Hopscotch

     In 1963, the boys at Hainesport School played marbles during recess.  The girls jumped rope or played hopscotch.  It's delightful to see that someone is still hopping through squares, chalked on the pavement, instead of flailing their thumbs around a video game controller.  A section of the municipal complex walking trail, that backs up to the school playground, seems to be Hopscotch Central.

This is Court #3.  Our Hainesport Hopscotchers have drawn a dozen courts on the pavement.

     I preferred to jump rope, trying to perfect my Double Dutch.  I never joined in the hopscotch games.  It's time to figure out what I missed.
     Here's how to play the game: Toss a pebble into Square #1.  Jump into the court - left foot landing on #1, right foot landing on #2.  Use only one foot (left or right - it's your choice) to hop on Square #3 and Square #4.  Use both feet to hop into #5 and #6.  Resume hopping on one foot to cover Square #7.  Use both feet for #8 and #9 and one foot for #10.  Jump out of the course after #10, turn and hop back, picking up your pebble in Square #1.  If players don't step on any lines or lose their balance, they can continue their turn, tossing the pebble into the second, third, fourth square, and so on, until they complete the course.  A misstep, means the next player gets a turn.  The first player to complete the course wins.
     Here some course variations:

      Hopscotch was first documented by Francis Willughby in the Book of Games, a manuscript published sometime between 1625 and 1632.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hopscotch  The game is played in many countries under many names.

Lay-Lay - Iran
Peevers - Scotland
Himmel und Hölle (Heaven and Hell) - Germany, Austria, and Switzerland
Kith-Kith - India

Hopscotch is called potsy in New York.  In 2010, PBS did a documentary called "Street Games" which included potsy.
     There's nothing in the rules that says you have to stop playing hopscotch when you reach age twelve.  Would anyone like to join me for some potsy?
   

     

Civil War Veterans - Part 3 of Interesting Things in Hainesport

     Civil War veteran Edward B. Chapman was born in 1832 or 1834 in Northampton Township (now known as Mount Holly), Burlington County, New Jersey.  He is first listed on public records in the New Jersey State Census of 1840.  His surname is recorded as "Chatman."  His ethnicity is recorded as "mulatto" or mixed race on this census report.  The first time he appears on a federal census (still using "Chatman") is the year 1860.  By then he had married Martha, a 21 year old woman from Delaware.  In 1870 the spelling of the last name changes, and Edward Chapman appears.  Now his ethnicity is reported as "black."  He is 36 and Martha is 31.  They have three children - Joseph Chapman, age 9, Charles H. Chapman, age 4, and Sarah V. Chapman, age 3. They shared their home with William Hill, age 90, a retired laborer, and Anthony Davis, age 70, a wood scavenger.  By the time the 1880 census was taken, another child had come along, Anna May Chapman, born in October 1877.  The family lived on Washington Street.  Edward worked as a waiter in a hotel, and Martha worked as a servant.
     Edward Chapman died on August 2, 1882 at the age of 48.  Martha buried him in the remote part of the Mt. Moriah cemetery under a free, government headstone.  In 1887 Martha began receiving a war pension based on being a widow.
     It's impossible to see a snapshot of the family in 1890 because the federal census from that year was destroyed.  There was a fire in the National Archives in 1921 which destroyed the 1890 census records.  What wasn't lost in the fire was ruined by the water used to extinguish the blaze.
     By 1900, Martha lived on Chestnut Street with her daughter Anna May.  Anna May married a man named Gibbs in 1895, but he was not listed in the home in 1900.  There were three grandchildren, Helen M. Gibbs, born December 10, 1895, Charles Gibbs, born August 1897, and Herbert Gibbs, born in 1899.  Anna May's brother, Joseph Chapman, also lived on Chestnut Street with his two sons, Norman Chapman, born in 1888, and Sherman Chapman, born in 1890.  Joseph married Emma B. Sharp in 1884, but she was not listed in the home in 1900.  Other family members, Charles Chapman, Sarah V. Chapman, and Walter W. Chapman, disappear from the U.S. census reports after 1880.  Joseph's son Norman isn't named on census records after 1900.
     All mention of the Chapman family disappears until the census of 1930.  Edward's grandson, Sherman Chapman, is a 30 year old single man, living as a lodger in the Filbert Street home of Mary Harris.  By 1940, he moved to Carlton Street, lodging with the Powell family.  He worked as a laborer.  Sherman Chapman died in 1955 from an intestinal hemorrhage.  He is buried in the Mt. Moriah cemetery with no headstone.
     I was hoping to build a family tree for the Chapman family and to be able to bring it down to the present generation.  All leads ended with Sherman Chapman.  Women marry and change their names.  People with limited economic means rent instead of own, so there are no property records to track.  During this era, people might have worked at odd jobs being paid in cash, so they weren't part of the Social Security system established in 1935.  Poor people often don't leave estates, so there are no records of wills.
     Edward Chapman didn't have to serve, but he volunteered at the age of 31.  Maybe he had (what would have been called at the time) lofty ideas about freedom and racial equality.  Maybe he got swept up in the volunteer spirit that swept through Mount Holly's black population.  Maybe his family really needed the $13 per month that he was paid.  Out of all the unknowns comes one truth - he is an American hero who should be honored this Memorial Day.

Edward Chapman's Service Record

  

Edward Chapman's Pension Record

Record of Federal Headstone

       
 

Edward Chapman 1834 - 1882

   
   
   

Civil War Veterans - Part 2 of Interesting Places in Hainesport

     By the end of the Civil War, 179,000 Afro-Americans served in the Union Army and 19,000 served in the Navy.  http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/  In May 1863, the War Department established the Bureau of Colored Troops.  Depending on the source you consult (figures vary), between 1,200 and 3,000 New Jersey black men joined the Union Army or Navy. Twenty-three of these men are buried in the Mt. Moriah A.M.E. Cemetery in Hainesport.
     These men mustered into the service in 1863.  They signed on for three years.  Since the war ended before the end of their three year term, they returned home in 1865.  New Jersey did not have its own regiment, so the soldiers were assigned to other state's regiments.  While enlisted, they earned $10.00 per month with a $3.00 per month clothing allowance deducted from their pay. White soldiers were paid $13.00 per month, and they did not pay a clothing allowance.  In 1864 Congress addressed this inequity and gave equal pay to all soldiers.  The ruling was retroactive, so the black soldiers received their back pay.  Toward the end of the war, recruiters gave signing bonuses called bounties to encourage black enlistment.  The Civil War brought a huge overhaul in the military pension system.  Many of the Mt. Moriah soldiers who lived past middle age received pensions, or pensions payments were made to their widows or children.  http://www.civilwarhome.com/pensions.htm

George W. Still's paperwork shows he received a $100 bounty, or bonus, for signing up in 1864.  Adjusted for inflation, that would be  $1,492.54 in 2013 dollars.

John W. Macklin began receiving a pension at age 44.  Changes in pension rules eventually allowed Civil War veterans to collect for having served.  

Warner Pritchet started collecting a pension at age 30.  His wife started receiving benefits in 1914 when Mr. Pritchet died. 

View from inside the main cemetery looking toward Marne Highway.

View from inside the main cemetery looking toward the Mount Holly By-Pass (behind the trees).

Grave of George W. Still.  

     Here is a list of the Civil War veterans resting at Mt. Moriah:
   
     Charles S. Bowles - Co. B, United States Colored Troops (USCT).  Born 1835.  Died 6/10/1872.  The 1870 United States Census reports he was a railroad worker after the war.
     Joseph Brannan - Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), Co. B, 32nd US Colored Infantry.  Born, 1845.  Died 8/30/1914.
     David P. Brown - Born 1847.  Died 1923.
     Edward B. Chapman - Co. G, 22nd Regt. USCT.  Born 1834.  Died 8/2/1882.  Worked as a waiter after the war.
     Isaiah Dillon (Mixed Race) - Co. A, 6th US Colored Infantry.  Born 1850.  Died 12/12/1919.  Worked as a coachman after the war.
     Isaac Gaines - Military unit not verified.  Born about 1839.  Can't locate headstone.  The cemetery reference book at the library indicates there is no stone for Isaac Gaines.  His stone could be one of the illegible stones in the By-Pass plot.  According to the 1880 Census, Mr. Gaines worked as a carpenter.
     Morris Gaines - GAR, Co. I, 1st Colored Infantry.  Born about 1846.  Died 3/22/1919.  Worked as a laborer after the war.
     John Edward Harmon - Co. K, 29th Regt. Connecticut Infantry.  Born 1836.  Died 7/8/1930.
     Charles Shedrick Holland - GAR Marker.  Born 3/25/1842.  Died 6/11/1915.
     Samuel Howard - GAR, Co. A, 6th US Colored Infantry.
     Abram Johnson - GAR, Co. A, 25 Regiment.  Died 1/21/1910.
     John W. Macklin - Massachusetts Cavalry.  Born 1846.  Date of Death Unknown.  Worked as a waiter after the war.
     Jacob Owens - Co. B, 43rd US Colored Infantry.  Born about 1845.  Date of Death Unknown.  Worker as a cook after the war.
     William Henry Owens - Co. F, 127th Regt. USCT.  Born about 1840.  Died 4/13/1811.  Worked as a waiter after the war.
     Warner Pritchet - GAR, Co. I, 143rd Regt. USCT.  Born 1842.  Died 6/13/1914.
     Robert H. Smith - Co. E, 32 Regt. Colored Infantry.  Date of Birth Unknown.  Died 6/5/1901.
     Benjamin Spencer - 25th Regt. US Infantry.  Born about 1843.  Died 2/17/1929.  Worked as a laborer.
     Clayton Still - Co. A, 41st Pennsylvania Colored troops.  Born 1841.  Died 10/23/1907.  Farm Laborer.
     George W. Still - GAR, C0. E, 26th US Colored Infantry.  Born 1845.  Date of Death Unknown.
     Thomas Summers - Born 2/7/1846.  Died 4/19/1909.
     Moses Willows - GAR Marker.  Born 1830.  Died 5/29/1913.  Moses Willows would have been 33 years old, the oldest to enlist.
     John Wilson - GAR, Co. K, 8th US Colored Infantry.  Birth Date Unknown.  Date of Death Unknown.  

   

         
     
       
   

Civil War Veterans - Part 1 of Interesting Places in Hainesport

     I travel the Mt. Holly By-Pass several times per week.  I always look into the tiny cemetery that sits on the west side of the By-Pass, between Rt. 537 and Rt. 38.  When I was a kid, my mother told me this was potter's field, a place where poor people were buried.  Later on, I heard this was a graveyard for Civil War Veterans.  With Memorial Day coming up, I thought it might be time to learn more about this place.

The cemetery is in front of Americyle Recycling.

     The cemetery belongs to the Mt. Moriah A.M.E. Church on 212 Washington Street in Mt. Holly. The church's main burial ground lies east of the By-Pass, next to the Brotherhood Cemetery, on Marne Highway (Rt. 537).  I wondered if the two cemeteries were once connected.  I called the Burlington County Engineer's Office, and they were able to tell me that Mt. Moriah owned the all the land before the By-Pass construction (1968 - 1973).  The county obtained the land from the church, land that had not yet been used for interments, so no graves had to be relocated.  
     Our wonderful county library contains several volumes of books which list the names of the deceased buried in many Burlington County cemeteries.  The By-Pass plot holds the remains of:

     Edward B. Chapman, Civil War Veteran
     Elizabeth, Wife of Charles A. Lewis, Died 1/10/1883
     Elizabeth Mitchell, Died 3/9/1873
     Anna E. Henry, Died 2/12/1879
     Jane Golden, Died 1/22/1876
     Lambert Giles, 5/15/1815 - 4/19/1875
     Wm. Smith, Died 1875
     Chas. Selsey, 5/30/184? - ?
     Rebecca Saunders
     Nancy Hill
     Mary Golden, Died 2/29/1878
     David B. Steven, Died May ?, 18??

There are three other graves.  One is marked only "M. C."  There are two illegible stones, one of which might be a veteran.

     I would have to conclude that this is a potter's field since it holds the remains of only one Civil War veteran, Edward Chapman.  His widow was so impoverished she applied to the federal government for a headstone for the poor.

      The rest of the Mt. Moriah A.M.E. Civil War Veterans are buried in the main cemetery.  Tomorrow I'll tell you what I learned about them.  On Friday, I'll focus on Edward Chapman.    

Wee, Wee, Weeeeeeeeeee!

     What creature doesn't like the wind in their face?

Photo from this site: http://pets.webmd.com/ss/slideshow-photos-love

     Then there's the Geico piggy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxRoXuPjAKc

Et moi.

Senior Bride, Blogger, and now YouTube Star: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuNHcZGOubo

Prayer Shawls

     I've been crocheting since I was in my teens.  Shawls and poncho-type garments have gone in and out of style over the past 40-50 years.  The poncho, so hot in the 1970's, was hot again 5 or 6 years ago.  Shawls were something my great grandmother wore because houses didn't have central heating in her day -

My Great Grandparents

In my day, they were lacy affairs worked in sparkly yarn and they were worn with prom dresses.
     People starting making prayer shawls in the 1990's as a way to comfort people recovering from illness.  The maker prayed for the recipient before, during, and after finishing the project.  The recipient would be warmed by the shawl, and perhaps be reminded of God's love.  http://www.madewithloveuumc.com/prayer-shawl-ministry/
     At the April meeting, the Burlington County Crochet Guild asked members to make prayer shawls for local hospital cancer centers.  Chemo patients get chills during IV infusions.  Our shawls could fight of those chills.  A written prayer, or some encouraging words included with the shawl, could lift the recipient's spirits.  Another organization, South Jersey Women Making a Difference, donated much of the yarn to get our project started.  We collected more than a dozen finished shawls at our May meeting.
     Here's my shawl -

The border yarn came from the South Jersey Women.  I found the green in a clearance grab bag at Michael's.

 

Pretty in Pink

Lovely colors

One Dozen Turned In and Counting

     Here are the directions:

     You'll need about 20 oz. of worsted weight yarn and a size G crochet hook.  Don't worry about the gauge.

     

     Pattern Note: Chain 3 at the beginning of double crochet row or round counts as first double crochet.

     Row 1: Ch 6, sl st in first ch to form ring, ch 3 (See pattern note), 2 dc in ring, ch 1, 3 dc in ring, turn.

                (2 dc groups, 1 ch sp)

     Row 2: Ch 3, 2 dc in same st, ch 1, 3 dc in next ch sp, ch 1, sk next 2 dc, 3 dc in last st, turn.

                (3 dc groups, 2 ch sps)

     Rows 3-55: Ch 3, 2 dc in same st, ch 1, [3 dc, in next ch sp, ch 1] across to last 3 sts, sk next 2 sts, 3 dc in last st, turn.

                       (56 dc groups, 55 ch sps on row 55)

     Row 56: Ch 3, 2 dc in same st, ch 1, [3 dc in next ch sp, ch 1] across to last 3 sts, sk next 2 sts, 3 dc in last st, do not turn.

                  (57 dc groups, 56 ch sps)

     Edging:

     Working on outer edge, ch 1, 4 hdc in end of first row, [3 dc in end of next row, 4 hdc in end of next row] 27 times, 3 dc in end of next row, 4 hdc in ring, working on other side, [3 dc in end of next row, 4 hdc in end of next row] 28 times, working in sts and ch sps of last row, hdc in each of the next 2 sts, [2 hdc in next ch sp, 2 hdc in next st, 3 dc in next st] 55 times, 2 hdc in last ch sp, hdc in each of the last 2 sts, join with sl st in top of beg hdc.  Fasten off.

Truck Nuts

     "Are those testicles hanging from that truck?" I asked Mike a couple of weeks ago.
     "Looks like it," was the answer.
     That was odd.  Maybe not so odd, or rare.  I've seen them in various colors, several times in the last week.  Today I saw a pair, up close and personal, hanging from a truck parked in the Shop Rite lot.
     When did these ornaments first appear?  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truck_nuts  Who invented them?  Drive-thru Danglers, Trucksticles, or HitchNuggets have been around since 1998, and were first sold on the internet in 1999.  In the United Kingdom (yes, the Brits are fond of them, too), they are known as Bumper Bollocks.  According to Ask.com, they were brought to the market by Aston Enterprises.  No one person is taking credit for coming up with the idea and executing it. CargoNads (another name) can be made of plastic, and they come in a variety of colors.  The pair I saw today was crafted from what looked like aluminum.  They were, shall I say, intricately detailed.
     As you might have guessed, there are plenty of people out there who are offended by the site of an oversized scrotum swinging from a trailer hitch.  Politicians in Maryland, Virginia, and Florida have tried to pass laws prohibiting the display of the twins.  Virginia Tice, a sixty five year-old-woman from South Carolina got a $445 ticket for displaying her cojones in 2011.  As far as I can determine, Ms. Tice is still fighting the charges.  http://www.thefastertimes.com/crime/2011/08/09/the-rosa-parks-of-truck-nuts/
     I'vs seen a whole lot of this out there in the world:

From Google Images

   
     And this:

From Google Images

         And even this:

From Google Images

     I guess I can handle this:

Also,  from Google Images

Why Is the Sky Blue? Why Can't Animals Talk?

     Never mind.  What I really want to know is who invented chocolate milk?  If you google that question, you'll get several answers.  Like so much in life, the real story is complicated.  Here's how my mind sorted it out after 15 minutes of research.
     An Irish physician, Hans Sloane  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Sloane, learned about chocolate powder mixed with water when he visited Jamaica in the 1680's.  Sloane found the taste of the beverage was improved when it was mixed with milk.  He took the recipe back to England where it was sold as medicine in apothecary shops.
     In the very early 1800's, a father and son team in Holland figured out how to make better tasting chocolate milk.  The initial break through was made by the father, Casparus van Houten, Sr. Cocoa beans contain high amounts of fat which made cocoa products hard to digest.  The senior van Houten figured out how to press most of the fat out of the cocoa bean.  The son, Coenraad van Houten discovered that treating cocoa powder with alkaline salts made it mix better with water or milk.
     When the van Houten's patents expired in 1838, other people began to produce chocolate powder.  They started experimenting with making new chocolate products.  One of these people was Daniel Peter, a Swiss.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Peter  In 1875 or 1876, he added powdered milk to chocolate powder.  Peter worked with Henri Nestlé.  Voilà, Nestlés Quick.
     So, chocolate milk evolved, beginning in England and ending in Switzerland almost 200 years later.  But is it good for you?  That also is complicated.  Some studies show drinking chocolate milk after a work out is as restorative as drinking Gatorade.  Is drinking chocolate milk a good way to sneak milk into a child's diet?  Maybe not.  The oxalic acid in chocolate inhibits calcium absorption in the intestine.  This might not be an issue if you have a diet high in calcium from other sources, but it has been proven that people who eat chocolate every day have lower bone density.  I would conclude it's not a good idea to use chocolate as a vehicle for getting calcium into kids. Sorry, Mr. Hershey.
     Finally, one more study indicated the flavenoids in chocolate might reduce the development of atherosclerosis (thickening of the artery walls), but red wine works a lot better.  So long, chocolate milk.  Hello, Cabernet.

Who decided wine should be served in long stemmed glasses?

Work Out!

     Everybody should exercise.  Going to the gym and wearing special gym clothes is the cool way to do it.  This family takes to cheap route, fulfilling our exercise requirements by staying in motion around the house and around the neighborhood.  Mike and I take two mile walks around the tracks at the municipal complex.  We also ride our bikes about five miles each time we go out. Mike has an app on his phone that maps the route and keeps track of the distance and the speed we travel.  The other day, just for a hoot, he used that app when he mowed the lawn.  Here's the route he traveled, all over the yard:

Google Maps plotted every step Mike took.  He walked 1.47 miles.  It took 57.59 minutes to mow the grass.  His mowing speed was 1.52 miles per hour.  According to a calorie counter I found online, he burned 392 calories.  http://www.fitday.com/webfit/burned/calories_burned_Mowing_lawn_general.html

   
     I burned 552 calories digging the seven holes for planting my new shrubs (see April 25th's blog entry).  http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/calories_burned.asp  If I spend four hours painting a room, I've burned 1,104 calories.  I'll expend 336 calories cleaning the oak tree stringy things out of the rain gutters.  Sewing, something I love to do, burns only 81 calories per hour.  I'll have to eat light on the days I sew.
     The moral to this story is to keep moving.  And, at our age, you might also have to take an Advil.

I Want My Senior Discount

     We get older, and the doctor, on a regular basis, wants some of our blood.  He always wants it first thing in the morning, when we haven't had juice, coffee, or even a bite of dry toast.  I went for my semiannual blood test this past Monday.  After waiting over an hour, I was so famished I made a beeline to the nearest McDonald's for an Egg White Delight (no cheese) and coffee.
     I asked the extremely young man serving me, "What is the age for getting senior coffee?"
     "Senior coffee.  You got it," was his response.
     That was easy.  I was a little concerned that I looked old enough to qualify without so much as a doubting glance from this fellow.  However, the thrill of scoring a freebie overcame the perceived insult.  My next thought was, "What else can I get?"
     There are so many senior discounts out there, some worth more than others.  The age to qualify ranges from 55 to 65.  Fast food places usually offer a free drink, and you can get that drink once you are 55.  Offers vary by location, so ask.  Dunkin' Donuts turns it around and gives a free doughnut with the purchase of a large coffee.  Chain restaurants also offer discounts.  Appleby's gives 10% off to those 60 and over, and IHOP gives discounts to customers 55 and over.  You don't have to eat out to get reduced food prices.  Some grocery stores offer senior discounts.  The qualifying age is usually higher than 55, and the percentage off is small, around 5%.  The A&P is one national chain that has offered a discount to oldsters.  Ask where you shop to see if you can shave a bit more off the weekly food bill.
     Retail stores often advertise discounts to seniors, but don't get too excited.  You get 15% off on Wednesday at Kohl's if you are 60, but Kohl's routinely sends out coupons worth 20% and 30% off.  It makes more sense to wait for a better deal in the weekly circulars.  Craft stores like Joann and Michael's also have senior day.  The days vary at Joann.  It's every Tuesday at Michael's, but you must present an AARP card.  Be sure to use a 40% coupon along with your discount to get an even better deal on one item.  Even the Goodwill store has a senior discount.
     Movie theaters give seniors a break on ticket prices.  AMC and Rave offer a reduced price ticket.  Regal reduces the price of popcorn and a drink.
     If you are planning a vacation, shave a little off the cost by taking advantage of senior deals. Cruises lines have senior pricing.  Amtrak gives 15% off to passengers age 62 and older within the United States.  Greyhound gives 10% off to passengers once they reach age 60.  It pays to join the AARP.  Your membership card will get you discounts on car rentals and lodging.  Even the federal government gives elder travelers a discount.  For a $10.00 one time fee, people age 62 and over can get the America the Beautiful Senior Pass.  For the rest of your life that pass gives you free admission to the 2,000 national parks.  http://store.usgs.gov/pass/senior_pass_application.pdf
     Some seniors on a fixed income consider a cell phone an expensive luxury.  Verizon offers a cell phone senior plan.  It costs $29.99 per month for 200 anytime minutes.  It's not a phone that allows Granny to surf the net and text like a teenager, but it does provide good service for basic calling needs and emergencies.
     Any time you open your wallet once you've hit age 55, you should be asking if you can have a senior discount.  You'll be surprised how many merchants will reward you just for getting older.  If you are shy about asking, buy yourself a hat.

     

Lint Lizard

     It's torture to stand in the express line at Walmart with Mike.  That's where they display the "as seen on TV" items.  He whined for a Sham Wow for at least a year.  He's off that kick, finally.  Now he wants that garden hose that starts out as big as a drinking straw and expands to 1,000 times its size.  By and large, infomercial products are crap, and Mike knows it.  He just likes to amuse himself (and needle me) when he's stuck in line.
     Every now and then, between the PediPaws and the Slap Chop, there's a product that performs as advertised.  I noticed an article a couple of months back that praised the Lint Lizard - a flexible vacuum cleaner extension for sucking lint out of clothes dryers.  Consumer Reports tested the Lint Lizard, and it really works.  http://consumerist.com/2013/03/22/does-the-lint-lizard-actually-work-surprisingly-yes/  It seemed to me that our clothes were taking longer to dry.  Maybe I needed a Lint Lizard.
     After some online checking, I concluded that Bed, Bath, and Beyond has the best price on the Lizard - $10.99.  If you use a 20% off coupon, the price is reduced to $8.80.  Here's the saga:

"Lizzy" comes in three parts.  Just push them together.  The claim that it is 43 inches long is deceptive.  The clear hose, the only part that matters, is only 30 inches long.

The green end made a nice tight seal on the vacuum cleaner.  Lizzy has vent holes you can open and close to adjust the suction.  The clear tubing was tightly curled when it came out of the box.  We used a hair dryer, set on high, to heat up and  relax the tubing.

The instructions say to clean the screen by hand, then shove Lizzy into the slot to suck out lint.  When I did that, I didn't get much lint.  I started doubting my purchase.

I pulled out the dryer and detached the dryer duct.  I  inserted Lizzy into the wall and sucked up an enormous wad of fuzz.   I also cleaned the inside of the duct.  The instructions also recommend going outside the house and cleaning the outside vent.  Our vent is on the roof, so I let that go for now.        

There you have it.  Lizzy removed all of this.

    
   
      Besides keeping the dryer vent clean, Lizzy probably has other uses.  I think "she" would be useful for cleaning under the stove and refrigerator and under car seats.  I think I might also go 30 inches into the heating ducts to see what I can pull out.  I like my new toy.      
   
     

Vaulted Cuisine

     Burlington County College's Culinary Arts Center, located in the former Burlington County Trust Bank in Mount Holly, contains a student run restaurant aptly named Vaulted Cuisine.  What else would you call serving haute cuisine amidst old bank vaults?  I had dinner there last night with a group of friends.
     Our dining adventure began with a vegetarian taco, moved on to bread sticks, first course, second course, and dessert.  Here's the menu:

First Course Choices -

Shrimp Arancini, Prosciutto Chips, Fra Diabolo Sauce
Spring Pea Soup with Mint, Herbed Crouton
Hydro Bibb Salad, Honey Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Fried Oysters and Chicken Salad, Philadelphia Style
House Cured Salmon, Crème Fresh, Herb Crackers

Second Course Choices -

Goat Cheese Tortellini, Sautéed Spinach and Carrots, Prosciutto, Sage Brown Butter Rice
Grilled Pork Loin, Cauliflower Rice, Squash Ragout
Mediterranean Brined Chicken Roulade, Crispy Rice Cake, Asparagus
Pan Seared Catfish, English Pea Risotto, Tropical Fruit Salsa
Vegetable Terrine, Quinoa, Tomato Puree
The Chef's Interpretation of Philly Cheese Steak - Sliced Steak with Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce, Polenta Cake, Asparagus

   

From 9:00 going clockwise - Goat Cheese Tortellini, Vegetable Terrine, and Grilled Pork Loin

Our Lovely Hostess

Our Waiter Holding a Lemon Pudding Dessert

A Peek into the Kitchen

Our Group

     You'll have to wait until September if you want to dine at the college.  They are booked through the end of this semester.  The price is $16.00 per person which includes tax and gratuity.  Here's the link if you want to go in the fall: http://staff.bcc.edu/culinary/restaurantreservation.asp

Old School

     We sat at desks like this when I attended Hainesport School:

  

     I found an old school chair during my last trash picking foray.  Here's the transformation:

This is how it looked after de-cobwebbing, sanding, and removing the mismatched and rusted glides.

The layers of plywood on the seat and back were separated.  The solution was to work as much glue as possible into the cracks and clamp the layers.  The left edge of the seat had deep gouges.  That was a job for wood filler. 

I covered the wood with blue painter's tape and plastic bags.  Next, I sprayed with primer and paint.  I used brown primer for rusted metal.

I hate to spend money on these projects, but the original glides were too far gone to reuse.   

I added some letters and numbers to up the cute factor.  After painting them, I wiped the back and seat with three thin coats of gel polyurethane.