Recent Comments

1. about 1 hour ago on Breaking Cat News

   This reminds me of a treat that used to be sold at the park pavilions in Minneapolis back in the early to mid-20th century, and the sad story to go with it.

   “Ice cream taffy,” was a flat rectangle of translucent,chewy taffy/caramel carefully hand-wrapped in wax paper. It came in vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry. A gentleman made it for years from his carefully guarded secret recipe.

   A taffy, and box of real butter popcorn, were “must haves” for anyone who went to the parks back then. Kids grew up on it, and it was a big deal when they would buy the first bar for their kids, and then the grandkids.

   When the fellow was getting older, he suddenly fell ill, maybe in the early 1970s. He tried to give his son the recipe to keep it going, but the son had no interest making it, and didn’t even take the recipe. Tragically, the taffy man died before he could pass on the recipe to someone else.

   So suddenly, it was gone. Poof. The paper even wrote articles about it, and the loss. You can bring just about any Twin Cities resident of a certain age to near tears by mentioning it.

   It was one of those universal cultural touchstone treats that everyone shared and misses.

   I have an old commercial candy cookbook, and I’ve tried a few times to replicate it, and although I came close with the flavor, I think he used was an ingredient that kept it soft and caramel-ly that you can’t get anymore.

2. about 7 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   Oh, thank you for reminding me of this long forgotten staple from my childhood. I didn’t know what Robin meant by Fairy Bread, but now realize it was what my mom would give me when I was sick and had lost my appetite. It was a go-to get me to eat anything to get my strength back. She used butter with granulated sugar on top. It was usually successful. Cinnamon toast was a standard breakfast in our house.

3. about 7 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   I first ran into that name on the menu at a Howard Johnson’s just outside the French Quarter back in the 1970s. A surreal experience. It had changed hands from apparently what was once a luxe hotel. The dining room walls were dark wood carved paneling, covered with impressively framed original Audubon Prints, and a “frenched-up” but otherwise normal HoJo menu. It was a delightful, affordable place to stay, and much nicer than we expected.

4. about 8 hours ago on Breaking Cat News

   Oh, Wonderful!! And really interesting, because my dear heart nearly went to art school, but took a more scientific path. Still, illustration is a big part of the work and the images are stunning.

5. 1 day ago on Bob the Squirrel

   Good eye. I even looked first assuming some should be there, but missed them.

   Funny, this year we finally noticed a couple of lights are out on our 20 year old tree. Trouble is, it was originally flocked and of course, the places it remains most solid is over the burnt out light sockets, so we can’t just pull them out. It will require a sharp implement to scrape off the flocking to free the bulbs.

   Neither of us is inspired to go to that effort. “You can hardly notice.” “Jinx.” Chuckle.

6. 1 day ago on Back in the Day

   This story happened in the middle of the last century. Bro and I are cordial, but not buddies by any means.

   My childhood would have been the home version of Survivor, every child for themself, with emotionally absent mother and father as the puppet-masters. I like to think I won, just by surviving and then my prize, after some young missteps, is leading a very happy life with a loving spouse and a rewarding career.

   My siblings say I got the worst of it. I can see that, and it is a real miracle I lived through it. However, the rest of them haven’t fared as well over the decades, so I think they actually suffered the most long-term damage.

   I always approach them with generosity and kindness. It isn’t always returned, but at least I know I tried. It’s sad, there was a lot of potential in those children all those years ago.

7. 2 days ago on Back in the Day

   Reminds me of the game, “Stuntman,” my older brother taught me when I was in pre-school. I was so excited he wanted to play with me. He sat me down at the top of the main staircase and instructed, “when I snap this rubber-band in your back, roll yourself down the stairs like you’ve been shot.” Mom only let him play one round. Then yelled at me for being so naive. It was my first inkling my brother had a death-wish in for me.

8. 3 days ago on Breaking Cat News

   popping in to quickly offer the answer: 42. There, now we can all get back to the show, tee hee.

9. 3 days ago on Breaking Cat News

   Nod, us too. Plus when the power goes out the landline phone still works.

10. 3 days ago on Breaking Cat News

    It’s the clicky dials I really miss. I visited some friends who had one in their perfect time-capsule mid-mod house. So right back there, I dialed my old/mom’s number. It was wonderful to hear that pattern again. No one answered course… but for just a moment I was a kid again calling up my friends on Saturday morning to go sledding or see the matinee.