On April 14, I got to have tea with a friend and former colleague of mine. Adriana and I went to Eatarry in February, 2022 on one of the coldest days. Promising to return, Adriana came back for tea at Eatarry again. This was the first time that I had seen her since that cold, February day. She quit her job right before I returned from sabbatical. We chatted about a lot of things before it was time to drive her to the train station to return to the city. I intend to keep in touch, and maybe I can meet her in the city next time for lunch.
Rinku Bhattacharya, the creator of the blog Spice Chronicles, came to Tarrytown’s Warner Library to do a demonstration of Indian cooking using an Instant Pot. She also brought two of the cookbooks she authored, one being specifically for cooking with the Instant Pot. She made dal and discussed her methods of cooking. She tries to find ways to minimize her time cooking while maximizing the flavor of the dishes. Lentils, she assured us, is a staple in the Indian kitchen.
Questions were asked about a variety of things, including curry. She passed around leaves from the curry plant, and talked about the different curry spices that exist in the world. We got to eat the dal as soon as it was ready, and it was served with rice. It was good, and my friend and I enjoyed ourselves.
According to her blog, Ms. Bhattacharya also offers cooking classes. Her blog also has numerous recipes for a plethora of foods.
This year’s Christmas display at the Historical Society was marionettes. The Society has a very big assortment of marionettes from the 20th century and perhaps even older. I did not help set up this exhibit, so I don’t know a lot about the individual items.
Two marionettes came together in one box. Hans and Katrina also came with a short play that a child could enact with them. It wasn’t anything of great literary value, just something that introduced the kids to their new toys, and perhaps help prime the creativity pump in their minds.
Another group of puppets that came together was the one containing Hansel, Gretel, and the Witch. Everyone knows the fairy tale about how Hansel and Gretel were abandoned in the woods by their parents and came upon the house made of gingerbread and candy. The owner of the house, the Witch, quickly imprisons the children, making Gretel work for her while she fattens Hansel up to eat him. All ends happily for the children, as they cook the Witch in her own oven, and their parents have a change of heart and take them back.
Many of the marionettes needed some restoration work. Many had tangled or damaged strings, some had clothes that were soiled. A few of these puppets were put out in the exhibit.
The newest puppet was the Headless Horseman. Shipped from Australia, it probably came the farthest to the Historical Society. It is dressed in gray and brown robes with a hood which covers the pumpkin for a head. Honestly, it looks more like the marionette is wearing a medieval monk’s robes, at least to me. Still, it fits in with the legendary theme.
The exhibit was just put up in December, meaning that it will be up for several months. If you get a chance, stop by and look around. There are things to see. One of the most interesting is the dollhouse that was made in intimidation of the Odell House. This is on regular exhibit in the Captors Room. The couple exhibiting period clothing are nice except for the hair on the male mannequin. It’s too modern, otherwise they look good. The Historical Society doesn’t have much in the way of men’s clothing; women’s clothes are the most donated type of garments. (Even a hat for the guy would be an improvement.)
I hope everyone enjoyed the 2022 holiday season. Here’s to hoping that 2023 will be a great year!
This is one of the last artifacts that I handled at the Historical Society. Originally believed to be some type of basket (a strange one with a circle, under the brim, for the crown of the head), an old description was found that confirmed that this is, indeed, a rain hat, and that it is of Haida origin. The Haida are originally from islands off the coast of British Columbia. When I visited the Pacific Northwest and the Alaska panhandle, I heard about the Haida as one of the traditional tribes in the region.
I love this hat. Even though the colors have faded, it is still very expressive and can be worn in the sun as well as the rain. I tried it on and it did fit. It reminded me of the Southeast Asian hats that people working rice patties wear, except that their hats come up into a point instead of a flat, woven knot. This is one of my favorite artifacts. It is still in good shape being something that was woven. Some of the baskets that I found were in very bad shape, some literally disintegrating.
I finished the indigenous artifacts project at the end of July/beginning of August. I have been writing the final report for a few weeks now. As of August 25, my sabbatical was officially over and I have been back to work. The report will serve two purposes. It will document what I did at the Historical Society and inform future custodians of what was done with the items listed, and I can submit this as the report the City University of New York requires from all people returning from sabbatical.
Did I enjoy my sabbatical? Certainly. Do I miss it? Definitely. Am I glad that I was able to work on this project? I proudly answer yes.
This pipe was surely made in the late 19th or early 20th century. The faces resemble medieval men. If you look at the clothing surrounding the faces, it too looks medieval.
Yes, this pipe is indigenous, but the artisan decided to craft something that looks like it came from medieval Europe. It doesn’t look like it was ever used.
This is a collection of small pipes that I discovered while going through the indigenous artifacts at the Historical Society. These are some of the more interesting ones in the collection.
Pipe with a bearPipe shaped like a foot and legPipe shaped like a horse’s headPipe in the shape of a man’s facePipe in the shape of a man’s face (front)
This is a black stone object that is broken off a larger piece. The face looks like a monkey’s or a lamb’s. The curved end of the piece is where the break is located. Written on the side is “New Mexico Mound.” Someone went over “Mexico” in white paint. Also written on it is “From Susan,” and the rest is illegible.
Now, is this piece from Mexico? Was it found in New Mexico? No one knows, but there are no monkeys in New Mexico; monkeys are indigenous to southern Mexico. If it is a lamb (or something resembling a lamb) then it could be New Mexico. And where is the mound? It is not known how old it is.
This piece looks like a frog. It is of red clay and has been painted white with black decorations. Its left foot is missing. Probably used as a decoration. It is of Hopi origin.
This is another piece that I really like. It may have been used to hold small objects.
This is just a cool piece of pottery. Made of red clay, it is painted to resemble a moccasin that a person would wear. (It almost looks like a real moccasin.) May be of Hopi origin.
This was on display for years at the Historical Society.
You can actually read the sticker on the cheek of the face that this pottery is shaped like: “Ancient Peruvian Pottery.”
The mouth, which is at the bottom of the picture, is open; was this something to hold smaller objects? It wouldn’t hold liquids, as they would run right out. It probably was used as a storage container.
There seems to be some type of paint or lacquer that covers the piece. I don’t know when this was added, but apparently the piece was previously owned by someone who added the shine, thinking that it would keep the piece in good shape.
The Researching Librarian 