There is no hope

There is no hope

The other day I was in line at the market and as always I read the covers of the magazines. I have over time lost all comprehension of what most of the stories are about. On several covers the headline was "Two Kardashian marriages on the rocks". Believing that anything about the Kardashians is a joke, I made a comment to the clerk and bagger. To my surprise they both knew all about the Kardashians marital problems and were very well informed about many other details of their lives.

There is no hope

Figs

Figs

Yesterday was a record day for fig production. I collected 10 big ripe figs from our Brown turkey tree, from which I produced the most lovely jam.

10 large ripe figs

 half a cup of sugar

pinch of salt

chop figs; simmer with sugar for 30 minutes (stir )

add off heat  1 tbls lemon juice and 1 tbls port wine

cool and eat

Enjoy

Music Man Murry

Murry Gershenz

Murry Gershenz died this week in LA. He was 91. At 80 he started an acting career. His credits include several dozen movies and TV shows. His most well know role was his nude scene in "The Hangover".

But most of his life was devoted to music. He loved good music, and collected 3 or 4 hundred thousand records. He was a singer and a cantor. Earlier this year he sold his collection.

There is a 22-minute movie "Music Man Murry"that you can connect to on the internet. It is well worth watching. He does a rendition of "Brother can you spare a dime?" that will make you weep. 

The LA Times obit has a link to the movie.

RIP Murry

garden in summer

The garden in summer

tiger lilly

cooking

The Lamb Shawarma
The ingredients

And the meal

lotus

The Lotus pond

Looking Back

I have been thinking of the past recently. Over 75 years much has happened. The things that make an impression are not always the most important. I decided to write some of these memories so they are not lost forever.
My mother's family was large (10 children). My father's was smaller (4). All of the male members were drafted during the Second World War.
Uncle John flew the hump in India to Burma.
Uncle Leo survived hand to hand combat in a trench in Europe.
My Dad spent several weeks in the swamps of New Guinea, living on Hersey bars and bananas.
Back home : the family would gather and pray for 30 minutes or so every evening.
All of the men came home. Some were permanently changed by the experience. But they all came home.
I have a vivid memory of V E Day., standing on the curb while a parade went by. I was beating on one of my grandmother's pots with a wooden spoon. There was universal joy in the crowd.
The returning relatives never said much about their experiences. I pieced their stories together over the years from others in the family.