Croquet Anyone?

Phyllis Markuson arranged for our dining out group to play croquet and have lunch today at The National Croquet Center. We had a little preliminary orientation and instruction and it was fun. View video

This evening Jane and I attended a production of the Cole Porter musical Anything Goes at the Bak Middle School of the Arts. It was very well done.

Preservation Foundation

This evening we attended a program at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach where we met the descendants of Elbridge Gale and learned about their history.

Summer doldrums begin

We're as busy as ever but with little of consequence to report.
Tuesday Jane took on the tour her friend Joyce and Joyce's friend Mary where they enjoyed lunch at Taboo on Worth Avenue. (view photo)

Great American Cleanup

Saturday morning Jane and I worked on the Great American Cleanup with a group cleaning the beach north of the Boynton inlet. It was made difficult by strong wind.
Sunday morning we went with about 18 others on Alan Collins' hike on a portion of the Ocean-to-Lake trail. I was a nice day and a good group. (view video)

We're so lucky

Tonight we were wined and dined most delightfuly at Robert and Phoebe Dowdy's beautiful 19th floor apartment at Placido Mar. I don't know when we've had a more enjoyable evening. We're feeling so fortunate to have such nice friends.

Last night we dined out with Florida Trail friends at Tabica Grill in Jupiter.

The Dancers Life

At the Kravis last night we volunteered for "The Dancers' Life," starring Chita Rivera.
Tonight we attended a really nice dinner and group social hosted by Gail Pasternack and Marty Cugelman. Gail generously allowed us to choose gifts from among her pottery creations.

Volunteer Salute

Tonight we attended the Kravis 2007 Volunteer Salute. It was a very nice event called "A 15th Anniversary Celebration of Stars." (see video)

City Walk

We led a good group of 18 on City Walk this morning -- walking across the bridge to Palm Beach. (view video)

What a Life!

Jane said to me, "I enjoyed that concert more than any other in my life." She was referring to the U.S. Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants we heard last night at the Eissey Theatre. It was terrific. Earlier yesterday at the Kravis we were thrilled to hear, on five Steinway concert grands, The 5 Browns (5 sibling prodigies). Later at Pan's Garden in Palm Beach we enjoyed The Yale Alley Cats. And the best part -- all free.

Potpourri

This morning Jane read to Kathy Dull's kindergarten class. Then we had lunch with Serena Rinker and attended a talk by author John Grogan at the Crest Theatre in Delray Beach.

Yesterday I spent the whole day at the auto repair shop having much routine maintenance done on our Dodge Caravan. ($655.48)

Last night we went to the Lake Worth Playhouse for a dress rehearsal of Wonderful Town. We thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it.

Jane's Birthday

Today is Jane's birthday. We had a nice walk this morning in the El Cid and Prospect Park neighborhoods. Our neighbors, Jerry & Margot Cirigliano, took us out for lunch at One Thai. This evening we volunteered at the Kravis for The Palm Beach Pops Orchestra which we always enjoy. With them were the Count Basie Orchestra and The Mills Brothers. It was a terrific concert.

"Christ Is Risen."

Happy Easter! The stone is rolled away. Everyone's in church, Easter anthem, thrilling special music, arrays of lilies, new duds, colored eggs, chocolate bunnies, ham -- all fond but fading memories for this heathen. After biting the ears off the chocolate bunny, what's left? Eating all the rest -- and remorse.

Movies and Stuff

This morning we enjoyed an aerobic walk and breakfast with an FTA group.

Yesterday we had our Frugal Dining Out for April and then went to a movie at the Four Arts -- Mongolian Ping Pong. It is a fiction-documentary of Mongolian country life with magnificently photographed Mongolian landscapes. I enjoyed it but found it flawed by poor editing. After the movie we hosted discussion with dessert.

Thursday we went to the 1957 movie, Witness for the Prosecution. I had forgotten how good it was.

Elements from Our Website

Since October 30, 2008, our website, "JANE & TOM'S HOMEPAGE," has ceased to exist. I expect to revive it when I find the time to learn website construction. I saved these few elements from it and stored them here in "HOLDEN ON." It is far from ideal in appearance but you are welcome to view these links:
Memories Diary Politics RegretsBirthdays
Wedding Anniversaries Religion Poems
My Reprise Photographs Jane's Recipes

Jane's Recipes

BAKED OATMEAL
1 egg (beaten)
 ¼ t salt
½ cup sugar
1½ t baking powder
1/3 cup oil
¾ cup milk
2½ cups oatmeal
You can add raisins if you like.
Mix egg, sugar and oil. Add oatmeal, salt baking powder and milk.
Stir well and pour into a greased casserole dish.
Bake at 325º to 350 for 45 min. until done in center.
This is great served with strawberries or peaches and milk.
From Country Gardens Bed & Breakfast, Mount Joy, PA
You may reduce the sugar if you wish. Also, I like to add raisins, Craisins, and broken walnuts. _______________________________________________________
Aunt Dee’s Peach Cobbler2 heaping cups sliced peaches (canned, fresh, or frozen)
1¾ cups sugar
¾ cups flour
½ cup butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup milk
Heat peaches with 1 C of sugar until
sugar is disolved. Melt ½ C butter
in 9x13 pan. Pour in batter (¾ C flour,
½ C milk, ¾ cup sugar, 1 t baking powder).
Pour in peaches. Bake 30 min. at 350.
****************************
Vegetable Loaf
2 tablespoons melted shortening
1 cup diced or chopped onion
1 cup minced celery
1 cup grated raw carrots
1 cup finely ground walnuts (or mixed nuts)
1 cup dry whole wheat or rye bread crumbs
1 teaspoon each salt and poultry seasoning
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk or cream
1-1/2 cups tomato or mushroom sauce
Cook onions in hot melted shortening til
light brown and add vegetables, nuts, crumbs
and seasonings. Sauté. Beat eggs and
stir in cream. Combine both mixtures and
turn into well-greased loaf pan or
shape into patties.
Bake at 350º 40 to 45 minutes
or til nicely browned. Turn out loaf and
serve with tomato sauce or fresh mushroom
sauce. Or use a can or cream of mushroom
soup, heated just before serving.
Garnish with hard cooked eggs or green peas
around the loaf.
Serves 4 to 6.
****************************
Louane's Chocolate Cherry Cake
1 pkg. fudge cake mix, 1 (21 Oz.) can cherry pie filling, 1 t almond extract, 2 eggs
Preheat oven to 350. Grease & flour 13x9 cake pan or 15x10 jelly-roll pan.
In large bowl combine the first 4 ingredients - mixing by hand. Stir until well
mixed. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20- 30 min. or toothpick removes clean.
Frosting - 1cup sugar, 5 T margarine,
1/3 cup milk, 1 (6 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate chips
In saucepan, combine sugar, margarine & milk.
Boil, stirring constantly for 1 min. Remove
from heat. Stir in chips til smooth. Pour.
¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤
Heavenly Hot Fudge Sauce
½ cup margarine (or butter) ½ teaspoon salt
4 squares unsweetened 1-2/3 cups (I tall can) ,
chocolate evaporated milk
3 cups sugar
Melt the margarine and chocolate in the top of a double boiler
over boiling water. Gradually stir in the sugar, about 4 table-
spoons at a time, being sure the sugar is completely moistened
after each addition. The mixture will become very thick and
quite dry. Add the salt and slowly stir in the evaporated milk,
a little at a time. Serve warm. MAKES APPROXIMATELY 3½ CUPS.
If a thinner sauce is desired, slowly stir in an additional
I or 2 tablespoons evaporated milk. Store the sauce in a covered
jar in the refrigerator and reheat in a double boiler before using.
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Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookies1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1 teaspoon each orange and lemon zest
2 tablespoons amaretto (almond liqueur)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg white
Chopped nuts or dried fruit (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.Mix together butter and 1 ½ cups of sugar.Add egg yolks one at a time and beat until smooth.Stir in flour, zest, amaretto and salt, and mix only until everything is incorporated.Spread dough evenly onto baking pan and brush top of dough with egg white and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle with nuts or fruit if desired. Bake until golden brown, approximately 25 minutes. Cool for a short time, then cut while still warm.


PLAIN CAKE (cottage pudding)
from my mother's old school book
½ cup butter or other fat
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
¾ cup milk
3 t baking powder
1 t vanilla
Cream the butter & add sugar gradually. If other fat is substituted
for butter,add ½ t salt. Add well beaten eggs then the vanilla
and mix thorougly. Sift the baking powder with flour and add
to the mixture alternatly with the liquid. Do not use mixer but stir
by hand just enough to mix the ingredients. Put into greased
loaf or shallow pan and bake at 350º 30 to 35 min. until it
shrinks from sides of pan.
Don't bake too long. Try minimum time.
Thin Chocolate Sauce (for topping the Cottage Pudding)
Mix in pan:
1 cup sugar
2 sq. unsweetened baking chocolate (cut up)
2 T cornstarch
Stir in gradually:
2 cups boiling water
Boil 1 min. - stirring constantly.
Stir in:
4 T butter
1 t vanilla

My Reprise

My Music -- In first grade…I guess it was every week when the music teacher would come around, they would get out the box of percussion instruments such as castanets, maracas, triangles, and sticks. I would always get the sticks. But still, it was always fun. In third grade we all played Song Flutes, a form of small plastic fipple flute like a Tonnette. I took to that rather well. In my second year in third grade (I repeated third) I have no memory of music. In fourth grade we all played harmonicas...little ones. That was a snap for me because I already had developed that skill and my father had bought me a big Horner chromatic harmonica.
I don't remember my age--probably I was around nine or ten when my real music lessons began. I walked about three blocks to Hampton Road where Mrs. Montgomery, who kept a caged parrot on her front porch, tried to teach me piano. I was afraid of her and hated the lessons. I can't remember how far I got in the Thompson's books but I sure was relieved when my mother let me stop. Sometime later I got a piano teacher-- Mrs. Gould who would come to the house. I was less afraid of her and hated the lessons somewhat less. I got to where I could passably play some nice sheet music. The Marine’s Hymn was probably the pinnacle of my piano career. I always hated the book of chords and scales and never understood the purpose, hence my profound ignorance, to this day, of music theory.
I was in the fifth or sixth grade at Belvedere school when from Howard Swyers I began taking lessons on the baritone. It was a horn handed down by my brother, Norman. It had no case but my mother made a cloth sack to put it in. I may have gotten as far as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
I was in junior high school when my mother got me to take private lessons from Robert Sliker on the French horn. I had once seen one in a movie newsreel and thought it the most magnificent instrument. I wasn't much of an asset to Conniston Jr. High School Band but gradually became more comfortable with the band although I never felt competent.
In Palm Beach High School band my feelings of inadequacy continued. I never developed the skill to make me feel important. High school band, in spite of my feelings of inferiority and my unease with socialization, was, to that point, easily the most important institution in my life. I didn't discover until years later that French horn was one of the most difficult instruments to play. I should have stuck to the baritone or taken up the trumpet.
In church during my high school years I got started singing in a little youth choir in church and then moved to the senior choir. Also, during my senior year of high school I got into The Barbershoppers (SPEBQSA) for a short while. I was in numerous choirs over the years. While in the army I sang in church choirs--one outstanding one in El Paso Texas. In 1962 I began singing with Palmer Singers and continued, off and on, with them for more than forty years. Palmer Singers was an ensemble of variable size from around sixteen or eighteen to thirty-five or so which performed all around Palm Beach County in churches, auditoriums, hotels, and homes for private parties, conventions, etc. Often I was paid but never very much. During many of those years I also sang with the Methodist church choir up until the mid 90’s.
In 1965 I began playing French horn with The Symphonic Band of the Palm Beaches. That lasted a year or two. In 1970 I bought a guitar and worked at that over the years with a commitment which was off and on. Around that time my good friend, Caroline White, gave me a soprano recorder which I diligently applied myself to. I bought a tenor recorder as well and played with a nice recorder group that gave a few concerts. I enjoyed that a lot until the group dissolved. In the late 1980’s and into the early 90’s I played in a church handbell choir and liked that a lot. Jane gave me a penny whistle in 1985. I like it and still play it occasionally but there doesn’t seem to be much demand for my performance. I bought a bowed psaltery in 1987 and found it to be a most enjoyable instrument. I still play the psaltery for my own pleasure.
In the nineteen eighties, in spite of my musical ignorance, I tried my hand at music composition and produced five or six unnotable short pieces. It gave me more appreciation for the composer’s art.
I can remember in my early childhood attending concerts of the Norton Gallery Men’s Glee Club in which my father and Uncle Glen sang. During my youth—maybe preteen years—I would go to classical music concerts with my parents. We were members of the Civic Music Association which I subscribed to up until the 80’s. After that, Jane and I were members of Regional Arts until our volunteer ushering at The Kravis Center gave us exposure to almost more musical performances than we wanted.
I wanted to list here some of my favorite pieces of music but found it too difficult. I like too much in so many genres-- even bad music. I’ve been moved by folk, thrilled by theatrical, enraptured by liturgical, impressed, at times, by jazz, and inspired by Beethoven’s Ninth, and Adagio Cantabile, Pilgrim's Chorus in Wagner's Tannhauser, the Verdi and Brahms Requiems, Schumann's Reverie and Villa-Lobos' Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.
Perhaps there are some who become so deeply involved as to lose themselves in music. I’m envious of them. The truth is, unless it’s Cole Porter or Jerome Kern my concentration is often brief and even when I try to stay engaged, my mind wanders over a myriad of far away cares or to the nearby hummer.
- -Let's take it from the top.