Morris Chairs and Paternosters

I came across a couple of unfamiliar terms in novels I've read recently and they demanded research.

In Fangland, there was mention of a paternoster located in an ancient hotel, which, judging from the description, was a cross between a dumbwaiter and an elevator. As it turns out, it is a constantly moving, open, cyclical elevator. It looks dangerous as hell if you ask me. See for yourself:

About this video: Invented in 1884 as the "cyclic elevator," the paternoster is an open-front continuously-moving elevator.
This example, one of the few still in operation, is in the Albert Sloman Library at the University of Essex.

Also over at YouTube is an excellent student video called Ups and Downs filmed using a paternoster.


The Morris Chair is far more benign; an early reclining chair designed in the 1860s in Sussex, England and marketed by the William Morris Company. They are prized as antiques and are still being produced today. In this picture you can see the adjustable back brace which allows for the angle of recline to be changed.

What does one call the day after New Year's Day? Wednesday, I suppose...

Today was my first day back at the office after twelve days of vacation. It was 8 F / -13 C degrees outside and it had snowed overnight when I opened my eyes this morning. It took every shred of will power I possess to get dressed and head out into that weather. Calling in sick seemed like such a nice option.

I made a Swiss chard and goat cheese frittata (it was very good) for dinner tonight, and it got me thinking about why chard is called "Swiss" in this country. I did a couple of searches on it and found a couple of contradictory answers. All that was agreed upon was that it is not Swiss, but Mediterranean in origin. I came across a Fordhook variety of chard on the web though, and that got me thinking about Fordhook lima beans. I assumed there must be a connection and it turns out the Fordhook Farm, Doylestown, PA was owned by one W. Atlee Burpee, founder of the now famous Burpee Seed Company. The large, fat lima bean discovered and developed by Burpee sometime around 1900 still bears the name of the farm today (although they are called butter beans in the south.) So that's what I learned today, boys and girls.

Swiss chard is a nutritional powerhouse though; check out its fan page over at The World's Healthiest Foods.

New Year's Resolutions!

New Year's Resolutions!

• Learn at least one new thing everyday and blog about it here so I stand some chance of remembering it. Anything goes: a fun fact, a new cooking technique, mastering a new exercise.
• Go hiking once a week, weather permitting.
• Plan one day per month for photography practice and post photos.
• FIND A NEW JOB!!!

That should do for now. I'll add more if I think of anything else.