Steve mentors Rachel in the proper way to make potato dumplings.
Weighing in at no less that 8-12 oz a piece, potato dumplings are probably THE most important Thanksgiving Day tradition in the Jungbauer family.
Personally, MY favorite tradition is eating Old Fashioned Cream pie for breakfast the next morning!!!
Rachel officially hit the 5 foot mark this week. (That is only a few inches away from me, you know.)
This prompted me to finally dig through all the leaves of precious grade-school memorabilia until I finally found the tidbit of trivia I was looking for: compared to Sarah at the same age, Rachel is already 4 inches taller!!! That certainly explains why my little fourth grader has already out-grown clothes that Sarah wore in sixth grade.
What was Rachel's reaction to the big news?
Where did my girls get all that height? (Sarah is now 5' 7")
Obviously, they got it from me --- that's why I'm so short!
For those of you visiting, you are probably wondering what the @#$*! rendering is . . . . .
I grew up answering that question just as frequently and matter-of-factly as how to spell my name. ( A girl named Erin growing up in the 1960s was just as odd as a father in the rendering business.)
Simplistically stated, rendering is the recycling of animal by-products (i.e. dead animal parts) . . . . . into dog food, airline lubricants, soap . . . .and cosmetics! Yes . . . you can thank Porky the Pig for those luscious-looking lips and clean hands! The only part that cannot be recycled --- is the squeal. (That was the punch line for my grade-school science fair project.)
So now you know. If you still want to know more, read on.
S.C. Repertory Company show 'Try's and succeeds
BY GAIL WESTERFIELD, Packet columnist
Published Friday, November 4, 2005
The story of a May-December friendship between a crusty, once-great lawyer and judge and his spunky new secretary -- more than 50 years his junior -- could be a very trying play to sit through. But South Carolina Repertory Company's production of Joanna McClelland Glass' fine work, "Trying," continues the company's tradition of presenting excellent plays with talented actors in an intimate setting.
Playwright Glass' own experience as Judge Francis Biddle's personal secretary from 1967-68 inspired the play. Biddle was the Attorney General under Franklin D. Roosevelt and a judge in the Nuremberg trials. He is 81 at the time of the play and seems to be both resigned to his death and struggling to reconcile himself to it. Sarah, fresh from the Canadian prairie, is just 25 years old and is in many ways the complete opposite of the brilliant, fussy, occasionally abusive Biddle. The respect they find for each other through the course of the play from a gradual warming to one another over the course of the play. In a subtle, and therefore believable, way, each changes through their relationship with the other, evolving beyond their initial differences through "trying" to find their way in the world -- and out of it -- together.
The writing is sharp -- lyrical at times -- and realistic, even as it offers a look at a life and times many in the audience might not have been familiar with. Their conversations are peppered with literary allusions, the two characters deal with the issues of their time, relationships, and all kinds of loss.
At its core is the concept of "trying" in many senses. Each finds the other to be a "trying" individual to deal with in the beginning, but the larger ideas concern human attempts both to connect and to protect self, struggles to overcome life's obstacles and the many fears inherent in every life.
J. Michael Craig is simply flawless as Judge Biddle. At least three decades younger than the character he plays, he renders Biddle's frustration with the deterioration of his body and mind with extraordinary skill. As impressive as his physical performance is -- particularly the use of his hands and his wearying lame leg -- Craig also renders difficult passages of dialogue beautifully and with perfect patrician diction and enunciation. Biddle's complex character is not always likeable, particularly when he berates Sarah for what he perceives to be her inferior education and intelligence. But Craig handles these nuances expertly, never going for the easy choices of "loveable curmudgeon" or "impossible grumpy old man." His groans in the first part of the play seem clearly designed in part to elicit sympathy, so they are all the more poignant near the end of the play when Biddle very clearly is in real, excruciating pain and needs Sarah's care and attention much more than he might like to admit. As the fight drains out of him, the light fades from Craig's eyes and his inevitable end, "all passion spent," as he says, is poignant but inevitable, without a hint of false sentiment.
Tracy Jo Junghauser's role is in some ways the more difficult, in that she simply says less and it is for the most part reactive to the bravura Biddle role. In spite of this, Glass has created a good part in this autobiographical character and Jungbauer portrays Sarah with strength and intelligence. Like Craig, she resists obvious choices, so her Sarah is sympathetic but not adorable or corny.
Tom Evans' direction is strong, but he proves especially capable at finding a balance between the sometimes elevated language and a realism that makes the characters compelling. Like his actors, Evans has clearly focused the telling of the story on the human dimension, not settling for stereotypes and sentiment. No element of Biddle's wit or the humor inherent in his and Sarah's struggle to form a relationship was lost on the appreciative audience. He also handles the blocking well in what could otherwise be a very static, talk-y play on the small, object-filled set.
The set is, as always in S.C. Repertory productions, especially impressive, given the size of the space with which Evans, who designed it, had to work. Don't leave the space without checking out the amazing photographs on the walls of Biddle's office. Like so much in this fine production, this attention to detail contributes to a truly great theatrical experience.
"Trying" runs through Nov. 13. For tickets or more information, call 681-5194 or visit hiltonheadtheatre.com.
Gail Westerfield writes about the arts for The Island Packet.
