It must be true, I read it in the tabloids:

Two strangers from opposite sides of the world who look exactly like each other met for the first time—and even their boyfriends struggled to tell them apart. Maddy Renslow, from Washington state, and Amber Eckart, from Perth, Australia, found each other on TwinStrangers.com, which matches look-alikes, and came face-to-face in California last month. The pair of doppelgängers discovered that they share more than looks: They both went to beauty school, graduated the same year, and have similar mannerisms. “It really kind of felt natural, like meeting a long-lost friend,” Renslow, 22, said of Amber, 23. “We instantly connected.”

How cool is that?

As you can see, reader, I am catching up on some old articles I tore out of the magazine to post here.

I wonder if they will be getting a DNA test to learn if they share any ancestors.

Taken from the March 25, 2016 edition of The Week Magazine.

Energy drinks affect the heart

Holy crap. Only drink water... No soda, no energy drinks. Maybe a beer or glass of wine.... (I say this while I down a glass of home made kombucha.)

Sugary energy drinks packed with stimulants like caffeine and guarana might give you an edge at the gym, but they can take a toll on the heart, increasing blood pressure and the risk for arrhythmia. In a new study, researchers asked 27 adults under 40 to consume one of three kinds of beverage every six days for three weeks: either two energy drinks; the equivalent amount of a beverage containing panax ginseng, a common ingredient of energy drinks; or a placebo. Participants who drank the energy drinks had a slight rise in blood pressure and a significant increase in a marker of abnormal heart rhythm known as the QTc interval, which heightens the risk for stroke and sudden cardiac death. These effects persisted for up to two hours after the energy drinks were consumed. “Our findings suggest certain energy drinks may increase the risk of having an abnormal heart rhythm when consumed in high volumes,” researcher Sachin Shah tells MedicalDaily.com. “While we wait for more data, some consumers should exercise caution and not blindly follow the buzz.”

Taken from the March 25, 2016 edition of The Week Magazine.

Good Week for:

Alone time, after an international study found that highly intelligent people tend to be happier when they spend more time alone, working on their goals and interests, and less time socializing with other people.

Hmmm. what does this say about the people in Lafayette, Louisiana? The happiest people in the United States? Just teasing.... I suspect we can possibly assume that the reason to live is to love and be loved, so community is what makes most people happy. And food, let's add food to what makes people happy.... At least for me.

I notice that New Orleans is not on that list... And New York, the most unhappy? Yikes. What does that say about all my ancestors? Guess it's a good thing we left!

Tidbit taken from the December 2, 2016 The Week Magazine.

Some People are Insane....

I know we all love our pets; and pets make us healthier and happier, but this is a little far. I suppose it seems natural to the Bridges. Their pet just got too big. But, really. Wow.

Ronnie and Sherron Bridges of Quinlan, Texas, have a pet 2,500-pound buffalo that has the run of their house. The bison’s name is Wild Thing, and he’s lived as the couple’s pet since they sold the rest of their herd when he was a calf. Wild Thing, 11, roams freely through the house and eats his breakfast at the kitchen table. “I’m surprised he doesn’t do more damage with his 400-pound head,” Ronnie said. “He has a barn and land to walk about in, but he loves coming in to watch TV; he likes fast-moving stuff, so doesn’t much care for the news.”

Taken from the February 24, 2017 edition of the Week Magazine.

Lula Restaurant and Distillery

Cleopatra Queen 2017

On the first night of parades this year - a very wet first night - we ended up in the newly opened Lula Distillery and Restaurant on Saint Charles. By asking our waiter, Byron, some questions about the distillation process, we got a private tour of the distillery guided by one of the owners, Jess Bourgeois. Jess's story can also be found on the Lula web site.

The space is very big - half an event space and half the restaurant and distillery. I wish I had taken photographs... the still is behind glass and is beautifully shiny. Jess probably spent 20 minutes or so with us and walked us through the entire distillation process. I learned on his web site that he attended several courses on distillation, including one at Cornell University. Cornell is big in the wine industry, too, so I recalled fondly a course I took way back when with Dr. Smart when he came out to the Paso Robles wine country in California. I think he was visiting with UC Davis, but I honestly don't recall; it was a long time ago. I liked a trellis system about which he educated us, Smart-Dyson ballerina.

Anyway, a nice respite from the rain at the restaurant. My cucumber collins was quite refreshing. I enjoyed my Creole Slaw salad and the cheeseburger was delicious. I had the boudin egg rolls, too, which I enjoyed, but did need to use the molasses fig sauce to cover up some of the gaminess of the boudin. (Was that liver in there? I know organ meats are rich in nutrients, but I still can only really enjoy foie gras.)

The spirits have not yet been entered into competitions. I think they are still working on the formulas/recipes. The make vodka, gin and rum.

I will happily go again.

over 10,000 views!

I think I may have been used by some folks trying to up their statistics, but it's fun to think that maybe some of the people who have seen my blog have actually read and enjoyed it.

OMG - a little German Family History

Without telling me she was doing so, or even that she had the information, my mother mailed me a substantial box filled with wonderful family history. If I were to guess, I'd say a lot of it was used to create the book "Our Heritage" written/assembled/gathered by my grandparents after WWII and privately published in 1955. Much of it, is 'modern', though - being birth announcements and news paper clippings about weddings and engagements. I also have some items in German which I will need to scan and post to the German Genealogy Facebook page I use and where I find very thoughtful and kind fellow users. As I write this, I realize that much of the files my mother gave me are for my mother's maternal line, the Dommerichs and the Siedenburgs.

Louis Ferdinand Dommerich - immigrant

Reinhard Siedenburg - first generation

As I write this and think about the current immigration situation here in the United States, I reflect on the fact that these men developed wonderful careers and amassed some wealth for their families and participated in the US economy. L.F. Dommerich had a dry goods store, Oelbermann, Dommerich & Co. and R. Siedenburg was the President of the New York Cotton Exchange. They both participated significantly with New York German banks and Insurance companies. It seems perhaps I have not written about these men yet, but I wrote about the Siedenburg immigrant here. 

I seem to have reflected a bit more on the Dommerichs - examples are here and here.

Oddly, though, some of the daughters of the Siedenburg line choose to take their father's money and head back to Germany and hitch themselves to some wealthy industrialists or titles.

(Researching the spelling of LF Dommerich's partner I found the link above. I will have to contact Mr. Walter Grutchfield to see what his connection is with the dry goods store.)

Baby Blanket

I learned just before Christmas that another branch is being added to the family tree, so I dug out my knitting needles and made the little one a blanket.

I used a free pattern by 'maanel' from Ravelry. Very simple, just a little texture.

I used Cascade Yarns Ultra Pima Paints 100% Pima washable cotton. The yarn itself was fine to work with, but I don't think I would use the bold variegated colors again for the blanket. I was told a the yarn shop that the current 'trend' in baby items is bold, not pastel.

I am happy to have something made with love to send to my cousin.

Paper calendars and planners are making a quiet comeback

Don't write the paper planner off just yet. Despite the rise of to-do apps and digital calendars, sales of printed appointment books and planners grew 10 percent from 2014-15 to 2015-16, to $342.7 million. Sales of decorative calendars increased 8 percent to $65 million in that time.

The ability to personalize and color-coordinate these organizing tools accounts for a lot of the draw, The New York Times reports, as does a desire to minimize screen time. "Having to open another tab, fire up another piece of software, or launch another app to access my calendar amounts to one more onscreen thing vying for my attention," one productivity blogger said of the trend. "Suddenly a paper planner starts to make sense." - The Week Staff

Hahaha! I went back to a very heavy day planner in September of last year. I couldn't cope with have a google calendar, outlook and icalendar; I was missing appointments. Apparently I am not alone.

I read this story in my January 13, 2017 edition of The Week, but I took the above from here.

Commonwealth Fabrics in Nassau, Bahamas

Photo taken from the Androsia Hand Batik website

Went searching for fabric while in Nassau... I know of two places, very near one another, in the Palmdale neighborhood of Nassau. They are about a 30 minute walk from the Paradise Island side of the Sidney Poitiers bridge. Many roads don't have sidewalks, so you must screw up your courage and walk the narrow streets with the speeding cars. I figure if Bahamians do it, I can do it. Drivers are used to pedestrians. On this walk you need to walk up and over the bridge and a hill in the center of the island. My Fitbit registered multiple flights of stairs.

Home Goods is one store and it is like a very small Michael's Craft store. It has flowers and paints and baskets and yarn and all those things. Most fabrics are imported fabrics, which we Americans can get at home. What I like to see are the tropical themed patterns. They have more of that type than I can find in the northeastern part of the States. They also have many bolts of a Bahamian batik. You have to want the word 'Bahamas' on your fabric, though. But they are nice - bright colors with sand dollars, turtles or starfish decorations. 

Commonwealth Fabrics was something else altogether. It was jammed with fabric, ribbons, buttons, thread and all types of embellishments. The store made me think of a combination of Mood Fabrics in New York and Jefferson Variety in New Orleans. It was very easy to get overwhelmed. I spent a good 20 minutes admiring the emerald green sequined lace and embellishments. I couldn't think how I'd incorporate them into my Mardi Gras costume, though I wanted something to bring home with me!

I don't know if Commonwealth Fabrics got hit by the hurricane, but holy cow, they were doing a huge amount of work on the roof. It was a disaster. I can't imagine what the store owner was thinking with all that inventory at risk. Much of the second floor was covered in plastic and open to the sky - with fabric below the plastic. And no signs telling customers to stay out. Such a different world than in the States. 

Any bare space on the walls (or columns, really) had photos of Michelle Obama sporting beautiful examples of the fabrics in her gowns. Great advertising. 

The staff were kind, and pretty much let me wander through and admire. I had no plan, so wasn't looking for anything that they could direct me to. There was a cabinet filled with Butterick patterns, but other than that one cabinet I was not aware of any patterns. There was at least one poster advertising a local dressmaker. 

The only locally made fabric at Commonwealth is another batik, called Androsia. I should have bought some, but I still had fabric from a previous trip which I still haven't used.  Instead I bought a stretchy knit which I will use to make another pair of palazzo pants. 

The only other place I know to buy local, Bahamian fabric is at Bahama Handprint, which I blogged about here.