Stephanie says

This is one of a collection of French fashion mannequins circa 1944. The exhibit toured Europe and the United States following World War II as a fundraiser for war survivors and also an attempt to revive the French fashion industry. The exhibition opened at the Louvre in Paris in 1945. The mannequins are 1/3 human scale and each is dressed in splendid detail by famous designers of dresses, suits, ball gowns, hats, purses, shoes, jewelry and other accessories. The collection of nearly 200 dolls and nine stage sets was acquired in the 1950s by Maryhill Museum. Maryhill is situated on windswept rolling hills above the mighty Columbia River in Washington State. It was built by Samuel Hill, a railroad baron, who also built a replica of Stonehenge several miles away from the museum. Stop and visit if you have a chance. It’s a wonderful museum with a diverse collection.

Bring Up the Bodies Written by Hilary Mantel 407 pages This is a historical novel set in England in 1535 about King Henry VIII’s efforts to rid himself of his wife Anne Boleyn, told from the perspective of Thomas Cromwell, Secretary to the King. Mantel regales us skillfully in a world of wealth, greed, subterfuge, court intrigue, and absolute power. It’s good to be king. It’s also good to be Thomas Cromwell. Mantel’s Cromwell is a complex man, a master strategist, a collector of intelligence, a man of great loyalties whose purpose is to serve his king. And acquire plenty of personal wealth in the process. Cromwell spins a web of treasonous evidence around Anne and it’s off with her head, (along with her five convicted paramours.) That’s the synopsis. Mantel tells it so well. I enjoyed the book greatly and plan to read "Wolf Hall" the first in the Cromwell series. But it was hard to remember that while fictionalized, these were real people. Maybe it’s the drago...

Written by Laurent Binet Translated from French by Sam Taylor 327 pages An account of the bold assignation of arch-Nazi villain Reinhard Heydrich by Jozef Gabcek and Jan Kubis, a Slovak and a Czech respectively, in 1942. Heydrich aka the “Blond Beast of Prague” reported directly to Himmler, who in turn reported directly to Hitler. Heydrich has the distinction of being the psychopath who devised the “Final Solution to the Jewish Problem" the solution being total annihilation. The telling is unique. Binet chronicles the biography of the assignation interspersed with a narrative of his research and his determined effort not to fictionalize history but stick to the facts in a sort of stream-of-consciousness (for lack of a better description on my part.) I found his technique fascinating. Shades of an espionage novel, Gabcek and Kubis escaped to England from their Hitler-occupied countries to fight in the resistance, and were eventually selected for the assignat...

Been thinking about making soup then came across a delicious looking recipe at Lucy's Kitchen I didn’t include any photos of my results as Lucy’s look considerably more appetizing. What I learned: Seriously brown the onions. I now realize mine weren’t dark enough to provide the broth with a sufficiently rich color. I substituted Gouda cheese and Pecorino for the Gruyere, this because I wasn’t paying attention at the grocery store. Gouda? Gruyere? Hey, it’s close. I’ve been to Gruyere where I ate fondue, probably made with Gruyere cheese. You’d think I’d remember. The substitution worked however. Smelled delicious too. Use a baking vessel with a top circumference wider than the sides. I used a soup tureen with fluted sides (is that the right word?) which made getting the crisped cheesy bread top off and on difficult. Don’t be tempted to use an immersion blender to the soup. A whisk won’t over-blend and totally mush up the onions. My end product had the texture of gra...

Thin Mints delivered to my office from the cutest little Brownie ever, dressed in full uniform, her hair in braids.  And with a thank you note.  Ahhh. Just in time for a chocolate fix for Valentines Day.  Then a heartfelt card from my brother:  Happy Valentine day. your name here. _______________ xxxooo.

Caught a “Globe Trekker” short while waiting for “Downton Abbey, ” Ian Wright in Hato Pinero, a cattle ranch in Venezuela. I settled into my comfy chair in anticipation and focused on the tube; a group of men standing around a placid, murky pond, apparently with little current as there were patches of shrubbery here and there in the water. Then they’re taking off their shoes and wading mid-thigh into the cloudy water. Ian appeared reluctant and about this point I realized why. Ian and a biologist were hunting for an anaconda. Yes, an anaconda. There were anacondas laying at the bottom of the pond in wait for whatever it is they hunt. The men were barefooted so they could feel when they stepped on the snake. 30 foot (longer than my car) anacondas weighing up to 500 lbs. laying at the bottom of the pond in wait. And they can stay submerged for 10 minutes. I was squirming in horror by this point but also glued to my seat with really creepy fascination, thinking, “This is ...

Manna from heaven. Botanically a berry, I recall pomegranates were restricted to Egyptian royalty in ancient times (although I can’t back that up with a quick Wikipedia search. But still…) Does a nine-pack of pomegranates seem excessive? This was the last of the season. I cleaned them all (easy trick: submerge in a sink full of water while freeing the berries to keep clean-up to a minimum) and ended with a gigantic bowl. All for me, me, me. I’ve been eating them in salad with a dash of blackberry vinegar,* on roasted sweet potatoes, and even on oatmeal along with raisins and walnuts. *From last season’s berry patch. After discussion with my cooking advisor, I lightly sweetened the berry vinegar, ala balsamic northwest style. It is wonderful. But today, while the northeast is shoveling snow, I’ve been out hacking away at the wild berry bushes that have overwhelmed one section of my yard, and now have rubber-arm syndrome from wielding pruners for hours (why don’t I have power ...

I’m outing myself here, and it’s not easy: my guilty little pleasure is reading advice columns, “agony aunts” to the Brits, (isn’t that a fabulous description?) I read as many as I encounter from the rather pedestrian “Dear Abby,” in my daily newspaper. (Yes, in print! Imagine that.) the thrice weekly “Dear Prudence” with urbane, articulate advice seekers ( www.slate.com ) to a Saturday newspaper column “Caroline Hax”, a 20ish audience. Those are the regulars. But I will and do seek out others when the chance arises. Like when I’m lunching at my favorite place (Café Yumm) which has stacks of alternative newspapers available, where I know I’ll find the weird words of the “Advice Goddess,” who serves a so-not pedestrian audience. Crossing the line into dating, I recently discovered, “Granny is my wingman,” ( http://grannyismywingman.com/ ) written by a New York woman whose grandmother is also in the dating scene, a humorous cross-generational approach. A book deal may res...