Do It For Spite

 Someone on Instagram suggested staying alive for spite, so I’m going to try that. 

I hope you do the same. 

Estee Lauder Youth Dew-Vintage Formulation

By the time I was buying perfume in the 70s, Youth Dew by Estee Lauder had been around for a couple decades and it was absolutely not what anyone thought of as youthful. Nor, contrary to the above ad's claim, was it the sexiest fragrance ever. I could see it if you were trying to score a date with the local funeral director as that whiff of narcissus and aldehydes might feel familiar.Youth Dew always felt like a fragrance I needed to age into, like SAS shoes and carrying butterscotch candy in my handbag. Alright, I had two out of three going, so I gave myself the tiniest spritz from a vintage bottle I'd bought something like 10 years ago waiting for, "The right moment."

I tried, I really did. I know it was a groundbreaking fragrance in the 50s, beloved by so many people but I lasted under a minute before I had to scrub it off. It barely budged, I scrubbed again. By this point I'd sneezed several times, started coughing, and my eyes were burning. I took a couple of Benadryl antihistamines, immediately regretting that I didn't go for the liquid I keep for allergic reactions. I did congratulate myself for recently refilling my expired asthma inhaler and eppi pen, just in case. 

After two good scrubs, it didn't smell that bad! I'm sure on the right person it can be lovely, but my reaction does make me wonder where could you even politely wear something like this today? It is, a lot! Perhaps my vintage bottle concentrated into something different from the original, but looking at the listed notes for it, all i can think is, "Yeah, that's in it." I guess a better question might be, what isn't in it? 

An hour later (still coughing and developing a migraine) it clung to me, like a younger sibling refusing to go to bed. Most perfumes last about 20 minutes on my super-dry skin, but this baby wasn't letting go. It did, to be fair begin smelling better as time passed and the top notes burned off a bit. I should mention that I have a modern bottle of Youth Dew that smells nothing like the vintage. Well, not nothing of course as the spices are still there, and the overall effect is still in the same category, but much gentler. I will probably get another outraged comment for saying this, but the Vintage Youth Dew is like Divine throwing a tantrum and screaming about cha cha heels in John Waters' brilliant movie, Female Trouble. Youth Dew is bringing down the Christmas tree in a fit of rage. The spices do give it an interesting Christmas vibe.

So what's in it?  I had to look it up because after aldehydes, narcissus, cinnamon, cloves, and oakmoss I was at a loss. I also didn't give it enough time, full strength on my skin to try understanding the notes. 

Spices, aldehydes, narcissus, lavender, orange, Coca Cola (?), peach, bergamot, cloves, cinnamon, rose, ylang ylang, jasmine, lily of the valley, cassia, orchid, incense, tolu balsam, peru balsam, oakmoss, amber, patchouli, vetiver, vanilla, musk, and Liquid Plumber. I lied about the last one. But it could be in there, along with the kitchen sink. 

Full disclosure, I've never been in love with Estee Lauder fragrances. The original formulation of Knowing was pleasant, but so close to Norell, I'd rather wear the latter. The original formulation of Azuree was also nice, and I never minded being given soap/bath oil/lotion my mother would get as a Free With Purchase gift because she couldn't stand it. Aramis was another except I always preferred it on other people. I was never going to be the target audience for most of their fragrances, but I still wanted to try, as I loved the idea of an American perfume. 

As it eventually wears off, you will be left with a very scratchy sort of cinnamon. If you like those scented brooms/pine cones sold as holiday home scents, you will absolutely love Youth Dew. 

Wear with caution.

 

 

Tu Chantes Comme Une Casserole

 And I can't sing my way out of a bucket either. No matter, alone in the car no one can hear me singing along (horribly). En Francais. Terrible at both, I'm afraid but at least there's hope for my French. I'm doing lessons, and reinforcing them the best way I know-driving in the car, belting out Les Cactus at 100 decibles. 

Le monde entier est un cactus!

I know other songs of course, but there's something cathartic about a song with shouting. I like Dutronc. I guess there was Starshooter. Do you know them? They were like a French Ramones. They shouted most of their songs. 

When my voice started to go, I stopped singing at home, in the car, the shower-wherever because for some reason I couldn't deal with it. Well, good reason, I suppose but there's no point continually reminding yourself of what you can't do when there's other things you can. In a way, singing (badly) in French feels acceptable, as I'm focused on learning a language, not hitting notes I'll never hit again. 

Dans la vie, il y a que des cactus. In life, cactus is all there is.  Ain't that the damn truth.

Oh, look! Clothes!

I get dressed most days, but I don't always put the care into it that would make me want to take photographs. It has still been rather warm in Omaha, but we are expecting a widespread freeze tonight-then back to the 70s by late in the week. Ooops, make that 80s!

Barely saw any butterflies this year. That was depressing. Storms took out the milkweed and flowers people had been planting for them.

So maybe I should get this out of the way, and then I don't need to talk about it much after. That 10 lbs I thought I gained through hard work and eating more? Non, that's kidney failure. It isn't at the worst possible stage yet, and it is good that it was caught, if not early, then before it was too late! The hyperparathyroid thing from last year came raging back into action with serious anemia and hypertension. This is all most likely due to the parathyroid gland being a bastard ( or possibly the kidney failure messing with the parathyroid-it needs investigation), and I will be seen shortly by a specialist, and we'll move on. I only mention it, because my face looks somewhat distorted, and you lot are too polite to ask. My limbs and stomach are also swollen making it difficult to get dressed when everything makes me feel like I'm being disemboweled. Most of my day is spent running to the toilet only to find nothing happening. Actually that's not entirely true-there's diarrhee'. See I'm using my French but I think I put the accent in the wrong place. So that's that. I switched to a new primary care doctor outside of the hospital system I had been in, and it is so very much better. At least I don't need to wait three months to be seen only for the resident assigned to my care having since moved on to another placement. Teaching hospitals are necessary, but it wasn't working for me. It has been three weeks now and they still haven't sent over my medical records to the new doctor! I'm sure they wouldn't be that lax if I owed them money. I have spent the last three years getting worse, and I think I've been more than patient and understanding with the disruption caused by the pandemic .Understandably, a lot of people left the medical profession after that and we are quite understaffed in smaller cities. This was diagnosed last year (the parathyroid thing) they sent me home and told me it was a one-off on a blood test and that it isn't the source of the advanced osteoporosis (hint, it is) and that I am, as the doctor put it, "Just getting old." Well, it is clearly not a one-off as it is back and bringing a slew of other problems along for the ride. Honestly, the worst symptom is a sensation that the left side of my face is wet when it is dry. I'm told that's a common neurological thing, and largely harmless but damn, it is annoying. That was a lot to say, don't worry, it isn't as bad as it looks. I'm tired, but who isn't?! At least now I have an excuse for sleeping 10 hours a night. I really will be fine, a bad thing is hard to kill, etc.

Alright, so that's my update. Back to the outfits, shame about the face😑.

The fringed suede skirt has been worn. I was actually more excited about my new shoes. I wouldn't go as far as calling them, "Comfortable", but for a pair of heels, they're not bad. I found them new with tags at the thrift store for a few dollars. Cole Hann, if that means anything to you-I'm not really current on my shoe brands. 

My scarves are getting worn as well. I don't know why my neck gets so cold, even when I am otherwise warm. Old lady things, I guess!

This was one of those painfully high-waisted skirts. I like it though, so it is off to the seamstress to have the waistband remade. It shouldn't be too difficult.

Oh look, a theme!

Dress is by retro-style brand, Angie. I don't typically like their stuff, but this one spoke to me.

Summer dress easily stretched into autumn with the addition of a coat, or in this case a dress worn as a coat.

Another dress over a skirt and tunic

Vintage Gucci bag

I do sort of like how my hair looks, even if it is thin on top.

The dress is too big, so I walked around like this. There, I fixed it!

That's all true vintage. Seems I wear less vintage these days. No reason I can think of. Perhaps just a lack of imagination.

 And now, a quick photo dump of outfits, if you'll permit me.

Paul Green shoes, second hand, brand new!

Earrings from my high school years

Halloween, with dinosaurs

Biology print

And that's about it here. Dan is doing well in school, and is on track to graduate early. My beloved White Sox finished the season...actually, there's no need to talk about that. *ahem* the team is, as they say, rebuilding. I have thoughts, but they never call to ask me what I think. Dan's Cubs didn't do that great either, but at least it wasn't humiliating. 

The next two weeks are going to be tense in the US leading up to the election. I'm going to try and enjoy the relative calm until then. I voted (we have early voting in Nebraska) and that's about all I can do. I'll leave it at that as there's not much to be said at this point. 

The French lessons go on, I keep singing in the car. If I need to decamp due to what is increasingly looking like, as we say in the United States, A Shitshow it never hurts to have decent use of other languages. I can sing (badly) a bit in Italian, mostly opera, but I'd be lying if I denied a fascination with 70s Italian Disco. Look, don't judge. Unless you're pulled up beside me at a stop light, what I sing in the car is my business. 

He's still got it though!

October Playlist

 How about 31 songs to get you in a Halloween mood? Admittedly, some of these are a stretch, but I figured I could come up with something besides Monster Mash and Flying Purple People Eater. Those are good songs, but they've been played to death. Also, yearly reminder that Zombie isn't a Halloween song.

Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments.

1. Santana-Black Magic Woman

2. Cliff Richard-Devil Woman 

3. Screaming Jay Hawkins-I Put a Spell on You

4. Blue Oyster Cult-Don' Fear the Reaper

5. Stevie Wonder-Superstition  

6. Donovan-Season of the Witch

7. Ozzy-Mr. Crowley

8. Fairport Convention-Tam Lin 

9. Cream-Strange Brew

10. Jimi Hendrix-Voodoo Child (Slight Return) 

11. ELO-Evil Woman

12. Alice Cooper-Welcome to My Nightmare 

13. Jethro Tull-The Witch's Promise

14. The Clovers-Love Potion #9 

15. Oingo Boingo-Dead Man's Party

16. Siouxsie and the Banshees-Spellbound 

17. Xmal Deutschland-Incubus Succubus 

18. Amanda Lear-Follow Me

19.Steve Miller Band-Abracadabra

20 Dio-The Last in Line

21. Redbone-Witch Queen of New Orleans 

22. Sun Ra-Dance of the Cosmic Aliens

23 Iron Maiden-Fear of the Dark

24. Ramones-Pet Semetary

25. Misfits-Dig Up Her Bones  

26. AC/DC-Highway to Hell

27. Motorhead-Hellraiser

28. Cannibal Corpse-Skull Full of Maggots 

29. The Cramps-Zombie Dance

30. Edgar Winter Group-Frankenstein 

31. Dead Kennedys-Halloween

The Wurst Is Over

 Following a deadly listeria outbreak traced to one of their factories, Boar's Head deli meats has announced the discontinuation of their Liverwurst. It has been slowly falling out of popularity in the US, but you'd never know that if you lived in the Midwest. The liverwurst wasn't the cause of the listeria-conditions in the factory were, but given the financial hit they're taking, discontinuing the least popular product made sense. 

Liverwurst, or Liver Sausage is made from calf or pork liver and can be soft and spreadable like potted meat, or firmer and sliced. It can be fresh, or smoked, and if you were my parents, served on a slice of rye bread with pickled onions. When my mother wasn't around to say no, it was slapped between a couple slices of (cheap) squidgy, white bread with mayonnaise (not the real stuff, it was Miracle Whip) and Brick cheese. Shhh, don't tell mother. I've been a vegetarian since 1983, but it wasn't my beloved Usingers Fresh Liver Sausage that drove me into the arms of tofu. Anyway, if you live in the US and are desperate for liverwurst, you won't be disappointed with Usingers-and they ship refrigerated! 

Liver, generally is a less popular food than it was when I was young. My husband will politely have a bit of pate on a cracker, but eating something like liver and fried onions is asking too much. Dan enjoyed it the one time I prepared it, but I never bothered making it again. I want to prepare food my family will enjoy, and liver isn't it. My current bout of severe anemia unfortunately can't be resolved with a serving of liver so no fear of being tempted by Usinger's offerings.  

When people moan about having been forced to eat liver as children, it does make me wonder how it was being prepared. If overcooked, you can be looking at a chewy, paste-like texture with tough tissue thrown in as a bonus. The recipes that suggest broiling it as a healthier option? Unless you are skilled enough to remove it from the burner at the precise optimal moment, it is the easiest way to ruin liver. Pan frying really is the easiest way to go, and you can do the onions in the same pan.

I'm not sorry a filthy facility was shut down, but I am interested to see how much consumer tastes have changed in a generation. I guess if someone figures out a way to make liverwurst instagramable there might be a revival, but for the moment, it does appear the wurst is behind us.

Pickled Cabbage For Amy (and everyone else)

 

It wasn't until Amy asked in the comments, that I saw somehow the recipe for red pickled cabbage, aka Christmas Cabbage never made it onto the blog. That's wild, considering I almost always have a jar in the fridge. For years, I'd just make it at Christmas, but in the early days of the pandemic, one of the few vegetables reliably available was red cabbage, it ended up in regular menu rotation. 

The recipe began as the cabbage slaw in Julia Child and More Company. Over the years, I've found easier ways of doing things, and adjusted the recipe to my family's taste. Obviously, you aren't likely to have cherry vinegar and beet kvass sitting around like I do, so I'm including the more straightforward options of beet juice (from tinned beets or purchased as a drink) and red or white vinegar. I also double the amount of brine Child calls for because more often than not, I need it. If I end up with extra, it makes a great brine for pickling everything from onions to grapes. 

NOTE! This is not an appropriate recipe for canning, so fridge storage only. It should keep several weeks, but if you notice any off colours or odours, pitch it.

You Will Need:

Red cabbage-about 1 1/2 lbs (675g) Finely sliced

Large red onion, finely sliced

Large red bell pepper finely sliced

2-3 garlic cloves (I omit this as my spouse dislikes garlic) sliced

4 bay leaves

1 tsp. mustard seeds (yellow or black, doesn't matter)

1 tsp juniper berries

1cup beet juice

2 cups red wine vinegar

4 cups water

2 tbsp not a typo but you can reduce it a bit) coarse salt

1 tbsp sugar

Sterilise jars for pickled cabbage. I used 3 quart jars and that is about right for a 1 1/2 lb. cabbage. 

You want to cut/shred the cabbage as finely as possible. I use a small, thin, knife but do what works for you. A grater is not a good choice-you really want thin slices. The same goes for the onion and pepper. 

Get out your largest bowl and combine cabbage, onion, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, mustard seeds, juniper berries, and beet juice. 

In a saucepan, heat the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar to a simmer, whisking to dissolve the sugar.You don't want it boiling or you will wilt the cabbage. Gentle simmer, OK?

Pour brine over cabbage etc. in large bowl and mix to combine.

Pack cabbage into jars and top up with enough brine to completely cover the cabbage. Give it a few turns upside down to distribute everything and top up with more brine if needed. Seal, and keep in the fridge. 

It will be ready to eat the day you make it, but it also gets better the longer it sits. If you wish, chopped apple can be added when you serve-don't add the apple to the jar as it will ferment. 

Hope you like it.

Stuck in a Thumb and Pulled Out a Plum

 

Our weather has been stubbornly summer-like, but that hasn't stopped the Italian Prune Plums (or Damson depending where you live) from arriving in our markets. Luckily, we got a bit of a break from the heat, and I was able to get started canning/preserving them for later in the year. The season is so short, and the local demand so great, that I (along with the Czech and Polish grannies) had to stake out the produce department, pestering the grocer daily as to the expected date of arrival. I don't make plum dumplings (no one likes them except me) but I do make pie filling so that when the holidays roll around, I have a time-saving shortcut. 

The pie photo is old but the filling photo below is new.
 

It cooks quickly, and makes the kitchen smell so lovely. If I don't make a pie, the filling is wonderful with yoghurt or ice cream.

I made a no-sugar added plum chutney with apples and raisins. It didn't need any additional sugar, so I didn't add it. I wouldn't go as far as calling it
"Diabetic Friendly" as it is still fruit, but a tiny bit of chutney shouldn't be a problem. It isn't something consumed in quantity.

Finally, two batches of plum sauce with ginger, anise, hot pepper. I made three pint jars for Dan, because he has Chinese food regularly, and the rest are going to be holiday hostess gifts, etc. Sometimes you need to bring something, and who doesn't love plum sauce? 

Not shown, I also made a no-sugar-added plum butter/paste. That's for baking. I don't bake as much these days, but when I do it is nice to have ingredients I made myself and have some control over the contents of. 

I am, by the way completely exhausted now, but it was worth doing. 

This was an attempt at a nice dinner with what I had already. There's a spicy tofu, faux rice made from lentils, pickled cabbage (there's always pickled cabbage, that's my best recipe) peas shoots and basil from the garden, and an egg on top. There were some carrots, ginger, and scallions too. It turned out nice, and I didn't need to go to the grocer to buy anything. 

I'm really stuck between seasons fashion wise/ I'm wearing interesting accessories instead.

Almost utilitarian skirt and blouse, but they will have to do.

Still growing my hair out, here I've pulled it up in combs

The dress isn't vintage. Made of some sort of stretch material, it is launderable but maddeningly still needs pressing.

 

 I do love green.

I really liked the look of this dress, and for a mere .98 cents, how could I say no? Looking it over, I was surprised to see it was a LuLaRoe item. If you aren't familiar with LuLaRoe, click the article for a wild read about pyramid schemes, mid level marketing, and warehouses full of terrible leggings. Maybe the dress was from before the business started falling apart, but I rather like it, and it feels like it was constructed reasonably well. I do feel terrible for all the people that were taken advantage of and lost money though. 

This is a red dress. That's about it. 

Because we have such a large part of the Midwestern population with German heritage, Oktoberfest is a big party here. It is the one time of year it feels completely appropriate to wear pretzel earrings.

I would love a pretzel (and a beer for that matter) but I know better. If asked, I will polka. I taught Dan how as a child, but I'm sure he's forgotten. At one point, he wanted to buy an accordion. I'm glad I said no to that (we already had a piano).

I love this dress so much, that when I saw it in another colourway (green and black) I bought it. 

Dress over a skirt. I will wear a mini with tights, but not in summer. My legs are mottled and full of dark bulging veins. No one needs to see that. 

So, without getting too deeply into politics, it appears someone took another attempt at the former president. The fact that someone got close enough hiding in a shrub, and poking the muzzle of a gun through the fence is wild enough.  The fact that this happened immediately following a post on his social media network that declared, "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!!!" makes me think two things. One, that's the sort of post you would expect from an eight year old, not a grown man. And Two, The Swifties were behind it😆. Seriously though, good job by the secret service agent that spotted it. I know that's what they're trained to do but on a wide-open golf course? That had to be hard. I'm no fan of the former president but someone getting within 300feet of him, especially after the first attempt is pretty terrible. The last thing we need as a country is more political violence. Gun violence is so ordinary that unless it is a political leader or celebrity we just don't notice anymore. I routinely hear gunfire in my neighbourhood (typically followed by racing engines and squealing wheels), it is the background noise of the city.

 

Look at these, candy cigarettes rebranded as, "Candy Sticks." Packaged just for the children, and in time for Halloween. I wouldn't give these out for Halloween-I could see parents getting really angry. Also, they taste like chalk. Not chalky in a pleasant Necco Wafers way, but literally like chalk. I'll bet you could write on a slate with them. Might be a useful replacement from actual chalk if someone suffered from Pica, but otherwise it is really hard to fathom why these still exist. 

 

Do I look tough like Marlon Brando or what?

Alright friends, I'll leave it here. Have a good week.