Thursday, January 28, 2016

What's In A Name: The Story of the Golliwog






What, might you ask, is a Golliwog?



Sledding Fun
Oh, No! 
Notice the Golliwogg in Fido's mouth!



Based on a character in a childrens' book,
  the Golliwog was a hugely popular toy 
in Great Britain during
the earlier half of the 20th century.

However, in today's world of 
political correctness run amok,
this once beloved toy of little girls and boys
is considered racist against black people.
I believe this was never intended to be.



A rare Golliwog book by
American cartoonist and writer
 Florence K. Upton
(1873-1922)


 Author Florence Upton's Aunt Kate discovered two
little Dutch dolls and a homemade black rag doll in an attic.
Her niece took one look at the little rag doll and
the name "Golliwog" came to her mind.
For Florence, it was love at first sight.
Golliwog later became the hero in a series
of children's books written and illustrated by Florence, 
 which were very successful, but for reasons unknown, 
 she never patented the character she created.

As a result of this oversight on her part, 
another writer of children's books, Enid Blyton,
took advantage of the situation and began writing stories
which featured Golliwog as an ill-mannered and deceitful
character, while other writers and advertisers of the day
used him to make fun of and mock the perceived 
mannerisms of black people in racially insensitive
caricatures which were popular advertising slogans in
the United States of America at the time.





 Meanwhile, Florence Upton truly despaired over the 
 commercialized misrepresentation of her beloved Golliwog.

"I am frightened when I read the fearsome etymology
some deep, dark minds can see in his name, " she said.

Unfortunately, Florence Upton would not live long enough
to see justice done in her case.  She tragically died at the
age of 49 due to complications from surgery.

Over the years, her grave, which is located in historic Hampstead 
 Cemetery in London, England  has been the target of vandals,
whose reasons for disturbing her final resting place remain unclear.
However, since her creation of Golliwog has been deemed as a symbol
of racism, I believe her grave may well have been targeted by self-righteous
crusaders of 'political correctness' or what is commonly known
today as "social justice warriors".

I have always felt a high degree of disgust for grave desecration.

However,  due to a grant from Great Britain's Heritage Lottery
Fund, the headstone on Florence's grave has been placed upright
again and is in the process of being restored. 



Enid Blyton's book portrayed Golliwog as
a mean-spirited, wicked hooligan.




As a lifelong collector of dolls, I would love to have
one of these adorable and rare (at least here in America)
Golliwogs join my family of dolls.
I just have to find one first!




Adorable Handmade Golliwog Dolls




Sunday, January 10, 2016

Uncoupled



People may reject and abandoned us.
God never.



Uncoupled

My husband of eight years left me at the beginning of my
fourth month of pregnancy. I have never felt more rejected, vulnerable,
or unloved. I was nauseated, tired, and constantly trying to explain
to my two year old son that Daddy wasn't coming back 
home because he didn't love Mommy anymore.

Michigan's howling winter winds, which seemed to seep
through even brick walls, only added to my depression as I
hauled groceries and toddler up three flights of stairs. We had
just moved to Michigan from Virginia, and this was supposed to
be our temporary apartment while our house
 in Virginia was being sold.

No house, no job, no husband, no church. Just an active little
boy asking heartbreaking questions, a stomach that gagged at 
the thought of food, and an empty bed with sheets as cold 
as the February winds.

Yet, somewhere, there was something else too. It was deep
inside my heart. It didn't feel overpowering or dramatic, 
but it gave me courage to get up each morning and make it
through the day.

I knew that God loved me.
I wish I could say I laughed in the face of all adversity,
but I didn't.  I sobbed into my pillow at night, then
lay awake unable to breathe through my nose,
wondering what would happen to me and my two babies.

I did more than wonder, though. I prayed.  I prayed when I did
my grocery shopping, when I bathed little Matthew, and when I
strained over my ever-protruding belly to trim my toenails.
How reassuring it was for me in those lonely times
 to read God's words:

 "Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."
 (Heb.13:5)

I held on to those words when I felt totally abandoned, totally
alone. In those times, when I was willing to reach out to God
and His reassuring words, He faithfully held me up.

Thank You, Lord, for granting me strength to live
through difficult times. And thank You for holding me up,
especially in my most vulnerable moments.
-Sue Richards






"They who sow in tears shall reap in joy and singing."
Psalm 126:5

America By Art: William Henry Jackson



 
"O the transporting, rapturous scene,
That rises to my sight!
Sweet fields arrayed in living green,
And rivers of delight!
I am bound for the promised land,
I am bound for the promised land;
Oh who will come and go with me?
I am bound for the promised land."
On Jordan's Stormy Banks I Stand
Samuel Stennet
(1787)




Sand Hills 
William Henry Jackson.



 Prolific artist and photographer,
Oregon Trail bullwhacker, world traveler,
 and veteran of the Battle of Gettysburg,
William Henry Jackson was an eye witness to
  taming of the American frontier.
Through paintbrush and camera lens, he 
captured the beauty and majesty of 
this fair land, along with the conflict and
rapid change brought, in the aftermath of
the Civil War, especially to many
 American Indian tribes, whom 
once roamed freely here. 
  

William Henry Jackson
1843-1942





Fold up the banners! Smelt the guns!
Love rules. Her gentler purpose runs.
A mighty mother turns in tears
The pages of her battle years,
Lamenting all her fallen sons.
"The High Tide At Gettysburg"
Will Henry Thompson



The pencil renderings of a young man in time of war...




Picket Duty
William Henry Jackson




Commissary 
William Henry Jackson




Block House at Catlett Station
William Henry Jackson



Voices on the wind...



Rise up and ride the wind, dear child
Soar high on eagles' wings
Though it blow fierce; though it be mild,
Rise above all that it brings. - See more at: http://www.christart.com/poetry/poem5266.htm#sthash.3w0BcK4X.dpuf
Shosone-Bannock Indian family in their tepee
William Henry Jackson
(1871)





"All we ask is to be allowed to live, and live in peace...
You may kill me here; but you cannot make me go back.
We will not go.  The only way to get us there is to come
in here with clubs and knock us on the head, and drag us out 
and take us down there dead."
-Dull Knife (Tahmelapashme)
Northern Cheyenne



Little Wolf and Dull Knife
Cheyenne Chiefs
William Henry Jackson
(1873)




The Mystery of the Ancient Ones...




Caves of the Anasazi Cliff Dwellers
William Henry Jackson





 Natural Wonders...


"Since 1873, I have been back four or five times.
 I have used the best cameras
 and the most sensitive emulsions on the market.
 I have snapped my shutter, morning, noon and afternoon.
 I have never come close to matching those first plates."
 -William Henry Jackson 
(On photographing The Mountain of the Holy Cross)




Mount of the Holy Cross
William Henry Jackson
(1873)





Marshall Pass West Side
Colorado
William Henry Jackson





Yosemite Valley
California
William Henry Jackson
(1898)





Mammoth Hot Springs
Yellowstone National Park
William Henry Jackson
(1871)




Although much of Jackson's work behind the camera
 focused on the spectacular geographical beauty 
of the western United States,
 he photographed in many states, 
and in other places around the world,
 including, Canada, Mexico, and Cuba, 
not to mention India, China, Korea, and Siberia,
 where he visited a prison camp, and managed to
 photograph convicts working on
the Trans-Siberian Railroad.





Grand Canyon
William Henry Jackson
(1883)













Friday, January 8, 2016

January




 Joan Walsh Anglund

 
January is here again
And the arctic winds are blowing
Out on the frozen puddles
We'll skate till dusk
Our cheeks fairly glowing!
Pamela Denise Brida 

Truth be told, I have not gone ice skating in years!
But I remember how fun it was as a kid staying
outside on a cold, blustery day, skating for hours across
the huge frozen mud puddles in the gravel pit
behind our house.
When the sun went down behind the trees
skating was over for the day, but, I was ready
to take off my skates and head for home to thaw out,
 where a hot supper would be waiting for me
and my sisters.


It seems the cold did not bother me at all back then!
 Coming up soon...



"Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
I'm no longer 51
But a least I'm not 53!"





In the late 19th century,
my maternal great grandfather
Matthew Yard once worked for
the Baker's Chocolate Company
at their factory in Philadelphia.




Five Gazillion Carbs

(my contribution title)
German Chocolate Cake

(The origins of German Chocolate cake comes from Texas
not Germany. However, because many German immigrants settled in towns there
 like Fredericksburg,  which was named in honor of Prince Frederick of Prussia,
 may be someone invented it there first?)


1 package (4-ounces) Baker's 
German's Brand  Sweet Chocolate
1/2 cup boiling water
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup butter
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
3 egg whites beaten until stiff

Preheat oven to 350.
Melt chocolate in boiling water and let it cool down.
Mix flour with baking soda and salt.
Cream butter and add sugar together until light and fluffy,
then add egg yolks, one at a time, beating well
after each addition.
Blend in vanilla and chocolate, mix until blended.
Add flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk
until smooth.  Then, carefully fold in egg whites.
Pour batter evenly into two 9-inch round layer pans
which have been lined on the bottom with wax paper.
Bake for about 35 minutes.
Immediately run spatula or butter knife around sides between 
cake and pans.   Cool cake for 15 minutes.
Remove from pans and allow cake to cool on a rack
or a plate(s) before frosting.

Coconut-Pecan Frosting
2/3 cup (one 5.33 fluid ounce can) of evaporated milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup flaked coconut
2/3 cup chopped pecans

Combine milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla
in a saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture
becomes thick, be careful not to let it burn!
Remove from heat.   Add coconut and pecans.
Beat until cool.
Frost cakes and carefully stack one on top of  other to make
a layer cake.  Frost the sides of the cake and add extra frosting
on the top if you wish.
Enjoy!
 



Mary Englebreit Dolls
All Dolled Up 
For A Birthday Party!









"The world never puts a price higher on you
than the one you put on yourself"


Sonja Henie
Norwegian Figure Skater
and Film Star





 
And now for a little singing and swooning...
on ice!




"By The Light Of The Silvery Moon"
(1953)