Google Searches and a Hundred Posts

As those of you who have a website know, you can track statistics in almost every imaginable way through Google. I don't get an overwhelming amount of traffic, especially when compared to my brother's blog, Rhythm Connection. Though stats can't tell you who is looking at your blog, they can tell you the countries, states, and cities of the people who viewed your blog – if you wanted and had the time to review the information. Since this is my 100th post, and it's less then three months from my "Blogoversary" (yes, they really call it that), I thought I would share with you, my readers, what stat I find to be interesting: how people found my blog. Whether by accident or by design, I find it amazing that someone searching with some little nugget of text found deep within my 100 posts, Google would send them my link and they would enter my blog, Unshoveling The Past.

Since this is the end of the year, I also wanted to share with you some of the topics that I will try to cover in 2012. I have a few more stories in the Life In Botswana series, including my second trip to visit my parents. Also the new movie, War Horse, has made me feel guilty that I haven't shared any of my grandfather's World War I diary or stories. Carl O. Ericke put together an incredible war scrapbook which I will share with you over the course of the year. Research into the family tree is still ongoing, and I am hoping to post much more about my Norwegian ancestors as soon as I get confirmation on the photos from my Norwegian relatives. And if I can fulfill my scanning duties, I will start to post my father's photos and recollections of his many trips around the world. Peppered with a few more recent family tales and sagas, I hope to keep this blog interesting and informative.

I have learned a lot about my family and about the remarkable history and stories that have brought forth my generation. I am looking forward to continuing to learn and share more about my Norwegian, Swiss, and German ancestors.

I'd like to thank everyone who has visited my blog this year and found it engaging. I would also like to thank my family and friends who have encouraged me to continue writing, and a special thank you to those who have taken the time to write to me, either here, on Facebook, or by email. It means a lot to me that you have taken the time to send me your comments, and it inspires me to go on. If you haven't remarked on my blog, please do so, whether publicly or privately. I really enjoy the feedback.

Some of the Unshoveling the Past Google searches in 2011:

1700's family photos 1889 johnstown flood letters 1900 safari picture 1922 dodge brothers business coupe 1926 nash 1926 nash coupe 1966 calendar 1966 calendar may 1985 cape cod home 1990 bwast botswana 26hr-g-60y7 5 stages if grief wheel 80 year old dad dying of bladder cancer african maid and white master akc stud book ambrose christmas mouse american brake shoe american brake shoe and abex american brake shoe asbestos american brake shoe co. mahwah, nj american brake shoe co. model american brake shoe company asbestos american brake shoe company chicago american brake shoe/abex american brakeblok company american motors antique photo woman antiques artifacts autographs saying happy birthday b66v bedroom door has a skeleton key benedict medal blues brothers car registration bostwana garden photos botswana animals botswana border botswana flowers botswana gardening botswana november boy scout snow breed papers calendar 1953 calendar of a month in 1953 can i be buried in my marine corps dress blues carbon lime celebrity fingerprints images chapter opener design chicago high school fraternities chrysler 1922 cinder block homes ghana cinder block house concrete front stoop designs how to build in cinder block concrete slab house creepy doll creepy group pictures creepy high school pictures creepy images creepy images blog creepy photo creepy pictures from past death and dying care home pictures delray michigan memoirs dodge brothers fountain draftsman draftsman postcard edgartown fun espresso love, ma family life in botswana flood in pennsylvania 1889 folk art canada ben ploughman foto life day funny free hi-res images teenagers laughing friends in past life funny friday images funny letter from africa gaborone dam + botswana gaborone street goodyears department store ann arbor michigan google 3harf driver grief wheel guy fawkes day gaborone happy it must be alright hospice how helped my mother hospice workers support group how to extend existing roof concrete slab how to price out antiques and artifacts i am named after my grandpa jeffrey dahmer jeffrey dinardo on long island new york johnstown fireworks on july third -2010 -4th -hotel –ohio johnstown flood Johnstown flood 1889 video johnstown flood orphans johnstown flood photos 1889 johnstown flood telegraph journey of a young woman blogspot kids playing baseball in street la ink friends mom dies from bladder cancer life in botswana life in gaborone love poem handwritten marine blues uniform marines 1946 marines magazine photos mary a tomengo may 1966 calendar mother died of blader cancer after 2 months my class tallest my father was creepy my mother's past by oscar ngo nancy ericke nicholas voegtly norwegian immigrant family portraits old family picture 1925 children old texaco old world letter otukile+gaborone øyvind botswana packed hatchback past on death picture of a deed pictures norwegian immigrants pictures of jeffrey dinardo in new york new york poems of remembrance written by hospice workers quad hall cleveland ran ran ruu removal of restrictive covenant in darien roses and gardenias floral border ruth ambrosiussen safari 1988 safari namibia sarah v. th. sanyo microwave oven 1983 sarah ambrose american brake shoes security guard sintermet россия six feet under porch house smugmug first leotard spatz ernest igl stages of grief and the wheel of life steiner & voegtly street games texaco 1946 texaco advertisement texaco in 1965 texaco smiths falls the gardener's color wheel the lucky seven marines toby the cat top hats and tails danceers torch lake amazing photo torch lake archives torch lake fishing photos torch lake mi pictures torch lake pics 2011 torch lake pictures traveling packed so much tremont cross country photos tremontessentials two brothers and two sister 1925 unique flowers in botswana unshoveling unshoveling the past unshoveling the past sara voegtly wall in house watercolor golfer olden days watercolor hotel crowd watercolor of desert when my ship comes in story where did american brakeblok corp start who was the first person to discover torch lake michigan work life in Botswana young portrait photos zeke drawings календар 1966

A Rosedale Park Christmas

Imagine living in a time when your neighborhood wrote and produced their own newspaper, put on their own musicals, threw block parties that would now rival most Memorial Day parades, and, yes, gave out awards to those neighbors who exceptionally decorated their property for the holidays. I live on a beautiful, quiet, side street where most of my neighbors put up lights and other decorations for the holidays. But I decided not to get a tree this year, or put any lights outside, a little ba humbug I guess. To be honest, I just bought my wreath on Monday, when I went to the store to get some milk. Maybe I would have put up decorations this year if there was a chance to earn a certificate? I think I need a little Rosedale Park Christmas in my life.

This is the Ericke house in North Rosedale Park in Detroit, Michigan, in the summertime, without the certificate-worthy decorations. This is where my mother, Nancy, grew up with her brother Bill, and their parents, Carl and Sally Ericke. The top photo is from the early 1960's. The bottom photo is from Google maps and was taken recently. The only big change I see is a lack of awnings (which I remember, oddly enough) and mature trees and plantings. It seems odd that the house is older and yet there is fewer vegetation surrounding it. Thankfully, the old birch is still standing.
 

On the right side of the house is the garage where my grandparents kept a small refrigerator stocked with orange soda, at least when we came to visit. Today I asked both my brothers if it was Crush or Nesbitt's in that fridge, and their answers differed. Maybe a picture will confirm their choice or change their mind?

The article below on the Rosedale Neighborhood Gardeners is from The Rosedale Tattler, their local paper. This particular clipping was originally saved because it announced my mother's wedding engagement (which I cropped out here). It is from January, 1953 and recaps the Christmas meeting of the garden club. With visions of kissing balls, mistletoe, corsages, and felt stockings, it sounds a lot like Rosedale Park invented the Martha Stewart Christmas. Merry Christmas to all!

Norwegian Cookie Recipes

These recipes have been passed down many generations from my Norwegian grandmother's family, the Stangeland family from Stavanger, Norway.

Sandkake

2 cups flour
1/3 cup chopped almonds (blanched)
1 cup butter
¼ tsp. almond extract
¾ cup sugar
1 egg, beaten

Cream butter, sugar, and extract. Add egg. Add flour a little at a time. Add nuts. Chill, then form in molds. Bake 375 for 6-8 minutes on cookie sheet. Cool and tap to release in 5 minutes.

My mother, having married a man who was of Norwegian descent, learned to make certain cookies, breads and cakes for Christmas. Sandkake (sand cakes) are my favorite, as is anything with almonds really. After you make the dough, you chill it and then quickly (and carefully) press them into these sandkake tins. It can't be too thin or too thick or it won't cook right. It's an art one develops over the years. For Christmas a couple of years ago my mother bought us kids our own sandkake tins. I have yet to use mine, but maybe this year?

The next recipe is for Krumkake (crumb cakes). For this recipe you need a couple of tools to mold the cookie – the press for cooking and then the wooden cone for shaping. You can find antique irons on eBay or newer ones online just about everywhere. You heat the iron on the stove, pour in the batter, flip it so both sides are browned, and when it's still soft enough, wrap it around the cone. You can also put them in a small dish to harden into a cup-like shape. My father used to like apricot pudding stuffed in the cones, topped with whipped cream. Yum!

Krumkake

3 eggs
1 cup sugar
¼ lb. butter, melted and cooled slightly
Approximately 2 cups cake flour
2-3 T cold water
3-4 T heavy cream

Beat eggs. Add sugar and beat. Then add butter. Add flour and water and cream alternately. Cook in mold until golden yellow. Heat iron slightly below the midpoint between medium and medium high on large burner. Cook approx. 30 seconds on each side (or 45 seconds at med. sometimes, depending on how it looks). Quickly roll onto cone form and let cool and harden.

 

 

Happy Holidays!

1966 Ambrose Christmas Letter

Written on December 14, 1966 

Sorry I’m doing this but time is getting short and I’ve got to get these cards mailed. I guess I am going to have to learn to write letters to keep in touch with you all since you never come to see us anymore. I’ll try to catch up with this one and write individually from now on. 

My Dad moved here in May. He was terribly despondent until then. He is still very lonely and sad but he has a new life here. He likes his apartment very much (ten minutes from here) and likes Stamford and the East. He’s been to New York several times and loves it. It’s a great relief for me to have him here – if a big responsibility. 

Ed has been around the world three times this year and still loves it (who wouldn’t?), especially since he makes sure he sees something new each time. This trip he has been away since Halloween – I expect him home this weekend. Besides his usual stays in Japan and India, he has been to Egypt and Chile. He saw the pyramids and went on a four day safari in India. I spend most of the time he’s on a trip in our car, as I’m sure you ladies must be spending your days, too.

Bobby (sixth grade) is vice-president of the Student Council, a position to which he was elected by vote of the whole school, following a campaign complete with posters and a speech before an assembly of all the students and teachers. He was captain of his Little League team last Spring. He is also in the chorus, a Boy Scout, and belongs to a science club that meets on weekends. 

Billy was also in Little League and is now taking trumpet lessons and is a Cub Scout. He is a math whiz and is being given advanced work that I can’t do. Billy is in fourth grade. 

Sarah (second grade) has ballet lessons and Brownies. She is quite talented in drawing and had a picture in the all-town art show. With it all they are doing very well in school, the boys especially. Hope this doesn’t sound too boastful, the they are asleep at the moment and I’m able to think of the good things. There are days when I think I’m cracking up – they’re always a step ahead of me. The excel away from home, I’m sure, because they’re looking for the approval they don’t get here. We mostly yell and fight with each other, especially when Ed’s away.

We now have two cats, one dog, two mice, one chipmunk, and a 35 foot sailboat. We are expecting a baby leopard in March – one of Ed’s friends in India is sending it to us. Our vacation was spent on the boat and, since I get scared walking down the dock to the boat because there’s water on either side, the trip was quite an introduction for me on the life of the sea. It’s a great family thing, though, which we need with Ed away so much. The kids enjoyed it – lots of fishing and swimming – and the boys proved to be good sailors and will improve each year. Ed was only able to race the boat once this year but did very well despite the lack of a spinnaker. Now that we have one he hopes to do a great deal more racing next year.

The children are in different schools. We were redistricted last year but they let Bobby finish where he was. This confuses things some – two PTAs, etc. I work in both school’s libraries which are run entirely by volunteer mothers. Becauss of this experience I have been appointed to the town building committee for the addition of a new library and science room at Bobby’s school, and that has been politically enlightening. I hope to someday do a Peyton Place on corrupt suburban government. Heaven knows these days I couldn’t do one on sex! I’m a room mother and active in the League of Women Voters. With Ed away so much I have to take what chances I can get to see adults, since nights are a great big bore.


Well, that’s spilling out the family news. I’d love to hear about each and every one of your children, and of course, about yourselves.

Happy New Year!

Show Tunes and Broadway in 1956

Click on image to enlarge.

In 1956 my grandfather, Carl Ericke, was working at Carpenter Steel in Detroit as a regional manager. Based on this letter I found in his archives, he was planning a visit to New York in the summer of 1956 for both business and pleasure. His escort, of course, was my grandmother, Sally.

My grandfather requested a co-worker (and New Yorker) to buy him a couple of tickets for three Broadway musicals. The content of the letter is typed below, in case you can't read it clearly. The total cost for the six tickets was $78. More than half of that was for My Fair Lady, which meant the other plays were between $8–9 a seat. Less than a movie costs today! I wanted to know what shows they took in, so I did a little research and this is what I discovered:

My Fair Lady, Mark Hellinger Theater, August 14, 1956

My Fair Lady opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatre in 1956. This musical production of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, produced by Herman Levin and directed by Moss Hart, ran for 2717 performances. Rex Harrison, who had never acted in a musical before, was cast as the phonetics professor, while young Julie Andrews was cast as Eliza Doolittle. My Fair Lady won the 1957 Tony Award for Best Musical. In the same year, Rex Harrison won the Tony Award for Best Actor and Julie Andrews received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress. My Fair Lady received seven Tony Awards in 1957 and three nominations.

No Time for Sergeants, Alvin Theater, August 17, 1956

The stage production of the comedy No Time for Sergeants, written by Ira Levin, opened at the Alvin Theater in New York in 1955 and ran for 796 performances. Based on a book by Mac Hyman, the play recounts the misfortunes of a country redneck who gets drafted into the Army during World War II. Andy Griffith received a 1956 Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor, and later reprised this role in the 1958 movie of the same name. This musical also starred Roddy McDowall and Don Knotts in his Broadway debut. No Time for Sergeants won a 1956 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design.

The Most Happy Fella, Imperial Theater, August 16, 1956

The Most Happy Fella opened at the Imperial Theatre on Broadway in 1956, and ran for 676 performances. This was a musical version of Sidney Howard’s 1924 Pulitzer Prize winner, They Knew What They Wanted, the story of a Depression-era Italian winemaker in Napa Valley, California, who finds himself a bride through the mail. The Most Happy Fella was nominated a Tony Award in 1957 for Best Musical, with a total of six nominations (and no wins).

Photo of the Day: Sarah Berra?

My brothers used to tease me when I was little that if I married Yogi Berra my name
would be Sarah Berra. Oh, the things one still remembers years later!