From Russia With Love

Went to the hairdresser’s today to get my hair all gussied up for a New Year’s Eve dinner party I will be attending later this evening at the home of my dear friends, Robert and Jan. I presented Larisa Barash, owner of Rafet’s Hairmasters salon at Owings Mills Mall, with whom I am pictured, above, with a challenge. Robert and I would be cooking lobster and beef roast for nine guests and there was likely to be heat and steam in Robert’s kitchen as we prepared dinner. Also, I don’t like my hair down (in my face or on my neck) when I cook. So how could I get the wild, sexy look I wanted for my hair – and still have well-coifed curls after the lobster came out of the broiler and the real partying began?

Lora (as Larisa is known to everyone), who has been the exclusive caretaker of my hair for more than eight or nine years now, had a perfect solution. She put my hair in an up-do, secured with a few strategically-placed bobby-pins, to preserve the curl while I cooked. After dinner, she said, retreat to the powder room, remove the four bobby-pins, and toss all those curls with my fingers. Voila. Big, sexy hair for the rest of the evening.

Lora is a genius.  She, like most of her staff, hails from Russia, so she brings a certain Soviet sensibility to her coloring and styling prowess, which I admire and appreciate. Rafet’s Hairmasters also offers waxing, nail care and men’s haircuts. So here’s a big shout-out for Lora and her quality styling salon, Rafet’s Hairmasters (410) 363-7080.

Thanks to Lora and Rafet’s, my hair and I will be looking good all night tonight!

Nostrovia,

Lynell

12/28/11 -- Animal Magnetism

Wow!  That’s all I can think of to describe the stunning leopard-print, ruffled-hem, faux-fur jacket and matching leopard-print boot toppers from Fabulous Furs that I received for Christmas from my dearest Baltimore friends, Robert and Jan. I could hardly wait for an opportunity to wear the jacket out somewhere, so when it was time to do a little post-Christmas shopping, I jumped at the chance to put it on.

The rest of my look is understated: black leggings by HUE for Macy’s that were a gift from my best friend, Kari’s mom, Joyce, a simple black cross-collar knit tunic by Units that I picked up in California three decades ago, and black Pleasers boots which are just as old. I finished the look with vintage metal medallion earrings with leopard-print suede fringe, a snuggly fleece headband by Sseirus that I bought at Deer Valley ski resort in Utah last year, and some black knit gloves with faux-fur cuffs by Cejon Accessories.

My jacket caught a lot of attention as I put gas in my car, and drew complements from several shopkeepers at the mall. I simply purrrrrred…

Cheers,

Lynell

Christmas Calorie Smackdown

What better way to burn off some of those Christmas calories than with a brisk mountain hike? And what better company to hike with than my Swiss cousin, Heidi, from Ashland, Oregon, who was visiting her daughter over the holiday?

Heidi’s daughter, Claudia, and her family live only about an hour south of my home in Baltimore County, Maryland, so it was an easy drive for me to their lovely home. A well-paced hike the day after Christmas seemed like a perfect way to spend a chilly late-December afternoon, so we chose Sugarloaf mountain, a 1700-foot tall bump in the landscape rising above the picturesque Frederick County valley about thirty minutes from Claudia’s home in Rockville.

Of course, all that hiking whetted our appetites, so we finished the day with traditional Swiss fondue at Claudia’s, a family favorite of which I will never tire. Just smelling the minced garlic simmering in white wine sent waves of nostalgic comfort washing over me as I sliced French bread and chatted with Heidi, a fine-art restoration expert in Oregon, and Claudia, a lawyer in Washington D.C.

Me with my cousin Heidi

Comfort is key when hiking, so I chose my favorite stretchy blue jeans by Stockton of Dallas, which I’ve had since the early 1990s, a light blue Cherokee turtleneck from Target and a blue and gray Metropolis sweater by Couloir which I purchased at Jan’s Sportwear in Salt Lake City while skiing one year. On my feet I wore Champion reverse-balance sneakers, and I warmed my hands with a pair of toasty fingerless mittens which were a gift last Christmas from my dear friend and colleague, Gaylene, in Texas. I topped the outfit with a beige knit Woolrich hooded sweater and a brown leather newsboy cap by Liz Claiborne.

Christmas calories be gone! I could feel them dropping off as we climbed up and down and all over that little mountain. What a fun day!

Cheers,

Lynell

12/25/11 -- Christmas Day

Christmas morning dawned crisply, with temperatures in the 20s and a pale blue sky greeting those who ventured out to play with newly unwrapped toys. Me? I stayed bundled up inside my little farmhouse, toasty in a blue velvet robe from Soft Surroundings.com with gorgeous beadwork at the wide waist and cuffs, sipping hot tea and opening treasured gifts shipped to me from friends and family in California, Washington and Texas.

Soon it was time to get busy in the kitchen. I was having eight for dinner Christmas evening. Beef Wellington was on the menu, along with roasted pumpkin soup, my signature salad with caramelized onions and baby greens dressed in my own specialty-vinaigrette, roasted asparagus with shaved lemon and parmesan, broiled mashed potato cones on sweet potato platforms, candied cranberries and mandarin oranges in Elderflower liqueur, and old-fashioned persimmon pudding which I baked in a slow oven, stirring every twenty minutes, for three hours.

My guests arrived at 6:00 p.m., and suddenly my ten-foot Christmas tree in the living room, devoid of gifts since morning, was awash in colorful ribbon-trimmed packages once again. We started the evening with mulled wine and a cheese plate, moving on to dinner at the table in my dining room set with my grandmother’s gold-rimmed china and strewn with red and green jingle bells and loose ruby and diamond-colored "gemstones" for sparkle. Knowing I would be warm in the kitchen, I dressed lightly for the evening in simple black leggings by HUE for Macy’s and black boots by Pleasers, topped with a black sequin tank I purchased at The Limited this summer and an heirloom gold and rhinestone necklace and matching bracelet that had belonged to my grandmother.

Dinner was grand. My beef wellington came out perfectly, and everyone raved about my persimmon pudding, which I topped with Grand Marnier-infused whipped cream. My Christmas was merry and bright, and I wish the same to you and yours.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Lynell

Elf Delivery System

It has long been a tradition of mine to make gallons of my homemade "Hearty Mustard Vinaigrette" to give as gifts on the Yuletide. And so it was again this year, as I funneled my beloved secret recipe into pretty glass jars fastened with fancy gold labels, and tucked each bottle into a customized gift bag. Packed tightly into a cardboard box, the bottles of vinaigrette jingled merrily as I made the rounds today, bestowing my salad dressing, like so much frankincense and myrrh, upon those in my neighborhood and social circle whose friendship I cherish deeply.

Feeling as giddy as if I had been appointed by the big guy himself to distribute goods near and far, I chose something especially festive to wear on this sunny, chilly Christmas Eve, pulling on one of my favorite vintage holiday sweaters, a bright red knit tunic by Theme Works for Kikit, featuring glittery embroidered poinsettias across the front and gold beads detailing the cowl neck, sleeves and hemline. Where I normally would have worn this bright tunic over simple black leggings, today I felt like going for total holiday bling, so I dug out some vintage red Tightlets by Footlets stockings with silver threaded stripes woven from Helanca yarn that had been hidden in one of the boxes of old clothes from the 1970s I unearthed from my cellar earlier this year.  Amazingly, they still fit me perfectly, and even more remarkably, the elastic was not rotten. Glittery red tights a bit over the top? Oh, YES!!

No self-respecting delivery elf would finish such a cheery outfit with staid footwear, so I donned a pair of red leather boots that I bought in California almost forty years ago, and tossed on a pair of gold jingle-bell earrings tied with little red fabric bows, my favorite gold-toned bracelet watch from Chico’s, a cocktail ring of tiny gold balls, and a new black and gold glittery hair dread custom made for me by Thea Osato of Baltimore (http://deadreads.etsy.com/).  No need for Rudolph’s bright nose to lead the way as I made my rounds!  Santa would be proud.

Cheers,

Lynell

A Life Well Lived

Occasionally, a loved one bids adieu to life during the holiday season. While it might seem incongruous to be grieving over the death of someone at this festive time of year, in reality this season is all about celebrating life and our relationships with loved ones, and so it seemed appropriate and comforting to celebrate the good and happy life lived by Marie Peters, the mother of my friend, Mike Peters, of Baltimore, who passed away Sunday, December 18 at the age of 82. It was wonderful to see old friends at the visitation on December 21^st and at the funeral on the 22^nd . It was terrific to gaze upon the many photographs of this extraordinarily beautiful woman. And, most of all, I really enjoyed hearing the heartwarming stories of love and kinship relayed by family members and longtime friends during the funeral service. Marie’s was a life well-lived, and I realized there really was no better time to celebrate her joie de vivre than this joyous time of year.

For the evening visitation, I chose a black tuxedo-inspired coat-dress made by Studio I Petites for JCPenney that I purchased back when I worked at Penney’s in the 1970s and 1980s. The black satin trim didn’t seem out of place given the holiday season, and the dress was a warm choice on a chilly December night. For jewelry I chose a simple choker of black and gold chain links which is at least as old as the dress, with matching earrings and a beaded ring I purchased more recently at Pier One Imports.

For the funeral the next morning, I chose a simple black dress by Unite, which I have also owned for at least thirty years. For jewelry, I chose a necklace of subdued gray pearls by Fire & Ice Jewelers of Baltimore (http://www.fireandice.com/) and gray pearl earrings that belonged to my grandmother. My silvertoned metal filigree bracelet-watch is by Mixit for JCPenney.  On my feet I wore my favorite black pumps by Call It Spring for JCPenney.com. Since rain threatened, I covered the dress with a long, fitted raincoat by J.Peterman.com, decorated with a sheer black scarf embellished with gorgeous embroidered flowers -- a gift brought back to me from Turkey years ago.

Marie Peters was a delightful woman who shared her love of life with everyone she knew. It was a pleasure to know her and to participate in the warm family gathering at her visitation and funeral. She will be deeply missed.

Lynell

Sugar Plum

Went to see the Moscow Ballet Company’s production of the Nutcracker Suite last night at the Lyric Opera House in Baltimore City. It was a very good performance and my seat was almost directly above stage left, so I could look down on the performers at quite an intimate angle, and I could see into the wings on the opposite side of the stage where dancers stood, awaiting their cues to return to the limelight.

What to wear to the ballet? I’d already worn all my fancy Christmas sweaters to various holiday-themed events this season and was eager to try something a little different. I finally settled on a purple-hued blouse with matching drapey slacks from Gantos, a tiny boutique of fancy and formal clothing at Sun Valley Mall in Concord, California that I patronized in my 20s and 30s. I adored that little store, and bought all my formal wear there for decades, even after I’d moved away from California to Nevada and then to Texas. In the 1990s Gantos closed its doors forever and I was devastated. But their legacy lives on in my memory of that wonderful shop every time I don one of their exquisite outfits - and I have several.

Hey, Kari. Remember this? When I lived in Dallas, Texas, my best friend, Kari, and I would go to a dancing venue called Ernie’s in North Dallas. I wore this outfit there. Kari and I did a lot of dancing in those days! But, I digress. As I dressed for the ballet, I noticed that my favorite platform pumps were too tall for these slacks, so I wore my old, classic, pointy-toed stilettos that I purchased at Two-Lips shoes in Grapevine Mills mall in Texas about 15 years ago. The pumps are extremely comfortable and are the same shoes I used to wear dancing at Ernie’s.

To break up all that purple a little, I donned smoky-jeweled belt from The Limited and a favorite necklace of gray pearls from Fire & Ice Jewelers of Baltimore (http://fireandice.com/). I was going to wear coordinated gray pearl earrings that belonged to my mother, but then I spotted some purple metal earrings in my jewelry armoire that I wore with this outfit back in the 1990s. Why not complete the vintage look all the way?  So I did.

Despite the gorgeous sugar plum fairies in their frilly tutus on stage, I got several complements about my own take on purple at the ballet, and two ladies at Corks restaurant after the performance said they "loved" my outfit. Works for me!

Cheers,

Lynell

12/17/11 -- 'Tis The Season

You’d never guess that I don’t really like to shop. But it’s really not a favorite pastime of mine, when I have everything I need already and malls just seem so, well, commercial. When I do shop, I prefer to patronize small, independent businesses and do so almost exclusively. When I do get to a mall, I’m kind of like a kid in a candy store. Since I rarely see all the sights and sounds of a gigantic commercial establishment like a mall, it becomes a fascinating overload of the senses for me. Especially at Christmas.

So in December I make time to go to a mall. Not because I really need to, since I tend to shop for people throughout the seasons and have purchased their Christmas presents all year long. But I can’t resist the spectacle that is the holiday season, especially at a mall.

For a day of shopping at this time of year, I donned my favorite pair of vintage red original button-fly Levi’s straight-leg jeans, saved from the mid 1970s when I wore them in college. They are very comfortable, very sexy, and the cheery red color fit my festive holiday mood just perfectly!

The red and black buffalo-plaid shirt is from NewportNews.com, Avon’s fashion apparel line, and the black tee that I’m wearing underneath is actually long underwear because the temperature was only in the low 30s today in Baltimore! My black leather belt belongs to my Park Ranger uniform and the black platform loafers are by Marc Fischer for Macy’s. On my ears I wore a pair of beribboned jingle-bell earrings which actually jingle when I walk, and I topped the whole look off with a perky "Santa’s Elf" hat I found in my Christmas décor box which was actually soft and comfortable and WARM when I tried it on as a lark.

Several people commented on my festive look while I out and about, which made my day. It really is a wonderful time of the year!

Cheers,

Lynell

Channeling Jacko

Nope, not Jackie-O. Michael Jackson, the incomparable king of pop whom I adored in the 1970s and 1980s. I still have his Thriller album – in vinyl. Still have this jumpsuit, too, a little Kaki Roberts California number I bought at JCPenney when I worked there from 1976-1988. The dark charcoal fabric is crisp and clean lined, dressed up with epaulets like those beloved by Jackson (although, thankfully, without the fringe he favored). I cinched the waist with a black stretch belt from Target and wore platform booties by Cami for Spiegel.com because the pant legs were very long. Still too long, even with the platform heels, so I turned up the cuffs once and then the length was perfect. Did I used to be taller, I wonder? No, but perhaps the platform heels I wore in the 1970s were taller.

Interestingly, the collar approximates a Nehru, also favored by the Gloved One in the 1970s – and by my dad. I buttoned the jumpsuit all the way to the top to show off the vintage neckline, and threaded my grandmother’s shimmery gold and black tiger-print scarf through the epaulets for interest. To bring out the gold military-style buttons on the cuffs, epaulets and front, I added a gold pendant on a chain that belonged to my grandmother, goldtone drop earrings, a goldtone bracelet watch with rhinestones from Chico’s, and an antiqued goldtone ring I found in Las Vegas in May. Needed only a black fedora from my millinery collection to complete the fun look -- and I was ready to rock like the master himself.

Cheers,

Lynell

No Sweat!

Do I ever just pull on a pair of sweats? You betcha’!!

Today I had a routine appointment with my dermatologist and needed to be in comfortable, loose-fitting clothes I could pull up easily to show the doctor the skin on my arms and legs. I bought this cheery red holiday sweatshirt in Reno, Nevada, when I lived there from 1991-1994. It fit the bill perfectly. Beneath the vintage sweatshirt, I wore a white knit top with a snowman detail on the turtleneck collar that was a gift from my neighbor, Jeanette, several Christmases ago. Jeanette has since moved away and I have a new neighbor next door to me now, but the snowman turtleneck remains a winter favorite of mine.

For slacks, I pulled on a pair of black velvet yoga pants by Obermeyer that my best friend, Kari, found in a ski shop for me during one of our annual ski trips to Park City, Utah, about five years ago. I have loved them ever since she spotted them on a clearance rack for $8.  I can dress the velvet up or down and the thick fabric is soft and toasty warm. After I lost 70 pounds this year, I simply replaced the elastic in the waistband and they fit me perfectly again.

On my feet I wore black booties with cute scallop leather trim by Lower East Side, and donned cute "jingle-bell" earrings (they actually jingle!) to keep with my holiday mood. Just goes to show you that wearing sweats doesn’t necessarily mean having to look sloppy!

Cheers,

Lynell

Falling For Fuchsia

With the autumn leaves long gone from the trees and winter’s fast approach evident in the pale sky and frigid air, I sought to inject some color into my day by donning a vintage jumpsuit in deep fuchsia by Joan Walters Petites that I purchased at JCPenney some 35 years ago when I worked there in the 1970s. I cinched the jumpsuit with a wide black stretch belt from The Limited and chose black booties with scallop leather trim by Lower East Side to keep my feet warm.

After selecting my outfit, I spotted a pendant necklace and matching earrings in silver and abalone, a wonderful birthday gift from my friend, Marshall, in Dallas, which he brought back for me from a cruise he took to the Caribbean with his father last year. There was just a hint of fuchsia in the iridescent abalone. Perfect. I paired the necklace and earrings with an antique silver and abalone cuff bracelet that my father bought my mother on their honeymoon to Mexico in 1953 and a silvertone bracelet-watch that I bought at the Dallas airport as I was passing through last year.

I finished the look with a vintage blue and purple scarf which belonged to my grandmother and a black fabric Dea Dread hair accessory custom made for me by Thea Osato of Baltimore (http://deadreads.etsy.com/), and I was ready to paint the day!

Cheers,

Lynell

12/10/11 -- Santa's Lap

 ‘Tis the season for merriment and holiday music, and what better way to combine both than to attend Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s annual Holiday Spectacular, which this year featured the amazing Russian Cirque de la Symphonie performers instead of the usual dancing Santas and fireside vignettes. I had seen the Cirque de la Symphonie acrobats once before at a BSO performance, and this presentation was practically a duplicate, so the choreography was a bit disappointing in that respect. But the gymnasts themselves were amazing to watch, gyrating through the air, soaring over the audience on ropes and silks, and juggling everything from rings and bowling pins to giant cubes, this time in perfect synchronization with wonderful holiday music from the orchestra, led by guest conductor Bob Bernhardt. I was not disappointed. The strong men, Jerek and Derek, were a crowd favorite, and being somewhat more fit and limber now from all the yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi and weightlifting I’ve been doing for the past year, I could appreciate the kind of strength, balance and skill required to accomplish the feats of these amazing funambulists more than ever before.

To ensure a festive mood throughout the evening’s revelry, I chose black leggings with double rows of black beading up the sides of the legs which were a gift from my best friend Kari, and a Christmassy knit tunic with glittering poinsettias embroidered on the front and wonderful gold bead detailing around the shawl collar by Themeworks for Kikit, which I bought at Macy’s several years ago. I finished the look with black patent platform pumps by Call It Spring for JCPenney.com. For jewelry I chose some gold metal jingle-bell earrings tied with fun little red bows, a rhinestone cocktail ring from BCBG that I picked up in Dallas earlier this year, my favorite goldtone bracelet-watch with rhinestones from Chico’s, and a black and gold Dea Dread hair accessory custom made for me by Thea Osato of Baltimore (http://deadreads.etsy.com/).

The elves must have been keeping the workshop humming on schedule without their boss, because Santa apparently had time to hold court in the lobby of the symphony hall after the performance, so I didn’t waste an opportunity to sit on the big guy’s lap to tell him what I want for Christmas. From the look on his face in this photo, I may just get what I asked for!

Cheers,

Lynell

Meriting A Celebration

As luck would have it, I weighed in at 116.8 pounds on the morning of December 8^th, the perfect weight for my favorite red dancing dress, an appropriate choice for the annual holiday bash that evening hosted by my gym, Merritt Athletic Club, and featuring a live band playing funky dance tunes. The party was not actually held at my local club in the 'burbs, but at the downtown Baltimore headquarters, a sprawling gymnasium with a pool and basketball courts, a health restaurant and lots of floor space on several levels.

This Christmas party was huge, with close to a thousand guests and vendors from all over Maryland offering their best samples of food and beverage. People were dressed up, too, in suits and ties and gorgeous cocktail dresses. I was a little intimidated about going alone, but I mustered up the courage and went anyway, buoyed by the hotness of my own little cocktail dress.

Ah, the dress. A David Benjamin from the 1970s that I discovered in the back of my closet after I’d lost 70 pounds earlier this year. Bright red and quite short, with an unusual off-center self tie at the waist for interest. How could anyone be shy wearing such a thing? I paired it with sky-high nude platform heels by Call It Spring for JCPenney, a goldtone and rhinestone bracelet watch from Chico's, and my favorite garnet and citrine jewelry from Fire & Ice Jewelers of Baltimore(http://wwwfireandice.com). I wore my hair big and wild, tamed only by a gold headband and my favorite Dea Dread by Thea Osato (http://DeaDreads.etsy.com). I admit I strolled among the throngs at the party feeling like a million dollars.

Me with Stacey Phelps, manager of the Downtown Athletic Club

It was my pleasure to meet Stacey Phelps while I was there, manager of Baltimore’s Downtown Athletic Club (pictured with me above). Her mother, Pat Fleischer, is manager of my local facility. I also got to meet Donyel Cerceo, marketing director for the Merritt Athletic Club, with whom I have been dealing via email in the ads I have done for Merritt, as well as the article coming out next week in Club Solutions magazine. They said I looked fabulous. What a great self-esteem booster -- that little red dress!

Cheers,

Lynell

12/08/11 -- Waxing Skis - And Sentimentality

Today was blustery and cold, never getting out of the low 40s all day. Since my commute to the Library of Congress includes long stretches of walking outdoors – from the subway station parking lot to the Metro train, and from the Capitol South subway stop in Washington D.C. to the marble steps of the Library of Congress, I was eager for a day like today to wear my mother’s wool trousers from 1938, which I blogged about a few weeks ago (see my post of November 10: "A Hepburn Sensibility"), but this time with an antique wool sweater that my father wore in the late 1930s when he lived in Switzerland and was studying photography in Germany just before the outbreak of World War II.

My father, Alfred, in the Swiss Alps in the late 1930s

Just as I had a photo of my mother wearing the same trousers in 1938, so I have a photo of my father wearing this thick knit sweater while skiing in the Swiss Alps in 1939. There is a metal penguin woven into the yarn of the sweater on the front, but no discernable tag to identify the maker. Made of thick, itchy wool, I was afraid the sweater would irritate my skin, so I wore a Danskins black leotard underneath. The combination of yellow and black in the trousers and leotard called out for an amber necklace, so I chose a choker of amber glass beads from Fire & Ice Jewelers of Baltimore (http://www.fireandice.com/), with matching amber-beaded chandelier earrings from Claire’s and a citrine bracelet I purchased at the DeYoung Museum gift shop in San Francisco in 2004.

Conjuring both my mother and my father in my wardrobe today made for a very sentimental journey on the subway into Washington D.C.  The brisk winter air on my face made me think of the Alps my father skied upon so long ago. It was a good day for such melancholy thoughts of dear parents long departed.

Cheers,

Lynell

Blog Post No. 30 -- Birds of Paradise

One of my most treasured possessions is an uber feminine raw silk blouse my mother bought in Hollywood in the early 1940s when the world was at war. The blouse’s fabric is practically rotten now, and the color has long since faded, but the beauty of the hand-painted birds of paradise with their tattered sequin embellishments cannot be denied. I love it still, and insist on wearing the fragile blouse despite the threat of its spontaneous disintegration at any moment.

Today I wore my beloved blouse with even older trousers styled in the imitable style of Katharine Hepburn. These blue-gray slacks were hand made by my grandmother, Hester Myers, for my mother, Ruth, in 1935 or so. They fit me perfectly now and I am delighted to be able to wear them in the chilly late autumn weather.

I paired the trousers with taupe boots by American Eagle for Payless Shoe Source and a matching taupe belt from Chico’s with art-deco-inspired rhinestone detailing on the front.

Finding it difficult to choose jewelry to coordinate with the oddly faded blue-gray color of the trousers, I finally settled on a hand wrought silver and abalone bracelet which was a gift from my father to my mother on their honeymoon to Mexico in 1953, which I complemented with abalone cufflinks that belonged to my father and a gorgeous silver and abalone necklace and drop earrings given to me for Christmas last year by my dear friend and former administrative assistant, Marshall, in Texas, who purchased the set for me on a cruise to the Caribbean last year. On my hand I wore a silver-metal and pale blue stone double knuckle ring I picked up in Las Vegas in May.

A librarian at the Library of Congress today was blown away when I described the origin and age of my garments to her, but it was the attention from men that really struck me. More than ten different men, of varying ages and backgrounds, said hi to me as I walked the long corridors of the Library of Congress today. Apparently these old slacks are timeless in their ability to garner attention!

Cheers

Lynell

Blog Post No. 29, 12/04/11 -- In The Spirit

With my annual Holiday Open House, Bake Sale and Craft Program at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area out of the way for another year, I was in the mood for some Christmas music on this early December Sunday, so I gathered up some friends and we made our way to the state capitol of Annapolis, where Maryland Wildlife & Heritage Program biologist and fellow friend, Paula, was singing in an Advent celebration at her church, St. Margaret’s Episcopalian. With time to spare before the concert, we took in a tour of the Harmon-Hammond house near Capitol square, an original colonial home built in the 1700s with each room decorated for the holidays by local garden clubs in a Victorian theme.

The tour, led by a well-informed docent, was grand, but the beautiful choir music at St. Margaret’s church afterward was even grander. Paula’s gorgeous soprano voice soared during her solo and I really enjoyed the congregation’s opportunity to sing along on some of the hymns. All that singing whetted our appetites, so we joined Paula after the concert at one of her favorite Annapolis barbecue joints, Red, Hot & Blue, where I tucked into a pulled pork sandwich with gusto.

For this holiday-themed day, I chose a black knit tunic with embroidered, sequined poinsettias by Victoria Jones for Macy’s that I bought nearly ten years ago, paired with black INC leggings from Macy’s that were a gift this summer from Joyce, the mother of my best friend, Kari. Since the day was chilly and gray, I donned vintage high black leather Pleaser boots from JCPenney and finished the look with faux-gemstone holiday earrings that I bought decades ago in California, a golden "jingle-bell" ring that I picked up in Las Vegas in May, a gold-tone bracelet watch with rhinestones that I bought at Chico’s last year, and a black and gold Dea Dread hair accessory custom made for me by Thea Asoto of Baltimore (http://DeaDreads.etsy.com).

The day definitely put me in a holiday frame of mind!

Cheers,

Lynell

Blog Post No. 28, 12/03/11 -- Holiday Open House at Soldiers Delight



Here I am showing off the "edible" birdhouse I made

It was with great pleasure (and a lot of work) that I organized, set up and managed todays’ annual Holiday Open House at the Soldier’s Delight Natural Environment Area in Owings Mills (http://home.comcast.net/~soldiersdelight/) where I am a Volunteer Park Ranger and also Vice President of the friends group for this sensitive and unique wilderness area. On the Soldiers Delight premises we house a private aviary where raptors, such as bald and golden eagles, owls, hawks and vultures, are rehabilitated from injuries received typically from being hit by cars, as well as a number of reptiles and turtles. The animals, once nursed back to health, are imprinted on humans and cannot be released into the wild, so they become ambassadors of our Scales & Tales program, which provides programs in our city schools to teach children about the wonders of the natural world.

Sweetgum ball reindeer and pinecone owl

Our rehabilitation aviary is not generally open to the public, but we made a rare exception for our open house and welcomed children and adults into the building where these magnificent creatures make their homes. During the event, our visitor center welcomed guests with a bake sale and craft program. I set up festive tables in our auditorium and recruited volunteers to staff eight different crafts for children and adults to enjoy, from making angel ornaments from milkweed pods and oyster shells, to reindeer and snowmen made from sweetgum balls, and even "edible" birdhouses for the yard. At the same time, I set up tables in our exhibit hall which groaned under the weight of volunteer-baked goods ranging from pumpkin pie and sour cream cake to baklava and a multitude of cookies and bar treats. In the days leading up to the event I made gallons of hot chocolate, hot mulled wine with cardamom pods and peppercorns, and hot spiced cider with tangerines, cloves, and cinnamon. Our visitor center was a feast for the olfactory senses – and our taste buds!

Bake sale underway

The day went very well, and we took in several hundred dollars which will be used to further our outreach and conservation efforts at Soldiers Delight Natural Environment Area.  We had many visitors and I delighted in seeing children and adults enjoy making their holiday crafts. I bought way too many sweets to take home and was exhausted by the time everything was cleaned up and put away, but it was a very satisfied exhaustion!!

Cheers,

Lynell

Me with fellow board members Dwight and Laura and Wildlife Heritage Program biologist and baker extraordinaire Paula



Blog Post No. 27, 12/2/11 -- Fringe Element

This early December Friday night was very chilly. But I was hot to burn some calories on the dance floor at Gutierrez Studios "First Friday" monthly open house (http://gutierrezstudios.com/) where guests enjoyed Hungarian goulash and a variety of chilis provided by Woodberry Kitchen restaurant next door. The crowd moved enthusiastically to the beat of Rufus Roundtree and da B'more Brass Factory, a band deeply rooted in the world renown Parliament-Funkadelic (P-Funk) scene, so much so that they had their own troupe of groupies at the event.

Indeed, it didn’t matter how much of Woodberry Kitchen’s excellent chili I consumed because I burned it all off working my best moves on the dance floor while sporting a gorgeous hand-crocheted black top with gold beads and long fringe swinging in back and front that I found in a tiny clothing boutique in the Fells Point region of Baltimore during a visit from my Dallas coworkers Marshall, Judy and Judy’s husband, Reagan, back in 2003. I paired the crocheted top over a vintage black leather miniskirt from Wilson’s House of Suede and Leather in northern California that I bought back in the early 1970s, and black platform pumps by Call It Spring for JCPenney.com that I purchased a few months ago.

To complement the little gold beads all over the crocheted top, I chose a necklace of gold and silver-beads that was a gift long ago in California, and a pair of gold-beaded earrings that I’ve had for at least that long, along with a gold-beaded ring that I picked up in Las Vegas in May of this year and a gold and silver metal stretch bracelet-watch from CountryDoor.com. I finished my look with a black and gold-fabric Dea Dread hair accessory that was custom made for me by Thea Osato (http://DeaDreads.etsy.com).

As I was preparing to leave the event, thoroughly warmed from dancing to the funky music despite the frigid temperatures outside, the bongo drummer from the band approached me and remarked that "it was a pleasure to watch you on the dance floor because you seemed to really feel the beat of the music". Wow. Those Zumba classes have been paying off after all. I was giddy all the way home!

Cheers,
Lynell