Happy Anniversary - Victorian Technology Institute Turns One
The VTI this past July
It seems hard to believe that I started this blog a year ago. It was just a few days after Halloween, and I was nursing a broken right wrist (see "A Skull, a Spectre, and a Snap" for that story). I typed the first blog entry using my left hand and right index finger, figuring out how to use Blogger as I went. It took nine hours. I've cut that time by half, but it's still a slog, mostly because of how Blogger works (or doesn't work) with images. But it's been worth it.
It's been a busy October. Harvest and I travelled to Kidron, Ohio, to go to Lehman's: a huge store that carries almost everything a low-technology person could want. I've been making purchases from them for years, first via their paper catalog and now though their online store, but it's worth making the drive and going to the store to shop. I had been lusting after an Alladin oil lamp for years - it gives much better light than a standard oil lamp - and Lehman's had a large selection of them. It was high time to get one.
Our trip to Central Ohio took us by some interesting roadside oddities. Wisconsin may have its giant chainsaw-carved logger statutes and enormous mice with cheese, but Central Ohio's oddities have a regional flavor all their own.
A team of four "draft" horses made out of straw pulling a vegetable cart. Their eyes are small squash, and their ears are corn cobs.
Rather than staying at one of the tourist hotels in the Amish community area, we opted for a B&B at Buckeye Ridge Farm in Wooster, Ohio, about 20 minutes away. We had a little cottage all to ourselves. The farm owners, Lynn and Steve, raise Spanish cashmere goats and buckeye chickens which suited me right down to the ground. We had great walks in the woods with Bear who loved crunching along in the leaves. The goats were quite personable, and of course, the relative merits of various chicken breeds were discussed. I helped Lynn evaluate some of her cashmere, which, of course, meant I had to have some of my own, and I came home with a small bag of the precious stuff which will be blended with some super-soft wool to make a luxurious yarn.
This handsome fellow is either Fabio or Antonio Banderas. He's gorgeous, but since it's breeding season, he smells absolutely dreadful.
Kidron is smack in the heart of the Ohio Amish community, which is handy for a store like Lehmans that sells low-technology goods. The settlement, as it's called by the Amish, spreads over several towns and counties. The Amish are well-known for their skill in woodworking and furniture, but there are any number of other craftspeople and small specialty shops scattered among or within the farms, their skills or wares only visible through small signs located at the end of long driveways. Because we enjoy finding beautiful handmade items and keeping away from the crowds, particularly this year, we found ourselves following these little signs up hills and down dales to find the farms in question. GPS will do you no good whatever here: you need to navigate by knowing where the particular road is that you might have seen yesterday which is by that school near the fence that runs along the side of this barn and up and over the hill on the left. I'm not joking. Our Amish area in Cashton is quite navigable, but this area is vast. Add to that the Amish farm aesthetic: white house, dark green curtains, white or red barn, and navigation becomes even more interesting.
In Wisconsin, the Amish specialize in greenhouses full of plants and flowers, wooden items, rugs, and maple syrup in addition to the numerous furniture shops they are famous for. In Ohio, it's hand-woven baskets. We managed to find a beautiful dog bed basket made by a young man who, at his father's request, signed the bottom of the basket for us while we chatted with his father. Bear enjoys it enormously.
I won't claim to be any kind of expert in Amish life and culture, but I can say that it appears that many of the Amish groups in this area of Ohio are far more "liberal" than here in Wisconsin. Tractors seem to be allowed if they are pulling something down a road but are not in a field. Given the hilly nature of the terrain, e-bikes are a real thing here, as it avoids hitching up the buggy to go to town for just a few necessaries. I'm sure that many people were grateful when it was determined that they were acceptable. The bikes are usually black, sometimes white, and all have the same dark gray panniers on the back.
The little bike trailers that are made for towing children behind a bike, however, can be any color at all. They are used for carrying all kinds of things that the rest of us would put in the trunk of our car. And with all those bright colors, they are highly visible, which makes for safety when cars are whizzing by.
Our arrival was at a particularly opportune time, as the Mid-Ohio Draft Horse and Carriage Sale was taking place that week in Mount Hope. Amish people come from all over to purchase horses, buggies, and tack. This makes for interesting traffic jams at stop signs where cars, buggies, and tour buses compete to get through an intersection. The auction itself is spread out over three days: draft horses on one day, horses and ponies for carriage and buggy driving the next day, and the buggies themselves on the third day. By chance we happened upon the "used car lot" of the buggies that were going to be up for auction. There were at least forty of them.
Knowing that it was likely that would buy almost everything I saw at Lehman's, I had set myself a generous, but not to be exceeded, spending limit. I'm happy to report that I came in under budget. Just. We did come home with that lamp I had been waiting for, a pair of new butter paddles, several other kitchen items including a dough whisk that's become one of Harvest's favorite baking tools, and a wooden food dehydrator that can work in a conventional oven, in the oven of the wood cookstove, or on top of the soapstone stove in the parlor. I've been making good use of it drying apples on top of the parlor stove where I can use the gentle radiant heat to good effect.
Once home, it was time to finish rehearsing "Twisted Tales of Poe," a radio play I was performing with Evansville Community Theater. A radio play is done as if it was one of the old radio broadcasts from the 1940s and 1950s, with actors moving back and forth from their seats to the microphones to play their characters. These broadcasts often included a live audience. Naturally, we had commercials as well, as the old programs would have had, including our very own Ward Hurtley Funeral Home - perfect for Halloween. I was cast as Montressor from The Cask of Amontillado, and I had a great time portraying that vengeful villain. Of our three nights of performance, on October 28, 29, and 30, two were sell-outs.
One of Poe's best known tales, The Cask of Amontillado was published in Godey's Lady's Book in 1846. This magazine was part Vogue and part Good Housekeeping. I imagine it caused quite a stir when it was published and read by Victorian ladies. Amateur theatricals were all the rage in the Victorian era, and there's no reason not to imagine that, at the very least, Poe's tales would be have been read to chilling effect in a darkened room with thunder and rain outside and rapt listeners sitting by a fire inside hanging on every word.
In keeping with the Poe theme, I bought two bottles of Merlot and made wine labels for each of them which read:
E.A. Poe
Amontillado
Montressor Winery, Italy
1846
and gave them to our director. The labels were so well done that at first, some of the cast members thought I'd actually found a wine called Amontillado!
A Victorian etching of The Raven
Which brings us around again to Halloween 2021. The painted sugar skull from last year came back out and was placed at the bottom of the stairs and filled with springy frog toys, and the lanterns, with real candles, were lit as always to enhance the ambience. We have been known as the Witch House for several years now, to the extent that if someone in town asks where our house is, and we tell them, "It's the Witch House," the questioner will often respond, "Oh, yes. I know exactly where it is." It doesn't have to be Halloween for the house to be recognized as such. We are the Witch house in May and June just as much as in October, and we have a reputation to maintain. Unlike last year, this time we were able to enjoy the arrival of the trick-or-treaters. Though there were certainly not as many as in 2019, we expect it to pick right up to the usual 600 (I do not exaggerate) next year. Of course, parents dressed up as well, and there were a good number of costumed dogs. This year, the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz seemed to be the most popular canine attire.
Harvest cackled for two solid hours, amusing adults and older kids while giving the youngest just a moment of pause. She only does this at Halloween. One of the directors from the play sat with us on the porch drinking mulled wine and enjoying the show. This was far preferable to driving to the hospital with a broken wrist.
Harvest waiting on the porch for the first trick-or-treaters
I even got a photo of the Mysterious Lady again this year. She was the most elegant witch I've ever seen, with full Day of the Dead makeup, a silver wig, a stunning purple velvet hat and a matching cape that went all the way over the horse's rump. I have no idea where she gets her clothes, but I sure would like to find out. As usual, she made only two passes down the street, and I had to run to catch up with her on the second pass. She was kind enough to stop for me to take a photo. I still have no idea who she is or how she arrives in town. She simply appears and disappears like the ghost she may be.
And so, the Victorian Technology Institute begins another year with new adventures to be had and new skills to learn and share. Happy birthday to VTI, and Happy Halloween to all our readers!
