Thursday, September 30, 2010

A Conundrum

Once upon a time, Ronald darling was a cook in the Air National Guard. That was his designation, but he was assigned to bake. He baked all night, so that the mess hall would smell of freshly baked bread in the morning. Hmm... salivating at this very moment at the thought of fresh baked bread.
Oh, look! A squirrel!
Sorry, lost my place. He loved the job, loved the baking and loved leaving when everyone else was coming in for the day. The Guard job did not carry over to home life. I've done most of the baking in our marriage, when there was any baking going on. But now?
There's a whole lot of baking going on. About a year ago, Ronald darling started taking brownies to the temple every Thursday. He'd buy a box of brownie mix, whatever was on sale, and bake 'em up. Then he got cute, and started throwing chocolate chips, or nuts, or marshmallows, or toffee chips, or peanut butter chips, or butterscotch chips or potato chips (fooled you!) into the mix. He tasted a friend's home made brownies one day, and thought maybe he should try to make his own.
So, he's been experimenting, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but everyone at the temple eats them up. One day someone asked him if he ever made lemon bars. He didn't, but he does now. He's been through at least three recipes to get them just right.
Then one day he tried a new recipe for brownies. He likes them nice and thick, and these were just perfect. He'd been baking all day when I got home. "Taste these," he said. "These are too good for the temple." He was right! I ate six of them that evening, took three to work and ate the last one when I got home the next evening! They are even better when he puts Ande's Chocolate Mint chips in them.
A couple of weeks ago, we went to a farewell openhouse for friends. He made cookies that were delicious. They went over really well. One gal described them as "Christmas cookie plate good". I have requests for the recipe and one teeny weeny problem. Ronald darling doesn't remember what he made that day! I described them as best I could to prompt his memory (you know how old people are) so now he's pretty sure he might sort of remember which ones he made. So now I have to supply my friends with the recipe with that caveat.
Sometimes puzzles are fun. Sometimes not.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

How Music Works

I have no idea. Really. I love music (most forms), but I couldn't write a song if my life depended on it. How Beethoven wrote brilliant classical music while deaf? Not a clue! How Mozart began composing at the age of 5, writing symphonic, concert, chamber, choral, opera and piano? It's a mystery!
I don't understand periodic music... Medieval, renaissance, baroque, classical, romantic or even 20th century. Music theory? Huh uh.
I like all of these.... even some opera. I like swing, rock, country, jazz, blues and folk. I listen to pop and show tunes and I love choral music. But I don't understand how it is composed, what makes the notes fit together. What is the inspiration for a particular piece of music? I can figure out why a slaver who became a Christian wrote "Amazing Grace". And I know what prompted Loretta Lynn to write "Coal Miner's Daughter" and Dolly Parton to write "Coat of Many Colors". The motivation I understand, the method, not so much.
Gioachino Rossini was an Italian composer(1792-1868). He wrote 39 operas, including "The Barber of Seville", as well as chamber music, religious music, popular songs and instrumentals.
I understand one piece of music he composed.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Kookie

It's amazing the things that pop into your mind. I put on a denim jacket this morning and the collar turned up a little bit. And there he was... Edd "Kookie" Burns. Loved him! So cute, so sexy and just a little bit of a bad boy!
I know you youngsters have no idea but WOW! I was crazy about him. He was a secondary character on a detective show called "Seventy Seven Sunset Strip". He became as much a part of the show as the stars... sort of like Urkel only SO cool.

So with that image in my mind... the song came. Yes, they wrote a song about his character; the song is called "Kookie, Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb". What a difference a few decades make. Who shares combs these days? Who even uses a comb? Of course, all the men in my life comb their hair with a washcloth! LOL

Old television shows have been under discussion around here all evening. They may come up in future posts.

Anyhoo, two songs from that television show have been in my head all day.