Gravity Infused Small Plate

A Gravity Infused Fiesta Ware Small Plate, Pittsburgh, 2019

Out of the Ether

                                                    Elmo and 1st Boo
 
I know what you're thinking - That one has receded into the ether again.  I disappear from this blog with some regularity.  I suppose the disappearing is less unexpected than the returning.  We've all visited abandoned blogs with a last entry of years ago, sometimes with a last entry also being the first entry.  I recall the first flush of excitement with blogging as a whole.  Some bloggers becoming famous, getting book deals and television gigs.  I don't think that I was ever pursuing fame because if I were, this space would've been about something.  Instead it's about everything, every single thing that crosses my path and my mind.  Maybe that's why I keep coming back.  Something strikes me that I want to share out into the wider world, beyond my tight inner circle of friends and family.  Plus I really fucking hate facebook, and there's a lot that I would never post on that hellscape of hell.  So, I return to this refuge of expression + anonymity.

Old Chaps

The Horseman, 1967, Fombell, Pennsylvania

I have been meaning to post something here before the end of the month.  It's a decent writing exercise to create a blog post.  But, I got caught up in selling an old pair of chaps, seen in the pic above, as worn by someone completely unrelated to me.  In 1996 my oldest brother bought some property off of our father that included an old horse barn, with the idea that the barn would be converted into a house.  And it was, but part of the old barn still exists.  It comes off the back of the house and links to a large garage/work space.  Lots of stuff was kept in there, but now he and his wife are thinking of downsizing, moving, and there's a ton of stuff to get rid of, including old chaps.  Old chaps are quite the collectible, I learned while researching them.  Even moreso if you know the least little thing about them, i.e., who did they belong to, what type of chaps are they, how beat up are they?  So, my brother found this old pic of someone not our father trotting around on an unfamiliar horse in the field above our great-grandparents' house, wearing the chaps.  Lucky for us, our mother knew the man, but not the horse.  Mom only knew which horses it wasn't. "Well, that's not Little Bo Bars, and certainly not 'Loot."
Today the chaps sold on ebay, and the buyer promptly paid.  I said that I would include a pic of the chaps being worn, and all the info I had on all of the parties concerned.  If anyone wants to know who the rider is, ask in the comments and I'll clue you in.  He's still alive, and quite well known in what my mother always called, Horsey Circles.

Beets and Olive Oil

Beets + Olive Oil, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

The juice of the beets interspersed with olive oil after cooking.

Controlling The Narrative

Untitled 001, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

And All The Heads Turned

Helianthus tuberosus, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019

The wild sunflowers are at peak, and all of their heads turn toward the morning sun.  I found these on a walk in the woods.  There was a break in the dense forest canopy and then a riot of undergrowth.

The Fox And A Tryptych

Evidently, proof of life for the ever elusive beach fox.

The Beach

Blue Crab, Broadkill Beach, DE 2019


We've returned from our beach vacation, where I spent 2.5 days enjoying the sand and surf, and the rest of the time on the couch with a fever and infected sinuses.  Fortunately my wife called our doctor back in Pittsburgh and got her to phone in a course of antibiotics at a Rite Aid pharmacy near us.  Later, my wife got the same cold, but without the fever, still all of the phlegm.
Honestly, just glad it's over and we're home.

Cicada Wings

Cicada Wings, Etc., Pittsburgh, 2019

I was at my mother's condo and on the walkway there were dozens of cicada wings, without any cicadas in sight.  It was raining so I only picked up a few.

Abandon Series

Plastic Likeness of Human Infant and Carolina Wren Egg, In Five, 2019 Pittsburgh, PA

Pittsburgh and Allegheny City Map, 1867

Map of Allegheny City and Pittsburgh, PA 1867


This map is like a gift from the genealogy angels.  Finally I have straight in my mind's eye where my ancestors were in 1860 because many of the neighborhood designations have changed.  Some completely, like 'Allegheny City' which literally is no more, having been swallowed whole by Pittsburgh proper in 1907.  Some distant relatives lived in 'Temperanceville' in the lowerish lefthand corner, but nobody directly, thanks God.

Nest

Carolina Wren Nest, Close-Up, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

A pair of Carolina Wren's built a nest on our busy porch, and bailed on it as soon as their young left the nest.  I was just going to toss the nest out when I noticed the intricacy of the construction AND an unhatched intact egg.  My guess is that the egg wasn't viable somehow and that's why it didn't hatch along with its nestlings.
The excitement around here is almost more than the beagle and I can bear.  My wife's used to it, so she's fine.

Please Help Identify Unknown Artist

On occasion when I'm thrifting, I will not just pick through the framed artwork to see which frames I can repurpose, but will actually go through the art itself.  I try not to get too caught up in the artwork as I end up buying it and then have no use or space for it.  I'm currently storing a couple of dozen pieces in an old chest of drawers in the basement.  I'm going to try to find out more about these works, and hopefully this low traffic blog will assist in that endeavor.  Any assistance that anyone seeing this can provide will be greatly appreciated!  Curiosity not only drives us forward, but it can also drive us crazy.

Bee Balm

Bee Balm, Monarda didyma, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


Bee balm is so pleasing to the eye that it's been widely cultivated for that reason.  Bees, moths, butterflies, and humming birds all come into the garden to drink of its nectar.  Medicinally the plant is an excellent poultice for bruises, cuts, and bites, while a tea of the flowers and leaves makes the perfect antiseptic mouthwash and sore throat gargle.

Won't You NOT Be My Neighbor

Spring Hill Neighborhood, Pittsburgh, 2019


For good reason, Pittsburgh and its many neighborly neighborhoods are often associated with local famed children's television visionary and master puppeteer, Fred Rogers.  Though Mr. Rogers recognized that conflicts arise, he also saw people (or puppets) working together to set aside differences and defuse hostilities.
LOL.
That was looong before semi-senient human excrement, by the name of Donald Trump, came on the scene.  My wife and I met friends at Spring Hill Brewing for some craft brews and these people live across the street.  Rumor has it that the block party's been canceled.

Golden Chanterelle

Smooth and Golden Chanterelles, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

Well, I posted a couple of days ago about discovering smooth chanterelles while on a hike, with the intent to return and pick more to serve with a meal.  And, we did return, only this time we found many more golden chanterelles, Cantharellus cibarius, growing nearby.  I knew that though the mushrooms looked nearly identical, that the goldens were not the smooths because all identification sources insisted that smooth chanterelles have a solid stem, no quibbling about it.  I discovered that goldens, yes, have a hollow stem, and it peels apart fibrously, like string cheese.  Also note that both varieties of chanterelle have the tell-tale false gills.  Please, if ever hunting mushrooms in the wild to eat, be sure of your identification.  A mistake can be, and often is, deadly.

Smooth Chanterelle

Cantharellus lateritius, Smooth Chanterelle Mushroom, Pittsburgh 2019


Sometimes, if you're lucky, you may wander so deep into a forest that it - and you - feel primeval. Yesterday my wife and I found ourselves in just such a mental and physical space.  Up to our knees in mud, bare legs and arms stung by nettles, somehow impossibly the sweet scent of peaches hanging in the humid air.
Late on the trail, crossing a heavy flowing run, on the opposite bank, a bright yellowish orange mass winked from beneath green foliage.  The top of the mushroom was shiny, but not slimy, and when I picked one and turned it over, I immediately noticed the false gills running down the stem.  Without an identification book to consult, I could guess that it was a chanterelle, but not know for sure, so I brought one home with me.  Further research revealed that it was indeed a smooth chanterelle, and that it is one of the most choice wild mushrooms to be had.
Often I identify mushrooms I find on walks and hikes, and even though sometimes the mushrooms are edible, I usually only pick and eat wild mushrooms when I'm foraging with our close friend and expert, Al.  Only one other time have I eaten what I collected, and that was a meadow mushroom, the common wild variety of the ubiquitous store bought button mushroom.  With this find my curiosity grew as I read how to best prepare chanterelle mushrooms.  Most recipes called for sauteeing in butter, but one said to start in a hot dry pan to render the water from the mushrooms and allow it to cook off, and then add the butter.  Which is exactly what I did, and the results blew me away.  Easily the most delicious mushroom I've ever tasted, and why we're returning to the scene this morning to collect more for dinner tonight.  Prepared as before, then tossed with linguini in the pan and plated, with Alfredo sauce added at the end.  I picked fresh lettuce first thing this morning, so I'm set.

Barbie Furiosa

Happy 4th of July!  Here's to hoping that Trump's celebration is rained out.

Musk Mallow

Musk Mallow, Malva moschata, Pittsburgh 2019

Typically growing to between 2'-3' tall, the one in my yard towers at over 6' (2m!).  A couple of years ago I tossed a handful of musk mallow seeds out over a raked bit of barren ground, and now look what we have brightening our day.
Its seeds, flowers, and leaves are all edible either raw or cooked, and a tea can be made from them as well.  Medicinally, musk mallow is used to treat:  Generally used more externally to treat insect bites, bruises and rashes, internally taken it aids in respiratory ailments as well as intestinal distress.  Is a good laxative for young children.

Peeps Takes A Seat

The cat will seize my chair the second I get up.

Foraging For Greens

Lamb's Quarters, Chenopodium berlanieri, Pittsburgh, 2019

Any manner of thoughts can manifest themselves in our dreams and we are a prisoner to their whims.  I had just such a dream last night where I collected wild greens, namely lamb's quarters, and sauteed them with zucchini, broccoli, onion, and fire roast tomatoes in rendered bacon.  All morning after waking I could think of nothing else.  I told my wife about the dream and she perked up, so I headed out to find some lamb's quarters and was not disappointed.  I prepared what I'd collected exactly as I had in the dream, and served it over a bed of organic brown rice.  Quite and ambitious lunch!  But it was wonderful and with fresh produce starting to come in from our garden, we'll be having more of the same.
For nutritional information on lamb's quarters go here:

Ghost Pipes

Monotropa uniflora, aka Ghost Pipes, aka Indian Pipes, aka the Corpse Plant North Park, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

Monotropa uniflora, aka Ghost Pipe, aka Indian Pipe. Seen during a hike on a trail at North Park. While these plants resemble a fungus, they're an angiosperm (flowering plant), but having evolved to survive on the light deprived forest floor, it lacks chlorophyll to conduct photosynthesis. Because it can't manufacture its own food by converting sunlight to sugars, it is instead parasitic, using the mycelium of fungus to glean the nutrients that they've already broken down. Reportedly used in herbal medicine for nervous conditions, but I don't know about that.

Lettie G. Howard

Lettie G. Howard Schooner Rigging, Erie, PA 2019


Built in Essex, MA in 1893, I toured her in June, 2019, docked off the Erie Maritime Museum in Erie, PA.

The Almost Island, In French, No Less!

USS Niagara, circa 1927, photo by Raymond E. Kaufman, Presque Isle, Erie, PA


We are on our way to Presque Isle on Lake Erie for a few days.  Ever hopeful that it'll stop raining, we've looked up movie times and plan to visit the Maritime Museum.  It's such a short drive, around 2hrs, that I'm surprised we don't visit Erie more often.

Always Where The Wild Things Are

Hawthorn Tree, Crataegus flabellata, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


     Last fall I happened upon a sharp, long-thorned, spindly tree bearing bright red fruit, growing atop a steep ravine that has been designated a bird sanctuary because the land is otherwise useless.  This spring I revisited the tree, too late to photograph it in bloom (mental note for next year), though able to capture an image of the unripe fruit set with those infamous thorns.
     The genus name of this tree comes from the Greek kratos 'strength' because of hardiness of the wood, and akis  'sharp' referring to its thorns.  My God those thorns...reportedly native Americans in the pacific Northwest adapted them for use as fishing hooks.  As for the common name, haw comes from the Old English word for 'hedge', derived from the Anglo-Saxon haguthorn 'fence with thorns'.  I cannot stress enough how one would want to avoid these thorns, and indeed, if these low growing trees were planted densely as a hedge, most creatures would go around instead of through.
     Medicinally the berries are quite remarkable in their use for many heart conditions, though care must be taken to not overdose, which should go without saying, but I cannot account for some people's lack of sensibilities.  Webmd as this to say about its uses:

Hawthorn is a plant. The leaves, berries, and flowers of hawthorn are used to make medicine.

Hawthorn is used for diseases of the heart and blood vessels such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chest pain, and irregular heartbeat. It is also used to treat both low blood pressure and high blood pressure, “hardening of the arteries” (atherosclerosis), and high cholesterol. So far, research suggests that hawthorn might be effective in treating congestive heart failure, but there hasn’t been enough research on other heart-related uses to know if it is effective for them.

Some people use hawthorn for digestive system complaints such as indigestion, diarrhea, and stomach pain. It is also used to reduce anxiety, as a sedative, to increase urine output, and for menstrual problems.

Hawthorn is also used to treat tapeworm and other intestinal infections.

Some people apply hawthorn to the skin for boils, sores, and ulcers. Hawthorn preparations are used as a wash for sores, itching, and frostbite.

You will find hawthorn among the ingredients in candied fruit slices, jam, jelly, and wine.

Before taking hawthorn, talk with your healthcare professional if you take any medications. It has major interactions with several prescription medications.

How does it work?

Hawthorn can help improve the amount of blood pumped out of the heart during contractions, widen the blood vessels, and increase the transmission of nerve signals.

Hawthorn also seems to have blood pressure-lowering activity, according to early research. It seems to cause relaxing of the blood vessels farther from the heart. It seems that this effect is due to a component in hawthorn called proanthocyanidin.

Research suggests that hawthorn can lower cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad cholesterol”), and triglycerides (fats in the blood). It seems to lower accumulation of fats in the liver and the aorta (the largest artery in the body, located near the heart). Hawthorn fruit extract may lower cholesterol by increasing the excretion of bile, reducing the formation of cholesterol, and enhancing the receptors for LDLs. It also seems to have antioxidant activity.

The Scarlet (Orange) Pimpernel

Scarlet Pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

     Today while walking the dog, we happened upon scarlet pimpernel, Anagallis arvensis, an invasive species introduced from Europe and now common throughout all of the Americas. It's quite small, and quite bright orange, not scarlet at all. It's noxious to bird and beast, though fortunately so bitter tasting that animals leave it alone. But not humans. Oh no. Medicinal uses for A. arvensis include, but are not limited to; rabies, leprosy, and dropsy. I wouldn't recommend self treating with this herb for cases of suspected rabies. Or dropsy, for that matter. I'm not familiar enough with leprosy to comment further.

Tide Pool

Tide Pool, St. Andrews, Scotland, 2018

I am on my way to the gallery to drop off new work. 

Falling

Wild Strawberry Blossom, Falling, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

 Photo taken through hand blown glass, which reflects some of the world around it.

Pressed For All Time

Pressed 3 Forms of Common Violet, Scanned, Pittsburgh, PA 2019

I wondered:  What if I press the common violets and then scan them?  What will that look like?  Now I, and you, know.  The vein-y texture of the petals is clearly evident, and the Freckled variety of the common violet stands out more than its non-pressed self.

Exhibits A&B Photo Stamp Tax

Two Photos Found In A Family Bible, Fombell, PA, 2019

I believe that this particular family Bible, the origin of this photograph, came down through my paternal grandmother's mother, nee Anna Catherine Burkhart.  The children are completely unknown and unguessable to me, but I can tell you when the picture was taken.  The US gov't instituted a photo stamp tax in 1864 to help pay for the Civil War.  But it was a very unpopular tax, with both photographers and the people wanting to get their portraits taken using this new technology.  So, the tax was repealed less than two years later in 1866.  Thank you highly unpopular Photo Stamp Tax for helping me date this particular portrait! 

White Wild Roses

Rosa multiflora, Pittsburgh, PA, 2019

Before the seemingly ceaseless rains began, the wild roses came into bloom.  They grow too densely around a wild mulberry tree.  I say 'wild' because I didn't plant the mulberry.  A bird or deer deposited seed-laden poop and voila!  Mulberry.  I don't know how the wild roses got there, possibly the same way as the mulberry, or a previous owner could've planted them, but then other vegetation suppressed their growth, and now conditions are more suited to their re-emergence. 
After blooming I will cut them back, but next year they'll be too dense again.

Two Gulls In Glasgow

Two Gulls, Glasgow, Scotland, 2018

This shot was taken out of the hotel window, 5th floor,  maybe the 7th floor, I can't recall exactly.  It was our last night in Scotland, the following morning we'd be at the airport by 6am for the flight back to the States.  What I was photographing in this shot was a common scene in both Glasgow and Edinburgh; plants, or trees, taking root in rain gutters or on the windowsills of buildings.  Given the steep price of property, I was surprised that this was allowed, that the owner(s) wouldn't make sure that the vegetation was cleared out because it could undermine the integrity of the structure.  Maybe people can't keep up with the sheer volume of encroaching botanicals.  Who knows.  I do know that I miss Scotland, unlike and more than any other country I've ever been in.

And Then There Were 2

The Oldest Reads To The Youngest, Banned Books, Pittsburgh, PA 2019


On the occasion of my mother's 80th birthday, the family gathered to celebrate.  After awhile, away from the revelry, two of my nieces settled in on the steps with a book.

Cliff Side Botanicals

Ground Ivy, Glechoma hederacea, Scotland, 2018
While some view ground ivy as a fast spreading nuisance weed (indeed, it sends out runners and keeping up with it is impossible), but it does have valuable medicinal qualities.  Wikipedipea has this to say:
"Glechoma hederacea has been used in the traditional medicine of Europe going back thousands of years: Galen recommends the plant to treat inflammation of the eyes. John Gerard, an English herbalist, recommended the plant to treat tinnitus, as well as a "diuretic, astringent, tonic and gentle stimulant. Useful in kidney diseases and for indigestion." It has also been used as a "lung herb".^[11] Other traditional uses include as an expectorant, astringent, and to treat bronchitis.^[12] The essential oil of the plant has been used for centuries as a general tonic for colds and coughs, and to relieve congestion of the mucous membranes.^{[citation needed]} In the traditional Austrian medicine the herb has been prescribed for internal application as salad or tea for the treatment of a variety of different conditions including disorders associated with the liver and bile, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory tract, kidneys and urinary tract, fever, and flu."
My own anecdotal observation to the herb's effectiveness were evidenced 20+ years ago when my oldest son was quite young, around 4 or 5 years old, and complained that his throat hurt.  I looked down his throat and sure enough, it was inflamed and swollen.  It was a Sunday evening, almost bedtime, and a trip to the ER seemed extreme, so I went into the yard and collected a heaping handful of ground ivy and placed it in a pan, overed it with water, and brought it to a boil on the stove.  I allowed it to steep for a good twenty minutes, and cool.  Finally, I told my son to gargle with it.  Over and over he gargled and spit until I finally I told him to drink just a bit of it.  I then looked down his throat and the irritated red was gone, as was the swelling.  He said that his throat felt fine and I thought, hopefully we'll be good until morning...And when morning came his throat was still fine.  A very good treatment for a sore throat has been my experience with this herb.

Red Fern 2

In The Land Of The Red Fern, 2019

Taken at the same time, and similar to the original Red Fern print, but just different enough, darker, busier.  This iteration of the red fern will be hanging in the Northland Public Library, McCandless Twp, PA for the summer.

Surrealism in Black and White

2xInvert, Glasgow, Scotland, 2018

Posted without comment.

Always Mother's Day

Mom and 1st Baby, 1958

My mother was married at 18, and a mother, starting with my oldest brother, at 19.  I don't know how she did it at that young age, with virtually no help from my father, but all four of her children survived.  So Happy Mother's Day, Mom! 
Also, as a footnote, I wonder if we have taken survival for granted (or, as the kids now say, 'granite').  If we are about to discover how fraught, perilous, and tenuous living really is.