Some Dapper and Dreamy Music

Today, I don't really have a particular point in my post.  I just wanted to share a few songs that I've enjoyed over the last couple of days.

First, a new favorite that's hard to tire of...  If this doesn't make you want to share a moonlit dance with your own dapper or dreamy one, nothing will!

And next...  This afternoon I had the chance to get our little Max to sleep.  This is always a treat and only really happens when Dreamy is away.  Today, she went to see The Artist (again) with our daughter, and it was up to me to dance Max around the room until he fell asleep.  You must understand that Max doesn't like to sleep alone, so his nap becomes your nap, or at least a chance to lay quietly for an hour and a half, reading a book or watching a movie.  This is one of the things I like about Max, and have enjoyed about all the rest of our children...  Not that I've trained them this way so that I could get plenty of reading time in...

To pass the time, I put on A Star is Born...  the only "real" version, that being Judy Garland's triumph.  I know some people don't care much for Judy.  Her voice is grating to some, and her movements and facial expressions can sometimes seem overwrought.  But, you've got to give her credit.  Who else can, or ever has been, able to sing like that?  A Star is Born showcases some her greatest songs of all time, including The Man That Got Away and Swanee.  In fact, I think a song like Swanee shows just why this woman was such a star.  Certainly not the best looking star to come out of Hollywood, and with a figure that challenged every costume designer that tried to invent a waistline for the diminutive actress, Judy Garland was nothing if not an absolutely fabulous entertainer.  Swanee is a showtune - it has absolutely no connection to anything that a viewer would have experienced.  It's lyrics aren't sentimental or moving, and they don't contain any particular message.  Rather, the whole piece, and it's a long one, is designed to highlight the singing, dancing and humor of Judy.  Despite all that it lacks, it's one of the most show-stopping numbers to come out of the Hollywood musical, and it leaves you marveling at how much talent one person can have.  As far as The Man That Got Away...  well, if you don't think Judy Garland can sing after hearing this, you never will.

So, here are a few of my favorite pieces from A Star is Born.  Maybe we'll highlight this as a film of the week in the near future...

Finally, here's a little piece that I first heard on a vintage Walt Disney presentation about Disneyland after dark.  It's a great piece and I can't seem to get it out of my head...

Movie of the Week... The Egg and I

Every now and then, we remember a film that we particularly love and just haven't seen for some time.  The Egg and I is just that kind of movie.

Several people are familiar with the Ma and Pa Kettle films of the 1950's, but what you might not know is that The Egg and I is the movie that started it all.  Although not the central characters, Ma and Pa Kettle are introduced to us as neighbors of Bob and Betty, a big city couple that tries their hand at farming in the great northwest.

The Egg and I is based on the book of the same name, written by Betty MacDonald.  While somewhat fictionalized, it is the story of Betty's attempts to reconcile herself to life on the dilapidated farm her husband surprises her with just after their wedding.  One of the most delightful aspects of the film is the transformation their shack goes through.  Even worse than a fixer-upper, it looks more like a tearer-downer when Betty first sees it.  Bob agrees that it could do with a "lick of paint", and what paint they must use!  By the time we see the couple again, they are in a house so charming and civilized, one might think that William Haines himself was in charge of the redo.

It would be hard for me to dislike this movie because it has one of my favorite actresses of all time in the lead.  Claudette Colbert is probably too old to be taken seriously as a newlywed, and Fred MacMurray is never very believable, but somehow it works perfectly.  By the time you reach the end, you wouldn't think of Bob and Betty as anyone other than Fred and Claudette.

Another aspect of the film that I particularly enjoy, and a trait that Colbert often displays in movies, is the ability to relate to anyone, no matter how different. Always band-box perfect herself, she never seems to think too highly of herself.  Ma Kettle, played by Marjorie Main, couldn't be less like Betty.  Hair askew, house destroyed by a flock of wild but lovable children and chickens and in desperate need of some good foundation garments, Ma Kettle would seem to be the kind of woman that would repulse the charming and ladylike Betty/Claudette.  Far from it.  Betty sees the best in Ma and they become fast friends, even working together to get the eldest Kettle son into the local agricultural college.  Percy Kilbride as Pa Kettle also milks his role to the utmost.  No man could be lazier, or more able to sponge off his new and unsuspecting neighbors, but in such a way that they seem to like him all the better for it.  In fact, The Egg and I is filled with funny and unexpected characters including a guard dog afraid of his own shadow, some very politically incorrect Indians and a woman who likes to pay unannounced visits to her neighbors with her husband...  although he has been dead for several years.

The Egg and I is the kind of movie your whole family will enjoy.  It's funny, it's clever and it has heart.  It might also get you hooked on the later Ma and Pa Kettle series.  While completely silly, the Kettles are genuinely funny and the situations they find themselves in will keep you guessing.

Accentuate the Positive!

Rather than writing about style, food, movies, books or the famous, I wanted to touch on something just a little bit more profound today...  But, just a little.

We are, as you may remember, in the middle of a little redo here at the Dapper and Dreamy house.  This spruce up seems to have required copious amounts of spray paint.  In fact, I spent rather a lot of time outside trying to turn bare wood into brightly colored inspiration.  At one point, a neighbor walked by with a friendly, "Good morning!", as he started his daily walk.

If there's one thing I don't really enjoy, it's painting.  Spray painting is a little bit better than the dreadful wall and roller variety, but after a while, it's all the same.  And when you can't move the tip of your index finger anymore, you know that you've done your bit. 

So, it was with a rather long-faced attitude that I continued my task.  Some time later, actually a long time later, the neighbor walked by once again and with a little chuckle said, "Well you certainly are making good progress!"  Now, by this point I was feeling a little bit woozy from the smell of several cans of Krylon, and didn't care if I ever saw the color chartreuse again.  But, his friendly comment made me think.  A moment before, all I'd seen was the work to be done.  The several coats of red, white and gold paint that it would take to finish the job.  What I didn't notice, but my neighbor did, was the progress I'd already made.

This, my friends, is how I sometimes look at life.  I am a fairly productive person.  I do all sorts of things throughout the day.  But, having said that, I very often only see what remains to be done.  I may have spent the afternoon writing and editing a white paper for a client, designing some notecards, completing an illustration or two for one of my books, and cooking dinner and dessert for ten.  What I often see at the end of that is all that I could have done and didn't and all that I should really get done tomorrow.  Too often it seems that it's what remains that counts, not what's been done.  Unfortunately, this can only lead to a sense that one hasn't accomplished a single thing which, in the vast majority of our lives, it completely untrue.

So, I am determined to change my outlook.  From now on, I will try to focus on the progress I've made, however small, each day.  Join me!  Look at what you've done, not what you've left undone.  Look at how you've moved toward a better you each day, however small, even virtually imperceptible, that advancement might have been.  Notice what contributions you've made to the lives of others, if you really consider it, you might just be surprised at the good you've done.

Do you think my neighbor realizes his friendly small talk made me stop and think?  Do you think he knows that, because of those few pleasant words, he helped to turn my mood and outlook around?  I doubt it.  But this just proves that in our smallest acts, there is great power.  So, let's use that power for good!  Be good to yourself, and be good to your neighbors.

Color and Retro Decorating

We've lived in the Dapper and Dreamy house for over twelve years now, and it still provides fresh inspiration and a willing canvas for our creativity.  Some have suggested that we might have lost some square footage over the years, largely due to the amount of paint that has been applied to the walls, but I think they are just jealous of the fearlessness with which we have thrown color around.  The living room started as a standard white...  It's gone through several yellows, one almost chartreuse, as well as a red or two.  For the past few years it's been painted Snickerdoodle, a cream that seemed soothing and subdued originally, but has now become just plain boring.

I think that, over the years, I've probably had more of a say in the decorating of the living room.  Fortunately, I've liked what's been done (of course).  However, I have not been the most adventurous person, seeming to prefer a cozy but rather staid look.  Traditional, is perhaps the best word.  Dreamy might say "dull".  So, now it's her turn.  She's all about color, and lots of it.  At this very moment, the walls are being coated in a delightful shade called, "Your Highness" - a sort of deep lavender.  It's a color that I wouldn't have picked, so I'm glad that she did.  I reminds me of a room in the Emma series that was recently on PBS.


Your Highness - the new color for the
Dapper and Dreamy living room.


When it comes to color in rooms, we just aren't as adventurous as we once were.  Have you looked at old decorating books?  A current favorite is the Better Homes and Gardens Decorating Book from 1961.  Color abounds!  So do valuable tips on lamp and picture placement, the sizes and shapes of chairs and clever room arrangements.  While I might not want to opt for some of the crazier retro ideas that were suggested, I am glad to be reminded that there is some science to a beautiful room.

But, let's get back to color...  Below are some illustrations from the above mentioned BHG Decorating Book.  I've always wanted to have just one or two rooms that I could decorate exactly like they would have been done in this time period, preferably a living room - the kind that's only used for "special" occasions.  I know, we are supposed to love rooms that looked lived in, and I do, for the most part.  But the idea of a room, always perfectly kept, serene, just the right temperature and without the distraction of TV and noise, sounds heavenly to me.  Of course, there's absolutely no chance of such a room being found in my own house where every inch of space is used almost constantly, but one can dream! 

Formal?  Absolutely.  Child-friendly?
Absolutely not.  But check out that
yellow couch and gold curtains!

To me, these kinds of rooms always seem to be in those large, immaculately kept ranch-style homes of the '50s and '60s, usually lived in by the older set with few, if any, little messy people to "rearrange" and "redecorate".  In fact, one such house that always sticks in my mind is the home of an elderly couple I knew of when I was very small.  They lived a few houses away from our own in Corvallis, and I was always welcomed there...  at least by Mrs. Smith (I can't remember their name, actually, so Mrs. Smith it will be).  Mr. Smith was quite a different story.  He was a smallish man that always wore a golf cap a la Bing Crosby.  In my mind he looks rather like Stanley Roper from Three's Company and was about as friendly.  Mr. Smith could almost always be found in the sunroom, which seemed to be the real living room of the house, watching television and reading the paper.  The only other place I saw him was in his perfectly kept backyard, spraying yellow roses and grimacing at me.  I can also vividly remember the cigarette lazily dangling from the corner of his mouth.  From time to time, I passed by their front room, which was just as I've described above - perfectly clean, perfectly cool and completely undisturbed by the process of living.  To me, during a rather unsettled childhood, it seemed like a haven.

I've never been able to achieve a room like this, but there's good reason for that, eight good reasons, actually.  However, I can imagine a time in my life when I might have that perfectly quiet place - "A place for everything and everything in its place..." - and might just want a little of that mess and noise back.

For now...  Enjoy a trip back in time to the colorful world of home decorating...

My favorite room of all in this lovely book...  Love those
green chairs and the blue and white sofa.  Actually,
there's not a single think I don't like.  I wonder if one
could recreate a room like this today?

Here I go with the blue again.  The arrangement
reminds me of the Green Room of the White House
for some reason.  Wouldn't this be a lovely
room to sit and read in?

OK, so it's a little stark...  if you can say that about any
room with chartreuse upholstery!  But it is awfully tidy,
and that can be a nice thing.

Does anyone use this color combination anymore?  And if not,
why?  This room looks bandbox fresh and has a warmly
charming look.  Even the dark grey walls don't seem...
well, dark.

I really like this rather autumnal room.  The grey and floral
chintz is unique and lovely.  Have you even noticed that
in those fabulous movies of the late 40's and 50's most
of the walls are grey?  Yet, the rooms never seem drab
because virtually every color looks good with this
background.

From Upstairs, Downstairs to Downton Abbey... Some Favorite Domestic Miniseries

For millions around the world, Downton Abbey has become a new obsession and, in the interest of full disclosure, we're part of that group.  We were fortunate to be able to catch up with the entire first season over two nights (thank you Netflix Instant Queue!) and then bought the second season, eager to see what becomes of our favorite characters.  Now, having watched both seasons twice, we are left with at least nine months in which to ponder and speculate.  Will Mary and Matthew get married?  Will Mr. Bates be acquitted?  What hilarious barbs with the Dowager Countess come up with?  And that's just a few of the characters.  There are many more that beg almost as much interest.  I, for one, am convinced that Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes are destined for the altar.

In our house, several of us are interested in the goings-on at Downton Abbey.  The first to discover the show was my eighteen year old daughter.  She is very possessive of the programs that she enjoys and, for some time, forbid us to watch it.  This isn't the first show our teen queen has claimed for her own, but we weren't playing along this time.  Although we've seen all of the episodes, she's one for delayed gratification and waits for just the right moment to tune in.  That would be well and good, except for the fact that her eight year old brother has also been watching and delights in taunting her with details that she hasn't actually seen yet.  Some are real but, more amusingly, others are not.  For example, Lady Mary and Mr. Carson aren't really getting married and the Dowager Countess is not in love with Mr. Bates.

My favorite Downton Abbey character - the Dowager
Countess, played by Dame Maggie Smith.  Remember her
as "Poor Aunt Charlotte" in A Room With a View?

Downton Abbey isn't the first "domestic" series that I've enjoyed, although it might be the best yet.  I say that even as a devoted viewer of the original Upstairs, Downstairs series.  While it was made just before I was born, I'd heard about it for years before I actually saw it.  My brother and sister, ten and eight years older than me, had loved it and were happy to share it with me.  I now own the entire series and delve into it from time to time.  I still love the stories of Mr. Hudson, Mrs. Bridges and Rose, Lord Bellamy, Lady Marjorie and Elizabeth.  I adored the sets and, for a couple of years, was considering the idea of being a butler.  I think I've alluded to trying to set up a bell system in our rented duplex as a child.  This was, of course, directly related to my fascination with this Edwardian master and servant drama.  Although there was a new Upstairs, Downstairs series on recently, I couldn't watch more than a bit.  The idea of checking in at 165 Eaton Place is more tempting than the reality proved to be.  To be entirely honest, I think the show lost a bit when Lady Marjorie went down with the Titanic, and it never quite got it back.

The original Upstairs, Downstairs cast with
Lord Richard and Lady Marjorie
Bellamy front and center in the front hall
at 165 Eaton Place.  Mr. Hudson, the redoubtable
butler, is in the center of the back row, Mrs. Bridges,
the ideal of an Edwardian cook, to the left in her
pink dress and starched white apron.

My favorite episode of all time had to be Guest of Honour.  In this installment that King himself (Edward VII) was coming to dinner with "la favorita", Alice Keppel.  I think I know the menu by heart and can see Mrs. Bridges meeting with Lady Marjorie to work it all out.  You'll also see one of the loveliest cakes ever in this episode...  I've always wanted to make one that looked like it.  It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Upstairs, Downstairs did nothing but encourage my love of cooking, royalty and Britain in general.  Although it looks a little dated now, especially when compared with Downton Abbey, it still has a charm all its own, and the performances are genuine.  I can't imagine that Gordon Jackson wasn't really Mr. Hudson or that Angela Baddeley wasn't really a gruff but lovable cook dressed in pink and white, slaving over Baron of Lamb for the king, himself.

The Upstairs, Downstairs, theme conducted by

the composer...  Anyone who loves this show will

instantly recognize the tune and remember all

sorts of wonderful moments from the series...

There are, of course, other series and movies that are similar in content to these two, but I don't think any of them have ever approached the level of deserved popularity.  Neither seem to have made the mistake of imposing modern mores and morality on their characters - trying to make their thoughts and actions a means to put across some sort of twenty-first century idea or position.  Rather, we see them as they were.  While we can think that servants and lords and ladies are anachronisms, and to be sure some of the characters see it that way themselves, we can also come to understand why the system worked and worked well at times.  While I'd never want to be in service to a family for all of my life, for some that were there was security and a sense of belonging that they might not have achieved elsewhere. 

Putting all of these high-minded ideals aside, both Downton Abbey and Upstairs, Downstairs are delightfully fun to watch.  Through them, we see a vanished way of life where people dressed for tea and again for dinner.  A time when rules of conduct were strict, but clearly laid out, and where everyone had a part to play, however limiting it might have been.  The sets, clothes and music aren't bad either!  In fact, they're all rather dapper and dreamy!

A few favorite moments with the Dowager Countess...

P.S.  If you can ever find the Upstairs, Downstairs novels by John Hawkesworth, among others, pick them up and read them...  They echo the series but give marvelous background on characters like Mr. Bellamy, Mr. Hudson, Rose and others...

New Dapper and Dreamy Couple

Here's the new Dapper and Dreamy couple to see us through this season...  Enjoy them, as well as a few Irish blessings in the sidebar on the left!

Another New Addition to the Fabric Line... Downton Toile!

Our new Downton toile...

We're excited to show you another one of our delightful fabric designs for the upcoming Dapper and Dreamy line!  This one is called the Downton Toile and should appeal to those of you who are die-hard fans of the wonderful Masterpiece series.  We'll let you know when and where it's available as soon as we have the final details.

New Fabric Line Coming Soon!

Detail of one of the fabrics in our
new "Jubilee" line, soon to be
available through Spoonflower!

Dapper and Dreamy is excited to announce that we are launching a new fabric line.  While the designs will be available for purchase by the yard through Spoonflower, we expect that this product will largely be used by us to produce some charming things for you and your homes!

Stay tuned for more information!

February 14...

The real Dapper and
Dreamy couple.

I am afraid that I am not among the legions of men waiting in line to buy roses or boxes of candy, today.  It's nothing personal against my dreamy wife, we just aren't really Valentine's Day people.  We're in love every day and love to do things for each other all the time, so the "big day" just isn't that exciting for us.  Like Mother's Day and Father's Day, it sometimes seems a little manufactured and pressure never did make for real romance.  Feeling that you must be thoughtful and romantic makes it virtually impossible to be so... and isn't one of the biggest parts of thoughtfulness and romance the spontaneity of it?

Like most holidays, we like the fun of getting ready, but the day itself isn't the exciting part.  There are things that we do like about Valentine's Day, however...  we are not completely unromantic!  Heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink and red icing, Reese's peanut butter hearts, homemade Valentine's and some favorite old romantic movies are sure favorites.  We've just had Love in the Afternoon on and, now, I can hear An Affair to Remember playing in the other room. 

The Valentine's season brings back happy memories of my childhood, as well.  Recollections of studying the life of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington and, since February 14 is Oregon's birthday, our state's history come to mind.  I remember elementary school being particularly fun around this time.

Speaking of Abraham Lincoln and elementary school, I well remember a book that I was first introduced to in second grade.  Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin D'Aulaire, first published in 1940, created an everlasting image of one of the greatest Americans.  The illustrations are absolutely fantastic, and the story is written charmingly.  I try to read the book to my own kids each year.  To me, it's one of those volumes that helped me to see Lincoln as the hero that he was.  It often seems that we are so determined to know everything about the lives of men like this in the hope of humanizing them, that we pay more attention to what made them "ordinary".  This seems particularly unfortunate for children who might not be able to judge the nuances in the lives of the people they are reading about.  In my view, the fact that the great men and women of history dealt their personal challenges as well as their public achievements makes them truly remarkable. 

Today also happens to be the anniversary of one of the great events in the history of America's first ladies.  Some of you may remember watching the February 14, 1962, program, A Tour of the White House with Mrs. John F. Kennedy.  While we are used to seeing our president's wives on shows from Diff'rent Strokes (Nancy Reagan) to iCarly (Michelle Obama), America just wasn't accustomed to this kind of thing.  In an effort to increase support for her restoration of the White House, Mrs. Kennedy agrees to take Americans through the presidential residence.  While today it might look rather stiff, and Jackie's voice a little too breathy, it was groundbreaking for its time.  It also helped Americans to understand and appreciate the importance of the White House in the nation's life.  Explaining that she felt that the mansion and the activities conducted there should show the very best that America had to offer, Mrs. Kennedy helped to downplay any criticism that she was simply "redecorating" on the taxpayer's dime.  While other first ladies have worked just as hard (some even harder) at improving the White House collection, Jackie Kennedy will always be remembered for dramatically bringing the issue to the public's attention.

So, Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours...  Celebrate love, romance and friendship but, if you really want to be dapper and dreamy, don't limit your efforts to just today!

Loving Your Body... It's Dapper and Dreamy

A good reason to gain weight...  The Aga Khan got
his weight in gold every year!

Don't worry, Dapper and Dreamy hasn't moved into a new and shocking realm.  Additionally, we still stand by our promise not to preach about anything but, well, dapper and dreamy things.  Having said that, we certainly do want to encourage people to live happy and fulfilling lives and, to that end, we wanted to take a moment to talk about an issue that seems to be before us each and every day.

Our local weekly entertainment newspaper recently ran an issue highlighting the topic of "loving your body".  And, as usual, many of the articles dealt with how to have less of a body to love.  More and more, the focus on "health" and living up to the ideal is being thrust upon us.  We seem to live in a world where the greatest compliment we can pay one another is, "You look like you've lost some weight!".  Well, I say that it's time to stop this nonsense.

In a recent conversation with someone near and dear (I'm not mentioning you by name, mom), I was happily going on about how, after many years, I've finally been able to accept that there are just some things I'm probably not going to do, and that was just fine.  One of the things I mentioned was that I was unlikely to lose 50 pounds.  The response, after a very pregnant pause?  "Well, you could..."  Now, I am sure that no offense was intended, and only a very little was taken, but even I couldn't afford to lose 50 pounds (rrrright mom???) and, even if I did, would it really change my life for the better?  I'm not sure, but I doubt it.  Even as a somewhat younger and thinner version of myself, I wasn't particularly impressed with my appearance and, knowing myself, taking away one area of concern will only open up room for others.

I believe that it was Kate Moss who said, "Nothing tastes better than thin...", or something similar.  Well, I'm willing to bet that Kate hasn't tasted the new Peanut Butter Bash at Dairy Queen.  The fact is, there's far more to health, beauty and fitness than the number on the scale or what size your waist is.  If we were to add up all the minutes we've spent worrying about things like our receding hairlines, our crow's feet our our ever expanding midsections, imagine the books we could have written or read, the music we could have played or enjoyed and the people whose company we might have enjoyed.  Even more depressing, for many of us, is that our constant concern rarely equals measurable results. 

What fun it would be to look in the mirror and count all of the positive things we see...  What are our best features?  Why not play them up instead of consistently highlighting those things that (almost) all of us would like to change.  In reality, our bodies are miracles in action.  Imagine all of the minuscule things that must work properly to keep us upright!  Our bodies, regardless of their size or relative attractiveness, are works of art.  And, imagine how our children would be impacted if we consistently sent that message.

Lest you think that this is a purely feminine issue, take a look at the covers of men's magazines.  Believe me, we're inundated with the same messages of perfection as you are and, if we listen, it can be awfully depressing.  Waist size, chest size and six-pack abs...  I'm a long way from perfection.  Or, am I?  Just who is the idiot who set up this idea that we should all be excruciatingly thin, perpetually buff and endlessly tanned?  And, given that more than 90% of the population doesn't fit this description, why are we buying into it?  It's just sad to hear so many perfectly wonderful people go on about how "fat" they are, how old they're looking or how desperately they need some major surgical intervention to be presentable.

Here's what I think, and it's only my opinion...  life is too short to spend so much time worrying about every inch and pound.  Yes, be healthy!  Yes, eat well and exercise!  But do it for the joy of it, not for some unattainable and scurrilous goal of "perfection".  Success is far more than the number on the scale or the label on your trousers.  Here at Dapper and Dreamy, we like you just the way you are.  Being dapper and dreamy means taking what you've got and using it to your best advantage.  It means having confidence in yourself and using that confidence to enrich the lives of others.  Be interesting, be funny, be kind, be charming!  Would you rather spend a few hours with someone devastatingly handsome but deadly dull, or someone rather homely but endlessly fascinating?  And, take heart, most of us are too busy worrying about our own lacklustre appearance to even consider what anyone else looks like.

So, next time you want to pay someone a real compliment, why not comment on their kindness, their friendliness, the color of their eyes, their parenting ability, their fabulous style...  any one of a thousand things that really highlight what makes them special.

Jackie Kennedy Notecards... Coming Soon to the Dapper and Dreamy Shop!

Set of Eight

Jackie Kennedy

Notecards



How to Share Your Thoughts and Comments About the Dapper and Dreamy Life

I've received several notes from people wondering why there aren't more comments on the site.  There could be many answers to this question, but I know that at least one of the reasons is related to ease of use, or the lack thereof.  I've been told that leaving comments can sometimes be a challenge.  Well, let's change that!
You can now find us on Facebook.  Just search for Dapper and Dreamy and join the conversation about the good life.  Also, if you have comments about the blog, please feel free to post them there or you may now email us directly at DapperandDreamy@yahoo.com!

We want to hear what you are thinking and what you are interested in...  We also want to hear about your ideas and experiences with the dapper and dreamy life!

Old Cape Cod

Hello fair readers...  Just a quick note to let you know that during this unfortunate spell of sickness, I am greatly enjoying reading Gladys Taber's My Own Cape Cod.  The title of this book reminds me of a favorite song eponymously called Old Cape Cod.  So...  enjoy this little musical moment.

Sick and Sleepy, Not Dapper and Dreamy

I'm afraid that the winter yuck has taken hold at the Dapper and Dreamy house.  And, there's nothing I'd like more than a giant bag of my aunt and mom's Spritz Cookies to eat right now.  However, Christmas is long past and I'll have to settle for the memory.  But, as a homage to the beloved Spritz, enjoy this repost of an old article from my other, and less active, blog, The Wide World of Jake...



Well, Christmastime has come and gone and, if you're at all like me, you can't wait until the next yuletide season! Of course, there's lots of fun to be had in the meantime, but nothing beats Christmas in my book. For me, the best time of year starts on September 24 (my birthday!) and ends on December 31. Perhaps there is nothing I like better about the holiday season than the gift my mom and aunt put together for us each year. There's always a huge basket with lots of delicious homemade treats. And, in that basket, nothing is better than the much loved Spritz cookie...

An Ode to Spritz Cookies

By Jacob Gariepy, Poet?

Oh dear Spritz cookies, how I love thee so much,
So buttery and crispy and light to the touch.
How I could sit upon my bed and eat thee bite by bite,
All morning, all evening, and all through the night.

The tiny green trees leaving nothing to waste,
Their rich delicious aroma and wonderful taste,
The wee bitty stars and teeny pink wreaths,
Makes me so happy right down to my knees.

How I like to take you and pick you apart,
The taste of each cookie warmeth my heart.
As I munch and crunch and chew every bite,
I know nothing more fun, not by day or by night.

But then, at last, the tragic moment draws near,
The bag, once so full, is now empty, I fear.
And now for more Spritz cookies, I simply must wait,
Until next Christmas night, what a deplorable fate.

Give Me the Simple Life: The Joys and Perils of Nostalgia

You might have noticed that I like to look back.  Many of the things I write about are old things, "vintage" things.  Whether it's old magazines, old movies and books or old customs, the past holds great fascination for me.  One of my favorite magazines in Reminisce.  It's both entertaining and educational.  It gives one the opportunity to here about the things real people did and how it impacted them.  It's kind of like listening to your parents and grandparents, well, reminisce.

Looking back can give us a great sense of comfort, especially when we think of the good times we've had and the good people we've known.  It's also fun to see what people were eating and wearing, talking about and listening to, decades ago.  How did past generations celebrate happy events and holidays?  How did they respond to challenges and sadness?  The past can be a great guide to the future. But, there are stumbling blocks when we hearken back to the "simple life".  In the glow of nostalgia, the "old days" can seem happier and better, safer and more secure when, in reality, the opposite it probably more accurate.

Take the 1950's as an example.  There's a lot to love about that decade.  I Love Lucy, Leave it to Beaver and Father Knows Best,  Ike and Mamie in the White House, a new Queen is crowned in England, a strong post-war economy and, if many of the elderly people I know are correct, children actually listened to their parents.  Certainly, there are many things from the 50's that I gladly incorporate into our lives.  All of those delightful television shows are more available now than they were when they were new and, if there's any music from the period that you particularly like, you can download it day or night.

Sure, there was Ike and Mamie...

But there was also "Duck and Cover".

What we don't often recall about that decade, or any other, are the things that made it less than perfect.  The Cold War, air raid drills and shelters, diseases that today are not only curable but, in some cases entirely cured, could be deadly.  And then there is the relatively minor (a tiny bit of sarcasm there) fact that a sizable number of Americans couldn't even vote and were treated so poorly that they were forcibly segregated to separate public spaces.  Today, we have a president who, in certain parts of the country, wouldn't have been served fifty or sixty years ago.  Regardless of what you think about politics, you've got to admit - that's progress.

I am reminded of a scene in Midnight in Paris where main character comes to the realization that everyone, always, has looked back to some other age as a better, more exciting, time.  The present may seem dull and lacking in the charm of the past, but only if we pick and choose what we look at.  For all the many problems we face in our lives, today is, perhaps, the best time yet...  and it always has been.

Here's an example...  just a little thing.  I love many, many old movies.  Naturally, seeing these films, one might think how wonderful it would have been to have lived in this golden age of film.  All of these great movies new and on the big screen!  The first problem with that idea is that, yes, you could see your favorite movie in the movie palace of your choice.  But, after its first run was over you might not see it again for decades, and then only as the feature on the late, late movie.  Today, if you like a film, you can watch it over and over again.  And, believe me, we do.

Going to the movies is fun...

But, being able to watch your
favorite classic movie anytime,
anywhere isn't so bad either!
(The TCM App for Ipod)

Take the idea of safety as another example.  A couple of weeks ago, staying in a hotel, I was able to watch a little cable TV, something we don't have at home.  To watch the "news" channels and the melodramatic hosts of the investigative programs, one would think the world was a dark and murderous place where evil lurks around every corner.  Tragic, but isolated, events were made to seem like national crises.  But, it's not really real.  Our neighbors are the same neighbors we've had for centuries - not evil-doers hiding behind a facade of respectability, but people just like us trying to live a good, respectable life.  Crime is on the decline and has been for decades and, largely due to our awareness of the many things that could befall us, we make ourselves safer.  We've learned about the dangers of smoking, drinking and driving, lead poisoning and a million other dreadfully harmful things that were never thought  of in the past.

Here at Dapper and Dreamy, we want to look to the past for inspiration, for happy remembrances and for all the good that we can take from it.  We also want to embrace the present and enjoy all the advances we've achieved and all the joy of living in the moment.  And, finally, we want to look to the future with hope and excitement, knowing that those that come after us will, one day, look back on today as a "simpler" time.

Simple Flavors - Vanilla

Have you ever seen those taste tests to determine what brand makes the best vanilla?  Or who has the best butter?  I always find studies like this interesting, especially the ones in Cook's Illustrated.  On most occasions, they seem to determine that either the least expensive or, at most, the mid-priced brand, is the best.

The comparison of vanilla was most instructive.  The result?  In many cases, even imitation vanilla is more than adequate.  Huh?  Fake vanilla?  No thank you!  While it might be true, and certainly money-saving, I'd rather spring for the real thing.  Even so, I don't want to pay more than I have to.  So, what's the best vanilla out there?  That's entirely up to you.  In most cases, it's the brand you grew up with.  If it makes your chocolate chip cookie dough taste just like mom's, it's right. 

A few years ago, I became quite the vanilla snob.  I only bought it at Williams-Sonoma and made three trips in one year, just for big bottles of the dark, fragrant extract.  "So what?" you say.  Well, I live in Eugene, Oregon and this particular Williams-Sonoma was in San Francisco.  That's commitment.  To be fair, I didn't go to San Francisco just to buy vanilla, but it's as good a reason as any.

Now, I've gone back to my old brand, Schilling...  Or is it McCormick?  Or, is it Schilling-McCormick?  All I know is that it smells and tastes like vanilla should...  to me.  It's the same kind my mom's always used, and I like the brown bottle and red lid.  I do wish that they'd still sell it in a glass bottle, but I'll live.  Each time my mother would make chocolate chip cookies, I'd be right there to smell that vanilla bottle.  Oh to be so easily entertained again!

Vanilla beans are also great fun to use, and they'll make you feel like a "real" chef.  Slicing the long, brown pod lengthwise and scraping out the millions of teeny tiny seeds with the back of your knife is very satisfying, and it makes whatever you are making look fabulous.  The used pod can be stored with your sugar, adding just a little extra flavor to you favorite pure cane sweetener!

So, what's my point in writing about vanilla?  Well, it's pretty dreamy flavor, if you ask me.  And, it's simple.  Unadorned.  And, that simplicity can be terribly refreshing.  Have you ever tasted a scoop of really, really good vanilla ice cream?  Try it sometime, and make it Ben and Jerry's.  There is no readily available commercial ice cream that beats it for creaminess and real vanilla flavor.  Of course, you can add hot fudge and peanuts, bananas and caramel, or you can put it on top of a fudgy homemade brownie, but the point is that it can be such a delightful thing just on its own.  While constantly looking for new and better, let's not forget the old and better than we remembered. 

And, it's not just ice cream that benefits from good old vanilla.  I made a fabulous custard sauce over the holidays that was flavored with nothing but a vanilla bean and a pinch of salt.  It was heavenly.  And how about whipped cream?  Can you have whipped cream without vanilla?  What would be the point?

Vanilla is the Queen of flavors so, whatever brand you choose to use, buy a big bottle!