Quill #103 - The Unicorn's Gift (1972)

Unicorn,
Silver horn,
Glinting in the sunlight.
Through the trees,
Whispering leaves,
Stays my stately handsome knight.

Jet black steed,
Given lead,
Racing through the forest dark.
Evergreen,
Earthly sheen,
He comes when he hears my hark.

Golden haired,
Manly laird,
Smiling at me with his eyes,
Piercing blue,
Deepest hue,
Like the color of the skies.

Magic dreams,
Running streams,
Babbling in my secret land.
Lovely thoughts,
Forget-me-nots,
Forever will he hold my hand.

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(image from Dover)

Quill #102 - Gamblers Lie.

Oh, they'll tell you what they've won, but they don't tell you what they've lost or what it took to get to the occasional win. I suspect it's possible to win enough to break even, if the gambler could stop playing after their big win. How many can?

I had a family member, quite lovable, who was addicted to gambling. She had several personal issues she needed to work out and I think gambling was her method of forgetting about them. Like movies in the Depression, gambling was her way of avoiding the pain within her life. The problem was, though, that she would only talk about the wins. And she had some nice gains, a few over ten thousand dollars, which was big money to the people she told. One of those people was my mom.

Mom had, in all her married years, been the Keeper of the Purse. She managed the family budget with such finesse that, on a teacher's salary, we had travelled most of the US and parts of Canada and, from our midwest location, gone to DisneyWorld twice and DisneyLand six times. She was not a spendthrift. Her facility with money provided my parents with a retirement most people would only dream of having.

However, in the last five to ten years of her life, her health went dramatically downhill. The medical bills piled up, pharmacy fees were outlandish and, in spite of her best efforts, she slowly lost the ability to keep everything afloat.

To her, winning ten to twenty thousand dollars in a gamble seemed like the answer to her prayers. Encouraged by the family member whose losses were unknown, she began playing with small amounts and, when those were lost, was told she "gave up too soon."

It came to the point where she was losing more than she could afford in a desperate attempt to win like her relative was supposedly winning. She got herself into such dire straits that she felt she had nothing to lose by continuing to gamble with the little she did have. She borrowed from family, including me, to cover losses she couldn't explain - or didn't want to explain - to Dad, all the while encouraged to try again.

Some of this I put together later. Even when she borrowed hundreds from me (and I didn't expect to be paid back because, in truth, she helped me FAR more, over the years, than I could ever repay to her), I didn't realize how bad things were. I didn't know that she was falling behind on bills, or that their credit was maxed, or that the losses I thought were temporary would hurt them the following month, too. And her gambling increased as her situation worsened, all spurred on by the promise of one big win.

Mom had never been able to discuss finances with me. It must have been a matter of pride for her because I honestly didn't know they were hurting for funds. Nobody told me. Maybe my brothers thought she had, or that I should have figured it out for myself. I don't know if they knew how bad things were, either. Regardless, I found out the hard way.

I'm sure it was the stress. If she could have told me she needed money, I'd have found a way to get it to her, but she couldn't tell me, couldn't ask, and I couldn't read her mind. When she died, her checkbook was overdrawn by eighteen dollars - the exact amount of a check she sent to me for something I had asked her to keep as a gift. I told her NOT to send me money and she did, anyway. Maybe that was her cry for help - a check she knew would bounce. But, since the check arrived at my house while I was attending her funeral, the information came too late. If I had known, she might still be alive.

(photos from family archives)

Quill #101 - Grandma's Potato Soup Recipe

This was my father's favorite soup. The recipe was passed down to my mother from her mother and, presumably, from mothers before them. When I make this soup, I don't follow a recipe, so you'll have to forgive me if the instructions are a little strange. I'm putting this one in a blog for family members.

Home-style (Very) Potato Soup

a big pot about half-full of water
up to 1 medium-sized onion (sweet varieties preferred)
2-3 medium-sized potatoes, or whatever you've got
3 eggs
1/2 - 1 cup flour
milk or milk powder or canned milk
chicken broth or chicken bouillon (4 cubes)
celery salt
salt
1/2 - 1 tsp. black pepper

Chop the onion and potato into small bits and toss them into the pot. Add the broth or bouillon and a couple shakes of celery salt, for now. Set the pot to boiling.

While that's getting hot, whisk three eggs in a cereal bowl with a fork until they're smooth and yellow, then add a half cup of flour and keep stirring with the fork till the batter is how you like it for either noodles or dumplings. (Noodles, the batter drips thickly off the fork. Dumplings are thicker.) You may have to add more flour, depending on what you prefer. My dumplings usually take about a cup.

When the pot has boiled, drop in your noodles or dumplings, a little bit at a time, allowing each bit to cook a little before dropping more into the pot. Once all the batter has been put into the pot, reduce the heat and let the noodles/dumplings cook for a few minutes on simmer. Stir the pot occasionally as you're adding batter.

When the pot isn't boiling anymore, and the noodles are fully cooked, add the milk. You want enough milk, if possible, to turn the broth from transparent to opaque. If you haven't got that much milk, don't worry about it. The soup will still be good.

Now add a teaspoon of salt, if you're allowed, and a couple more shakes of celery salt, taste, and then add whatever amount of these is pleasant to you, tasting as you go. Add a half teaspoon of black pepper, again adjusting these three spices for your taste. Once you're satisfied with the flavor, serve. Some people like crackers with their soup.

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Now, I have to admit I've made personal adjustments to this recipe. Sometimes I add a few bay leaves while it's cooking, or use red pepper instead of black. Sometimes I add carrots or other vegetables when I'm low on potatoes. I've experimented with making lower carb versions, though none of my experiments have the flavor of the original.

Once I made the mistake of putting one of my versions out for dinner for my father, saying that I thought the flavor was an interesting variation. I don't think he could have glared at me more if I'd murdered my mother. In his eyes, the two crimes might have been equal.

In any case, nobody else is bound to the original. Feel free to make variations. If you serve one to me, I promise not to glare.

(image from Lolcats)

Quill #100 - Gift Ideas for Lean Years - Fleece Scarves

Thirty-six inches divided by six inches equals six scarves, but six inches is a thin scarf for winter time warmth. It might be fashionable to have thin scarves right now, but I prefer eight inch scarves, which only would allow for four scarves to a yard of fleece - plus a bit left over.

Forty inches wouldn't cost much more and that would give five scarves of eight-inch width. However many scarves you'd like to make and however wide you want them, fleece winter scarves are super easy to make and inexpensive.

Fleece can cost up to twelve dollars or more per yard for a good thickness and popular prints. But, you can usually find a decent thickness in good colors for around eight dollars a yard. That's four scarves that you can use as holiday gifts for about two dollars each.

Best of all, the most difficult part can be done by the sales clerk. Decide on your width before purchase and ask her to make the right number of cuts. Then, all you have to do is fringe the ends with two-inch snips about a quarter-inch apart. Perfection is not required. Part of the charm of these scarves is the whimsical appearance.

Don't worry if someone has better scarves or plenty of them. These babies roll up very small. We keep one in our glove box for cold weather emergencies, a few in luggage when weather is uncertain. If they become dirty or are ruined, they're easily washed (cold water, tumble dry low or no heat), and they're easily replaced.

When I'm stumped for a gift, these are almost universally suitable, either alone and tied with a ribbon around the middle, or in a basket of goodies. Plus, with all the varieties of fleece available, you're likely to find something suitable for any age or interest. And, if the recipient really won't wear it, they can pass it on or donate it to someone who needs the winter-time warmth.

Also, if you're looking for shelter or nursing home gifts, there are less expensive fleeces for buying in bulk. Some could cost as little as a dollar a scarf. Or, if you'd rather do lap blankets and shawls, use the same technique on a wider swath of fabric - perhaps two shawls/lap blankets to a yard. With fleece as low as five dollars per yard, you wouldn't need to spend much to warm a few friends and relatives.

I first got the idea for these scarves when I took some children on a fall trip to the St. Louis zoo. When we arrived, the weather was sunny and hot. A sudden wind swept through the park, sending whirlwinds of leaves everywhere, and bringing an icy chill into the air. Immediately, every child was cold and shivering, but didn't want to leave the zoo.

I darted into the nearest gift shop to look for warmth and found fleece scarves, just as I've described, available for seven dollars each. (This was ten years ago and they'd likely be more now.) I bought one for each child and hurried the trip along. We managed and still had fun.

(images from BigStore and Lolcats)

Quill #99 - Gift Ideas for Lean Years - Fingerless Gloves (Steampunk style)

Steampunk is all the rage. My daughter keeps asking me for fingerless gloves. I can, and probably will, crochet some for her, but I found a trash-to-treasures quick fix for her until I get around to crocheting a pair.

In our house, we have an abundance of unpaired and holey socks, many of them in black, brown, navy and tan colors. For fingerless mitts - sans thumbhole - just cut off the entire foot from the cuffs from a matching pair of socks. Voila! Wrist warmers.

If you want a thumb slot, cut the foot to just above the heel, where you can cut straight across and have the fabric even. Cut a side slit into the fabric below the cuff for the thumb to go through.

Embellish the cuff with buttons, if you please. Sew lace onto the snipped end for a longer glove and for beauty. Edge the thumb slot with blanket or ornamental stitching. And, if these wear out, it's an item you likely would have thrown out, anyway, and is easy to replace.

I might even make a pair for myself.

(image borrowed, as an example of a good Steampunk fingerless glove, from Kaboodle)

Quill #98 - Brown Family Tradition

Every child in my family, back through my father's line for generations, has had their feet dipped in the waters of a particular spring. I believe that this was a tradition begun by my Osage great-great-grandmother. This tradition has been carried forward, even to my grandson and daughter-in-law.

It's a very serious tradition. The child has to be bare-footed, and must stand in the spring if they are old enough to stand, even though the rocks are sharp beneath their feet and the water is very cold. My parents made me promise to carry on the tradition with my children, which I did. And, I made my children promise, as well.

Because the spring, like most natural springs these days, is a fragile site, I won't say where it is. I don't know if my brothers have kept this tradition, though I hope they have. Our family has roots in that area of the country in addition to the spring.

(images from Dover's free images online)

Quill #97 - Waterbed Sheets

Sheets can be expensive. Sheets for a king-sized waterbed are outrageous, now that waterbeds have fallen out of favor, again. Last year, we discovered we were down to one good bottom sheet and one that had holes. I priced supplies online and realized we could almost buy a new bed for the price of a couple sets. I decided to take matters in hand.

After measuring the mattress length, width and depth, I bought inexpensive fabrics from a department store in colors and textures we thought would feel pleasant for sleeping. We're low on underpads, too, so we bought some thin and silky materials, but we also bought thick and cottony fabric, similar to flannel.

Pillowcases and top sheets were easy, but the bottom sheets took a little more creativity. With a king bed, I needed to sew selvedge to selvedge across the middle of the bed. A seam there could cause discomfort. To avoid that, and for added strength, I went with French seams to ensure they'd lay flat.

For the bed corners, I cut a square section out (depth of the mattress), then sewed that square back on, once the corner cuts were sewn together, to act as the under-mattress sheet holder. The flat square pocketing the mattress is pretty good at securing the sheet during use. We haven't had many problems with ours. In fact, the ones I sewed stay better than our store-bought sheets.

I spent $12 for the fabric for each complete set rather than $65 and higher at online stores. The bottom sheets took me two hours to sew - I'm fairly slow - and I could make a full set with pillowcases in less than a day. I've sewn three sets and have purchased the material for one more that I haven't started, yet. We never run out of clean sheets now and I saved a bundle of money by making them myself.

(images from Dover and Lolcats)