Ode to Venus

This is a little poem I wrote about the Venus of Willendorf which is known to be one of the earliest examples of feminine beauty.

"ODE TO VENUS"

Although you were fair in the dim past...

Today you'd be sipping "Slim Fast"...

For when shaped like a ball...

There's no shop in the mall...

Selling jeans that your hips can skim past.

VXA ©

Mom's Holiday Picture Cookies

These traditional Holiday Picture Cookies can be used for any holiday depending on the cookie cutter you use. They can be used for Easter, Halloween, Valentines Day, Fourth of July, Birthdays, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's day or any occasion you can think of. You can even create your own custom cookies by drawing a picture on cardboard to use as a pattern. Cut the pattern out . Place the pattern on the rolled out cookie dough and using a dinner knife cut out the cookie shape using the pattern as a guide. These cookies are much easier to make today with electric mixers...for best results I use the "dough hooks" for the cookie dough and regular beaters for the frosting. Small features can be applied to the cookies with frosting using a tooth pick.
SAND TARTS Traditional white rolled cookie for making picture cookies at Christmastime. Cream 1/2 cup butter or margarine with 2/3 cup granulated sugar. Add 1 egg, well beaten,1/2 tsp. vanilla,and a pinch of salt. Work in 2 cups flour to make "Stiff". Mix well, chill, roll out very thin. Cut and bake in moderate oven, 350*F about 8 minutes. Be careful not to brown. GINGER COOKIES 1 cup sugar (granulated) 1 cup shortening 1 cup molasses 1 egg, beaten 1tsp. baking soda in 1 cup hot water 1/2 tsp. cloves 1tsp. nutmeg 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. ginger 5 cups flour, or more 1/2 tsp. salt Cream shortening, add sugar, gradually, then molasses and beaten egg. Combine soda and hot water and add to first mixture. Stir in flour sifted with salt and spices. Blend thoroughly. Chill in refrigerator for several hours. Roll out well on floured board. If dough is too soft to cut into figures add more flour. I use 6 cups flour. Bake in moderate oven 350*F about 8-10 minutes. If the figures are delicate use a slower oven. DECORATIVE WHITE FROSTING Sift together 1 1/4 cups 10x confectioners powdered sugar and 1/8 tsp. cream of tarter. add 1 egg white and 1 tsp almond extract. Beat with rotary beater until frosting holds shape. Cover with damp cloth until used. Add food coloring as needed to make decorative cookies.©

My Grandfather

Clair Blanchard represented all that is right and good in this world.
When I hear the term, "the strong silent type", he immediately comes to my mind.
He was my hero and the solid foundation of our family. We could always count on him.
He was born on a farm on July 20, in Randolph, New York to Thomas Allen Blanchard and the former Frances Louise Meyers (Frankie).. His mother was small in stature and was said to resemble the actress Debbie Reynolds. He had two brothers Claude and younger brother Arnold who died in his teens from a horse riding accident. He had three sisters, Gertrude, Maude and Grace.
He attended Chamberlain Institute in Randolph, where a large charcoal drawing of a deer with antlers he had created remained hanging for decades .
He married his lifelong sweetheart Ethel May Cuffe on June 22. They had two Children Mary Florence(Virginia) and Donald Clair(Donn). They had four Grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren and many great, great grand children.
Clair was in the Army during the Spanish American War, stationed in the Philippines. He worked as an Engineer for the Pennsylvania Railroad most of his life. During World War II he put his talents to work as an expeditor for Bell Aircraft supervising an all female crew.
He was a hard worker and a very good provider for his family. He was a wholesome unassuming gentleman of great integrity. He was very independent and self reliant. He took care of his family and any one else who asked for his help.
He moved his family south to live in Florida in 1950 after a serious operation the year before that cost him his leg and nearly his life. He didn't let the loss of his leg slow him down. He would climb on the roof to make repairs with out asking for help. He enjoyed a good game of poker and in his later years he loved to watch the prize fights and baseball on TV while enjoying a Pabst Blue Ribbon beer.
He was talented as a wood carver, carving the stocks of rifles with painstakingly intricate nature scenes with deer, etc. The guns were absolute works of art.
He enjoyed cars and usually had a new Cadillac every year or so.
He loved his family and his country. He was a great role model. The world could use more men like my Grandfather, Clair Blanchard.
He passed away on January 9, 1963 and is still greatly missed. VXA ©

My Grandmother

ETHEL MAY BLANCHARD
Ethel May Cuffe was born September 14, in Olean, New York to Anthony More Cuffe and the former Mary Jane Mc Cleary. She had three sisters, Caroline, Martha and Florence and two brothers George Clayton and Ezra.
She was a natural aristocrat. She had the tastes, manners, dignity and other characteristics of one having been born in to nobility. She knew she was not common and that was reflected in everything she did. She tried to impart that way of thinking to her offspring and encouraged us to uphold certain standards in our activities and in the company we chose to keep.
Ethel was a product of the Victorian Era which required a housewife to keep her home company ready and cheerful , to decorate with taste, to entertain gracefully, to bring prestige to her husband , nurture her children, set moral standards for her family, improve her own knowledge and cultural abilities , shop wisely and economize smartly. She did all of these things and more.
She made her own bread, many loaves at a time. I could smell it baking as I walked home from the bus stop after school. Most of her recipes were from scratch. She made home made donuts which she called "Fried Cakes" which were sometimes sprinkled with powdered sugar and cinnamon. She was famous for her lemon meringue and apple pies. She made beef stew with dumplings, a terrific corned beef hash(always served with applesauce) and some nutmeg flavored cupcake/muffins with a shiny glazed top that haunt my memory till this day. Every night at supper hot tea was served, steeped in an old teapot from loose tea leaves. Ethel would make quite a ritual of "reading" the leaves left in everyones cup and telling our "fortunes".
She was very artistic which was demonstrated in the many lovely pieces of china she hand painted. She was also an avid seamstress and made many beautiful articles. I used to love rummaging through her big round sewing box to find a few brightly wrapped English toffee's she kept squirreled away there. She was well read and was fond of classical music. After she was married she took a trip to California with a wealthy friend of hers, Nell, who showed her a wonderful time. She came home with many stories to tell of her adventure .
Ethel had a good sense of humor and was not above telling a little off color joke from time to time. She loved dressing up on Halloween. One time when I was little she dressed up in an outfit that rendered her unrecognizable and scared the pants off me when she came around the corner of the building in the dark.
She made home a good place to be. She gave up a lot for us. She was devoted to her parents as well as the rest of her family.
Every spring she would have large urns overflowing with colorful pansies and geraniums. There were also huge fragrant lilac bushes as well as holly hocks and lily of the valley in her yard.
As a child she would dress her cat up in baby clothes and push it up and down the street in a doll carriage.
As a young woman she dressed in the Gibson Girl style. Soft dark hair piled in a chignon, flowing skirt hiked up just a bit in back with just a hint of bustle, tightly corseted wasp waist, hourglass figure, poised and well bred with a flash of mischief in her brown eyes . Ethel was a true beauty. She needed no make up and used only a regular lead pencil to fill in her eyebrows a little.
She worked as a telephone operator before marrying Clair Blanchard . She had two children, Mary Florence(Virginia) and Donald Clair (Donn), four grand children and many great and great great grandchildren.
She kept her great style to the end. Always dressing as though she were going to the Country Club even if only going to the grocery store.
She had an innate ability to gravitate to the best areas. She came to live in Winter Park, Florida which is a very upscale community and then moved to Coral Gables, Florida which is also not for anyone financially challenged. She had fine furniture and decorated in the traditional style. Yet she did all her own housework including laundry with the old wringer washer and hung it out on the line.
There is so much more to say about Ethel. She passed away March 16, 1963, less than 3 months after her lifelong sweetheart, Clair. (Their song was "Let Me Call You Sweetheart") She was one of a kind. I am so glad I had the opportunity to know her and learn from her. She was truly the beloved Matriarch of our family.

VXA ©

My Sister

VIRGINIA DAWN WHITE "Ginny"
Virginia Dawn Kuntz was born on a Spring morning April 4, at dawn in Buffalo, New York to John Wesley Kuntz and the former Virginia Blanchard (Sissy). She had a brother Jack and a sister Valerie.
She was an adorable bright happy child with beautiful curls a'la Shirley Temple. Although she desperately wanted to participate with the other children, she was cautioned by her parents against vigorous play due to health problems she had had since birth. She was home tutored as the regular school atmosphere was deemed to be too risky for her well being. Although in later years, as an adult, Ginny , on her own, took the bus 10 miles each way to a vocational school to receive her high school diploma. We were very proud of her ambition and accomplishment.
As most little girls do, she enjoyed playing with paper dolls and coloring books. She had a large "model doll" with hair she could comb and many outfits she could put on her. Her favorite book was an opera book with colorful pictures of the productions of various operas and their elaborate costumes. She was the typical American girl. She was a bobby-soxer who loved to jitterbug and listen to Frank Sinatra. She loved going to the movies, particularly "swashbucklers" starring Cornell Wilde.
She had a gorgeous singing voice and the family encouraged her to sing. We would harmonize in the car on family outings to "Down in the Valley", "Heart of my Heart" and "Harvest Moon." She sang in the church choir. Her voice stood out among all the rest. Her favorite hymn was "In the Garden". She loved Christmastime and her favorite carol was "Oh Come all ye Faithful". She could do a rendition of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" that would put Judy Garland to shame.
Despite her poor eyesight, Ginny was quite an artist. The figures she drew were long and lean as she was. Her mother said her drawing style reminded her of the artist known as "El Greco". She always made handmade cards for us on our birthdays. They are better than any store bought ones. I have kept them all.
The family always thought of Ginny as mild and quiet, but she always thought of herself as being like the strong willful heroines in movies like "Jane Eyre" and "Gone with the Wind". She was madly in love with "Heathcliff" in "Wuthering Heights". Her favorite color was red and she liked to dress in modern styles. Like a lot of women she loved stylish shoes. She was forced to wear therapeutic footwear as a child and she made up for it later with many snazzy pairs. She never liked having her picture taken wearing her glasses.
While still quite young she developed a white streak in her dark hair of which she was quite proud. There was a Revlon ad campaign out during that time for their "Fire and Ice" fragrance. They featured a model with dark hair with the white streak who always wore sexy red outfits. Ginny closely identified with that image. Later Ginny became a blond again as when she was a child. The look suited her well. She always had her makeup on and nail polish on fingers and toes.
She loved animals and sunbathing. She was a jewelry maven and collected crosses, the more elaborate the better. She collected frogs, either figurines or plush, her favorite flower was Gardenia, her favorite time of year was Fall and her favorite food was Sissy's (our Mother's) home made spaghetti and meatballs.
She was highly intelligent, quick minded, witty and cool with a never ending supply of quips and one liners. She was a walking encyclopedia of every movie, tv and musical performer. She could tell you , without hesitation, who was in what show and who sang what song.
She and I were very close, despite the fact that there were twelve years difference in our ages. We would double date often. She met and eventually married a man named John White. Their wedding was July 8. The marriage was brief and Ginny was not upset to say goodbye to Mr. White.
Ginny loved children although she never had any of her own. She was self-supporting as a live in "Nanny" for a few different families. All the children and families she worked for loved her and considered her a part of their families. Many of the kids kept in contact with her even after they were grown.
She was very spiritual and had a strong Christian faith. She was the designated sayer of Grace each night at the dinner table. Her standard prayer before meals was; " We thank thee Father, wise and good, for homes and friends and daily food; Bless to our use this food we take, and keep us all for Jesus' sake. Amen"
She told me that the morning I was born she had stayed up all the night before, waiting for the news that I had arrived . She told me it was worth it.
She was my best friend in the world. She taught me how to whistle and speak pig-latin. She was my constant companion. I don't think we spent more than a few days apart in all the years we had together. She had the worlds best sense of humor. We would spend hours talking, laughing and just enjoying being together. She radiated goodness.
Ginny and our mother were close pals, also. They would take little weekend trips as well as dining out together and shopping. When Mother fell ill, Ginny spent countless hours in the hospital with her. Everybody loved Ginny. She accepted all her trials and tribulations gracefully and was an inspiration to all who knew her.
Ginny passed away on Easter weekend March 30, 2002. Ginny always said she was so grateful for her wonderful family. I know we were grateful for her.

VXA ©

My Mother

VIRGINIA BLANCHARD
On February 19, Virginia Blanchard was born Mary Florence Blanchard in Olean, New York, to Clair Blanchard and the former Ethel May Cuffe. Six years later she had a little brother named Donn who came to call her Sissy which became her nickname.
She was a little tomboy and loved to ride her bicycle with out holding the handlebars. She would stand up on the pedals with her arms outstretched above her head trying to touch the leaves on the trees. She had a little Boston Bull dog named Rex. One Christmas when she was little she crept out of the house while her parents were sleeping and made her way to the hardware store down the street and took a shiny red wheelbarrow on display in front of the store home with her as a gift for her mother. As she was only three years old the wheelbarrow was returned to the store and everyone got a chuckle.
She was a sensitive , artistic person, with a little streak of daring. She once tamed a wild ring tail monkey, named Sonny, who rode on her shoulders and was her protector.
She loved the roaring twenties and dressed in that style when it was all the rage. She was very fashion conscious and always wore chic attire even if she made it herself . Her bright red hair and her make up were always perfect. She eventually became a model. She was very well read and loved classical music. She had a great command of the English language and was a stickler about it's proper usage.
She was married twice, once to a man named Frank Gallery, and then to John Wesley Kuntz. She and John had three children, Jack, Virginia(Ginny) and Valerie. She had five grandchildren and many great grandchildren.
She had many hardships in her life and never really got to fulfill her potential as an artist, even though she went to art school and was quite accomplished. She was a wonderful mother and made life exciting. She had impeccable taste and knew quality. She loved nature and often quoted a poem about "October's bright blue weather"
She was sort of a small scale "Auntie Mame". Even though funds were scarce, she could and did make any mundane occasion fun and memorable.
She would spend hours playing with her children and reading to them. They were everything to her. She made Holidays wonderful. She has instilled a sense of holiday tradition that will be carried on for generations.
She was famous for her wonderful homemade spaghetti and meatballs that took.hours to prepare. Her Christmas picture cookies are legendary.
She Made many sacrifices for her family. She worked in real estate in Coral Gables , Florida, and was a friend to all who came in contact with her. One of her clients, an author, described her as saying "Virginia is a gentle soul".
When she was told she had a fatal illness, she was very brave and never complained. She came home from the doctors office and put on a recording of classical music and sat quietly listening to every note as though it were the last time she would ever hear it and was trying to make it last forever.
She always said, if there was any way to make contact with her family after she passed away, she would. She was a great sport, with a heart of gold.
There is so much more to say about my mom, but time is short and I want to publish this on her birthday. ©

VXA

My Father

JOHN WESLEY KUNTZ
Sissy (my mother) always told me, " You've got your father's nose". When I ever made a humorous quip she would say, " You have your father's corny sense of humor". When I would be trying to think of new businesses I could start to make a lot of money fast, she would tell me " You are JUST like your father." Everything about me even down to my passion for ice cream, apparently is just like my dad.
I don't have a problem with that. What I have a problem with is that he was gone before I got a chance to know him. One thing that Sissy would remind me of that eased the pain of growing up with out him was " Your daddy loved you very much".
I remember a few things about him but not much. Most of what I know is what I've learned from others.
He was born in Miamisburg , Ohio, on March 18. My birthday is the 16th of March so we were both Pisces.
His mother was Elizabeth Snowflake Studebaker and his father was Frank John Kuntz. He had a sister Elizabeth (Aunt Bess) and a sister Clara. He had another sister, Rosie, that passed away at the age of 12 or 13 that supposedly bore an uncanny resemblance to me.
He grew up in an area populated by a large number of Pennsylvania Dutch people and his family's conversations were sprinkled with several colloquialisms we still find ourselves using today at home. He had many colorful stories about the people in his community and their interesting escapades.
I don't know much about how his youth was spent. I have heard that he lived with an uncle as some sort of an apprentice and that his nickname was Jody.
He was married once before he married my mom. He was quite a bit older than Sissy when they got married. He and Sissy had three kids, Jack(John Wesley, Jr.), Ginny(Virginia Dawn) and me, Valerie.
I have heard that dad loved to cook and was very good at it . He also made a major deal out of holidays.
According to my brother, Jack, Dad was hilariously funny . He could imitate people the family knew, he could make funny faces, he could recite nutty poems in foreign accents and was great at ad- libbing puns.
In the business world Dad was reportedly the General Manager of Bell Aircraft in Buffalo and had many business ventures of his own including owning a gas station, being President of the Monarch Mortgage Corporation and the Oklahoma Royalty Corporation.
In his earlier years he was said to be a flamboyant jack of all trades including owning a gambling ship and being a prize fighter and daredevil. He was an aviator and wrote a course on aeronautics. It was rumored that he had some ties to the black market.
Things I do remember are his always having on a crisp white long sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He had a pleasant aroma of tobacco smoke when I would sit on his lap. He would walk me to school holding my hand. He had big strong nice hands. He taught me how to ride a two wheeler. We would go to concerts in the park and sit on a blanket on the grass. He would swing me on the playground swing sets. I remember lots of laughter and warm feelings. I remember feeling loved.
Among the family memorabilia that I have been digging into in order to write these family websites, I have found letters from my dad to my mom and brother and sister and me. They were written when he was ill and staying with his sister, Bess, just before he passed away. In the letters he always mentioned us all by name and inquired about each of us, as to how we were doing, etc. We were all in his thoughts right to the end.
One letter came from Aunt Bess after dad was gone in which she wrote "John kept a picture of Valerie next to where he slept and to everyone that would come in he would proudly announce ' That's my daughter Val, She's my youngest' ".
I have missed him so much through out my life, especially at my weddings and Father's day. I know he did not choose to leave us. It was beyond all our control.
I do feel his presence a lot. I feel lucky that I had such a neat dad. I am glad I inherited his sense of humor, his love of holidays , his ability to cook and his entrepreneurial spirit. I'm just not too thrilled about the nose .©

VXA

THIS GIVES "ACTION REPORTER" a NEW MEANING

Several years back I had an occasion to enlist the help of my local TV consumer action reporter to aid in some business with a company that I was unable to resolve on my own. I phoned my local tv station and my call was screened by a very efficient sounding woman who told me that my complaint would be reviewed and if it were deemed interesting enough to be shown on the air I would be receiving a return phone call. She also told me they received hundreds of calls and my chances of being called back were slim to none. Within minutes I received a call from the same lady saying that her Action news team was VERY interested in speaking to me and would it be alright if the producer of the show were to call me and set up an appointment to see me later that day. I agreed. A few minutes later the phone rang again and a man's pleasant voice said "Hello, This is 'Jeb', I am the producer of the Action Reporter segment and we think your story would be something we might be able to help you with. Can I stop by your house about noon today to discuss it further?" I agreed once again. Right at 12:00 there was a knock at my door and it was "Jeb," the producer. He was tall, with brown hair a little gray around the temples, wire rimmed glasses and a moustache. He was dressed in business casual attire and had a very intellectual though kind face. His manner was friendly as he handed me some papers to sign. He asked me how long I had lived in the area. He was a good listener and seemed to encourage me to talk about myself. I was a little surprised, as today everyone seems to be in a hurry and no one takes the time to listen to a stranger, let alone seem genuinely interested. I found myself telling him things I don't usually share with just anyone. He was so easy to talk to. He told me that he had only been here a few months. He had been at another TV station somewhere else and had gotten a contract here for a couple of years. When he left I must admit I was a little excited as I was a newly divorced lady and I had not received that much positive attention in quite some time. My mind wandered to what it would be like to get to know him better. To be the girlfriend of a TV producer..I stopped myself as I knew I was being silly..after all he was a good looking man in a high profile position who could get any one he wanted. What would he want with me? I had occasion to interact a few more times with "Jeb". He called me on the phone and the conversations turned from business to personal...he wanted to know "all" about me. He emailed me several times a day and told me he was so interested in me and asked could we meet for lunch. He told me there was something about me that was special the first time he saw me. He invited me to his new house that he had just purchased. He said he was a lonely bachelor with just two dogs to keep him company. When there was a gap of a day or two between his calls or emails, I found myself missing him. I was just about to give in and make a date with him but something about his excessive interest in me just didn't make sense. Being the inquisitive type, I had to go online and check out his new place in the county records. Much to my dismay..The deed not only had his name on it but also the name of his wife, "Doreen". The deed called them "A married couple".

Looking back, I am so relieved I did not go out with him. It turned out that his wife had stayed behind in their old place to sell it while he moved here and bought a new place for her to join him in once the old house was sold. Apparently she would come down to stay a few days at a time with him which would explain the gaps in his communications with me. I must admit I was more than a little disappointed that he was trying to use me to fill the boredom until his wife moved here, as I was lonely too. Fortunately, my intuition kicked in and saved me from making a mistake I am sure I would have lived to regret if I had allowed any "action" to take place with the "Action Reporter". VXA©

Life Goes On

"Energy cannot be created or destroyed it can only be changed from one form to another." —Albert Einstein
Humans can only see a part of the Electromagnetic Spectrum that is visible to our eyes, although it is only a small fraction of the entire spectrum. Similarly, humans cannot hear sounds above and below certain thresholds even though there is a wide range of frequencies. An example would be a dog whistle that we cannot hear but our dog can. There are many things in our universe that our human bodies cannot detect with our five senses but that does not mean they do not exist.
Assuming what Albert Einstein says is true, and energy cannot be destroyed, then the life force, which is pure energy, cannot be destroyed. It can only change from one form to another. Therefore when a loved one dies their physical bodies appear lifeless and dead but what was the essence of their being, their awareness and their spirit continues in another form. We may not be able to see and hear and touch them as we did before but they still exist.
In my research of this subject, I have ascertained that “spirits” will sometimes use electricity as a means of communicating with us. Lights flickering when there is no electrical problem, songs playing on the radio or TV right at the appropriate moment or unexplained phone calls where you actually hear the departed ones voice .
In my personal experience I have had situations occur that I know were my departed loved ones trying to make contact with me. They could not have been coincidences.
The signs of communication are sometimes very subtle and you have to be on the lookout for them constantly to pick up on them. Other times they are right there in your face so there is no mistake that it is spirit communication. I have had actually had tangible objects left for me that could not have come from any other explainable source.
There is so much we don’t understand. The magnitude of it is so great I don’t think we are supposed to grasp it all at this juncture.
I am of the belief that what we seek to know will be revealed to us at the appropriate time.
In the meantime, I find it comforting that there is so much more out there than we can perceive in these limited bodies and the almost certainty that life is endless and that we will be reunited with our loved ones someday gives me hope. VXA©

The Spoon

The warm spicy smell of Christmas goodies fill the cozy kitchen as I, now the grown up mommy,
prepare the treats in my home as my mother and grandmother did in the happy place where I
spent my childhood. It is as if I am a link in a loving chain of motherhood. Passing on to my children the wonderful holiday traditions so cherished in my family.
As I work, if you can call it work, for this is different than everyday kitchen chores, I use my
favorite spoon. It is a big sturdy silver plated spoon, very old, with the silver plating worn off on many spots. It had belonged to my husband’s mother who died when he was a young boy.
He always refers to it as “my mother’s spoon”.
My mind fleets for a moment wondering what it must have been like for him losing her like that.
I was grown when my mom died, but losing her was the most painful experience of my life.
I think of how my kids would react if I were to leave them so unexpectedly. They depend on me so much.
Tears well up in my eyes making it hard to see the recipe book. Enough of these sad thoughts.
This is supposed to be a festive time. Whenever I use this spoon I feel so close to the mother-in-law I never met. I wonder if she ever thought about what kind of woman her precious little boy would marry. I wonder if I would meet with her approval.
We are not alike in a physical sense, as she was small and dark and I am large and fair, but her
internal makeup must have been like mine because of our shared love for her son.
I am sorry that she was not able to see what a fine man he has grown up to be. She would be so
proud of him. He is strong yet gentle and so handsome.
My mother and grandmother lived to see their grandchildren and get to know them. I have two
of my own whom I cherish. Whenever I hold this spoon that she used in her kitchen so long ago, I feel very close to her. It is like I am holding her hand and telling her not to worry , that I will take care of her son. I will try my best to make him happy as she would have wanted him to be.
I wonder for a minute , who, if anyone, will use this spoon to make loving christmas goodies
when I am gone. And perhaps feel the feelings I am feeling.
My question is answered. The front door bangs open loudly, interrupting my thoughts, as two little dark haired girls come dashing into the kitchen calling “ Grandma! Grandma!” ©

By Valerie X Armstrong