Purple hearts and 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month

Veteran's day....formerly known as Armistice Day for World War I, the war which supposedly was to end all wars....Today as I went through my day, I noticed all of the veterans on the street. A Vietnam War Vet, a World War II vet who survived Pearl Harbor and people presently serving here. I know I probably saw a lot more who were veterans from the Korean Conflict and Gulf War I.

I am grateful to all those who serve, although I was stunned to hear an officer at Fort Hood say that the folks who were going to Afghanistan were going to protect the American Constitution......I don't believe that, especially since the original reason to go to Afghanistan was to rout the Taliban and to go after Osama bin Ladin. Nevertheless, I support the troops who are presently serving in the near east. You can support the troops even if you can't support the war.

My own family has a pretty strong military presence. My grandfather served in both World War I and in World War II. My father and his twin served in World War II. My nephew served in Germany in the 1980s, and my husband's cousin, even though he was Cuban, served in the Air force in Gulf I and is still in the service.

The purple heart you see in the top photograph is the one awarded to my uncle David, my father's mirror twin, posthumously. He was killed by a sharpshooter after taking an area in Okinawa. He was killed June 4, 1945. His death is one from which I don't think my father ever really recovered. War is hell.

Sometimes the living afterwards is hell too. I think about how after the Civil War soldiers missing jaws and limbs struggled along. I think of the wounded today who not too long ago would have perished, but because of our technology today, they have survived horrific wounds but now have to struggle with severe head injuries and loss of multiple limbs.

Yesterday, I listened to a program on prosthesis and how that the hook, which basically hasn't changed much since WWII is still the best option for being able to function (rather than for aesthetics) is what most people who survive the loss of a hand end up having. I was horrified to learn that often insurance companies don't cover prosthesis as they are considered "cosmetic."

I hope that our service people who are losing limbs are being provided with what they need. It would seem pretty awful if these men and women who serve wouldn't be provided with proper prosthesis after losing their appendages while on active duty. However, I also know that sometimes what is right, isn't what is given.

I think of the psychological effects that our service people are suffering or are going to be suffering from. I think of the trauma that their families go through. I think of the loss of valuable memories because mom or dad wasn't there for momentous occasions.


I also think of all the women who served and are serving. Today, while we often think of "servicemen" at least women are beginning to be recognized for their contribution. We have a long way to go on that score, but it is still better than what Eleanor Chapman Broberg, my father's first wife, and countless other women in service and who served as nurses received in earlier wars. Eleanor was a W.A.C. She is the person in this photograph which I think was taken in La Jolla or at one of the bases right after the war.

For most women who served in WWII, they were not recognized after the war. I had a friend who did some research on nurses who served on the fronts in WWII, and it was pretty sad as far as what little recognition they received.

Eleanor died perhaps four years after this picture was taken. She had had polio as a child and suffered heart attacks during a pregnancy. I'm sure that the cigarette she has in her hand didn't help, but she passed away in the 8Th month of her pregnancy dying in my father's arms.

I think of the pain and loss my father suffered from the loss of his wife and his twin. I think of the loss that families suffer today. I think of the good things that our service people are accomplishing, and I recognize the hard work of the Coast Guard which sometimes gets forgotten in the minds of the average American. For you all, I just say thank you. For us all, I hope that someday we can get over our human propensity to engage in war. Maybe just a little compassion and understanding would go a long way.

Art Every Day: Is it too late?

November is Art Every Day month. I found out about it at the Quilting arts message board....but I didn't jump right in.

I thought I have enough to do...and probably couldn't do it anyway. I'm over thinking my Fast Friday Fabric Challenge quilt and having difficulty doing what I want to do with it... Over thinking is one of my major problems.

In addition, when someone suggests something like this, my head explodes with ideas....then I get caught in a tailspin in trying to figure out which one to do, and how to cram it in with the other things I'm up to.

So, here's the skinny on Art Every Day. Now mind you, she says that the rules are meant to be broken....and that you can join at any time. Shall I, or shan't I? What do you think?

New Dimensions: Great Fun with Texture!

Once a month a sub-group of the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network gets together to study elements of design. Last year, Mindy Marik led our group using Jane D'Avila and Elin Waterston's Art Quilt Workbook.

We've continued this year, but we're using Masters: Art Quilts: Major Works by Leading Artists (The Masters) by Martha Sielman (Paperback - May 6, 2008). As I mentioned before, one of the group leads the session basing her (all of the 10 or so of us who meet are women) presentation on an element of art quilting as represented in the book. September, Lori Gravely led us in a rust dyeing discussion. In October, Debra Bentley did a great job on collographic printing. This month, Liz Schneiders led a discussion on dimension and texture.

I tend to use a lot of three-dimensional elements in my quilting, although I have scaled it back in pieces which travel because I've found that they get smashed in shipping.

Here are some of the "mini" examples Liz did up for us. I love the above piece because it reminds me of an 18th century stomacher with a handkerchief stuff in the bodice.

This piece she did with felt, wired ribbon, and torn pieces of cotton

Here's a detail, although my little point and shoot was being persnickity....as was my computer last night when I was trying to upload and resize for the web.
















This piece is pin tucks running in two directions. The yellow ochre fabric is printed with lines which makes it look like it has been further manipulated, but it's only the print.

Tomorrow, I'll share some more pieces..including my favorites of the pieces Liz did for us to think about.

Fall: The season of Hope

I have to admit that when fall comes I feel a little saddened. While I love the fall colors, I am apprehensive about the cold, dark days of winter. I didn't always feel that way, but I think that my 20 years in Connecticut which had few bright winter days (Connecticut got substantially more precipitation than southwest/south central Ohio) sort of influenced me to dread the darkness. In addition, we lived in a house built in 1941 which could have stood better insulation and I'm married to a polar bear who thinks that 65 degrees is warm enough for the daytime.


Here we have bright, sunny days in the winter. That's do-able. But I don't like being cold. I wear long-johns and silk or wool camisoles in the house to stay warm and I'm always layering clothing and wearing blazers or decorative jackets inside.

Every fall is a flurry of activity for me. I'm cutting back stuff in the garden and planting. I suppose most non-gardeners are dumbfounded at fall planting, but that's when I put in spring bulbs, some summer bulbs, trees and shrubs. I'm also often seduced by the discounted rates at nurseries and garden centers trying to get rid of their stock before winter.

Each year I swear I won't go absolutely nuts and order too many bulbs. Each year, I fail. I have purchased bulbs from a lot of different places, but I have found John Scheepers in Bantam, Connecticut (and Van England their wholesale end) to be the best that I have ever used. Their prices are good, the size of the bulbs excellent and their customer service is wonderful.

I always order daffodils. When we lived in Meriden, Connecticut, I was accused of trying to compete with the city's Daffodil festival. I admit, I love them. They are cheery and come at a time when I am longing for bloom in my garden. In many cases, they are also fragrant. As a bonus, they multiply and deer and other critters don't eat them. This year, I am planting 200 that I purchased in addition to the ones I dug up in re-planting my shade garden which is now a sun garden.

I usually plant daffodils around hosta and daylilies as well as other perennials which will droop over the dying daffodil foliage. I don't tie them up or cut them off as letting them die back naturally will preserve the strength of the plant and ensure me good blooms for the next year.

Also, I am a fan of two tulips, Hit Parade and Big Chief. Since I had only about 50 that I had planted in 2005 when we moved here and they were petering out as tulips tend to, especially in my heavy clay soil, I ordered 100. I also ordered 50 Apricot impressions....Then, I ran into a 70% off bulb sale and bought an additional 50 mixed tulips.

And don't forget the small bulbs. Since my sister loves Camas lillies, I ordered two types of them to see what they were like. I also purchased a total of 40 crocus--mostly snow crocus but also some orange Dutch crocus. I also purchased 400 grape hyacinths. Since they throw foliage in the fall to provide for spring's flowers I use them to mark where I have daffodils, tulips and my other bulbs.

Oh yes....and the allium. I purchased 20 more globemaster and gladiator...those big purple flower heads and the starlike seed heads are a must have in my book.

And yet...here I am, late in getting started planting them because of my fractured pelvis. I'm getting it done...slowly...and I snarl at myself for being too much of the cockeyed optimist--optimistic that I can get them in before my hands drop off because of the cold...and optimistic that I'll be here next spring to enjoy them....and next fall to start the process all over again.

A Simplified Recipe for Green Pozole with Chicken

Although I love to cook (in the winter), I often have a problem figuring out what to cook. On Tuesday, I was taking inventory of our freezer, figuring out what I could put together and what needed to be eaten. Smart people keep a list on their freezer to know the contents, but I admit, I'm not that disciplined.

I had some chicken breasts and I went to my fairly large, by todays' standards, cookbook collection. Since I recently purchased The Best of Gourmet 2004: featuring the flavors of Rome (Conde Nast, 2004) and Maggie's husband swears by recipies from Gourmet magazine, I went to see what recipes they had for chicken.

I looked at green Pozole with Chicken on page 177, and realized that not only could I do this, but I could streamline it with what was in my freezer. While my freezer holds the bounty of my garden and isn't normal contents for most American freezers, all of these ingredients are available at your grocery store. At least my rationale is that if I can find it at Kroger's in Troy, Ohio, you'll be able to find it almost anywhere in the U.S.A.

I made it, and daughter and husband were VERY happy. In fact, my husband was so happy with it, he took it to work and shared a bowl with one of his co-workers. The co-worker asked for the recipe, so I think this is certifiably good.

Green Pozole is a Mexican dish which is basically a stew based on tomatillos. I love tomatillos for their acidic, lemony sweet taste and got one of my quilty friends to grow some in her garden this year too. They are a member of the nightshade family and have a papery husk on the outside. I'm always looking for new ways to use them, and this is definitely a winner.

Here's Gourmet's version, in case you want to do the longer version which is a tad more time consuming, total time for their version is about 2 hours.

Lisa's Streamlined Green Pozole with Chicken

3 pounds boneless skinnless chicken breast (or whatever chicken you might have) or 3 pounds of
cooked chicken removed from the bone. Using left-overs is great, and you can fudge a little
with the amount of chicken, using a little less if you desire.

1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

6 garlic cloves, chopped.

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup Mole Verde (available in the Mexican food section or gourmet section of your grocery store. The brand I used was Dona Maria. It's a Mexican condiment based on pumpkin seeds. You can add 1/2 cup or to taste, but I used 1/4 cup.)

2 cups Salsa verde (again, you can buy this at the grocery store in the Mexican food section, or it is easily made from scratch. I'll include a recipe at the end of this, or you can just follow Gourmet's section on this from the original article. Tomatillos are now commonly found in my grocery store, so you might find them fresh as well). I used a container that I had frozen from my garden's bounty.

3 cups chicken broth (home made, or purchased....this came from my freezer where I always reserve the chicken broth I get from making other dishes or from cooking down skin and bones).

1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno chilies. You can use 2 fresh if you have them, I just always have pickled on hand in the fridge. Any hot chili will work, however.

2 1/2 tsp. salt (adjust to less if you desire or if you're using regular (not low sodium) chicken broth, just leave out and salt to taste at the table).

1 1/2 tablespoon dried cilantro

1 teaspoon oregano

2 cups frozen corn (or you can use canned corn, about 2 cans).

Accompaniments: diced radish; cubed avocado tossed with lime juice; shredded romaine; chopped white onion; lime wedges; dried oregano. (Note: the lime is a must use and will allow you to use less salt if you are watching your sodium intake. The shredded romaine was FANTASTIC! I wouldn't have thought of this, but the slightly sweet and crunchy aspect were perfect accompaniments! Don't skip the romaine.)

1. In a dutch oven or a large pot with cover, saute the chicken breasts in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. If you're using pre-cooked chicken, skip this step and just go to the next. Remove and allow to cool while doing step #2.

2. Saute the onion and the garlic in the pot, adding a little more oil if necessary.

3. Add salsa verde to the pot, it will steam up and complain, but that's ok. Stir and the acid should deglaze the bottom of the pot.

4. Add chicken broth, green mole, salt, bay leaf, cilantro, oregano, and corn.

5. Shred or dice the chicken. Add to pot.

6. Simmer for about 25 minutes. Roughly.

Bring to the table in bowls and serve with the accompaniments.

This would be a great dish to do in the crock pot as well.

Salsa Verde

OK, so I cheated and just gave you the link. It is, however, pretty much how I make Salsa Verde. Sometimes, if I have a lot of time or am so inclined, I will take my tomatillos and oven roast them or grill them on a large sheet of aluminum foil in my grill. This brings out the flavor of the tomatillos. It is, however, not imperative that you do this.

I think that if you did this and substituted 3 cans (or the equivalent of soaked dry....say, 8 ounces) of white, cannellini, great northern or white kidney beans for the chicken, and vegetarian broth or maybe some white wine and water, it would make a fantastic vegetarian entree as well. I'm going to have to try that next!

Election Day

Ever since I was old enough to vote, I have tried to vote in every election. I guess I feel that since some people in this world can't vote and women and blacks in the United States fought so hard to obtain the right to vote, that I owe it to them to make sure that I do some research and cast a ballot in every election.

I do this, however, with somewhat a jaundiced eye. When I was in High School, I was on the debating team. Our freshman year the topic was "Resolved: that the United States should significantly change the method of selecting the presidential and vice presidential candidates. I took the position of first affirmative and my team mate, Karen Bole, was an amazing second affirmative.

Basically, the issue boiled down to a couple of items: should the U.S. employ a direct vote, doing away with the electoral college; and secondly, should there be a single national primary (all primaries being run the same day).

Karen was the mastermind for our platform, I was merely the deliverer, but we worked incredibly well as a team. Usually, the opposition took the position that the U.S. populace wasn't informed enough to make direct decisions. I remember being incensed at this and insulted that this was being put forth. Of course Americans were informed enough! Of course Americans were intelligent enough. As an adult, especially after working with the neighborhood association in Connecticut, I am not so sure and I definitely cringe at my naivete when I was younger.

Take, for instance, two items which were on the ballot today. One was an Ohio constitutional amendment to allow casinos in the state (known as Issue 3). The amendment was very specific detailing where the casinos would be located, who would run them , and how much these casinos would be taxed. The second was another constitutional amendment which set up an Ohio Livestock Commission to supposedly to oversee the health and well being of Ohio's livestock (issue 2).

My biggest problem with both of these issues was not the allowing of casinos (which I'm not particularly thrilled with but acknowledge that all the states surrounding us have casinos largely populated by Ohioans), or that a livestock commission should be set up, but that they were CONSTITUIONAL amendments. Constitutional amendments should be for significant items and should not handle the amendment in minute detail. Once something goes into the constitution, it is hard to change. It seems to me that both of these items should have been done through legislation, not an constitutional amendment. Certainly, the livestock commission shouldn't be written into the constitution.

I don't think that people in general realize this. I know that I should have written my state congressmen and express my outrage at the fact that these were even on the ballot...but I didn't.

The Livestock Commission is interesting....on the surface, why wouldn't you want to have one? Granted, my biggest beef (no pun intended) is that it shouldn't be an amendment. However, in talking about this with small farmers, they were saying that the amendment favors large Agri-business and puts the small, family farms at a disadvantage. They also feel that it will drive up the cost of production which will be passed on to the consumer and that it is unnecessary. In looking at the results, I was interested to see that the counties with the highest percentage of No votes were the ones which had the most livestock farms.

I just wonder....who looked at this in detail and really tried to understand both sides of the question before they cast their ballot.

Joan Sterr's Damselfly and Copyright issues

I promised you that I would show you another terrific piece by Joan Sterr. This wonderful piece was done in response to our Art Quilt Guild's challenge for August. Guild members write words on pieces of paper indicating themes, inspirations, and techniques and put them in a container. We pull individual slips out of the container for the group to do. You don't have to participate in any or all of the challenges. They can be as large or as small as you want.

In August, the challenge word was "frost." Joan had a photograph she had clipped from a Sierra Club Calendar from the 1980s. She interpreted the photo into this absolutely wonderful piece. If I had had half a brain I would have done a close up, but I was working with my little point and shoot and was trying not to hold up the production during "show and tell."

When she showed us the piece and the photograph, that illicited yet another discussion about copyright issues. All pieces which are derived from images which are not the artists should be credited with the name of the photographer as inspiration. Indeed, that should be said for other elements as well. With copyright-free items of course you don't have to contact the artist or the owner. However, for all other items, you should try to contact the artist or owner of the image.

Joan's face fell when we talked about this. How was she ever going to find the photographer after all these years? Thanks to the internet, she was able to find a website for the photographer, Bill Ivy, and emailed him. Mr. Ivy was very happy to give her permission. Here you can see the original photograph.

Joan did well to do this. We, as quilters, should always cite the inspiration when it comes from something else. Quilters in traditional shows should indicate whose pattern they used, or from what book they took the design. While lots of quilters do their own designs and patterns, it is only right to recognize the thoughts of others....and it does make it much more easy for historians ; ) .

I hope you enjoy this great little piece from someone new to the art quilt world.