Birthday Celebrations

St. Michael's, Maryland.
Near the Chesapeake Bay.

Until a friend posted the idea of celebrating the United States’ 250th by reading books from major historical eras, I intended to not recognize this civic ‘birthday’ at all.  What is there to celebrate?   Corruption of American-sized portions on our plates?  The nihilist advances of the Project 2025 bros?  Scunge in the Reflecting Pool? Never mind all that.  Learning and reflecting – that I can get into.

The local brick-and-mortar bookstore (yes, we have one!) also encourages reading as part of the nation’s celebration.  I have not read any of these.

I've read a book by Jill Lepore, but not that one.

The other side of the table had more suggestions (no photo).  I ordered a hardcover of Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump by Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan. Like Timothy Snyder’s book On Tyranny, I think this will be a book that I don’t ever want J. Bezos to snatch away from me.  It was sold out, so it’s on back order. 

My friend’s fiction suggestions for this celebration are at the end of this post.  I selected some nonfiction suggestions, in the next post.

Patriotic bunting and an admonition.
But I say:  
if you are pushing the moral arc of the universe
toward justice, lean away.

Two high-school friends and I try to get together once a year, ostensibly to celebrate our birthdays.  This year we are all reaching a birthday milestone.  We made June into our birthday month and had a marvelous time in Annapolis, Maryland.  Look for that in a future post, if I get around to it.

Cake AND pie.

Then we had a flurry of family birthday celebrations here, with the birthdays of two of the progeny coinciding with the homecoming of one of said progeny.  For her birthday she requested an apple pie homebaked jointly by her and me.  And for the Common Household Son’s birthday, she wanted to recreate “Linda’s Fudge Cake” (Cheesecake Factory).  This meant more home baking in three days than we’ve done in the first six months of the year.  

We go for flakiness, not beauty,
when making pie crusts.

The pie was delectable and is gone.  

The Fudge Cake recipe called for an obscene amount of melted chocolate chips for the ganache.  I counseled halving that part of the recipe but, as usual, my input was ignored.  There is now 1+ cup of chocolate ganache staring me in the face whenever I open the fridge.  The Common Household Son took most of the ganache-engulfed cake away to store in his freezer. Whew.

Younger Daughter made the cake, but guess
who had to do the dishes?

C.S.H. recommends the following books, for celebrating America 250:

The Traitor’s Wife, by Kathleen Kent (First Settlers). 352 p, 2010. StoryGraph rating 3.5 out of 5.

Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson (Revolutionary War) 416p. 2025.  Middle grade. SG rating 4.0.  

Sunflower Sisters, by Martha Hall Kelly (Civil War). 516p. 2021. SG rating 4.2.

These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901, Arizona Territories… by Nancy E. Turner (Western Expansion).  384p. 1998.  SG rating 4.3.  Romance.

The Woman in the Photo by Mary Hogan (Gilded Age/Suffrage).  432 p.  2016.  SG rating 3.8.

The Alice Network by Kate Quinn (World War I). 503p. 2017.  SG rating 4.2.

Dead Dead Girls by Nekesa Afia (Roaring 20s).   317p. 2021.  A Harlem Renaissance Mystery #1. Storygraph 3.2.  

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah (Great Depression). 454p. 2021.  SG rating 4.3

The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book club by Martha Hall Kelly (World War II)  336p. 2025. SG rating 3.9.

The Briar Club  By Kate Quinn (Cold War) 432p. 2024.  Thriller. SG rating 4.3.  

The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (Civil Rights). 211p. 2019.  I’ve read it.  It’s excellent.  SG rating 4.3.  

The Women by Kristin Hannah (Vietnam War) 471p. 2024.  I’ve read it.  It was eye opening. SG rating 4.5.  (Personally I thought The Nickel Boys was better written than The Women, but the ratings disagree with me.)    

 * * * * * * * 

The rubric for the historical eras in my friend's list ended with the Vietnam War. What books might you suggest for historical fiction for after the Vietnam War?

Does the way I’ve listed the number of pages make it look like the books are priced in pence?

Seeking Beauty: the last weekend of summer, part 3

I am posting this on the autumnal equinox.  Last night (in the wee hours of Monday) it finally rained, breaking a long dry spell.  

For the Beauty of the Earth.
The Toddler Common Household Son,
photoshopped standing on the moon.

Part 3: Sunday

First we sang “For the Beauty of the Earth”, which includes this verse about neuroscience:  

For the joy of ear and eye,

For the heart and mind’s delight,

For the mystic harmony

Linking sense to sound and sight:

Lord of all to thee we raise

This our hymn of grateful praise.

We heard the hopeful passage from Isaiah 65 with new heavens and a new earth, no more weeping, the wolf and the lamb getting along splendidly.  “They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord.”  Seems like pie in the sky but I’m all for continuing to hope for pie and peace.  There’s no alternative but to hope.

We can also maintain hope for earthly pie. 
I mean, not mud pies, but pies to enjoy
in our current times.  

And then the gospel of John, chapter 19, the crucifixion story, where the beauty in the midst of pain and strife is shown by Jesus’ deep concern for his mother and his friend. He needs them to know they will have each other.   

Pastor preached a wonderful sermon based on the Beatles song “Let It Be” which we sang during the sermon.  Part of the sermon reminded me of the deep love shown when my mother would visit my father in the nursing care unit every evening, ending their visit by singing “Fairest Lord Jesus.”  Every single evening.  

Main point of her sermon:  “Let it be” does not mean sit around and do nothing.  And so, taking the sermon lesson to heart, I left church before worship was over, so I could get to the “No Kings in Our Neighborhood” rally in time.

Ralliers stood on all four corners of this intersection.

My bestie J with the "No Kings / No Princesses" sign
and me in the purple shirt.

These rallies are necessary in these times.  If you are likeminded with me, and are able, I highly encourage you to attend one.  Without them, we can start to believe the lie that we are alone.  YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  We gave away all 100 “Vote Yes to Retain Judges” yard signs!  I saw activists I haven’t seen in a while.  A joyful time!  But also a scorching-hot-sun time.  After an hour we were glad to head home.

Use it or lose it.

I stopped off at Trader Joe’s for honey, but the store was utterly full of long lines.  Nope.  Rested for two hours at home, then went to the other grocery store to get honey.  Since this post is about beauty I will not tell you how much I spent on two bags of groceries.  ‘Cause that’s ugly.

Not only did I procure honey, but I bought the one in the bottle shaped like a bear.  Because the Common Household Husband had mentioned more than once that this is the way honey should be jarred.  

Honey bear watches over cake.

I made the recipe below, which is straightforward and quick.  I made a square 8x8 cake, as the recipe called for.   Events so far in 2025 made me forget that the usual shape of All Things Jewish New Year is the circle.  This denotes the cycle of our lives, with the year being renewed in a circular fashion.   This is why it is traditional to have a round challah on this holiday.  

We are going with whatever honey cake we have at hand.  Happy New Year to those who celebrate.  Yes, I dare hope that all may be inscribed for a good year, but I am not putting an exclamation point on it because it seems inappropriate to be overly enthusiastic.

Honey Applesauce Cake 

 

1/2 cup oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup applesauce

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

 

Mix it all together. Pour into a greased 8" x 8" pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Have you seen beauty anywhere recently?  Baked anything round or square?

Here is part 1: Friday

Here is part 2: Saturday

Anecdotal Evidence: Disturbance in the Universe

Part of an occasional series on "statistics."  A good statistician will tell you that those two words – anecdotal and evidence – never belong next to each other.  But I am only a mediocre statistician so I proceed without fear to present some anecdotal evidence on random topics.

I don't have any photos of pancakes, so you
will have to make do with this photo
of buttons, which are also flat and round.

Proposition:  There is currently a disturbance in the universe, and I am the cause.

  

I have been frying my tofu in bacon grease.   On more than one occasion I have done this.  Given the way things are going, it is clear that the universe is objecting. 

Anecdotal Evidence:  The Common Household Husband asked for pancakes for dinner.  And bacon. 

A quick word from Lemony Snicket:  the word “pancake” here means a cake of white ingredients, including flour, milk, and egg, lightly fried in a pan. Also known as flapjack, griddle cake, hotcake.  In this case, it is in no way related to the more time-consuming and mess-making potato pancake, a.k.a. latke.

Twenty-plus years ago my husband declared he never wanted to have pancakes for dinner, so I never made them.  Until Wednesday night.  Direct request for pancakes and bacon = disturbance in the universe.

I discovered that it takes practice to make great pancakes.  The pan has to be the right temperature, you have to have the right amount of grease, and you have to not flip them too early.  The first two batches ended up to be further evidence of the disturbance in the universe, caused by me.  They were underdone and oblong, followed by burnt.

Yes, I fried the pancakes in bacon grease. Maybe next time, to save the universe, I will use vegetable oil.

Anecdotal evidence:   I’ve been so busy doing all the usual things plus campaigning for reasonable candidates that I haven’t had the time or motivation to write.  I made those pancakes and started this post about five Wednesdays ago.

Anecdotal evidence:   When I type “pancakes” into Google to find basic ingredients of standard pancakes, the word is changed in the search bar to “PancakeSwap” which is some kind of evil crypto money.  This is definitely evidence of a disturbance in the universe.

Warning: I still have bacon grease to finish off, so the disturbance will be continuing.

Disturbances I refuse to take the blame for:

Our local school board meetings have made national news in the past few months for their sheer insanity and divisiveness.  How about yours?  

We’ve had numerous Noah-worthy rain events in the past few months.  It’s definitely a disturbance in the atmosphere, but we know what causes it: human-activity-induced climate change.  And yet those who could do something about it are fiddling while Rome floods (along with many other places).

More anecdotal evidence:
California
Furniture

Secret Sauce

Committed to Cake

My mother was a woman of commitment.  When she married my father in December 1955, she promised her life to him (and he to hers) and they lived out that commitment.  Together with my Dad she committed to work in the civil rights movement in the ‘50s and ‘60s.  She committed to do her best to raise her family.  She committed to be the best teacher she could, and fulfilled that commitment by teaching science and by pushing for education for gifted students in the city public schools.  She lengthened her commitment by teaching thinking skills to new teachers.  

One of the things she was committed to was home baking.  She did not insist on special ingredients - no expensive butter nor particular type of flour for her.  But don’t you dare bring a manufactured pie crust or store-bought cake into her presence.    

Mom was famous for her pound cake.  It was actually Joyce Hatch’s Pound Cake, since Mom got the recipe from the pastor’s wife when we lived in Columbus, Mississippi for a year.  Thank you, Joyce Hatch, for giving our family the enduring tradition of this cake. 

When I decided yesterday to recreate her pound cake, I found out just what level of commitment is required - this cake takes 1 ½ hours baking time, and that’s not including the mixing of the ingredients.  I cancelled my plans for the morning.

It also requires a heavy investment of sugar.  After Mom’s online funeral, we the family distributed some of her recipes to those who attended.  One person said there must be a typo in the pound cake recipe - does it really call for 3 cups of sugar?!  

I was astonished that it calls for 1 tablespoon of vanilla.  My husband likes vanilla everything, so he is pleased with this discovery.  

My father called it “Joyce Hatch’s ½ pound cake,” because the recipe calls for only half a pound of butter (two sticks).  Let’s not neglect the 1 cup of sour cream, 6 eggs, and 3 cups of flour that also contribute to its heft.  When it’s all put together, I think it weighs 3 or 4 pounds.  It is a substantial cake, a cake of commitment.  

My Mom’s recipe is missing a key detail, which the baker is just automatically supposed to know - bake this cake in a tube pan, buttered and floured.

Mom’s birthday was last Friday; she would have been 89 years old.  

Mom, I made your signature cake in your memory.  I miss you.  Thank you for being a woman of commitment.

Joyce Hatch’s Pound Cake 

 

½ pound butter                 

3 cups sugar                              

6 eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

3 cups flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sour cream

 

Cream butter and sugar well.  Add eggs, one at a time. Alternate dry ingredients and sour cream.  Bake 1 ½ hours at 325 degrees.

Only 8 ingredients!

1.5 hours later, the cake is done.

Delicious with fresh fruit, or 
juicy strawberries (like
for shortcake) or with ice cream

And we turned it into emergency cake!
16 slices being stored in a 
freezer in an undisclosed location.

Jubilate with Cake

Going Gray by Elise Neill
On display at our township's
first ever Recyclable Art Show

In the third week of the eighth month, there shall be a celebration. And though it is not a celebration you particularly want, as you need no reminders that you are getting older, thus shall the Lord command:

Thou shalt eat of cake, provided by the Common Household Husband, and there shall be some cake saved for him, even as he is only meant to eat of jello in his current state. Thou shalt not bring him any bagels.

Thou shalt enjoy presents, possibly including sticky notes, and thou shalt wonder whether your daughter actually finished cleaning up her room yet, as you did really want that her to find that shirt that she bought from bell choir, where they make a joyous and very loud noise.

Thou shalt be thankful that you have the option of getting one year older, lo, as opposed to disintegrating into dust as your children often remind you you shall. Thou shalt remind thyself that the birthday celebration is as much for others as for thyself, as demonstrated by the male progeny returning to the house of his parents, for this birthday is just as much about allowing others to eat of cake as it is for thyself to eat of cake.

And lastly, thou shalt not regret not having time to make a pie. For having a husband in the hospital is hard enough, without having to think about baking anything for a while.

                                                                      -       The Book of Jubilations 9:1-14 

This ancient passage was revealed this week by Younger Daughter.  For my birthday she presented me with a twenty-page tome entitled The Common Household Bible.  This venerable volume consisted of my scripturish blog posts, interspersed with holy writings (newly revealed to Younger Daughter as she sat in her cave-room) pertaining to the Common Household, the passage above being just one example.

This is a work of love and I love it.  It provided much levity during a week which was difficult, not only for national news (which is always difficult these days), but also because of the Common Household Husband’s quite brief stay in the hospital.  (Please do not tell my mother he was in the hospital.)  He is out of the hospital and doing fine.

The cake was chocolate with chocolate frosting and raspberry filling.  And then there was another chocolate cake with chocolate frosting at book club. Jubilation!