A spirit duplicator (also referred to as a Rexograph or Ditto machine in North America, Banda machine in the UK, Gestetner machine in Australia) is a printing method invented in 1923 by Wilhelm Ritzerfeld that was commonly used for much of the rest of the 20th century.
The ditto machine used no ink. The user typed, wrote, or drew on a ditto master sheet which was backed by a second sheet of paper coated with a dye-impregnated, waxy substance. The inscribed image appeared on the back of the ditto sheet in reverse. The ditto machine used an alcohol-based fluid to dissolve some of the dye in the document, and transferred the image to the copy paper.
Though other colors of ditto sheets were available, purple was commonly used. In elementary school, dievca remembers that teachers would distribute drawing sheets for coloring or vocabulary. The sheets had been through the ditto machine, which gave purple outlines to drawings, letters, numbers, and anything else needed.
When dievca taught High School she used the Ditto Machines for worksheets – there wasn’t a copier available…old school!
The output of the ditto machine had a special aroma. Students could tell when a class assignment was hot out of the machine by the strength of the odor of the pages. The smell came from the ditto machine’s duplicating fluid, a mix of methanol and isopropanol.
The photo above shows a mimeograph:
The mimeograph printing process used an ink-filled cylinder and ink pad. Documents had to be prepared on a special wax-covered stencil on a typewriter which had its ribbon disengaged. The typewriter thus made impressions in the stencil, which were filled with ink and squeezed onto paper by the mimeograph’s roller. The stencils could also be used with drawings made by hand.
Olivia Newton-John passed away yesterday. she seemed like a very kind individual and dievca was prompted to revisit her music. dievca’s favorite song from her is pretty much the saddest song.
Every once in awhile, dievca has flashback memories of movies or TV shows she saw as a young child in the 1970’s. As she tries to pin down the memories — they swirl and seem to take her on a psychedelic trip. Her brain hurts. Does anyone else remember?
Sigmund the Sea Monster:
Gigglesnort Hotel‘s Blob:
41 Treehouse Lane‘s Mother Nature:
Romper Room‘s Magic Mirror:
Whew – dievca’s head is spinning. Time to move on to a workout. It’s a special Saturday for dievca because she doesn’t have to work – what a treat! Enjoy YOUR Saturday. XO
Its summertime and the heat has you seeking a frozen treat. When you walk into a restaurant, ice cream shop, frozen yogurt shop or other frozen concoction shop do you really understand what you’re ordering? Here are some terms and descriptions to help.
Frozen Yogurt vs. Ice Cream
Both use dairy and sugar, although ice cream is made with cream, and frozen yogurt uses cultured milk (yogurt). Ice cream tends to be fluffier, while frozen yogurt is tangier. The healthiest frozen yogurt will contain live and active cultures, which are beneficial to your gut.
Ice Cream vs. Ice Milk
Under the rules that define product labels, ice cream has to contain at least 10 percent butterfat. Some premium ice creams have even more fat, as high as 13 to 17 percent. If the frozen dessert had less than 10 percent fat and the same amount of sweetener, it had to be called ice milk. Ice milk is sometimes priced lower than ice cream. A 1994 change in United States Food and Drug Administration rules allowed ice milk to be labeled as low-fat ice cream in the United States.
Ice Cream vs. Frozen Custard
The difference between ice cream and frozen custard comes down to one ingredient: egg yolks. Ice cream is made with milk, cream, and sweetener.Frozen custard contains the same ingredients, plus egg yolks. This extra ingredient means frozen custard usually has a richer, thicker, and creamier texture than ice cream.
Sorbet, Gelato or Sherbet?
A definitive set of definitions from Darryl David follows:
Butterfat: Or milkfat is the fatty portion of milk. Milk and cream are often sold according to the amount of butterfat they contain.
Over Run: The amount of air that is whipped into the ice cream mixture. For example, an overrun of 100 percent would mean for every gallon of ice cream mix, you get two gallons of finished ice cream. Without this air, the frozen ice cream mix would resemble an ice cube, the same as if you were to freeze milk or any other liquid. This would make the ice cream pretty difficult to scoop and very icy to eat.
Ice Cream:
Super Premium = Contains about 14-16% butterfat and typically 30 – 50% over run.
Premium = Contains about 12-14% butterfat and typically 40 – 70% over run.
Economy = In the U.S. is the minimum standard and has to contain at least 10% butterfat and less than 1.4% egg yolks and typically 90 – 100% over run.
Home Made Ice Cream: Often contain around 18 – 20+% butterfat with little to no air over run.
Ice Milk: Is about 3.5% butterfat, the same as whole milk and typically 70 – 100% over run.
Frozen Custard: Is similar to ice cream, and is defined by the same FDA regulation as ice cream. It also must contain at least 10% butterfat, but must also have at least 1.4% egg yolks. It’s made with a machine that adds less air (20 – 30% over run), so it tastes more dense, and served fresh at a higher temperature so usually softer than ice cream.
Sorbet: Contains no dairy at all, and is usually just frozen fruit juice, sugar, and water with little to no over run.
Sherbet: Is defined by the same regulation as ice cream in the U.S., and must contain 1-2% butterfat and 20 – 30% over run. Typically consisting of cream, water and sugar.
Frozen Yogurt: Is a frozen dessert made with yogurt and sometimes other dairy products. It varies from slightly to much more tart than ice cream, as well as being lower in fat (due to the use of milk instead of cream). It is different from ice milk (more recently termed low-fat or light ice cream) and conventional soft serve. Unlike yogurt, frozen yogurt is not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)but is regulated by some states. Frozen yogurt may or may not contain live and active bacteria cultures. May contain 20 – 30% over run.
Gelato: Is not regulated in the U.S., usually about 3-8% butterfat and often contains more stabilizers to compensate for a lack of cream and eggs. And like frozen custard, it’s also made with less air (20 – 30% over run) and served warmer, than ice cream.
Soft Serve: Typically 3 – 6% butterfat with 10 – 20% over run. Dairy Queen is 5% as example.
Obviously, dievca loves iced treats. Master? Not so much. His dievca cannot wrap her head around that issue.
12 and 13 years old can be tough ages for Kids – Girls in particular. It’s a lovely, awkward, silly, loud, insecure, sad, joyous time. As dievca is rolling towards menopause, she’s recently been thrown into the company of those new to menstruation. Both camps are riding the rollercoaster of hormones and emotions.
The funny thing is that dievca is finding patience with her own body through finding patience for the kids.
As she listens and soothes – she is soothed in return and it brings back memories of her Mom, Aunts, Cousins, and female coaches. dievca finds herself saying things that those lovely Women said to her and she rolled her eyes at 13. Now she knows why they said them and meant them to be true.
Into the wild World of Pop Culture, Fashion and ending up in “Memory-ville”.
Daniel Day (born August 8, 1944), known as Dapper Dan, is an American fashion designer and haberdasher from Harlem, New York. His influential store, Dapper Dan’s Boutique, operated from 1982–92 and is most associated with introducing high fashion to the hip hop world, with his clients over the years including Eric B. & Rakim, Salt-N-Pepa, LL Cool J, and Jay-Z. In 2017, he launched a fashion line with Gucci, with which he opened a second store and atelier, Dapper Dan’s of Harlem, in 2018.
Lent his creativity to the Gap for an arch logo hoodie, to be sold for $98.
The sweatshirt supposedly sold out immediately on its March 10th, 4 pm release.
When dievca was looking on eBay for the Sweatshirt — this 1970 PlaysKool Dapper Dan Doll appeared:
Which prompted a flashback to dievca’s own Dressy Bessy 1970 PlaysKool Doll:
dievca thought all of her Flashback moments were done when she completed clearing her Mom/ Dad’s house, but apparently there are still memories to be found in the depths. she has a sense of what the doll felt like, what the fabric was, how heavy it was and how irritating it was because the clothes didn’t come off. dievca would almost like to buy another Dressy Bessy on eBay to see if her memories are correct.
Did anyone else have a Dapper Dan or Dressy Bessy doll?
Are dievca’s memories correct?
Is anyone willing to pay $889.88 for a Dapper Dan GAP sweatshirt?
Lyric night of the lingering Indian Summer, Shadowy fields that are scentless but full of singing, Never a bird, but the passionless chant of insects, Ceaseless, insistent.
The grasshopper’s horn, and far-off, high in the maples, The wheel of a locust leisurely grinding the silence Under a moon waning and worn, broken, Tired with summer.
Let me remember you, voices of little insects, Weeds in the moonlight, fields that are tangled with asters, Let me remember, soon will the winter be on us, Snow-hushed and heavy.
Over my soul murmur your mute benediction, While I gaze, O fields that rest after harvest, As those who part look long in the eyes they lean to, Lest they forget them.
Sara Teasdale — Originally published in Poetry, March 1914.
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden (1960)
Cruising is distinguished from regular driving by the social and recreational nature of the activity, which is characterized by an impulsively random, often aimless course. A popular route (or “strip”) is often the focus of cruising. “Cruise nights” are evenings during which cars drive slowly.
dievca went to College in a mid-sized City and worked selling dance clothing and shoes her Junior/Senior year for extra cash. The store was off the historical “Main Strip” where kids would cruise in their cars on Friday and Saturday nights. She was amazed to see the activity continue in the mid-80’s, because she thought it was a 1960’s and a Southern thing.
Wrong.
The same feeling occurred, last night – watching a few of lowriders cruising in Albuquerque. They joined the ranks of a couple of vintage cars and souped-up mufflers on pick-up trucks. They ALL made dievca smile~
Apparently, New Mexico claims to be the Lowrider Capital of the World. The town Espanola in particular:
Wedged between two national forests and split by the Rio Grande sits Española, New Mexico. With a population just over 10,000, and an economic relevance that peaked when the railroad rolled through in 1880, you wouldn’t expect much more than Southwestern small-town tourist fare here. All the more surprising, then, that it’s become the Lowrider Capital of the World.
It started small, 60 years ago. The lowrider scene had already taken root in Los Angeles, a new car culture born of rebellion. Its brash, flashy, low-and-slow mantra served as an act of defiance by Chicanos who had long been told to keep their heads down, work hard, and assimilate into the white American mainstream. Lowriders were an outward statement that they weren’t content to blend in. They had arrived, they had a culture all their own, and they wanted people to know it.
Showing off on the street is a surefire way to draw police attention, and lowriders were no exception. Hydraulic suspension, the defining feature of a modern lowrider, was invented in response to harassment from law enforcement. California authorities made it illegal for any part of a car’s bodywork to sit lower than the bottom of the wheel. With hydraulics, you could raise the car to dodge a ticket and slam it back down when the cops were gone.
That resonated in Española. The town, sometimes called “Little L.A.,” has deep ties to the Hispanic and Chicano communities of Southern California. Families that had been in New Mexico for generations would head west seeking opportunity and return with money and a taste of California culture. Lowriders were a natural fit for Española, a continuation of the artistic tendencies that had defined Northern New Mexico for hundreds of years.
A marinière (French: [maʁinjɛʁ]), or tricot rayé (French: [tʁiko ʁɛje]; lit. ‘striped sweater’), is a cotton long-armed shirt with horizontal blue and white stripes.
dievca was reading an article about when family members die, its hard to get rid of their “stuff” because of your memories attached to their items or the memories of the person who used the item. Whew – that was a mouthful. For example, dievca has her Dad’s Levi’s looped Terry Cloth Shirt from the 1970’s. With a boat neck and 3/4 sleeves in white with blue stripes it looks like a marinière-style shirt. She remembers him wearing it to the Tennis Courts or the Pool. It’s still wearable and looped terry cloth clothing is “in”.
And then there is other stuff that you keep because you think you will use it. And – shocker! – you do use it. Like a vintage Ice Cream scoop (1937) from you Aunt and her two 10″ Aires Box Fans (circa 2004 – received, new in box).
Mind you, those box fans have now been used and knocked over a number of times and because they are plastic/slighty flexible – they keep bouncing back for more. Something of Use!
All three items keep you cool in the Summer, all three items are practical and all three offer memories. Three items that dievca doesn’t feel guilty for keeping.
In a Past Life, dievca received a set of melamine mixing bowls from Crate and Barrel as a gift.
The bowls have been through multiple moves, lived in Europe, have been dropped, washed, held salads and made cookies numerous times. Like everything else, 29 years of weekly wear has taken a toll. The pouring spouts are chipped, the rubber holders on the bottom are deteriorating and, yet, dievca is holding on to them.
Why? The bowl portion itself has not cracked and Melamine is categorized under Class #7 on the list of Plastic Resin Codes. This means that it is a widely used plastic that does not fit into the more commonly used #1-6 classifications and should not be thrown in your recycling bin. Melamine cannot be melted for recycling like other plastics.
The bowls are a modern classic. Created by Danish designers – Rosti in 1954, the Margrethe bowl was produced and named after then Princess Margrethe, the current queen of Denmark. The easy-care melamine mixing bowls have ergonomic handles, pouring spouts and a non-skid ring at the bottom.
Lately, have you found yourself steeped in nostalgia?
Not saying that Life was better before _________ (fill in the blank)
Just revisiting pieces of Joy, Love, Sadness, Humor, etc.
Beach Boys, Napster, Limewire, Sonic the Hedgehog, the Muppet Show, The Blues Brothers, Jaws, and so on~
dievca’s Mom had a lovely little Tahitian pearl ring for years that she wore on her pinky. She had gotten it from dievca’s Dad when they went on a trip to Hawaii and left the kids with their Slovak Grandparents. Umm, it was a moment when Grandma made cow’s brains and tried to pass them off as scrambled eggs….dievca was 5 years old and still remembers ~
Anyways, dievca’s Mom lost the lovely green pearl ring.
So, dievca has randomly looked for a replacement on and off throughout the years.
Her latest search started here:
Round! the shape of the pearl should be round.
That knocked this beauty out of contention.
And this one has an asymmetrical setting – nope.
The color of the pearl Mom lost was black-green:
On this one the setting is too high, the pearl is too grey:
dievca was concerned with the quality of the pearl, but not too worried about it.
The green of this pearl is nice and the 14K white gold pops, but that setting is very intricate.
dievca loved this ring, but it was very expensive- from Denmark and not a good replacement for the lost ring.
Again, an interesting setting – but rose gold? Limiting.
So, as dievca was looking at various rings on eBay, the RealReal, Jewelers, etc – she realized that it is hard to find a smaller Tahitian pearl. They run more consistently in the 11 and 12 mm range. dievca was aiming for 8 or 9 mm.
So, the criteria loosely became:
Round Pearl
8mm
Green color
Lower profile setting
Silver-colored band
Symmetrical band
Voila!
David Yurman Petite Tahitian Ring Sterling Silver 18K gold Neiman Marcus $495
There are a number of this David Yurman ring out there on the web, but the pearls run from grey to blue and settings are holding a larger pearl. dievca found hers on eBay with an 8mm dark green pearl – it came from a southern Jewelry store.
Not quite Mom’s ring, but Master loves it.
Pearls are organic gemstones that are vulnerable to acid, alkaline and extremes of humidity. To preserve your pearls’ radiance, avoid letting them come into contact with cosmetics, hair spray, or perfume. Always put on your jewelry as a final touch, after applying make-up and styling hair.
The pearl’s lustre can also be harmed by perspiration. To prevent this, before returning your pearls to the jewelry box, wipe them gently with a soft cloth.
Someone who is VERY social and easygoing; can be either a male or a female. Usually, these people don’t belong to a particular group, but rather jump from one group to another. They are somewhat accepted in all of them but don’t really have any deep friendship connections in any of them.
dievca was a Social Butterfly in High School (HS). she missed a lot of school due to training/competing, so her socializing was sporadic. she made herself agreeable wherever and whenever she could. (No lunch, no study hall, no gym and perhaps some classes are missing – Driver’s Ed, Consumer Ed, etc.) she touched down lightly for a short time with whatever group was at hand and open to her company.
People mix-up her ability to socialize with popularity.
When she goes back to her HS Reunions, she remembers her Elementary School friends much better than HS people. That extra 8 years of Catholic School leaves an imprint. In turn, High School mates remember her…that is a bit of a scary thought.
The Geeks in her Science classes knew her best and she is always happy to see them.
Her close friendships were childhood friends and sports training friends. They stuck.
Apparently Master was “Popular” in High School.
Hah!
Something dievca did not know.
He never talks about childhood friends.
Master mumbled something about owning a car, dating more than His nerdy friends, people not knowing His background and them thinking that He was very self-assured, confident, smart and funny.
Not a lot of details offered, but it sounds like Master had a good time at his High School Reunion.
Do you remember the heat of the Summer? Cruising along on your bike?
Bicycles = Freedom Stopping to flirt with the girls or boys? Time had no meaning.
~Summers were Endless~
…and the mornings offer the moist heat of Summertime dew.
Schools are almost out for the year. dievca flashes back to childhood memories~
This song came out before dievca was born. It’s older than her brother’s music and younger than her Parent’s choices. Yet, the song still managed to ingrain itself into dievca’s Summer Memories. Do you remember?
1966
A new exhibition exploring the work of British fashion designer Mary Quant will open at the V&A in April 2019, including photographs from the archive of Terence Donovan. With over 200 garments…
Flowers.
A lovely gift to bring someone. Male or Female. A very Dutch gift.
Do you bring flowers that you love? Especially if you don’t know what flowers the giftee loves?
Do you try to guess what they might like?
Or would you think about the flower’s meanings? Send a message?
In dievca’s High School, clubs would sell Carnations on Valentine’s Day to raise money for their activities:
A White Carnation meant “Friends”
Red meant “Lovers”
Pink meant “Secret Admirer”
For 50 cents, you would pre-order and send the flowers with a message to the classroom where you knew your “target” was sitting. The pink carnations were quite desirable.
Hmm, fun to remember that~wonder if they still do it.
dievca received three sets of flowers for her Birthday.
Which bouquet of flowers do you think is her?
White rose: purity, innocence, reverence, a new beginning, a fresh start.
Red rose: love, I love you
Deep, dark crimson rose: mourning Pink roses: grace, happiness, gentleness
Yellow rose: joy, friendship, the promise of a new beginning
Orange rose: desire and enthusiasm
Lavender rose: love at first sight
Coral rose: friendship, modesty, sympathy
Celosia (Cockscomb) – Boldness/Courage or Affection, Singularity, Silliness.
Gerber Daisy (Gerbera): Innocence, Purity Carnation (red): Love, Admiration, Friendship, Pride, Passion Carnation (yellow): Disappointment, Rejection, Disdain Hydrangea (foliage and flowers): Thank You for Understanding, sometimes Heartlessness Rose (red): love, I love you Mums (yellow): Happiness, also Slighted Love, Dejection Mums (white): Truth, Hope, Loyal Love, Pure & True Affections
More importantly, which flowers are you?
Farmer’s Almanac Symbolic Meanings of Herbs, Flowers and Other Plants
Women tend to remember negative experiences longer and may have lingering feelings of stress, anxiety, or sadness. In contrast, men are less likely to dwell on unpleasant events and tend to move on more quickly.
dievca finds this to be true.
Master has washed out most of the memories of His illness and hospital stay.
dievca? she remembers almost everything — vividly. she can tell you the timeline, mistakes, surgery dates, Doctors, Nurses, Residents….
This dichotomy of the experience has shaped Master and dievca’s behavior for the past year.
Master doesn’t want to remember and dievca cannot forget.
Today is the anniversary of the first emergency room visit and stay. With all the testing, watching, poking and prodding — Master got the hiccups. Insult upon injury, especially when you aren’t allow to have water…or ice. 3 hours+ of hiccups, until 3 am – when he got admitted.
No, dievca is not celebrating. she’s honoring the journey.
In late April, she’ll celebrate Master’s return home. And in May, the removal of His drainage tubes.
she will do this all without Master.
He doesn’t remember.
He doesn’t want to remember.
And dievca cannot forget.
(Yes, dievca mentioned to Master that he might not want to look at the blog today.)
dievca was reading an article about when family members die, its hard to get rid of their “stuff” because of your memories attached to their items or the memories of the person who used the item. Whew – that was a mouthful. For example, dievca has her Dad’s Levi’s looped Terry Cloth Shirt from the 1970’s. With a boat neck and 3/4 sleeves in white with blue stripes it looks like a 
Apparently Master was “Popular” in High School.
Do you remember the heat of the Summer?
Photos: dievca Sweden 08/2019
In dievca’s High School, clubs would sell Carnations on Valentine’s Day to raise money for their activities:
Sometimes you have to stop and honor the moment:
Yesterday contained all four:
Men Let Go Faster Than Women
dievca 