and their

mouths are massive with very sharp teeth.

It is common to pull a full sized King Salmon

into the boat with one of these buggers

attached onto it.

We had fish and chips last night and I have to

say they are right up there with halibut as

far as taste--yum!

Ta da! The other skate he set had this nice

halibut on it. My husband realized that

the best way to deal with these guys onboard

is to hogtie them head to tail with rope into

a U shape. Just stunning them and sticking

them into a cooler is asking for disaster.

The reason being that they will act like they

are dead and then will come back to life when

you least expect it. Just picture a fish this

size onboard with you, flipping and swinging

that body around like a sheet of plywood!

People have had their legs broken, been

knocked overboard, and lost their gear

because of these buggers suddenly coming

back to life. No, tie them up like a sausage

and stick them in the back of the boat!

Sunday was my daughter's school picnic.

There are 6 students in the school, so their

families were invited and some members

of the church came along too. It was a

nice day, a little cool, so the fire felt really

good. If you click the picture you can see

the Alaska ferry arriving in the background.

Little boys and sticks...

Did any of you watch the Royal Wedding?

Remember the priest that married them?

After we ate the teacher sent the kids out on a

scavenger hunt. They picked a partner...

...and off they go! First prize was $10.00 to split. Now

that's worth running for.

Look at them out there searching for stuff...

The loot...

Kinda cool...seaweed stretched across the rocks and dried:

After the scavenger hunt the kids were given soakers

to, well, soak each other!

It was a fun day, nice and relaxing.

The latest in my older daughter's footwear.

WEDDING CAKE COMPETITION

2011-05-23T12:03:00.003-08:00

This weekend was the Seafood Festival 2011

here in town. It is a huge celebration of the

biggest industry in southeast Alaska--

seafood!

There were 2 very well known chefs that

attended and prepared a 5 course gourmet

meal. The dinner was sold out and they

held a cake competition during the dinner.

Our theme was Ocean Dreams and the

cakes needed to be at least 2 tiers and

serve 40 people minimum.

The cakes were served as the dessert

course for everyone and the winner received

a $75.00 gift certificate to a store in town,

plus recognition and pictures in the paper.

Here is my cake that came in 2nd place:

I made the glass ball and bubbles out of

gelatin, as well as the seaweed. The sand

was sugar and the grass is buttercream. The

cake was 100% edible.

The winning cake:

It was fun, but lots and lots and lots of time!

The rest of the weekend was really busy with

fishing and a picnic that I will post about

tomorrow when I have a bit more time.

FOOD MATTERS

2011-05-18T13:43:00.002-08:00

THE FLYING CAKE

2011-05-16T12:56:00.006-08:00

You know that feeling of relief you get when

a looming project that has weighed heavily

on your mind is finally complete?

Well I feel that relief right this very moment.

The cake is gone, on it's way and out of my hands.

I haven't heard yet if it got there safe and sound,

but you can be sure if it hadn't I would have

definitely heard by now. The bride called me

already first thing early this morning and she

called me twice yesterday. Poor thing! It

must be torture not to be able to even see

what your cake looks like and to envision

it being moved around and loaded on the

plane by strangers, hoping that everyone

is being careful with it.

My husband came to my rescue yesterday and

built me a box out of thin plywood to enclose

the cake for transport.

I put the cake on white foam core and we then

adhered that down to a piece of plywood that

was cut to fit it. This gave a very sturdy base

so the cake wouldn't be bent or tweaked as

it was being moved. Other than tipping it,

I think tweaking the base is the worst thing

for a tiered cake because it causes the layers

to shift which can crack the icing and move the

decorations out of place.

I clearly marked on the box on all 4 sides

so anybody glancing at it would have a good

understanding about keeping everything

upright. I have no idea how many people

will have their hands on this thing at the

other end, so better to be safe than sorry.

Then my husband had the brilliant idea to

print a picture and tape it to the top of the

box so that anyone touching the box would

understand what is inside and know exactly

how fragile it is. Plus I put the ribbon for

the outside of the cake base in an envelope

for the bride to attach once the cake was

set up. I usually do that before delivering

the cake, but in this case it would have

had big holes in it from the screws in

the box.

The bride also ordered matching cupcakes, so

those went along in separate boxes...

...along with the decorated fish cookies on a

sealed platter for the groom:

Here is the official cake portrait right before being

sealed into the box:

All of the flowers were handmade and edible:

The flight was scheduled for a 10:30 departure, so after

an urgent phone call from me at 9:45 my husband came

home from the job site and quickly screwed the box to

the cake base:

and carried the heavy thing out to the car for me.

If you have never picked up a cake like this it

would probably surprise you how heavy all

of that butter and sugar can be!

Here we are at Harris Air with the goodies stacked

on a cart waiting to be loaded onto the plane:

The plane had just returned from a morning trip and

was still open on the runway:

A friend of ours was over at the airport, so he let us in

the secure area to check out the plane before they

reloaded it:

This is the front compartment where they told me

the cake would be sitting, but I don't think it was

going to fit. They had only 2 passengers scheduled

to fly, so they may have just put it in a regular seat,

I don't know, we didn't stick around to see.

Look at this beautiful plane! These planes don't look

this big when they fly by our window. They are very

busy now taking tourists all over the place for fishing,

hunting and flightseeing trips.

Another plane inside the hangar...

Fed Ex was coming in as we were standing there...

Coming back home over the bridge I saw there is a

cruise ship in town and we saw another one coming

on the horizon. The weather is very pretty and warm,

which always makes for a more pleasant visit.

Coming back by another harbor on the way home. I feel

very fortunate not to have to drive by concrete high

rises and strip malls to get home...

O.K., time to put my feet up for a couple

of minutes and take a refreshment break.

One more cake today and then I am finished!

FROM MY MOM

2011-05-15T11:31:00.002-08:00

Click the picture to enlarge it

and read.

FRIDAY ALREADY?

2011-05-13T08:49:00.002-08:00

We woke up to another gorgeous day! The temperature

fools you though because it looks warm but overnight

the neighbor's roof developed a bit of frost. It warms

up beautifully during the day and the part time

people are really pouring into town now.

It's funny because one of the ways you can tell

them apart is A) they are naturally tanned and

B) they are always in the grocery store lines

asking for something that isn't available.

Case in point: A tanned man in creased slacks

was holding up the entire line at the store by

insisting that there HAD to be at least one

piece of blah-blah-blah cheese in this

building. I say blah-blah-blah because

I have no idea what he was asking about.

It's not like we don't have cheese, we have a

lot of cheese. In fact, the deli case has some

pretty weird sounding cheese in it that did

not come from this country.

Plus I saw a man in the store last night

with a pomeranian under his arm.

Now that is one of my pet peeves, sorry.

I go into the grocery store for food and

the last thing I want are your dog's

cooties floating around my food. Blech.

Can't they sit in the car and wait for

you like all of the other canines?

Oh, and another tell-tale sign that you

are a visitor. Camo. Believe it or not,

head to toe camouflage is not what

people wear here everyday.

I saw a woman yesterday that had the

entire outfit, from her safari hat

to her hunting boots, all completely

covered in camo. And the reflector

sunglasses added the perfect touch.

I don't know if she was hiding from

someone or if she thought there was

going to be a grizzly walking downtown,

but she definitely caught my attention.

This morning:

Our older daughter worked all day and then went out

and split all the wood my brother gave us from the trees

in his yard. Our younger daughter went to school all

day and then went and worked with my husband at

his job site. I love ambitious kids, don't you?

Speaking of the job site, my husband was replacing windows

on a very old house. He pulled one of the original windows

out and there was a paper rolled up underneath it as

a shim. He unrolled it and it is an original newspaper

from Seattle in 1938. Look at the headline:

We are unrolling it slowly so it doesn't fall apart!

The beginning of the wedding order that is going by

plane out to a village; fish cookies for the groom:

Back down to the kitchen--Happy Friday!

HERE THEY COME...

2011-05-11T08:08:00.002-08:00

First cruise ship of the year came this morning:

The good part is this means the stores in town will start

being open more hours now. The one and only craft-type

store we have has been closed all winter on Sunday and

Monday, so when I need ribbon and things it can get

frustrating that they are closed so much.

Well the weather is just as weird here as everywhere

else. One day it is warm and sunny, the next it drops

back down to 40 degrees. Yesterday it was warm

enough to stick my little dog out on the deck in

the sun and next thing I know he is crying out

there because he is getting hit by hail!

I have a very busy end of the week coming up

with a bit of a nerve-wracking twist to it. I am

making a 3 tiered wedding cake for one of

the outlying villages and I will be sending it

on a float plane to the wedding. Yes, I know,

it's madness. She also ordered 40 decorated

fish cookies for the groom and cupcakes.

She said it started off with them just going

to the justice of the peace to get married and

the word got out and now the entire town

is invited. Funny how that happens LOL

I have a plan in place to make the cake sturdy

enough to travel on the plane, I am just

hoping the weather is good so there isn't a

lot of bouncing around. The very last thing I

will do is pound a wooden dowel down through

the middle of the whole cake and that will

go down into the cake board and hold the

layers in place.

I'll be sure to post pictures of the process.

Now off to the kitchen for the day...

THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE

2011-05-09T08:48:00.003-08:00

Boy, what a controversy, huh? Some people say it is

absolutely authentic and we should just drop it already,

others are saying there are problems with it and it

should be investigated.

I listened to this man today and what I found interesting

about him is that he actually voted for Obama and is

not interested in calling him a liar. BUT, he is a graphics

expert and his background compels him to investigate

the issues that keep cropping up with the authenticity

of the document that was presented.

What do we, as the American public, do about this

problem? Why are these issues not being addressed

by the White House?

I realize there are bigger problems at the moment,

but in the end, if our Commander in Chief is not

lawfully sitting in the White House, where does

that leave us?

Even if you are a huge Obama fan and think he's

the greatest thing since sliced bread, doesn't it at

least make you wonder why someone would do

this if the original birth certificate is all good?

Are you able to sit there and defend something

that the evidence reveals to be false?

Oh, and just as an afterthought...does anybody else

think it's just a little bit of a poke at the American

people that the person signing the certificate

at the very bottom was named U.K. Lelee.

Say it fast--Ukelele--like the Hawaiian

instrument?

Come on---Seriously?

Although, I did hear about a Pastor Sin

once and also a Dr. Sick....and then there

was the book The Yellow River by I.P. Freely

and of course the famous Under the Bleachers

by Seymour Butts.

LOL

Watch for yourself and decide:

Very Interesting Reading

2011-05-02T21:29:00.003-08:00

If you are at all interested in the current predicament our government

is in as far as the deficit, I have provided a link to an excellent PDF book

that is free to read.

It explains in plain, everyday language where some of the problems have

stemmed from that have gotten the United States to the point where we

are trillions of dollars in debt with no end in sight.

I read this from start to finish and when I have some extra time I plan to

go back and re-read it slowly and make sure I fully understand it all.

Alpha Strategy

Catching up post...

2011-04-30T09:08:00.003-08:00

The scuzzies are at it again! They had themselves a

bit of a tea party with real cucumber sandwiches

and tiny little tea cups.

Notice the little fingers daintily raised:

We have had some spring weather, with days of real

warmth followed by days of damp cold and then back

to the warmth again. In other words, who knows

what we are going to get(at least it's not tornadoes!)

The bakery has been very busy with lots of cakes and

other baked goods. It seems like there is always a

reason to order a cake--I can't get over how many

baby shower cakes I do! I have 4 more already on

my schedule and more waiting in the wings to

decide on themes, colors, etc.

The town is really starting to get busy now with

all the lodge owners returning to open things

up for their coming clients. Plus the seasonal

people are trickling back in; our next door

neighbor will be here the 3rd week in

May for his 3 month stint. The grocery

store is where you really see the difference--

the yachts come back and all of their

help is in the store buying up supplies.

They fill 2 or 3 carts at a time with

food and have to box it up to take out

to the harbors. It is not uncommon to

stand in line behind them and hear the

totals of $1500 and more just for

groceries. They don't blink and eye, they

just smile and pay. Gulp! I guess if you

are going to choke on the cost of food

for a yacht, then you probably can't

afford to have a yacht.

I wouldn't be a very good yacht owner.

I am way too frugal and the thought of

putting thousands just into the fuel tank

would do me in.

I don't know the exact date of the first large

cruise ship, but I do have customers that

have placed an order with me for a large

anniversary they will be celebrating on

one of the ships. I will be supplying the

cakes and Alaskan themed cookies for

them. I have had those requests before,

but in the past the cruise lines have said

no. They don't allow other food to be

brought on board, especially if it is food

that their chef would supply (like a cake)

When I told the customer that she called

the cruise line and they made an exception.

I have a feeling it had something to do with

the fact that she and her entire family have

the penthouse suites reserved on the ship

and given the state of the economy the ship

may have to consider their bottom line.

My husband has been extremely busy

for what seems like months now putting

in a new restaurant on town. The old

Chinese restaurant was torn out of a

large hotel and this new one will be

fish and chips, burgers and breakfast.

My brothers are doing all of the

sheetrock and painting inside. I will

post pictures of the progress and they

have a target opening date of sometime

in May-June.

Our older daughter is house sitting for

a Coast Guard family that has been relocated

back to the south. They flew down to Alabama

just in time for the tornadoes that did all the

damage. They are O.K., they are down on the

coast, it looks like the damage was much

farther inland.

Our younger daughter is finishing 8th grade

and is looking forward to another week at

youth group camp in Juneau. After that we

are taking a break and heading down south

for some time away.

Jane, if you are reading this maybe we could

get together when I get down there? I'll

bring you some chocolate cookies...

Ob La Di Ob La Da

2011-04-25T14:11:00.002-08:00

WHERE OUR TAX DOLLARS ARE GOING

2011-04-22T11:50:00.000-08:00

Via: Heritage Foundation

WHITE COLLAR TATOOS

2011-04-10T09:49:00.002-08:00

For the person who has everything...

LOL

A WHALE OF A DAY

2011-03-27T21:38:00.007-08:00

Well it's that time of the year again--Herring

Season is right around the corner. The planes

are buzzing around the skies all day long on

the lookout for the huge schools of herring

and the wildlife has returned in abundance

to gorge on the millions of fish that will

be spawning here soon.

It was another warm, sunny day so we

delivered a cake before church, went to

church, enjoyed an all-you-can-eat shrimp

Mission's fundraiser after church,

delivered 2 more cakes and then

decided to head out on the water.

We left the dock and it wasn't 3 minutes out

that we had a HUGE Humpback cross right

directly in front of us! No picture--we were

all taken aback by it and slowed the boat

down to a standstill just to watch.

Soon after we saw the local tour boat go by

filled with people that were out whale

watching for the day.

We went a few minutes farther and stopped

the boat and what do you know...

Here comes another pair. These were so close you can

easily see the blow holes on the front.

We turned the boat off and were just watching when

this one decided to dive.

Pretty view with a few seagulls on the rocks. Right now

it seems like Alfred Hitchcok's "The Birds" movie

since there are hundreds of seagulls around town waiting

on the herring fishery. A lot of the larger roofs in town

(like the large hotel) are white from all of the bird

poo being deposited on it.

Somebody got a little too hyped up from all

the whale action and had to be locked in

a body vise-grip until he could calm

himself down. Sheesh.

We went a ways farther to get away from all the whales

and found a shallow channel to anchor up in and fish for

a few herring with a pole. These guys are great bait

for halibut and they love to bite the multiple tiny

hooks on a light fishing pole. My daughter went in

the kayak to paddle around a bit since the water

was so nice and flat.

Here there were 4 herring on the line--2 flew

off into the boat (dogs are inspecting them)

Lots of wildlife all around--eagles, sea lions, ducks...

Lilly just can't stop staring at the fish in the bucket.

Neo just can't stop staring at the fish in the water.

So here is my younger daughter happily paddling

while we all enjoy the silence...

and look what surfaced 50 feet away...

and brought their friends...

these are not zoomed--we were surrounded...

You can't believe the sound of the foooossssshhhhhhh

as they blow one by one in the silence. My daughter

said she could hear them pulling air in after they

blew too since she was down on the water.

It. Was. Amazing.

and Awesome.

and Breathtaking.

and Scary because my daughter

was in the kayak, in the water.

with

the

whales.

We had her hug the shore and we all

watched them, then she was able to get

back in the boat.

Eventually a rain squall came over and

they all went away, so we headed home.

What an amazing sight.

This was a cool shot of Mt. Edegecumbe as we were

going by. And we had another whale come alongside

us as we were headed home too, just kind of keeping

pace with us as we went along.

I thought this was a neat shot of some of the huge

boats that are here waiting for the Herring Fishery.

That should be happening here in the next couple

of days...

CRAVING FRESHLY BAKED GOODS

2011-03-25T11:30:00.007-08:00

Living where we do, we are accustomed to doing

without the things that most everybody in the

lower 48 feels like they can't live without.

No Walmart, Red Robin, Sonics or Costco.

There is not a single mall, bowling alley,

skating rink or Home Depot.

But what we do have is a community that

has learned how to make things happen

and we definitely learn how to make use

of the things we DO have.

There are people that live in outlying

communities that are much more

remote than we are. In fact, compared

to them we look like a metropolis.

These people have discovered that

I make fresh bread and cakes.

So now I am packaging my baked goods

into boxes and taking them over to the

Harris Air to fly them out to the small

communities.

I was a little nervous the first time I

shipped a cake, but after meeting the

pilots and the people at the front desk

I knew they would take excellent care

of the baked goods. Plus, they said

if they wrecked it they would just eat

the evidence.

Hardy har har har.

So here is a birthday cake for a camera

enthusiast going down to Klawock:

Cake box snug inside a priority box

Bubble wrap cushion on top

Sealed up with instructions everywhere

Delivered to the nice people at Harris Air.

They are very helpful and just very pleasant.

Most of the items I make can be flown for

approx. $12.00 a box to any of the outlying

communities. That's a pretty darn good

deal considering what it costs to fill up

with fuel in your car to drive somewhere

to get freshly baked goods!

Yesterday's shipment--freshly baked

Chocolate Zucchini, Orange Cranberry,

Lemon Blueberry, Banana and Cinnamon

Swirl bread:

THE BIRTHDAY GIRL!

2011-03-24T10:40:00.002-08:00

This seems like just yesterday to me...

Look who's 14 years old today!

Happy Birthday Valla Dalla!

Poet, Math Whiz, Little Sister

and Book Worm.

You give teenagers a GOOD name.

Love, Mom and Dad

A TYPE OF ACUPUNCTURE

2011-03-22T08:45:00.006-08:00

It has been a long few months for me, with lots of back

pain from a bulging disc. I don't go to regular doctors

for my back since the only 2 suggestions are either

surgery or strong pain meds and I am not interested

in either one of those.

My daughter works at a chiropractic clinic, so she talked

me into an appointment to meet with the doctor there

about my back and neck. She adjusted my neck (which

really helped) but my back was just too painful to man-

ipulate.

She offered me a new technology that she wanted to

learn more about. Since it is non-invasive I thought, Why

not? Like she said, the worst that could happen would

be a waste of time.

The program is called AcuGraph II, digital meridian

imaging. The entire thing is done with the aid of a

computer, a moistened probe and a small hand held

machine that emits hertz.

Basically the doctor has me hold a metal ground and

she uses a small probe that is hooked up to the

computer to measure the energetic status of my

acupuncture meridians.

The readout is then analyzed by the computer and

recommendations are shown in a very detailed

graph of my body. She then takes the small hertz

machine and holds it over each meridian (energy

point) to encourage my body to equalize the hertz

to the machine.

It sounds very strange, I know. But after reading

about it in Chinese medicine it makes total sense.

I have had several surgeries in my lifetime and that

alone will interrupt the Qi (pronounced "chee") or

life force energy in the body.

I have had 4 treatments so far and the difference is

amazing. When I went into the doctor I felt a like a

jigsaw puzzle that someone dumped out on the table.

During the treatments I felt like the doctor had put

a few of my pieces back together, then she put the

border of the puzzle together, now we have groups

of pieces being put together.

There were some painful times. Not during the

treatment, that was painless.But later as the energy

cycled through my body I would have different areas

of my body hurt pretty bad.

One night my right hand swelled to the point that I

wondered if something was really wrong. Then

another time my left rib cage felt like there was a

sword in it. One night my right leg hurt so bad that

I had it elevated and the pain was intense. But the

pain was short lived and then would just disappear.

I have 2 weeks off from treatment and then will

start again.

If you would like to know more about this procedure,

you can read about it more here: AcuGraphII

After reading about this and experiencing it, I think

most people would benefit from having these treatments.

I have read that people that suffer from things like Multiple

Sclerosis respond really well to this procedure.

One of the readouts talks about foods that benefit your

body. Not allergies, but foods that enhance your body

according to your detailed readouts. And it talks about

what hurts your body emotionally and I was blown away

by how accurate it was--I mean blown away.

Nobody knows those things that you think about inside

your head, yet this procedure and test showed me exactly

what I knew about myself and how some of those things

are very harmful to me physically--it was WEIRD.

Blockage of the energy meridians can result in a whole

host of negative health conditions. If you have some time,

read up on this online--you may be very surprised by what

you discover. But don't wait for your MD to talk to you

about that, it will never happen.

Mommy's Nose is Scary!

2011-03-20T09:28:00.001-08:00

VERY INTERESTING!

2011-02-07T22:07:00.003-09:00

We had a friend one time that I always thought had a

peculiar smell on her breath when I talked to her. Not

bad, just oddly sweet. I learned later that she had been

diagnosed with cancer and after reading this I wonder

if that is what I was smelling??

Dogs can sniff out cancer in people, but doctors are waiting for a machine to do it

IT'S BEEN AWHILE

2011-01-24T09:16:00.009-09:00

I survived the weekend! I had orders piled on top of

each other and I wasn't sure how I was going to get

them all done. My husband helped me deliver the

wedding cakes, my daughters mixed some dough

and cooked meals and that made it all click.

During 2 deliveries it was hailing and blowing

rain sideways.

I realized I hadn't posted any cake/cookie pictures

for awhile, so here are some that have gone out

the door. I am still having a hard time remembering

to take pictures! I just get so focused on finishing

the stuff and then I focus on delivering on time

and I usually realize after the fact that I never

took a picture.

Twice this weekend I dropped the cake off and

then had to go back inside and get a picture. DUH!

My niece's 7th birthday cake. The cake matched

her personality--bright and cute.

This was made to match the party plates and

decorations.

Birthday cake for a young Red Sox fan.

Everyone here wants cammo--even on their baby cakes!

She asked me about shotgun shells around the border...

I discouraged it.

High school girls volleyball end of year cake.

Another new baby...

Lego cakes are popular (and very difficult!)

A bachelorette party cake. I don't do "naughty"

cakes, this is about as racy as I will make.

The mom added a toy train to the top of this cake later.

The sides read Too Too Too.

Another new baby...

This was a fun cake because I received an email

the day after the party letting me know that the

customer's parents never had a wedding cake, so

they really enjoyed being able to cut this one and

pose for pictures at the anniversary party.

Everything is edible on this cake, even the

50 on top is made from sugar and painted

with an edible coloring.

For a birthday party with girlfriends at a nice restaurant.

Customer wanted lots of bright, bright flowers!

My sister's cake. It was a milestone birthday

but I don't like black cakes or morbid over

the hill themes so I made it bright and happy.

Wedding cake picked entirely by the groom.

My niece's 4th birthday cake. I got some

big smiles from her when this cake was

brought out!

Christmas cookies...

more Christmas cookies...

Monkey cakes--the small one is a smash cake for the

one year old to smash without wrecking the cake

everyone else is going to eat.

The local hospital's holiday cake.

These were part of a cookie platter present that a

husband ordered to surprise his wife--very thoughtful.

Dessert for a local luncheon I did. These were

white/lemon, chocolate/chocolate, white/chocolate

and chocolate/peanut butter.

First time I have made a bed cake. The customer

provided the toys. Everything except the toys is

edible on this cake, even the floor. Not that they

would eat the floor...

Wedding cake for a couple that were married

down south and then came back here to have

the reception.

Wedding cake for a couple that were married

out on a boat on a very stormy day. They came

back to town for the reception and I wonder

if the room was spinning for them the entire

party!

Party cake for the local Russian dancers that perform

here during the summer. The theme of their party

was Red Carpet. The flower is made from sugar,

everything on the cake is edible except the

little things sticking out of the center of

the flower.

Birthday cake for a classy lady. This one smelled so

good when I opened the box--white cake with

raspberry filling and lemon buttercream. Yum.

Well that's it for now. I have 2 cookie orders to

complete today and then I think I will put dinner

in the crockpot and rest my aching legs. It was

a marathon weekend and I am ready to kick

back for a little bit :-)

I LOVE THE GRAHAM FAMILY

2011-01-06T13:34:00.001-09:00

I thought this was just too good not to pass along.

Children will invariably talk, eat, walk, think, respond,

and act like their parents.

Give them a target to shoot at. Give them a goal to

work toward. Give them a pattern that they can see

clearly, and you give them something that gold and

silver cannot buy.

~Billy Graham

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010-12-31T10:36:00.002-09:00

Unbelievable. It is 2011 in a few short hours.

We don't have anything monumental

planned, in fact we may not even stay

up until midnight!

My mom has an appointment with

her doctor today to read the latest

results of her barrage of tests.

We are hoping and praying for a

clear bill of health so she can get

on with the new year and maybe take

some time to come & visit us without

having to get back for the dreaded

doctor appointments.

Out older daughter is down south

with the crazy drivers all around, so

here is hoping that she STAYS HOME

and off the roads tonight.

My husband is off hunting again. Most

days he is gone now, traipsing through

the woods with a friend or 2, looking for

things on hooves. We have snow on the

ground, so it is supposed to be easier for

them to track the beasts because they

can just follow the tracks through the

snow. Supposed to be easier.

All I know is I am glad the grizzlies

are sleeping :-)

On one of the last trips they went on

one of the guys he was with found a

grizzly skeleton. I guess it freaked

him out because he was by himself

when he came upon it. I wish he

had taken a camera with him so

we could all have seen it!

It is 10:45 and my younger daughter

just drug her carcass out of bed after a

late night playing games with family

and friends. We learned how to play

the game Wits and Wagers and after

a few fits and starts because none of

us knew how to play we ended up

having a lot of fun.

Well I don't have any orders today,

so I am free to make something just

for us. Or not. Hmmm...what sounds

good.....

Have a safe and Happy New Year!

IT WAS A GREAT WEEK

2010-12-27T16:18:00.005-09:00

We had a great Christmas, with lots of family time

and LOTS of good food! It is always fun to get

together and celebrate this time of year.

We started off with the annual Gingerbread House

that everyone helps decorate:

Onto dinner! This year the menu was Mediterranean.

Everyone pitched in and we had Tabouleh, Pita Bread,

Chicken Satay (O.K., not Mediterranean, but it fit!)

Tzatsiki Sauce, Kibbeh and for dessert Baklavah.

I have no idea if I spelled those dishes correctly, all

I know is it was GOOD:

Pita Bread is simple to make--let me know if anyone

wants to know how and I will post the recipe.

P.S.--it helps to have a pizza stone to bake them on.

We had a real cold front come through and the

lake froze nicely so that everyone could get out

and skate. The local rental yard puts up some

huge outdoor lights so people can skate at

night too.

Christmas Eve was the 4 of us and we ate traditional

Polish, with Beet Soup, Pierogis and Grandma's

Gingerale Salad by candlelight:

I had a lot of help with the food this year.

I had a horrible throat cold and was feeling

pretty bad by the time Christmas rolled

around. I am just now starting to sleep

without coughing my head off. Man

that is exhausting!

Howz about them Onion Glasses??

Our older daughter made Grandma's Gingerale

Salad for the first time ever and she nailed it!

This salad is a big part of all family

gatherings and it is an accomplishment to

have it taste just like Grandmas.

YUM. Pierogis filled with mushrooms and onions.

I made enough so that we actually felt full of them:

The birthday boy on Christmas Day. Since Swan Lake

was frozen, the swans moved over to Starrigavan:

Having fun and learning how to ride a Fat Cat:

We had a little snow today for the first time this year.

Alaska with no snow. That's kinda Bah Humbug!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2010-12-25T11:52:00.004-09:00

Don't forget why we are celebrating!

Jesus, God's precious gift to all who

will believe in Him.

YOUR PERFECT CHRISTMAS DESSERT!

2010-12-22T11:13:00.002-09:00

What do you think...should Grandma Tillie's

Bakery start selling these?

(In case you were wondering, yes I am being sarcastic)

Bottom: Pumpkin pie inside a spice cake
Middle: Apple pie inside a yellow cake
Top: Cherry pie inside a white cake, all surrounded by cream cheese frosting

AIN'T THAT THE TRUTH

2010-12-15T13:25:00.000-09:00

ACCOMPLISHMENT!

2010-12-14T08:33:00.007-09:00

Our older daughter realized a 2 year goal this weekend

by earning her First Degree Black Belt.

She has worked really hard and been faithful to get

herself to practice twice a week even when it was

difficult. She paid for everything herself and met

every goal that was set for her.

Here is a rundown of the day:

Warming up out in the hallway...

Waiting for the judges to enter:

There were several phases to the test, including

sparring, individual form and wood breaking:

Some of them broke double pieces of wood:

1 1/2 hours later, it is time for the judges to leave and

add up the scores:

Success! The class passed and each one was awarded their

First Degree Black Belts:

Instruction from the Master on tying and wearing the

new belt. He gave them each a new uniform as a gift:

I don't remember the levels that each of the judges

have accomplished, but my daughter's instructor on

the right is a 5th degree Black Belt and each one of

the judges in the front row are higher belts than that.

Probably not a good group to stir up trouble with, huh?

A VERY proud Dad:

Excellent mentors for a young lady to have:

The belts came from Korea and have the name and

belt degree on them in Korean. They are never to

be washed--ever. Over time they wear out and

turn to grey, then white, just like people.

The next night we were invited to a potluck for the

belt recipients and their families. The judges came in

from outside, so the instructor requested that we

make all Alaskan food for them to try.

From the top left is Halibut, roasted Deer,

Moose sausage, vegetables grown here,

Shrimp caught over Thanksgiving and

Smoked Salmon dip.

It was also the Master's birthday that night, so I made

him a special cake with the logo on the top and a

sugar black belt around the cake with Happy

Birthday on the tails of the belt.

I saw him hovering with the knife and I took it from

him and told him I had a 7th degree in cake cutting.

:-)

ELECTRONIC PICKPOCKETING

2010-12-13T08:30:00.002-09:00

Just think how many credit card numbers they

could get at a crowded stadium...or how many

passports they could read at a crowded airport.

Check your credit card for the symbol they

show at the end of the video!

The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking

2010-12-08T08:37:00.001-09:00

If you use a microwave at all, this article is

well worth your time to read...

The Hidden Hazards of Microwave Cooking

Originally printed from the April 1994 edition of Acres U.S.A.
P.O. Box 91299, Austin, Texas 78709 USA
Telephone: 800-355-5313 or (512) 892-4400; Fax: (512) 892-4448 info@acresusa.com atwww.acresusa.com

Back in May of 1989, after Tom Valentine first moved to St Paul, Minnesota, he heard on the car radio a short announcement that bolted him upright in the driver's seat. The announcement was sponsored by Young Families, the Minnesota Extension Service of the University of Minnesota:

"Although microwaves heat food quickly, they are not recommended for heating a baby's bottle," the announcement said. The bottle may seem cool to the touch, but the liquid inside may become extremely hot and could burn the baby's mouth and throat. Also, the buildup of steam in a closed container such as a baby's bottle could cause it to explode. "Heating the bottle in a microwave can cause slight changes in the milk. In infant formulas, there may be a loss of some vitamins. In expressed breast milk, some protective properties may be destroyed." The report went on. "Warming a bottle by holding it under tap water or by setting it in a bowl of warm water, then testing it on your wrist before feeding, may take a few minutes longer, but it is much safer."

Valentine asked himself: If an established institution like the University of Minnesota can warn about the loss of particular nutrient qualities in microwaved baby formula or mother's milk, then somebody must know something about microwaving they are not telling everybody.

A LAWSUIT
In early 1991, word leaked out about a lawsuit in Oklahoma. A woman named Norma Levitt had hip surgery, only to be killed by a simple blood transfusion when a nurse "warmed the blood for the transfusion in a microwave oven"!

Logic suggests that if heating or cooking is all there is to it, then it doesn't matter what mode of heating technology one uses. However, it is quite apparent that there is more to 'heating' with microwaves than we've been led to believe.

Blood for transfusions is routinely warmed-but not in microwave ovens! In the case of Mrs Levitt, the microwaving altered the blood and it killed her.

Does it not therefore follow that this form of heating does, indeed, do 'something different' to the substances being heated? Is it not prudent to determine what that 'something different' might do?
A funny thing happened on the way to the bank with all that microwave oven revenue: nobody thought about the obvious. Only 'health nuts' who are constantly aware of the value of quality nutrition discerned a problem with the widespread 'denaturing' of our food. Enter Hans Hertel.

HANS HERTEL
In the tiny town of Wattenwil, near Basel in Switzerland, there lives a scientist who is alarmed at the lack of purity and naturalness in the many pursuits of modern mankind. He worked as a food scientist for several years with one of the many major Swiss food companies that do business on a global scale. A few years ago, he was fired from his job for questioning procedures in processing food because they denatured it.

"The world needs our help," Hans Hertel told Tom Valentine as they shared a fine meal at a resort hotel in Todtmoss, Germany.

"We, the scientists, carry the main responsibility for the present unacceptable conditions. It is therefore our job to correct the situation and bring the remedy to the world. I am striving to bring man and techniques back into harmony with nature. We can have wonderful technologies without violating nature."

Hans is an intense man, driven by personal knowledge of violations of nature by corporate man and his state-supported monopolies in science, technology and education. At the same time, as the two talked, his intensity shattered into a warm smile and he spoke of the way things could be if mankind's immense talent were to work with nature and not against her.

Hans Hertel is the first scientist to conceive of and carry out a quality study on the effects of microwaved nutrients on the blood and physiology of human beings. This small but well-controlled study pointed the firm finger at a degenerative force of microwave ovens and the food produced in them. The conclusion was clear: microwave cooking changed the nutrients so that changes took place in the participants' blood; these were not healthy changes but were changes that could cause deterioration in the human systems.
Working with Bernard H. Blanc of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and the University Institute for Biochemistry, Hertel not only conceived of the study and carried it out, he was one of eight participants.

"To control as many variables as possible, we selected eight individuals who were strict macrobiotic diet participants from the Macrobiotic Institute at Kientel, Switzerland," Hertel explained. "We were all housed in the same hotel environment for eight weeks. There was no smoking, no alcohol and no sex."

One can readily see that this protocol makes sense. After all, how could you tell about subtle changes in a human's blood from eating microwaved food if smoking, booze, junk food, pollution, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and everything else in the common environment were also present?

"We had one American, one Canadian and six Europeans in the group. I was the oldest at 64 years, the others were in their 20s and 30s," Hertel added.

Valentine published the results of this study in Search for Health in the Spring of 1992. But the follow-up information is available only in a later edition, and also in Acres, USA.

In intervals of two to five days, the volunteers in the study received one of the food variants on an empty stomach. The food variants were: raw milk from a biofarm (no. 1); the same milk conventionally cooked (no. 2); pasteurised milk from Intermilk Berne (no. 3); the same raw milk cooked in a microwave oven (no. 4); raw vegetables from an organic farm (no. 5); the same vegetables cooked conventionally (no. 6); the same vegetables frozen and defrosted in the microwave oven (no. 7); and the same vegetables cooked in the microwave oven (no. 8). The overall experiment had some of the earmarks of the Pottenger cat studies, except that now human beings were test objects, the experiment's time-frame was shorter, and a new heat form was tested.

Once the volunteers were isolated at the resort hotel, the test began. Blood samples were taken from every volunteer immediately before eating. Then blood samples were taken at defined intervals after eating from the above-numbered milk or vegetable preparations.

Significant changes were discovered in the blood of the volunteers who consumed foods cooked in the microwave oven. These changes included a decrease in all haemoglobin values and cholesterol values, especially the HDL (good cholesterol) and LDL (bad cholesterol) values and ratio. Lymphocytes (white blood cells) showed a more distinct short-term decrease following the intake of microwaved food than after the intake of all the other variants. Each of these indicators point in a direction away from robust health and toward degeneration. Additionally, there was a highly significant association between the amount of microwave energy in the test foods and the luminous power of luminescent bacteria exposed to serum from test persons who ate that food. This led Hertel to the conclusion that such technically derived energies may, indeed, be passed along to man inductively via consumption of microwaved food.
"This process is based on physical principles and has already been confirmed in the literature," Hertel explained. The apparent additional energy exhibited by the luminescent bacteria was merely extra confirmation.

"There is extensive scientific literature concerning the hazardous effects of direct microwave radiation on living systems," Hertel continued. "It is astonishing, therefore, to realise how little effort has been made to replace this detrimental technique of microwaves with technology more in accordance with nature.

"Technically produced microwaves are based on the principle of alternating current. Atoms, molecules and cells hit by this hard electromagnetic radiation are forced to reverse polarity 1 to 100 billion times a second. There are no atoms, molecules or cells of any organic system able to withstand such a violent, destructive power for any extended period of time, not even in the low energy range of milliwatts.

"Of all the natural substances-which are polar-the oxygen of water molecules reacts most sensitively. This is how microwave cooking heat is generated-friction from this violence in water molecules. Structures of molecules are torn apart, molecules are forcefully deformed (called structural isomerism) and thus become impaired in quality.

HEATING FOOD
"This is contrary to conventional heating of food, in which heat transfers convectionally from without to within. Cooking by microwaves begins within the cells and molecules where water is present and where the energy is transformed into frictional heat."

The question naturally arises: What about microwaves from the sun? Aren't they harmful?

Hertel responded: "The microwaves from the Sun are based on principles of pulsed direct current. These rays create no frictional heat in organic substance."

In addition to violent frictional heat effects (called thermic effects), there are also athermic effects which have hardly ever been taken into account, Hertel added.

"These athermic effects are not presently measurable, but they can also deform the structures of molecules and have qualitative consequences. For example, the weakening of cell membranes by microwaves is used in the field of gene altering technology. Because of the force involved, the cells are actually broken, thereby neutralising the electrical potentials-the very life of the cells-between the outer and inner sides of the cell membranes. Impaired cells become easy prey for viruses, fungi and other micro-organisms. The natural repair mechanisms are suppressed, and cells are forced to adapt to a state of energy emergency: they switch from aerobic to anaerobic respiration. Instead of water and carbon dioxide, hydrogen peroxide and carbon monoxide are produced."

It has long been pointed out in the literature that any reversal of healthy cell processes may occur because of a number of reasons, and our cells then revert from a "robust oxidation" to an unhealthy "fermentation".

The same violent friction and athermic deformations that can occur in our bodies when we are subjected to radar or microwaves, happens to the molecules in the food cooked in a microwave oven. In fact, when anyone microwaves food, the oven exerts a power input of about 1,000 watts or more. This radiation results in destruction and deformation of molecules of food, and in the formation of new compounds (called radiolytic compounds) unknown to man and nature.

Today's established science and technology argues forcefully that microwaved food and irradiated foods do not have any significantly higher "radiolytic compounds" than do broiled, baked or other conventionally cooked foods-but microwaving does produce more of these critters. Curiously, neither established science nor our ever-protective government has conducted tests-on the blood of the eaters-of the effects of eating various kinds of cooked foods. Hertel and his group did test it, and the indication is clear that something is amiss and that larger studies should be funded. The apparently toxic effects of microwave cooking is another in a long list of unnatural additives in our daily diets. However, the establishment has not taken kindly to this work.

"The first drawing of blood samples took place on an empty stomach at 7.45 each morning," Hertel explained. "The second drawing of blood took place 15 minutes after the food intake. The third drawing was two hours later."

From each sample, 50 millilitres of blood was used for the chemistry and five millimetres for the haematology and the luminescence. The haematological examinations took place immediately after drawing the samples. Erythrocytes, haemoglobin, mean haemoglobin concentration, mean haemoglobin content, leukocytes and lymphocytes were measured. The chemical analysis consisted of iron, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.

The results of erythrocyte, haemoglobin, haematocrit and leukocyte determinations were at the "lower limits of normal" in those tested following the eating of the microwaved samples.

"These results show anaemic tendencies. The situation became even more pronounced during the second month of the study," Hertel added. "And with those decreasing values, there was a corresponding increase of cholesterol values."

Hertel admits that stress factors, from getting punctured for the blood samples so often each day, for example, cannot be ruled out, but the established baseline for each individual became the "zero values" marker, and only changes from the zero values were statistically determined.

With only one round of test substances completed, the different effects between conventionally prepared food and microwaved food were marginal-although noticed as definite "tendencies". As the test continued, the differences in the blood markers became "statistically significant". The changes are generally considered to be signs of stress on the body. For example, erythrocytes tended to increase after eating vegetables from the microwave oven. Haemoglobin and both of the mean concentration and content haemoglobin markers also tended to decrease significantly after eating the microwaved substances.

LEUKOCYTOSIS
"Leukocytosis," Hertel explained, "which cannot be accounted for by normal daily deviations such as following the intake of food, is taken seriously by haematologists. Leukocyte response is especially sensitive to stress. They are often signs of pathogenic effects on the living system, such as poisoning and cell damage. The increase of leukocytes with the microwaved foods was more pronounced than with all the other variants. It appears that these marked increases were caused entirely by ingesting the microwaved substances."

The cholesterol markers were very interesting, Hertel stressed: "Common scientific belief states that cholesterol values usually alter slowly over longer periods of time. In this study, the markers increased rapidly after the consumption of the microwaved vegetables. However, with milk, the cholesterol values remained the same and even decreased with the raw milk significantly."

Hertel believes his study tends to confirm newer scientific data that suggest cholesterol may rapidly increase in the blood secondary to acute stress. "Also," he added, "blood cholesterol levels are less influenced by cholesterol content of food than by stress factors. Such stress-causing factors can apparently consist of foods which contain virtually no cholesterol-the microwaved vegetables."

It is plain to see that this individually financed and conducted study has enough meat in it to make anyone with a modicum of common sense sit up and take notice. Food from the microwave oven caused abnormal changes, representing stress, to occur in the blood of all the test individuals. Biological individuality, a key variable that makes a mockery of many allegedly scientific studies, was well accounted for by the established baselines.

So, how has the brilliant world of modern technology, medicine and 'protect the public' government reacted to this impressive effort?

A GAG ORDER
As soon as Hertel and Blanc announced their results, the hammer of authority slammed down on them. A powerful trade organisation, the Swiss Association of Dealers for Electroapparatuses for Households and Industry, known simply as FEA, struck swiftly. They forced the President of the Court of Seftigen, Kanton Bern, to issue a 'gag order' against Hertel and Blanc. The attack was so ferocious that Blanc quickly recanted his support-but it was too late. He had already put into writing his views on the validity of the studies where he concurred with the opinion that microwaved food caused the blood abnormalities.
Hertel stood his ground, and today is steadfastly demanding his rights to a trial. Preliminary hearings on the matter have been appealed to higher courts, and it's quite obvious the powers that be do not want a 'show trial' to erupt on this issue.

In March 1993, the court handed down this decision based upon the complaint of the FEA:

"Consideration.
1. Request from the plaintiff (FEA) to prohibit the defendant (Dr Ing. Hans Hertel) from declaring that food prepared in the microwave oven shall be dangerous to health and lead to changes in the blood of consumers, giving reference to pathologic troubles as also indicative for the beginning of a cancerous process. The defendant shall be prohibited from repeating such a statement in publications and in public talks by punishment laid down in the law.

2. The jurisdiction of the judge is given according to law.

3. The active legitimacy of the plaintiff is given according to the law.

4. The passive legitimacy of the defendant is given by the fact that he is the author of the polemic [published study] in question, especially since the present new and revised law allows to exclude the necessity of a competitive situation, therefore delinquents may also be persons who are not co-competitors, but may damage the competing position of others by mere declarations.

[Apparently, Swiss corporations have lobbied in a law that nails "delinquents" who disparage products and might do damage to commerce by such remarks. So far, the US Constitution still preserves freedom of the press.]

5. Considering the relevant situation it is referred to three publications: the public renunciation [sic] of the so-called co-author Professor Bernard Blanc, the expertise of Professor Teuber [expert witness from the FEA] about the above-mentioned publication, the opinion of the public health authorities with regard to the present stage of research with microwave ovens as well as to repeated statements from the side of the defendant about the danger of such ovens.

6. It is not considered of importance whether or not the polemic of the defendant meets the approval of the public, because all that is necessary is that a possibility exists that such a statement could find approval with people not being experts themselves. Also, advertising involving fear is not allowed and is always disqualified by the law. The necessity for a fast interference is in no case more advised than in the processes of competition. Basically, the defendant has the right to defend himself against such accusations. This right, however, can be denied in cases of pressing danger with regard to impairing the rights of the plaintiff when this is requested.

Conclusion.
On grounds of this pending request of the plaintiff, the court arrives at the conclusion that because of special presuppositions as in this case, a definite disadvantage for the plaintiff does exist, which may not easily be repaired, and therefore must be considered to be of immediate danger. The case thus warrants the request of the plaintiff to be justified, even without hearing the defendant. Also, because it is not known when the defendant will bring further statements into the public.

The judge is also of the opinion that because the publications are made up to appear as scientific, and therefore especially reliable-looking, they may cause additional bad disadvantages. It must be added that there does obviously not exist a just reason for this publication because there is no public interest for pseudo-scientific unproved declarations. Finally, these ordered measures do not prove to be disproportionate.

The defendant is prohibited, under punishment of up to F5,000, or up to one year in prison, to declare that food prepared in microwave ovens is dangerous to health and leads to pathologic troubles as also indicative for the beginning of a cancerous process.

The plaintiff pays the costs.

(Signed) President of the Court of Seftigen Kraemer."

If you cannot imagine this kind of decision coming from a court in the United States, you have not been paying attention to the advances of administrative law.

Hertel defied the court and has loudly demanded a fair hearing on the truth of his claims. The court has continued to delay, dodge, appeal and avoid any media-catching confrontation. As of this writing, Hans is still waiting for a hearing with media coverage-and he's still talking and publishing his findings.

"They have not been able to intimidate me into silence, and I will not accept their conditions," Hertel declared. "I have appeared at large seminars in Germany, and the study results have been well-received. Also, I think the authorities are aware that scientists at Ciba-Geigy [the world's largest pharmaceutical company, headquartered in Switzerland] have vowed to support me in court."

As those powerful special interests in Switzerland who desire to sell microwave ovens by the millions continued to suppress open debate on this vital issue for modern civilisation, new microwave developments blossomed in the United States.

INFANT DANGER
In the journal Pediatrics (vol. 89, no. 4, April 1992), there appeared an article titled, "Effects of Microwave Radiation on Anti-infective Factors in Human Milk". Richard Quan, M.D. from Dallas, Texas, was the lead name of the study team. John A. Kerner, M.D., from Stanford University, was also on the research team, and he was quoted in a summary article on the research that appeared in the 25 April 1992 issue of Science News. To get the full flavour of what may lie ahead for microwaving, here is that summary article:

"Women who work outside the home can express and store breast milk for feedings when they are away. But parents and caregivers should be careful how they warm this milk. A new study shows that microwaving human milk-even at a low setting-can destroy some of its important disease-fighting capabilities.

"Breast milk can be refrigerated safely for a few days or frozen for up to a month; however, studies have shown that heating the milk well above body temperature-37°ree;C-can break down not only its antibodies to infectious agents, but also its lysozymes or bacteria-digesting enzymes. So, when paediatrician John A. Kerner, Jr, witnessed neonatal nurses routinely thawing or reheating breast milk with the microwave oven in their lounge, he became concerned.

"In the April 1992 issue of Pediatrics (Part I), he and his Stanford University co-workers reported finding that unheated breast milk that was microwaved lost lysozyme activity, antibodies and fostered the growth of more potentially pathogenic bacteria. Milk heated at a high setting (72°ree;C to 98°ree;C) lost 96 per cent of its immunoglobulin-A antibodies, agents that fend off invading microbes.

"What really surprised him, Kerner said, was finding some loss of anti-infective properties in the milk microwaved at a low setting-and to a mean of just 33.5°ree;C. Adverse changes at such low temperatures suggest 'microwaving itself may in fact cause some injury to the milk above and beyond the heating'.

"But Randall M. Goldblum of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston disagrees, saying: 'I don't see any compelling evidence that the microwaves did any harm. It was the heating.' Lysozyme and antibody degradation in the coolest samples may simply reflect the development of small hot spots-potentially 60°ree;C or above-during microwaving, noted Madeleine Sigman-Grant of Pennsylvania State University, University Park. And that's to be expected, she said, because microwave heating is inherently uneven-and quite unpredictable when volumes less than four millilitres are involved, as was the case in the Kerner's study.

"Goldblum considers use of a microwave to thaw milk an especially bad idea, since it is likely to boil some of the milk before all has even liquefied. Stanford University Medical Center no longer microwaves breast milk, Kerner notes. And that's appropriate, Sigman-Grant believes, because of the small volumes of milk that hospitals typically serve newborns-especially premature infants."

CHASING A STORY
Journalist Tom Valentine, after chasing this story, found it interesting that 'scientists' have so many 'beliefs' to express rather than prove fact. Yet facts eventually snuff out credential-based conjecture.
Researcher Quan, in a phone interview, said that he believed the results of research so far warranted further detailed study of the effects of microwave cooking on nutrients. The summary sentence in an abstract of the research paper is very clear:

"Microwaving appears to be contra-indicated at high temperatures, and questions regarding its safety exist even at low temperatures."

The final statement of the study conclusion reads:

"This preliminary study suggests that microwaving human milk could be detrimental. Further studies are needed to determine whether and how microwaving could safely be done." Unfortunately, further studies are not scheduled at this time.

If there are so many indications that the effects of microwaves on foods can degrade the foods far above the known breakdowns of standard cooking, is it not reasonable to conduct exhaustive studies on living, breathing human beings to determine if it's possible that eating microwaved foods continuously, as many people do, can be significantly detrimental to individual health?

If you wanted to introduce a herbal supplement into the American mainstream and make any health claims for it, you would be subjected to exhaustive documentation and costly research. Yet the microwave-oven industry had only to prove that the dangerous microwaves could, indeed, be contained within the oven and not escape into the surrounding area where the radiation could do damage to people. The industry must admit that some microwaves escape even in the best-made ovens. So far, not one thought has been given by the industry to the possibility that the nutrients could be so altered as to be deleterious to health.
Well, this makes sense in a land that encourages farmers to poison crops and soils with massive amounts of synthesised chemicals, and encourages food processors to use additives that enhance shelf-life of foods regardless of the potential for degrading the health of the consumer.

How many hundreds of pounds of microwaved food per capita is consumed in America each year? Are we going to continue to take it from established authority, without question, on the premise that they know best?

YET MORE WASHINGTON...

2010-11-30T08:39:00.006-09:00

Before I continue with the pictures below I wanted

to explain the silliness in my header picture.

We took out the Christmas stuff last night and we

filled up the empty containers with what we like

to call "The Scuzzy Cuzzies" A pig pile of

cousins that can make a plaything out of

just about anything. I love it :-)

So after arriving at our cabin we went out to look for

some deer. This area has record numbers of deer--they

are everywhere. Driving along the roads there are

herds of them sleeping, roaming in pastures and

jumping the few fences farmers put up to keep

their livestock in.

This is the neighbor's property behind ours.

We found a small herd and when they saw us the does

all took off with the young ones, but Mr. Buck stayed

behind to check us out. See him under the tree? He

stayed so stock still that he looked like a statue. My

husband was walking slowly towards him and he

never moved a hair. If he was hunting for real he

would have been an easy target.

The gorgeous view from the front porch of our cabin:

We had a small rain squall move through quickly and

left this beauty behind:

We decided to go and visit and friend that lives a

few miles away. This is a really pretty place along

the way to her house:

Our friend's cabin on 60 acres:

The entire field in front of her cabin is filled with purple

Iris's in the spring and she showed many pictures of

the wildlife crossing it; elk, bobcats, deer, cranes, etc.

She is getting elderly and has talked about splitting

the property up and selling off 5 acre pieces.

Wouldn't that be a small piece of paradise?

I love vintage houses and especially the gingerbread

look of the Victorian type architecture. There are

several in this small town and I love it that people

have made the effort to restore some of them:

If you look closely you will see that this one has a

mural painted on it:

Back on the road to the west side of the state. We go

through some very dry, barren land again:

One of the towns you go through is filled with murals:

Back through more food growing country. Amazing,

isn't it, what the addition of water will do? Just

look at the contrast between the untouched terrain

and the irrigated terrain!

Sssshhhhhhh....a secret military facility. Look at all the

satellite dishes...

Lots of warning signs here along the highway to

STAY OUT and NO TRESPASSING.

There isn't even a shrub for miles around this place.

A rabbit couldn't sneak in here without being seen.

Beautiful Ellensburg. This is a college town and they

grow lots of food here too. Plus they have a ton

of windmills cranking out the electricity because

it is always windy here:

Time for a pit stop at one of my favorite antique stores.

There are 2 levels of antiques for sale and the bottom

floor is filled with fruits, vegetables, candy, gifts and

all sorts of really neat stuff you won't find anywhere

else. Plus Applets and Cotlets made right here! Yes!

So my husband and I are wandering through the

many booths of antiques and I see a lady that

looks like she is dragging around a black

footstool.

????

My husband wanders over to see what the heck

she's doing that for.

Oh my word--it's her DOG.

See the little pink tongue?

She is a Puli and they are bred to be sheepherders. The

predators can't hurt them because the dreadlocks are

so thick they can't get to their body to bite them.

She claimed this dog could run really fast and when

I asked how could she even see, the lady explained

that when running the dreadlocks fly away from

their eyes. I guess when sitting she doesn't need

to see?

I don't know, she seemed like a happy dog and

was very friendly to me when I petted her.

Now I know what it would be like to touch the

hair of a person with dreadlocks...

STILL IN WASHINGTON...

2010-11-24T08:54:00.004-09:00

Before I continue on with the trip photos I want to

answer a question that was asked by Kathy. She

wanted to know what the picture was all about

in my header photo.

That is a grizzly paw. This month a 15 year old boy was

out deer hunting and came across a huge bear dragging

whale meat from a dead whale across the beach into the

forest. The picture shows how big the paw is compared

to the kid's hands.

It is my understanding that we have some of the largest

grizzlies in the world right here on Baranof Island because

of the great amount and quality of food that they have

available to them.

By the looks of that paw I would say yes, there are

some very large bears here.

Back to the WA trip...

Food, food and more food! These storage warehouses

line the roads for miles and miles.

These wild horses fool everybody! This is a closeup, but

in reality they are way up along a ridge and when you are

driving in the car it looks like real wild horses running free.

They are made of metal and in the beginning there were

just a few, but now there is a whole line of them and they

have letters on them.

Coming into Vantage with a nice view of the Gorge.

There is a beautiful outdoor ampitheater here that

they call the Gorge at George (George, Washington)

They have a lot of very famous performers that

come here to play to sold out audiences.

More green stuff being grown..

These wind blocking trees are everywhere! They protect

crops from wind damage, which is a very real consideration.

There always seems to be a wind blowing across these

valleys.

We stopped at a rest stop and this pulled in next to us.

I just liked the logo!

It was getting dark by the time we entered the little

town where our cabin is, so no good pictures. I took

this as we were going down the last road. It is dusk

with the last bit of sun on the windmills that line

the hills everywhere in this part of the state.

Early the next morning...

Our cabin!

MORE WASHINGTON...

2010-11-21T21:25:00.006-09:00

So we are continuing on our trip into the small

town of Winthrop. We saw some neat places along

the way:

This was the bakery in Winthrop. This town has an old

time western theme to it and all of the buildings and

businesses have storefronts that are in keeping with

the feel of an old western town. It is really neat, even

the modern offices have the western storefronts,

complete with wooden boardwalks:

We didn't spend a lot of time here because we

were on our way down towards the bottom of

the state and ran out of time.

On a sour note we left Winthrop in a bad mood.

When we got back to our vehicle someone had

decided they didn't like our bumper sticker

against Obama and left us a very nasty note

that had been scribbled on a torn off piece of

grocery sack. They called us names like despicable

and accused us of being racist because we

don't agree with his policies and really

don't like him at all as a president.

Funny, seeing how it's our truck and we were

parked on a public road in a free country, I

know it is our God given right to express

ourselves in the manner we choose.

Oh well, I hope the person that wrote it felt

better after they expressed themselves, but

just for the record, hiding from us and placing

the note anonymously without any sort of

name or signature really doesn't give you

any credibility or respect in my book.

Oh, and if by some slim chance this was

you and you were watching us read the

note from inside the store, shame on you

for being such a coward. You really

should have your mouth washed out

with some nasty lye soap.

And keep your ___ hands off my truck.

Ahem.

Sorry.

Continuing on our way we started getting into

some serious food country. Apples, apples and

more apples. Plus grapes! Wow Washington

has really turned in a wine country with miles

and miles of beautiful vineyards to see:

These are stacks of apple crates lined along the roads.

They are everywhere! We literally drove for a full hour

along just one stretch of road and there was not a break

in the orchards. Cherries, pears, apples--LOTS of food

over in this part of the state.

We were very hungry for apples after driving through all

of this beautiful food, so we stopped at a home with some

apples for sale out front from their trees.

I love it--the honor system still works out here.

You would think with the economy being so

bad and people out of work that the money

jar would disappear, but it was there with

money in it and nobody around.

Fresh, organic, crispy, juicy, delicious.

My mouth is watering just thinking about

how good those apples were!

WA TRIP CONTINUED...

2010-11-17T13:37:00.007-09:00

Sorry for the delay in posting about our trip!

Sometimes things just get away from me and

I need to take a breather.

So, continuing on over the mountains towards

Winthrop and the lodge we were going to

stay at that night.

The water is gorgeous along the mountain roads. I

think I read somewhere that it is so green because of

all the minerals from the snow melt.

Here we are at Sun Mountain Lodge. What a beautiful

place! It sits at the very top of a mountain and the views

are spectacular. The grounds are beautifully maintained

year-round because they have activities for every

season.

There are benches all over the grounds to sit and

take in the beautiful views. As I was sitting here

it was so quiet all I could hear was the wind

blowing slowly over the tall grasses. The air is

very clean up here at the top of the mountain.

For the more adventurous guests there is tennis

and horseback riding in addition to miles of

walking trails and cross country skiing.

The rooms are very plush, with very expensive linens and

things like white fluffy bathrobes and a nice stereo

system in the room with classical music playing

when you arrive.

Everything is handmade and custom; each

room has a beautiful light outside of the door

for when you return to your room:

And since it is a lodge it has more than it's share

of dead critters on display. For those of you that

know what Boone and Crockett is, there are signs

everywhere showing how many of these animals

are trophies listed with Boone and Crockett.

I didn't get pictures, but the next morning we ate in the

restaurant with a breathtaking view of the valley while

we ate. It was very crowded, so I am assuming the

locals drive up the mountain to eat there on the

weekends.

Going down the mountain after breakfast. The road

winds down and around to the lake...

...past more cabins on the lake that are part of the lodge.

Just gorgeous! And if you can click the picture and

make it bigger you will see some very large log

houses scattered on the mountain:

This cute place is for sale at the bottom of the mountain.

It has an old orchard with it and if you look closely

you will see what comes with the orchard...

A SAD DAY INDEED

2010-11-14T14:41:00.001-09:00

Rest in Peace Sweet Marshmallow.

You will be missed.

WASHINGTON STATE

2010-11-01T09:21:00.005-08:00

We went down south to Washington state last week

for a quick visit with my parents and some time

away down at our cabin.

My husband left on a Thursday and met his hunting

buddies at our cabin. I flew down on the next

Sunday and our plan was to stay with my

parents for a day and then drive across the

state and then down to our cabin.

I have a series of pictures detailing our trip:

High fashion in Stanwood. I was waiting

in the truck for my husband and saw this

man going into the store.

My husband came home from hunting with

his back thrown out. We went to the chiropractor

and it helped, but he needed a walking stick for

most of the trip because his back was hurting

so bad. It was a bummer thing to have

happen, but we got through it.

This a very nice organic farm we stopped at outside of

the little town of Concrete. They had the best homemade

ice cream! It was very quiet here since it is already the

off season and other than a few people hunting for

pumpkins and a lady that locked her keys in her

car it was just us visiting.

Their little delivery vehicle-cute!

There were an abundance of fresh gourds and pumpkins

for sale from their patch, as well as homemade jams.

This was the porch outside viewing part of the pumpkin

patch. The white flags you see on the posts were to

mark a walking tour through the property that

explained how they grew everything organic and

what the growing season was, etc. I think it is a

great idea for kids to learn how real farms work

and see how food is grown in real life.

Continuing on down the road we passed by

this miniature chapel. The door is full sized,

which shows how small the chapel is. It was

next to a river and the ground was deep

with leaves--very quiet and serene.

There was a campground right in the area with a whole

bunch of these cabins to be rented. I would imagine

this place was full during the summer...we saw

barbeque pits, a baseball field, a tiny store and

walking trails on this property. What a fun place

to spend the summer with other families.

This was a beautiful vineyard we passed as we headed into

the mountains.

We are entering the beautiful town of Newhalem.

It is so clean here you could eat off the streets. The

people that live here work for city light and they

have their own library, store, parks and

school building for the employees. It is like

something out of the past with quiet streets

and pretty little houses with wooden siding.

some really beautiful pictures.

Here we are beginning to climb up the first pass with

Ross Lake on our left. It was so nice not to fight any

traffic--most of the tourists have gone home so the

roads were pretty empty.

oooooo noooo--the legendary Bigfoot!

Continued tomorrow...

HILARIOUS!

2010-10-25T14:02:00.004-08:00

I can relate to this kid--when I have to have

nitrous at the dentist I feel like I am hanging

upside down like a bat in a tree.

STOP COUGHING!

2010-10-16T21:00:00.001-08:00

Home Remedy: Vicks Vapo-Rub

I wish I'd known this when my family was young during winter colds and coughs. I am going to try it myself. Share with young parents. Isn't life strange.

When we had a lecture on Essential Oils, they told us how the foot soles can absorb oils. Their example: Put garlic on your feet and within 20 minutes you can 'taste' it. Some of us have used Vicks Vapo-rub for years for everything from chapped lips to sore toes and many body parts in between. But I've never heard of this. And don't laugh, it works 100% of the time although the scientists at the Canada Research council (who discovered it) aren't sure why.

To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vicks Vapo-rub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many, many hours of relief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly.

I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure. Just happened to tune in AM. Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs so, I listened.

It was a surprise finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly. My mom tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was a deep, (incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrollable cough, and she slept cough-free for hours every night that she used it. If you have grandchildren, pass it on. If you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed by the effect!

REMEMBER GENE SIMMONS?

2010-10-14T15:51:00.003-08:00

The lead singer of KISS fame with all the

makeup and the long tongue he always

stuck out?

He looks a little different nowadays...

A GOOD REASON TO VISIT OHIO

2010-10-12T12:06:00.005-08:00

Do you recognize this house?

No?

Look closer...see what's in the window?

Hmm. Still don't know?

Here's a hint:

Yep--the Leg Lamp.

A Major Award!

And the original house from A Christmas Story

is fully restored and gives tours. They have a

museum and they even have a convention

coming in November!

I would love to visit and walk through the whole

house. Some of the cast is still alive and they have

a picture of them inside the house.

We watch the movie every year during the

holidays and we all have almost the entire

script memorized.

When we let our dogs out of the garage

and they scramble up the stairs climbing

over each other it reminds me of Ralphie

and Randy tearing up the stairs on

Christmas Eve. Remember when Ralphie

had his mouth washed out with soap

and his mom talks to the other mom on

the phone hanging on the wall in the

hallway? Who has a phone hanging on

the wall in the hallway??

I love the scenes from the department

store too. Just imagine--there was a

time when parents could leave their

kids in the store to look at toys and

they could go shop without worrying

about them. I remember my mom

leaving me at the toy section and

telling me to look and she would be

back in a little bit.

I, of course, was certain that she was

going to go home and leave me there,

(I don't know why I thought that--she never did

anything even remotely like that)

so I was always going over

to the glass doors and looking to

make sure the car was still there.

But that's another story for another time.

Anyway, if you love the movie as much

as we do, check out all the cool stuff on

A Christmas Story website:

Visit the website here

DO YOU TRUST YOUR BAKER?

2010-10-11T13:57:00.006-08:00

The Alibi

When a renowned Washington chef's wedding cake met an untimely fate, he quickly cooked up an excuse

By Michel Richard with Andrew Friedman

In the 1980s, I owned a pastry shop at the corner of Third Street and Robertson Boulevard in Beverly Hills. We catered to a very affluent, stylish, often famous clientele, and to make them happy, I worked day and night and was always trying to catch up.

One day, a woman came in and hired us to cater a wedding for 200 people. Now, this was a quarter-century ago, and I cannot remember who the woman was, whether she was the bride, the mother of the bride, a bridesmaid or a friend. I don't even remember what she looked like.

I do remember, however, that she wanted the cake to be spectacular. In addition to it being big enough to serve 200 people, she insisted that the cake have two doves on top, instead of little bride and groom figurines. And not just any doves: blown-sugar doves. In those days, I was fond of blowing sugar, done the same way you blow glass -- by heating a quantity of it to the melting point, inserting a long, thin straw into the center and very carefully blowing, turning and manipulating the melted sugar with various tools to create the desired shape, then letting it cool and harden.

The wedding was held on a scorching hot Saturday afternoon, the kind of painfully bright and blistering day you only have in Southern California or the desert, where the sun mercilessly beats down on you.

I sent my staff ahead to the home where the wedding was taking place, loaded up with all of the food -- except for the cake. In those days, I had to do all special preparations myself; first, because my name was on the shop; and second, because there weren't any young cooks around in L.A. who could manage it. Today, sure. But then? No way. And I was so busy that I never had time to train anyone.

Carefully, I assembled the layers of the cake and decorated it with frosting, making it as special as I could, piping tiny white flourishes that were all the same size and perfectly spaced. Even though I was worried about arriving at the reception late, I took my time. It was heaven to be quietly decorating a cake in the privacy of my own shop.

Then I made the beautiful little doves, heating the sugar and blowing the shapes out of the blob. They were lovely, like big Christmas tree ornaments, and I delicately perched them atop the cake. Voilà!

Finished, I packed the cake up in a big, shiny, white box, placed it in the back seat of my car and started driving to the wedding. Running late, as I always was in those days, I drove fast, scooting around the less-trafficked back streets. Hey, I was late for a wedding -- what cop would give me a hard time?

As I was heading into the heart of Beverly Hills, I took a sharp turn, and heard the cake slide across the back seat -- followed by a cracking sound, similar to shattering glass. One of the doves must have broken.

That's too bad, I thought. But at least I had another dove. Like with kidneys, I figured that I could survive with just one.

A little while later, I arrived at the beautiful estate, pulling into the enormous cul-de-sac out front. I couldn't see any of the wedding party because they were all out back. It was just me and my cake in the customer's driveway.

No sooner did I step out of the car than I was greeted by the wedding director, an officious, highly organized woman in business attire with a clipboard clasped under her arm.

"Bonjour, Chef Richard," she said, welcoming me in my native language.

"Good afternoon," I replied, trying to appear calm and not give her the slightest idea that there was a problem.

"I have the cake," I continued, forcing a big smile and pointing at the box in the back seat.

"Of course. We have a place for it." She directed me to the two-car garage where she said I would find a Sub-Zero refrigerator in which I could store the cake until the proper time.

You drive everywhere in L.A., even the shortest distances, so I got back in the car and drove to the far end of the driveway, pulling up in front of the garage. I hopped out again, opened the big, stainless-steel refrigerator to make sure it was empty, and picked up the cake box, lifting it carefully with both arms and being sure to keep it level.

I walked up to the refrigerator and tried to slide the cake inside. Wouldn't you know it -- it didn't fit. But it almost fit. So I pushed as hard as I could, forcing it, little by little, into the refrigerator, the box crumpling faintly at the sides.

No sooner did I squeeze the cake into the refrigerator than the shelf collapsed under the tremendous weight, and both the shelf and the cake crashed to the bottom of the refrigerator. I heard the distinctive tinkle of breaking glass again -- the second dove had been destroyed. With a sigh, I lifted the lid of the box. There they were, crystalline shards piled on top of the cake.

Even worse, the cake itself was hurt this time. Thanks to the impact of the landing, the frosting was dripping off the sides as though it were melting.

I had no idea how I was going to save the cake, or explain the poor broken doves, but I had other priorities at that moment, such as checking on my staff. Since the door to the refrigerator couldn't be shut, I closed it as far as I could and secured it by dragging over a big, heavy box from the side of the garage and pressing it up against the door.

Quickly, I circled the house, following the sounds of music and distant conversation until I found myself in an enormous back yard with a swimming pool. The guests were all standing around in their elegant sports coats and dresses, sipping Champagne and eating hors d'oeuvres. They seemed very happy and impressed with the food and my staff, laughing and enjoying a lovely afternoon.

But as I stood there staring at the pleased reception, all I could think about were those sugar shards. How could I possibly fix them?

Shaking my head with frustration, I left the party and walked back out front, across the driveway and to the garage.

As I approached the door, I heard the clicking of my footsteps on the driveway mixed in with other footsteps.

I spun around and saw that the owner of the house had two big dogs, Doberman pinschers, who were following me out to the garage.

Normally, I might have been scared to have two Dobermans so close to me. But not this time, because my prayers had been answered. I knew how to get out of my predicament!

"Come here, doggies," I said. "Come here."

The dogs glanced at each other, then decided to follow me into the garage. I raced over to the refrigerator, shoved the heavy box aside, swung the door open and lifted the lid of the cake box.

"Bon appétit!" I said. As soon as the dogs got a scent of the food, they quickened their pace, dashing right for the cake and attacking it, snorting with joy. I pushed their paws into the cake.

I ran off calling for the wedding coordinator, who had just come out of the house and was approaching the garage.

"Okay. I know what to do," I said.

"Madame! Madame! The dogs eat my beautiful wedding cake," I cried, sounding terribly upset. This was Hollywood, after all, and I was giving an Oscar-worthy performance.

"What?" she yelled, and we hurried over to the garage together. There were the dogs, munching away.

Horrified, the wedding coordinator chased the animals off, screaming at them. Then she turned to me. "Chef Richard," she said imploringly. "I'm so sorry. So sorry. Can you fix it?"

"Well," I said, trying to appear pensive.

"Please?"

"Oh, thank you!" she said and gave me a big hug.

I drove to a nearby store, where I purchased strawberries, whipping cream and fresh mint. When I got back to the house, I dressed the battered cake with whipped cream, then topped it with the berries and mint. By the time I was done, it looked like a giant strawberry shortcake.

The coordinator and the happy couple thanked me for being so clever and saving the day. "You are such a quick thinker," the bride said when we were introduced.

She had no idea how right she was.

Michel Richard is owner and chef of Michel Richard Citronelle in Georgetown. This article is excerpted from Don't Try This at Home: Culinary Catastrophes From the World's Greatest Chefs, edited by Kimberly Witherspoon and Andrew Friedman, to be published by Bloomsbury in October.

EVIDENCE FALL HAS ARRIVED

2010-10-08T08:19:00.007-08:00

Goodbye summer.

It was nice knowing you.

Sniff.

First snow on the mountain:

Dripping gutters being fixed:

Roaring fire in the fireplace:

Meatloaf and potatoes for dinner:

Our little maple bright orange:

Leaves showing up everywhere:

Weather forecast:

Friday	Saturday	Sunday
49° F \| 45° F	50° F \| 45° F	49° F \| 45° F
Rain Showers 70% chance of precipitation	Rain 90% chance of precipitation	Rain 80% chance of precipitation

FASCINATING--WHY THE BIG SECRET?

2010-10-06T09:48:00.004-08:00

I like liquid Vitamin D with a dropper--it is easy to take.
Given this information shouldn't everyone be taking it?

This text will be replaced by the player

LOL!

2010-10-03T23:06:00.002-08:00

LET THEM EAT CAKE!

2010-09-30T15:07:00.005-08:00

Cuz if they keep eating cake I keep working!

Here are a few of the cakes and cookies that

I actually remembered to take pictures of

before they left the kitchen. I think what

I need is a dedicated spot in the kitchen

to take pictures, like a light box. The

finished cakes could go there before I

deliver them and then I would remember

to take pictures!

Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting

for (you guessed it) a hunter.

A marble wedding cake with buttercream frosting.

The customer called me the next day and

left me a message: "I have to say I was very

surprised--that was the best cake I have ever eaten

which really shocked me since it came from a bakery"

I think there is a compliment in there somewhere...

This was a fun cake to make. The customer called for a

retirement cake for the museum's curator. She threw some

ideas out there and I said Why not the museum itself?

She said You can do that?? Yep, and it is all edible.

A local reception cake for a couple that was married

in Hawaii. Lemon cake, lemon curd, vanilla buttercream.

Sugar cookies for a library program about

conserving energy. They wanted lightning

bolts, but I know from experience that due

to the shape of the bolts, most of them would

have been broken upon delivery.

I hate to be the cookie Nazi, but in a way

that's my job, isn't it? LOL

The dreaded boy cake. No flowers, no pretties, no fancy

schmancy. So what else is there? Hey I know--Plaid!

Can you believe this was for a 6 year old girl? I loved

this kid! They met me at the party venue and she came

out of the car and immediately started telling me all

about Egyptian culture. Her mom said she has read

every book she could get her hands on and loves

the History Channel. At 6 years old.

She loved her cake with real edible gold dust

sprinkled all over it. She said Thank you lady,

that's exactly what I wanted. :-)

A play on the popular Life is Good clothing line. This was

for a church life group and one of the men had a Life is

Good shirt on when he came in. Their meeting theme

was log cabin and the whole menu was geared towards

that. They even cooked dinner on an antique cook

stove to be authentic!

Another fun baby shower cake with clotheslines around

the cake and little girl clothes hanging on it. I didn't

realize until I saw the pictures of the cake that the

flower I put on the baby's bum looks like a banana

peel--what a dork I am! Why oh why didn't I make

it lavendar or even pale blue?

A baby cookie platter ordered by an out of state Grandma.

She had me deliver it to a Coast Guard family 2 days

after the baby was born.

I knocked on the door and it whipped open with a

large man in sweats with big dark circles under his eyes

standing there with a pacifier hanging from the corner

of his mouth and a very tiny baby crying on his shoulder.

He briefly smiled, thanked me and apologized as he took

off down the hallway to bring the baby to mommy. He

even forgot to close the front door.

I remember those days...

A Goodbye cake for one of the nurses at the hospital.

Fun, fun, fun. The customer gave me a picture of her

son on his snowmachine and that is him on his

birthday cake. I painted his image onto fondant

so the whole thing is edible. I was able to paint the

goggles and headlights in gold leaf so they looked

like light was shining on them and I sprinkled

edible glitter on the snow.

Well thanks for looking! I am headed back to the

kitchen to finish my fish cookies!