A 1950’s education

November 19, 2021

I was born on July 24, 1950. These are things I learned about being a female, growing up in Poughkeepsie, NY. They are listed, more or less, in chronological order.

Girls are just as smart as boys.
Girls can do anything that boys can do.
When I sit in a chair, keep my knees together.
Being voted Miss Rheingold is a big deal.
Being crowned Miss America is a big deal.
I can be the first woman president.
A girl’s bicycle doesn’t have a bar across the top, so she can get on and off in a ladylike manner.
Having long eyelashes is desirable.
Marilyn Monroe wasn’t even wearing a bra under that dress!
Laugh at a boy’s jokes, even if you have to pretend they’re funny.
Let the boy win the game.
Big breasts are best.
Looking sexy is important.
Boys are "just using you."
The only thing a boy cares about is what’s between your legs.
Don’t cry over a boy. There’s always another trolley coming down the line.
Don’t have sex. Girls who have sex are whores.
Don’t get pregnant! Girls who get pregnant are real sluts.
Don’t cry over a man. There are plenty of fish in the sea.
It’s okay to have sex! Everybody is having sex!
You don’t have to wear a bra under that dress.
You don’t have to wear a dress.
Women are just as smart as men.
Women can do anything that men can do.
Aim for something better than being president.
Find a man you don’t have to pretend with.
That man - cherish him, because there actually aren’t many trolleys anymore.

- Morna Crites-Moore :: March 2020

HERE I AM, HAVING FOUND “THAT MAN,” IN 1980.

I wrote this in March of 2020 - right at the beginning of the lockdown, when we laughed and bumped elbows instead of shaking hands, and even the pessimists among us didn’t realize how very long the misery was going to last.

I debated and debated about whether I should publish it here. Maybe it’s too personal, or too weird, or too something negative that I’ll be embarrassed by after it’s seen by “everybody.” But here I am, around about midnight, having eaten too much chocolate (again), and feeling brave. I hope you like it. I hope you’ll make a comment and let me know how you’re doing as we barrel toward A Pandemic Thanksgiving, version 2.0.

Hunting for mushrooms

October 27, 2021

Mushrooms have been popping up all over … a friend stopped by and harvested some gorgeous Hen of the Woods as well as Blewit mushrooms. I have so many lovely mushrooms, but I am afraid to eat them. My friend, on the other hand, gathered some of these mushrooms and cooked up a delicious feast for a few others.

I took a little walk through the woods just to see what I might see and I thought you might like to see some of the photos.

I wonder, what about you? Do you fearlessly forage for fungi? If so, when and how did you learn to safely search for such a delectable dinner?

MINIATURE TEDDY BEARS MADE BY KATHY CORLEY

Living with teddy bears

December 19, 2020

We used to collect teddy bears, Doug especially (I was usually in the background, wringing my hands and worrying about his spending habits). When we lived in Los Gatos (CA), we would visit Bears in the Wood, a wonder filled store owned by Howard and Janee McKinney and devoted entirely to teddy bears. These two wee ones (3” and 2” tall, when seated), which we purchased in the mid-1980s, were made by Kathy Corley. They are so tiny and the workmanship is amazing. As someone who sews, I really appreciate the skill that went into making these bears.

We first met Howard and Janee when we were on our honeymoon in June 1980. When we got home from the honeymoon, we turned around and went back, bought a house and lived in Los Gatos for ten years. Howard and Janee were the definition of “fun-loving” and their friendship meant a lot. I think we all moved away around the same time. They have lived in the Florida Keys for the last thirty years, as owners of a fabulous fishing and safari travel business called Fishabout.

Our friendship became a Christmas cards once a year kind of thing, although Facebook has enabled us to be in touch more often and to enjoy the goings on in each others lives. The other day we had a very fun phone call - the kind where you talk and talk and catch up and no matter how long it’s been since the last time you’ve communicated, you just pick up as though you’ve never been separated.

CARDAMOM BREAD - BRAIDED AND SPRINKLED WITH PARL SOCKER (SWEDISH SUGAR)

Cardamom bread and an "aha" moment

October 28, 2020

Cardamom bread is one of my favorite treats and I’m glad I can bake it because it’s not so easy to find it for sale. One issue with my current oven is that I have a problem with the bottom of the bread getting too baked, even burnt, before the rest of the loaf is ready. I’ve tried solutions through the years, but not had much luck.

Many years ago I bought special flat cookie baking sheets made from a double layer of metal with a thin pocket of air between the two layers. It’s a nice concept, but it didn’t really make a difference.

Then I bought some of those silicone baking rectangles and added them to the baking sheet, figuring that extra layer would do the trick, but no, it didn’t matter.

Today I had the “aha” moment and I created an actual solution to the problem! I placed my loaves, as usual, on the silicone sheet which was atop the flat cookie baking sheet. Then I placed that on top of a baking pan with shallow sides, thus creating a rather substantial layer of air while also keeping the baking sheet separate from the hot oven shelf. Voila! That did it! No more burnt bottoms.

THE SOLUTION - NOT GLAMOROUS BUT IT WORKS

Now I just have to remember to rotate the loaves midway, because my oven heats quite unevenly. The only other problem I have is my complete inability to exercise some self-control when these babies are ready to eat. I just plow right through, eating until I’m groaning with sugar sickness. I can’t help myself.

Yoroke Linen threads, dyed by Fukumoto Shihoko

Give me blue

July 3, 2019

If you love indigo, then you will likely be bowled over by this book which Adeline gave me for Christmas. Titled JAPAN BLUE, it contains page after beautiful page of Shihoko Fukumoto's dyeing works from 1977 to 2015. The book is beautifully presented, with text in both English and Japanese. indigo threads, dyed by Fukumoto, grace the binding.

The book has joined my other “blue” books and it’s one I’ve enjoyed spending time with. It would be lovely to sit and actually read all of my art books. It seems I only browse them, admiring the photos, gleaning a bit of information here and there, but that’s all. I have a feeling I’m not the only one who does this.

Perhaps less time spent online would leave more time to sit with my books and a nice cup of tea; or, these hot summer days, a tall glass of iced tea. It’s a goal worthy of aspiration, although the days fly by with barely any time for such luxuries.

I wonder, when did I start thinking of reading a book as a luxury? That’s just not right! Below are garments which have been deconstructed and dipped into the indigo vat. I love the way they “feel.”

I cannot fathom how Fukumoto managed to create this series of hangings. The precision involved, the absolute mastery of technique … boggles the mind.

Wouldn’t I just love to have this scattering of magical squares hanging on a wall in my home. There is so much movement, and lest you assume these wonderful circles of light are merely made by happy chance, I encourage you to take some time to study this piece … quite a bit of control went into creating such a seemingly spontaneous result.

Shibori on the drying rack at Industrial City

At the very least, I’d like to spend some time at ABC Carpet’s IC location, and I definitely want to visit th Hygge Hause.

Recently I participated in a shibori workshop offered by Cooper-Hewitt and located in Brooklyn’s Industry City. What a grand day it was! The shibori workshop was fun, but much less sophisticated than what I was expecting. I had been hoping to learn some in-depth information and or techniques, but it was more like a fun project for an afternoon at day camp. Still, no complaints, because everybody had a good time and we all went home with our projects in hand. Plus, seeing Industry City was a real eye opener. I think I’d like to go back and explore.

That same day, my friend and I walked for a bit on The High Line and then went inside the Whitney to see the Biennial. I was particularly taken with the sculptural work by Robert Bittenbinder. We also walked through much of the permanent collection, which was heavenly.

Detail of a piece by Robert Bittenbender

It was a good day, a lovely day, with an old friend … someone I’ve known since childhood. It’s a friendship I treasure. Partly because he is such a good and true friend, and partly because he knows about all my bumps and bruises, where I come from, who I’ve been, what I’ve done. There is no imaginable need for artifice … in fact, any such attempt would be laughable. And that, my friends … to feel that comfortable and unfettered with another person … that is wonderfully liberating.

It seems fitting, now, to re-post this poem I wrote several years ago …

Fungus :: Family :: Flickr

October 18, 2018

We had quite a wet summer here in Connecticut. My yard became a fungus factory … a mushroom manufacturer … a mold maker. Do you like my awesome attempts at alliteration? Ha! Take that, Miss Ross … my seventh grade English teacher who questioned whether I had independently authored my poetry assignment … this, because I had rhymed troll with droll.

This is my daughter, age 30, on the left, and me when I was age 30 (or maybe 31 or 32). Isn’t it wonderful/bizarre how much we look alike? (Both photos by Doug Crites-Moore.)

It’s finally cold here. I always have a bit of a contest with myself, to see how long I can hold out before turning on the heat - usually it’s a struggle toward the end of September and I often don’t make it all the way to October 1. This year, it’s been warm and muggy for the first two weeks of the month and I just got around to turning on the heat on October 16. I’m sure it is related to climate change. Those poor people in Florida ... what do you do when suddenly everything is gone? There’s no electricity, the streets are a mess of rubble, the market shelves are picked clean, and you don’t even have a shelter to huddle in because it’s been destroyed as well. There is horrible, horrible suffering going on all over the world. Sorry, not my intention to drag you down a despairing spiral of woe. But before I drop the topic altogether, I’d like to recommend a book: Eaarth, by Bill McKibbon.

Years ago, I would post collections of interesting photos I found on Flickr. I called it Flickr Friday. Recently, I was doing some house cleaning in my computer files and I came across the collections. They are as appealing as ever, so I think I will publish them all over again. This time around, I’m calling it Flickr Findings … because I don’t want to pay attention to what day I publish them. And when I’ve run out of old collections, I’ll create new ones.