Our frozen asses belong to Muse

We hard core fans have been saying our asses belong to Muse since last March when the song Psycho came out, with Matt in the character of drill sergeant singing "your ass belongs to me now" to a recruit. So when we finally got Drones tour dates for the US Midwest and saw they were in Dec. and Jan. , we nicknamed it the #FreezeYourAssTour.  We sort of lucked out though, precipitation was minimal and temps were milder than they sometimes are in January.

I got to sleep on my sister's sofa the night before the Chicago gig, then hooked up with my Musers for brunch. Wildberry's was great in every way, hope I can go back sometime.

taken by our awesome server at Wildberry's, Kym Detato's photo

The queue at the United Center was challenging though. Many layers, and most used hand warmers, making us look like extras from "Fargo" 

me, Lisa & Shauna, Wendy Smith's photo

 We also had breaks for the bathroom or just to pop in Melodie's van which she generously ran for us. One bathroom break occurred at the famous Billy Goat Tavern, kind of wish it had been the right time for a "cheezborger" 

Finally they lined us up at the doors, having teased us that they might do it an hour early. but they did not. In fact, we ended up standing there an extra half hour due to difficulties with the stage set-up, causing people who had ditched some layers to shiver. I had not since my outer layers were old ugly things that I did not care if I had to stand on or what. At last, we got let in, wristbanded, and then a short wait at the inner doors, the United Center does at least do a good job keeping our queue in order. So soon we were on the floor heading to a particular barrier spot , guided by Wendy, who had not only been to several earlier gigs, but is tall enough to spot easily :-) 

 

barrier babes: me (barely visible & texting), Janelle, Kelsy, Jen, Shauna, Lisa, Wendy

X Ambassadors opened the show. I had heard a couple songs on the radio and thought they were merely OK, but they really brought it live. The frontman is high energy and multi-talented, and the keyboard player played a beautiful interlude before their big hit, Unsteady.

We then waited impatiently as final preparations were made for Muse, including 2 announcements to disable our flash functions, though they welcomed people taking photos and videos. At last we saw the "stormtroopers" military looking types in blue blinking glasses- because of the blinking, none of my photos of them came out well. However, the recorded title track of Drones that usually starts the show was not played, and then our Muse boys came right out and plunged into Psycho. Let the head-banging and jumping begin!

Muse- Dom Howard, Chris Wolstenholme, Matt Bellamy

After this, I rather lost track of which of these photos were taken during what song. I have often said I don't care what songs are on the set list, but I was a little pleased that Map of the Problematique, one of my first favourite Muse songs, is back in rotation.

Matt

Chris

Matt

Dom, arm porn!

Some photos have visual cues that remind me which song it is, these next two are Apocalypse Please.

Matt

Matt

And this one is clearly the Drones Drum & Bass jam

My cheesy shot of the overhead screen during Madness.

Besides the round overhead screen, at times, transparent curtains dropped down for visual projections. 

projection of Dom during Undisclosed Desires

Back to not being sure which song...but I managed to get a shot of  Morgan Nicholls, Muse's 4th member for live touring,

Morgan, Dom, Matt

 An unfortunately unfocused, but particularly sexy pic of the Wolstenbeast!

Chris

 The next two may both be during Reapers though the lighting makes the guitars look different. At the end of this Matt beat up his guitar.  These Manson guitars are tough and can be repaired, but this night he actually broke a piece off!

Matt

my attempt at a close-up of Matt's fingers

Matt strutting on one of the catwalks

The confetti tells me this is probably Mercy, when we get showered with little grey drone men confetti and red & white streamers.

Matt

From there they go into the epic closer Knights of Cydonia.

Matt

Chris

Then came the most amazing moment for me. Wendy had positioned us where we were because she knew the steps the band takes to leave the stage would take them right in front of us. I had a pair of socks for Matt, a holiday pattern this time, and normally I would have tossed them on the stage for him. After consulting Wendy, I decided to take a chance of handing them to him as he walked by. After all, if that failed, I could toss them the next night when we were at the Detroit show.  But it did not fail!  He not only took the socks, he stopped to unwrap them...

Janelle Miller's photo

Kelsy Butterfield's photo

He seemed surprised that I was giving him something! :-)  and then to my complete shock, he came over and hugged me!!! Most people reading this probably know I am a "Matt girl" , so this was the thrill of a lifetime for me.  You can't quite see me, which is OK, my hair must have been a fright, however, I'm wearing olive green, you can make out my hands.

Janelle Miller's photo

Kelsy Butterfield's photo

Huge thanks to Janelle and Kelsy for getting this moment on camera!! Somehow I continued breathing and walking after this. I am still giddy 4 days later when I am typing this.

Others of our group had a good night, too, Wendy caught Matt's blinky glasses at the end of Undisclosed Desires, and Melodie got Chris' harmonica at the end of the show.

After the show, Crystal proves you can never have too many streamers :-)

Most of us had actually made it to the merch tables before the show, so food was the next order of business, especially for those of us nutty enough to drive overnight to Detroit to queue for the barrier again. A few of us went to the Golden Nugget so we could meet up with Jae who had been in the VIP section. There we finally got a good look at her red metallic pants :-) , and way more food than we could eat!

Then we regrouped for our mini-convoy to Detroit: Shauna and Kelsy in Jen's car, me and Wendy in Melodie's van. I rode shotgun and attempted to help the drivers stay awake but did end up nodding off a few times when Wendy was driving. She was fine though, singing along with Frank Turner :-) And we made enough rest stops too, both for bodily functions and driver alertness.

Then began the adventures that caused us to consider the hashtag #fuckingDetroit.  Once in the city, we had a devil of a time finding the arena parking lot. One wrong turn had us in a spot where we witnessed the tour buses pulling in, so that made us smile for a moment. Then back to frustration..even with an idea of where to go, screwy Detroit intersections with U turns required messed with us. We finally found the arena lot only to be informed by the attendant that it closed at 5! We explained we would be queuing all day for the Muse show that night. An older female attendant nearby laughed  "Oh that ain't happening!"  grrr, so we got out of there. Eventually we realized we would not be able to park close to the arena, so we went to our hotel. The Crowne Plaza was  not far, but between the distance and valet parking, we would not be able to use cars for warming up. Luckily, temps had risen overnight. And we had some shelter. We were also the very front of the line this time. 

Chinmayi's photo

After what had happened for me the night before, I knew this gig might be somewhat anti-climactic, but we got to meet more Muser friends. Ellen was driving up from Ohio even though she had to turn around and drive back right after the show.  Chinz found us thanks to an online introduction via Catherine Marlin. Catherine, Muse's most devoted fan, was with us in spirit, and we had a couple pics of her face on sticks, "flat Cath" that we were taking everywhere with us! 

We took turns going back to the hotel to wash up. That revived me a little. We also had a good time getting to know new people in the queue and signing the tour flag ( we also did that in Chicago, but it was hindered a little by greater need for hats and scarves) Then we once again heard from security that the band was behind schedule setting up. So we were a bit more cautious about the timing of removing layers and taking sleeping bags away. Wendy and I cut it real close, they were lining us up to be wristbanded when we got back.

That's when the real clusterfuck started. They told us they were opening 3 doors for this, so that scrambled our queue order, then when they actually opened only 2 , it was even worse, Wendy and I had to shove our way into another line. Even more ridiculous, after doing this, they put us back outside in 2 lines, now completely mangled as far as queue order. :-( We were still near the front though.  As we waited, we were told numbers of gates we could use to access the general admission floor. We raced for those when they let us in, and incomprehensibly, at some of these gates, personnel were still blocking people, and others were not! Some of us caught on to this and moved to one that let us in and then ran for our spots. No one cautioned us not to run despite steep stairs down to the floor. Somehow everyone but Chinz made it to our same spot on the barrier though we had to hold a spot for Melodie for a bit. I think it is a miracle no one was trampled or hurt. None of us had ever experienced a worse entry procedure :-(  There were also a couple rude, possible drunk people trying to wiggle forward into our barrier spots, but we were firm.

Ellen, me holding flat Cath, Melodie, Wendy, Shauna, Jen, Kelsy- Kelsy Butterfield's photo

Security at Joe Louis Arena failed later, too. We noticed a drunk person who had passed out and told the guards in front of us, but they said they couldn't do anything. They also failed to mind the mosh pit.

X Ambassadors opened with the same set as the night before, but they rock so hard, it was still enjoyable. Then when it was time for Muse, this night we got Drones, both the audio track with Matt's beautiful voice in 5 layers of choral singing,  and the giant round things flying over our heads.

So cool! I also tried to be more judicious in what I chose to photograph this time since I theoretically knew when I might have good shots. However, it's a 360 stage, part of the time we are looking at the boys' bums, and Matt moves very fast, so this one was an accident, but I am OK with that!

Much of the Muse set list was the same too, but not all, and the acoustics may have been slightly better. Having the drones flying added something too. Here during Supermassive Black Hole, I think they look like Christmas baubles.

Again, not sure what song some of these are from.

Matt

Matt

The drones were having some difficulties though.  A couple round ones had to be deactivated after bopping people on the heads. The big drone was still launched, but it also had some issues with going where it was not supposed to. 

The band carried on like the pros they are through all of this, though Matt seemed to find some of the mishaps funny. However, the boys seemed a bit tired, and then the piano lift also malfunctioned so we did not get one of the planned piano songs; later we found it was supposed to be United States of Eurasia.

This time during Mercy , I decided to photograph the confetti. I did not plan to get hands in this shot, but that I am glad I did as it captures the excitement of the crowd.

confetti and streamers during Mercy

All too soon, we were at the finale again, a little sadder for me this time since I have no other shows to go to on this tour, and I knew I would not be handing Matt socks again.

Knights of Cydonia, long view

Knights of Cydonia, zooming in on Matt, Chris and Dom

They did their usual tossing out of picks, harmonica and drumsticks- Wendy finally got a harmonica as she had been holding up a sign for one. However, they exited rather more quickly this night, though we still got some quick high fives in.

Despite all the difficulties, we were all ecstatic after the show.

back-Kelsy, Kym, Ellen, Wendy ,Melodie, me, front-Shauna,Jen, Lisa: Wendy Smith's photo slightly cropped

Then for most of us it was time to party! Food was a priority again, so pizza was ordered promptly. We also had snacks and wine in the room and some went to the hotel bar and got drinks that looked really good, but I mostly needed water. Some of us had been at the barrier, but others had seats for this show, so we had a lot to share. After a while I made a spot for my sleeping bag because Melodie planned to leave at 9 am. I apparently got to sleep easily as I totally missed those who were still up singing Bohemian Rhapsody over the phone to Ellen as she drove back to Ohio.

Shauna, a qualified Chicago driver after 9 years, did the driving on the morning shift, and handled all the jerks on the road well.  We listened to some Frank Turner again, but also Shauna's mix playlist which included some Bowie ( tears) and some Muse ( fist pumping!)  It seemed we were back at my sister's place all too soon; I did not want this adventure to end.  After a shower, I took a photo of all my souvenirs, the black satiny thing is part of a Hullaballoon- they bounce over the crowd during Starlight.

Most people would take a January vacation in a warm place, but I would not trade this. Being with my Muser friends, ones I know well, ones I knew online and finally met , and brand new ones, all made this trip fantastic. Though Muse themselves are still my reason for being there, and it is hard to top a hug from Matt, those things could not have happened if we were not all mutually supporting each other. I can't wait to do it again, though it would be fine if it was not in the dead of winter during a Mercury retrograde again!

Chapter 15- Are We Grown-Ups Now?

So in 1978, Diane started at the University of Chicago, pursuing an economics degree. I chose Michigan State, partly for its well-rated dietetics program, partly for scholarships I could get, and partly for the drinking age being 18! Ironically, shortly after I arrived, the drinking age was raised. But in a couple months I turned 19, allowing me to buy beer and wine in Illinois. Then the next year Illinois changed their law! No grandfather clauses, so I stocked up on wine.

My first year was spent in an all girl dorm, freshmen did not get to choose where they lived. It was better than I thought it would be and I made some good friends. And of course we were not isolated from boys, they were in our classes, at work and at parties. Toga parties were all the rage the first couple years. Most of my classes were not that hard, so I had a nice balance of study, work and fun.

my college yearbook photo

Sophomore year I applied to be in a rather unique dorm, Williams Hall. Structurally, it was like the other classic old brick dorms, but each floor had a kitchen and we could cook for ourselves instead of relying on meal plans. Luckily, a roommate accepted me and I got in. I wanted to try being vegetarian after reading Diet For A Small Planet. There was a small food co-op a few blocks away so I had no trouble getting the sorts of ingredients I needed. I successfully ate vegetarian for a whole year, making only a couple exceptions for family events. Though my floor mates obviously cooked too, I made a bit of an impression for being able to make souffles and birthday cakes. I don’t know where I got the spinach soufflé recipe, but I still make it.

Williams Hall also housed the campus test kitchen. I first volunteered to be on the taste panel, then I got to work behind the scenes with the dietitians in the test kitchen. I still had hours in my old dorm’s cafeteria too; I learned some culinary tricks there, but more in the test kitchen of course, like how to fix a cheese sauce that had broken down, by beating in hot water a little at a time.

I enjoyed the classes in my major, so I thought I was on the right track. The science of nutrition and related courses were interesting, and the food lab classes were fun. I really enjoyed food science where we got to “torture” food items to see what happened. We even had a little guillotine to measure how tender the pastry was. Junior year I started dating a musician who lived in the same dorm. He was a non-traditional student and fascinating person, but later I realized he was an alcoholic, so though it lasted longer than some other relationships I had in college, I eventually had enough.

Diane got engaged to her long time boyfriend John in 1980, and planned the wedding for September 1981. I stayed in Michigan to work & take a summer course that year, but came home every so often. On one of these trips, we got busy looking at bridal magazines while making Swedish Tea Rings. Then we got inspired by some designs we saw and decided to check for them at the local bridal shop. We forgot we had tea rings in the oven already!  We had a great time shopping, but came home to blackened tea rings and angry parents. Swedish Tea Ring is a family specialty; my mother made it for many occasions, sometimes as a thank you gift. I carried on with it, and the bridal shopping incident was the only time I totally ruined it. Years later, I got a second place in the Minnesota State Fair for it, and another second place finish in 2016. I use all white flour when baking for competition, but started experimenting with whole wheat flour for general eating at home.

A couple months before Diane’s wedding, Muffin passed away at the age of 13. I was heartbroken, feeling especially bad for not being home at the time. My parents got new kittens from the same shelter after a bit, but they were shy and I was never home long enough after that to get close, because it was time to make my own way in the world. Diane also managed to graduate from college somewhat early, so she was out before me and soon had a job as an insurance claims adjuster. I met with various recruiters before I graduated in the spring of 1982. I had been in a coordinated undergraduate program, meaning I was fulfilling internship requirements while still in college, so I was eligible to take the Registered Dietitian exam at the first opportunity after graduating. By this time, I was having doubts about whether I liked the actual work. Hospitals had a very hierarchical, authoritarian structure that rubbed me the wrong way. But I didn't know what else I could do at that point, so I accepted an offer from Service Direction, which provided food service management to various facilities. I was given a choice of a small rural hospital in Iowa or Minnesota. I picked Minnesota, and so began my journey to the north and presumed adulthood.


                           Spinach Souffle

Recipe By: unknown
Serving Size: 2

-= Ingredients =-
8 ounce Spinach ; chopped
4 tablespoon All purpose flour
3 tablespoon Butter
1 cup Milk
1 cup Cheddar ; shredded
1 pinch Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Marjoram
1/4 teaspoon Salt
4 large Egg ; separated

-= Instructions =-
  Cook spinach in small amount of water and drain. Set aside.

Make white sauce: Melt butter over med low heat,  stir in flour. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly. Cook until smooth.

Stir in cheese gradually . Add seasonings and remove from heat.

Beat egg yolks, then stir into sauce. Stir in spinach.

Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold sauce carefully into whites.

Spoon into a dish that has been greased and coated with fine bread crumbs.  Bake at 400 for 10 min, then 325 for 40-50 min.



                           Swedish Tea Ring

Recipe By Donna Nelson Simonian, with some modifications by me
Serving Size: 24

-= Ingredients =-
2 package Yeast ; dissolved in
1/2 cup Water ; warm
1 1/2 cup Milk ; scalded, then cooled
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Butter
2 large Eggs ; beaten
1 teaspoon Cardamom
1 teaspoon Salt
3 cups Whole wheat flour
3 cups All purpose flour
4 tablespoon Butter ; softened
1/2 cup Brown sugar
4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Raisins

-= Instructions =-
Add butter, sugar, salt, and cardamom to warm milk.

Measure 2 cups of of whole wheat flour into mixing bowl. Stir in dissolved yeast and milk mixture. Alternately add small amounts of  both flours and eggs to keep a thick batter until ingredients are combined. Continue adding flour gradually until a kneadable dough forms. Knead until smooth and springy, on a floured surface or in mixer with dough hook, adding flour in small amounts as needed.

Place in greased bowl, turn to grease top, cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 1 hour. Punch down, let rise again.  Punch down and form into 2 balls.  Roll each into a 9 x 13 rectangle. Spread butter on 2/3 of surface, leaving a margin to seal when done rolling. Sprinkle buttered area with cinnamon, brown sugar, and raisins. Roll up like a jelly roll. Form into  a circle  on greased pan. Make cuts from the outer edge to 3/4 of the way in, about 1 inch apart.  Turn cut sections slightly on side. Let rise until almost double.

Bake at 350 degrees 25-30 min. until golden brown.  May frost or glaze if desired.

Chapter 14- High School

At the beginning of high school, it was mostly a continuation of junior high awkwardness for me, with the added problem of being in the same building with my dad! As head of the Foreign Language Dept. at Hinsdale Central, he would often find out what I got on my tests before I did! There were some perks though, he could tell us which teachers were best for certain subjects, and we could all ride there together in one car if we wanted, though this also made getting everyone in and out of the single bathroom we had quite hectic in the morning.

During my sophomore year, I started dating, the first was a fellow teacher’s brat that I knew better than most because we vacationed at his family's cottages near Hayward, WI. That started my real social life of parties,and getting to know other people in band, choir and drama. I sung in concert choir and was considered good enough to get some voice lessons, but never got solos or leads. Some friends were on stage crew, so I joined them. It was a blast, so many things go into a show: building sets, sound, lights, props, curtains, moving sets. I got to try nearly all of it. We also had great parties, often pot luck dinners. My lasagna was in demand. I did it all the hard way then, cooking the noodles, making my own sauce.  I still like to make my own sauce, but the recipe at the end of this chapter saves a few dishes at least.

While not letting on to most of my friends, I continued getting As in most classes, even calculus. Didn't like it, don’t remember a bit of it, but I could do it. Computer programming was more fun, we were lucky to have the chance to take that, but the classes were quite small. In the first year we were using Fortran and punch cards, by my second year we had moved on to Basic and cassette tapes. The assignment I remember most vividly was moving a knight around a chess board in such a way that it covered every square, but never twice. It took me a while but I got it. While I didn't choose this direction, unfortunately it seems, it is still fairly easy for me to think in terms of flow charts.

I liked my language and literature classes , and most aspects of social studies, too, but was most fascinated by sciences. Our chemistry classes with Mr. Hake were like going to stand up comedy performances! To this day I remember him saying “Fluorine is the brazen hussy of the elements, she’ll combine with anything”  One December day, we had a lab to do involving boiling a sugar solution and “protein pellets” I think I was the first to figure out we were making peanut brittle! So between liking science and having a strong interest in food and nutrition, and thinking cousin Laurie’s job sounded really cool, I chose to major in Dietetics.

The grading system changed while I was at Hinsdale Central, at some point they awarded an extra point for getting an A in advanced placement classes. This left them unable to figure out who was really valedictorian, so they named a 14-way tie, which included me, but a better speaker got to give the commencement address. Diane distinguished herself in a different way, she had mostly As too, but also got it all done in 3 years so we graduated together. Uncle Clay and Grandpa Nelson had passed on by this time, but Auntie was there to share the day with us.

L to R, me, Auntie, Diane

                         Minimal Mess Lasagna

adapted from a church cookbook
Serving Size: 12

-= Ingredients =-
1 pound Ground beef
1/2 Onion ; minced
1 quart Pasta sauce
12 ounce Lasagna noodles
1 cup Cottage cheese ; 2% fat
16 ounce Moreland cheese ; shredded
1/2 cup Parmesan ; grated
1 1/2 cups Hot water

-= Instructions =-
Brown ground beef with onion, drain excess fat.

Place enough sauce in bottom of 9 x 13 pan to just coat it. Add a layer of uncooked noodles. Cover with about half of the ground beef. Sprinkle with 1/2 of  cottage cheese, the 1/3 of mozzarella, and then 1/3 of remaining sauce. Repeat. Cover with a layer of noodles and press down gently. Pour 1/2 of hot water over all, cover with remaining sauce and then remaining mozzarella, then parmesan. Pour in rest of hot water around edges.

Cover with foil and bake at 350, 45 min- 1 hr. Remove foil and bake 20-30 min more until bubbly.

Chapter 13- Halloween

Halloween was a major holiday for kids when I was growing up. Trick or treating was practiced with enthusiasm and endurance! Diane and I would each carry a large grocery bag or pillowcase as we headed 5 blocks in either direction, no little plastic pumpkin would cut it for the kind of haul we planned on. It was probably when we were old enough to go with just each other that we did so well we had to make a pit stop at home and empty the bag so we could start over. Neighbors left their lights on so we would know it was a house you could stop at; we knew that we should skip completely dark houses- either no one was home or they wished not to be bothered. Most homes had a jack o’ lantern or two as well, but store bought decorations were not yet common. We always had at least two jack o’ lanterns so Diane and I could each design one, but even when we were old enough to do some of the carving, I think mom and dad got stuck with the worst of the pumpkin cleaning.

2010 jack o lantern, I do the cleaning and carving now

We were lucky to usually have one of a kind costumes sewn by our mother. I think the first year that I was a witch, Diane was Little Red Riding Hood. I really liked my witch costume and stuck with it for quite a few years, though I’m sure larger versions had to be made. As mentioned before, I may have been influenced by Samantha on Bewitched, but I was also proud of my ability to cackle properly like the Wicked Witch of the West. Diane went for more variety, I think she was Arnold the Pig from Green Acres one year- my mother made a fabulous paper mache pig head.

After we’d made the rounds, the sorting and bargaining began. There were some things we were willing to trade, but no one was giving up their Snickers or Milky Ways! Sadly, in later years, we also had to look for signs of tampering. When we were very young, my mother had often made popcorn balls to hand out. Then some psychopaths started putting razor blades in popcorn balls and certain kinds of candy, so my mother stopped making them for other people- they would have no way to know if they were safe. Packaged candy could be checked , so everyone went that route. However, incidents like this probably started the decline in trick or treating; the door to door style was much less popular when my own kids started, though there were still parties and hayrides, so it was still a big candy pig-out.

We think our mother used this recipe from Betty Crocker to make the popcorn balls. Popcorn had to be made in a pan on the stove back then, there were no microwaves or air poppers. You would heat some non-smoking oil such as peanut oil in heavy skillet, put in 2 kernels, cover, and when they popped, add the rest , cover quickly and shake the pan frequently to pop them evenly. The only kind of convenience popcorn was Jiffy Pop, which was a foil pan full of popcorn with a foil lid that expanded with the popcorn as it popped, but it still had to be used on a stove. In searching for an image of this, it seems these are still being sold for campfires. I have also heard popping corn the old fashioned way is making a comeback as people don’t like the chemicals in microwave popcorn.

Popcorn Balls
Makes 12-15 large balls

7 cups popped corn
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. Vanilla

Put popcorn in an extra large bowl. Mix sugar, water, syrup, salt & butter in a saucepan. Cook to 250 degrees or until a few drops form a hard ball when dropped into cold water. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Pour in thin stream over corn, stirring constantly. Mix well. With buttered hands, form into balls.

Chapter 12-School Days

I have always looked forward to September, my favorite season of fall begins and for most of the Septembers of my childhood, I was actually excited to go back to school. I genuinely liked reading and learning, and got good grades easily. My mother gave me a good jump start by teaching me to read a little before kindergarten. Not that it was completely utopian, there were still nasty boys trying to bully us on the way home, or the occasional times I’d get in trouble for sticking my foot in my mouth. Some teachers liked me better than others and vice versa. But I still love the smell of freshly sharpened pencils.

We had to wear dresses or skirts to school in the 1960s. My mom sewed a lot of these, and I can tell from photos they were both cute and practical.  I don't recall anything frilly or princess-like unless it was a costume for a play or Halloween. Nor did the dresses look anything like adult clothing, they were clothes you could play in, and we did have recess twice a day that involved a fair amount of running, climbing and ball games. Finally in 1970, the Powers That Be decided we could wear pants on cold winter days, and by the next year I think they were allowed in all seasons. As we approached the teenage years, my mother did not try to sew as many of our clothes; besides, Diane and I liked a trip to the mall to see how well we could do with a set amount of money to spend. Sometimes that caused us to buy a shared item, and that was known to lead to fights over who got to wear it first!

2nd grade, home sewn dress

We had progressive reading classes, so I did not get bored by being stuck with work that was too easy. Later , there was progressive math too. I did not enjoy math as much , but was persuaded to go advanced in 6th grade so I could get out of taking it later. We chosen few gathered around telephones with headsets and a thing called a telewriter, and Mr. Nugent would teach us remotely from a nearby junior high. Computers were not yet common and PCs did not exist at all, so this was really state of the art technical stuff! But the coolness factor did not make up for the tedium of being drilled on equations every day. The “take it now so you don’t have to later” argument repeated until I got all the way to calculus in high school, and then finally got to college and discovered I already had more math than I needed for my major!

Homework was not too intense in early grade school; I remember being able to spend time playing before settling down to do it, and then still having time for TV after supper. As the pace picked up in later grade school, Diane and I could look forward to our homework helper- Muffin was a master of sitting on the papers or books we had spread out on the kitchen table. Sometimes we would whip up a batch of cookies to fuel ourselves. The early 1970s was also when my mother went back to work, her teaching certificate was no longer current, so she started at a florist until she could get it reinstated. I think she liked the creative aspects of that job.

Muffin "reading" also shows sofa reupholstering in progress

 So around this time, it often became easier to have supper on time if Diane or I pitched in to make it. We were quite competent at it, though we weren't attempting anything complex. I remember Tator Tot Casserole being a very popular thing at the time though I now see it as the American food industry’s messed up version of Shepherd’s Pie. I still make it sometimes, and the cast iron skillet option is my own idea to save dish washing. My mother never used them, she had some paranoid notion that they were unsanitary! Once in college I learned that they actually do add iron to the food cooked in them. Since I’d had some trouble with anemia when I was younger, I decided cast iron skillets were good insurance against a recurrence.

               

                          Tator Tot Casserole

Recipe By: don't know where my mother got it from! Everyone was making it.
Serving Size: 4

-= Ingredients =-
1 pound Ground beef ; or ground turkey
1/2 cup Onion ; chopped
1 can (12 oz) Cream of Mushroom soup ; or cream of celery
1/2 cup Milk
Salt & pepper ; to taste
1 pound Green Beans ; frozen, thawed, or fresh in season
1 package Tator tots

-= Instructions =-
This is one of those recipes that works great in the cast iron skillet, you can go from browning to combining to  oven in one dish.

Preheat  oven to 350.

Brown ground meat with chopped onion, Drain if needed.

Stir in soup, milk, salt & pepper to taste. Stir in green beans,

Cover with tator tots and bake about 30 min until tots are heated through and crispy