Do As I Say; Not As I Do!

                   Yard sign in front yard of home on Maple Avenue, Takoma Park, Maryland.  

                                          Does Marash Girl hear the pink flamingo objecting?    Photo by Marash Girl

Queens of the Armenians

Sinope, Queen of Armenia – Lambert Barnard 1526, Oil & tempera on wood panel. From the Amberley Castle ‘Heroines of Antiquity’] Pallant House Gallery, Chichester, UK. One of eight surviving panels forming part of decorative scheme for Amberley Castle, former residence of the bishops of Chichester; commissioned by Robert Sherborne (c.1450-1536) Bishop of Chichester.   SOURCE:  PeopleOfAr via Facebook

Funny. Sinope, Queen of Armenia, doesn't look like anyone Marash Girl knows!  Wanna know more about Queens of the Armenians? Just click the link below.

Khachatrian, Noune Sekhpossian (translator), Barbara Merguerian (editor),

SIGNED COPY!!! Queens of the Armenians [Armenia]

• Edition: First English Edition
• Book condition: New
• ISBN: 0964878720 / 9780964878723
• Quantity available: 1

Yerevan: AMARAS, AIWA, 2001. First English Edition. Paperback. New. Autographed by editor Barbara Merguerian. 100 page small paperback, measures approx 4x3 inches, includes index. Illustrated. Unread. Mint condition. BRAND NEW. Digital image available upon request. Trade Paperback. This book is a new English translation of an Armenian work. Includes listing of kings and queens of Armenia from approx. 1500 years BC to 1375 AD.

Can't sleep? Be careful what you read!

Marash Girl couldn't get to sleep last night, she was laughing so hard.  She made the mistake of reading a book of jokes just before bedtime!

The First Game On the New Board; or Don't Play With Lady Fortune!

With no dice in sight, Raffi insisted on playing tavla; somehow he knew he was going to win.  But what to do about the dice?  Raffi said, "No problem," as he wrote numbers on the small pieces of paper and handed the bowl of numbers to his sister, who Marash Girl named, "Lady Fortune". And that was the end of that!  As you might guess, dear reader, Lady Fortune favored her brother, NOT Marash Girl, AND, as a result, guess who won that first game on the brand new tavla board.  Guess who?  Guess who?  Guess who? (That's plural but Marash Girl doesn't know how to write who in the plural!)

How Times (and Tavla Boards) Have Changed!

Looking longingly at Grandpa Peter's tavla board, Marash Girl asked her daughter Lorig (who had accepted an invitation to present Community Mediation Training to the Israelis in Jerusalem) to please bring home a traditional tavla set for Raffi (Marash Girl's grandson, Lorig's son), as Raffi had, during the Chatham summer, exhibited unusual skill in the game -- no doubt inherited from his Great Grandpa Peter and his Great Great Grandpa Moses, both who hail from Marash).

Lorig dutifully went to the bazaar in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem, looking for a traditional Tavla set, (backgammon set, or as, Lorig learned they call it in Israel, Shesh Besh --which is one of the traditional Persian calls for the dice when 5 and 6 appear) a set like Grandpa Peter's. She was told, however, that the wooden boards -- the boards that looked like Grandpa Peter's -- were now all made in China.  If she wanted one made by Armenian hands, she would have to purchase the boards with pottery inserts -- Jerusalem Pottery inserts -- pottery that was made traditionally and still, by the Armenians in Jerusalem  (the very Armenian potters whose ancestors created tiles for Jerusalem's Mosque of the Dome), but in this case the Armenian's name was Darakjian (a relative, no less) whose family originally hailed from Marash! (What were the chances?)  Unfortunately, pottery is very heavy, and so the tavla board added much weight to Lorig's already heavy bags, but she was not about to disappoint her children!  (It should be noted here that Aline, at the tender age of 2 1/2 years, could throw the dice like her great-great-grandpa Moses.  Whatever the number we asked her to throw, she threw it! Unfortunately this set did not come with the dice, so Aline has to wait a bit to practice her skills!)  Lorig survived the trip and arrived with the heavy tavla board in tow, a board she had lovingly packed into her suitcase, adding a good 20 pounds if not more, and dragging it all the way back to her kitchen table.  Here it is (the backgammon set AND the kitchen table!)  Oh, and by the way, the wooden pieces are made from the olive tree!

"My grandmother Is Choctaw!"

Marash Girl was in Edgartown and as is her wont, she started chatting with the man who was tending shop at the Corner Store.

"People always ask me why I look different," he commented.  (Marash Girl had not and would never ask such a question!) "My grandmother is Choctaw," he continued in explanation. "She's 93 years old!"

Marash Girl, who believes in recording family history whenever and wherever possible, asked, "Have you ever asked her about her life as a Choctaw? No? You'd better hurry.  You're a musician.  A drummer.  (Is it in your blood?)  You have the recording equipment.  Don't let this opportunity to learn about your past and our past pass!"

Whether or not he heeded Marash Girl's advice is unknown; whether or not you'll heed Marash Girl's advice is unknown.  But she hopes you will!


Marash Girl's maternal grandmother was Aintepsi and her paternal grandmother was Marashtsi but they didn't live long enough for her to ask them about their lives!

Thank God for Plumbers!

Thank God for Plumbers, and especially for the young man who came to Takoma Park at 9 PM last night (we called at 8 PM) from Jim's, Inc. (ask4jims@gmailcom, 301-926-3499) in Rockville, MD.  Marash Girl and Marash Boy were caring for their grandchildren that night, when the toilet backed up!  The toilet backed up and there was no curing it -- not with several flushes, not with several plunges with the plunger.  Nothing worked.  But Jim's, Inc. sent us a plumber who came out within a half hour of the call, and saved the day for us (the day, the evening, the morning, the week, you name it!)  Thank you, Jim's Inc. for your instant service.  Thank you, Harold the plumber who arrived within the hour and saved the day, the evening, the night . . . thank you for your immediate attention to what could have been an immediate disaster! (Granted, there was an emergency fee of $100 added on to the $150 charge for snaking the "water closet" with an auger, but believe you me --as they used to say in the old days-- it was worth it!)

Martin Luther King Civil Rights March, Boston, Massachusetts, 1965

   The only Armenians IN this civil rights march.  The other Armenians were on the side heckling us!

For some reason, the above photo showed up on Facebook several days ago; not sure who posted it as it was a photo taken many years ago.  Thought it was worth posting here as it is a photo of Marash Girl in a civil rights protest in Boston circa 1965! Below is the poster calling all protestors!

Vintage photo of Zeitun, circa 1915

Birzamanlar Zeytun, 1915'li yıllar - Zeitoun (Zeytun) circa 1915

From Facebook's Kahramanmarash page. 

Shall we greet each other as we pass each other along the walkways of life?

Marash Girl has long told the following story to her friends and neighbors.  She finally decided to record the story here.

In Newton Corner, a number of years ago, Marash Girl was walking along the sidewalk and greeted a young man as he walked toward her.  Aghast, the young man protested, "I'm married!"

Telling this story to The Good Neighbor, a gentleman born in Croatia, Marash Girl was given the following response:

If I were walking down the street and didn't greet a person older than myself, and initiate the greeting, I would have been severely punished by my parents.

Marash Girl guesses that even after we grow up, we retain the stern policy taught to us when we were children growing up in the United States:  "Never speak to strangers!"

In direct opposition to this moré, Marash Girl's daughter dressed Marash Girl's little granddaughter in a shirt that exclaimed, "I speak to strangers!"

Remembering Grandma Jennie

A tribute to my Mom

“Jennie” (Lucille Mae Vartanian) Bilezikian

10/08/1917 – 11/30/1991

by

Martha Mae (Bilezikian Atikian) McCool

MY FOND MEMORIES OF OUR MOM (MUMMY), ARE AS CLEAR TODAY AS THEY WERE THROUGHOUT OUR CHILDHOOD.

Our Mom was a wonderful, fun loving, caring, patient, and warm hearted mother and friend who also possessed incredible culinary expertise! 

Mom was ahead of her time during the 1940’s and 1950’s, always selecting the freshest fruits and vegetables (during the summer from Dad’s organic garden in our large back yard), and preparing wholesome meals all cooked from scratch. 

Mummy’s apple pies were memorable.  She made her crusts from scratch, the flakiest ever, and the apples were picked fresh from our back yard / organic apple trees.  In fact, many of the members of the Women’s Education Club were envious of Mom’s talents.  It was always noted that the meetings held at our home had the greatest in attendance; the ladies always lingered, hoping for either a recipe, or a sliver of pie to take home to hubby!!

I distinctly remember when my maternal grandmother traveled from California to Massachusetts to enjoy the summer with us, she was astonished and even heartlessly admonished Mom for wasting time by not utilizing frozen packages of veggies, and adding water to cake mixes!!

Mummy enrolled in Drivers-Education” in the late 1950’s while we were in elementary school, and a short time later, she was awarded her driver’s license.  Once she earned the badge of “Chauffer”, she took great pride in taking us shopping, or for a spin throughout Newton and the surrounding areas . . . I even remember some of those Newton High School Boys tooting and waving at us . . . she was adorable behind that wheel and could have easily passed for the beauty queen at Newton High School North.

Mom was a good sport, as well.   Periodically, Dad used to take the 3 of us (kids) fishing to have fun but also to give Mom a few hours of peace and quiet (usually on a beautiful Sunday afternoon) and enjoy the day without the commotion of 3 children.  The ironic part is that we would invariably return home with an enormous water filled bucket containing our “catch of the day” enjoying their last swim during the car ride back home.   Little did those fish know that our good hearted Dad would leave the fish preparation for Mummy.  In those days,  I guess it was considered “Man’s work”  to catch the fish, and “women’s work” to clean, scale, and cook the fresh catch of the day!!!

As we entered college, Mummy always encouraged us to bring friends home for Sunday dinner.  As I recall, the dining-room table was always extended in order to accommodate everyone comfortably!   News of our hospitable family spread and friends always looked forward to visiting.

Mummy was the perfect role model.  She was a devoted mother and wife, and passionate about her responsibilities to raise us properly, in a very good home environment.  She set a wonderful example for us to follow and she was greatly loved.   She was always there for encouragement and to lend a helping hand.  Mummy was consistently cheerful and good hearted; we feel fortunate to have had such a terrific Mom.

Virgins in Paradise.

Whenever the newscasters would state with great assurance that the reason the atrocities by Muslim fanatics were occurring in the Middle East was that the atrocitiers (a word?) were promised the reward of virgins in paradise, Peter (who had been happily married for 50 years and by 9/11, was 90 years old) would query, "Who wants virgins, anyway?", leaving his adult children somewhat in shock!

Bechamel Sauce is Easy? Not as easy as Turkey Soup!

Here's a recipe from Marash Girl's long-time friend, a friend who hails from Manchester, England, and now lives in Brooklyn Heights.

Andrea's recipe for a quick and easy yet fancy dinner of "left-overs" is to cover everything with Béchamel.  This is how she told Marash Girl to make the sauce.

2 T butter/flour
1 c milk w/ broth
Dash salt (Marash Girl assumes)
Simmer till thickened.
Pour over cooked turkey and white onions with rice.

Now it couldn't be that simple, and Marash Girl has yet to try it.

Instead, Marash Girl threw all the roasted turkey parts (skin, bones and all) -- anything that had not been eaten -- into a pot, covered the mix with fresh cold water, added a dash of white vinegar, and boiled for one hour.  Following that, she poured off the broth, added the veggies on the fresh veggie platter that had not been eaten (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery, mushrooms) and simmered those in the broth until those were soft.  She cooled the lot down a bit, blended it up in the Cuisinart 'til smooth.  Poured the mixture back into the pot, brought it slowly to a simmer, added whole milk to thin it up a bit, and served.  What a delicious "cream" soup that was!  Not a drop left!

Cream For The Coffee!

Adrien Casey, NYC artist and long-time neighborhood friend of son Deron, had moved back to the 'hood for the coming year.  Seeing him on Eldridge Street after many a year, Marash Girl invited him to join the family for Thanksgiving dinner, and as all good folks do, he asked, "What can I bring?"  Having all the bases covered, Marash Girl could think of nothing she needed . . . except for All Natural Organic Cream for coffee . . . No problem, Adrien replied with a grin!  And sure enough, Thanksgiving morning, Adrien arrived with the all natural cream for Thanksgiving coffee.  (See below!)

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving Day

Marash Girl gives thanks on this Thanksgiving day for the Native Americans without whom no Pilgrim would have survived.

The Day Before Thanksgiving

You don't really expect Marash Girl to be writing more than one sentence today, do you?  After all, it's the day before Thanksgiving, and she's busy preparing goodies for all you guys who are coming over!  (Well, there you are: two sentences!)

Up On the Rooftop . . . Without Santa and his Reindeer!

The beginning of the holiday season sent fear through the hearts of the residents of Maple Avenue as "Santa's Helpers" worked their magic on the roof of a 150 year old Victorian home in Newton, Massachusetts. Photo by Marash Girl

Coarse Sanding Sugar

"The icing on the Cake"  -- Do you remember that expression?  It was used in both a positive manner and a negative manner in the 1950's.  Grandma Jennie always added the icing to the cake -- frosting that, as Marash Girl remembers, was made primarily of Crisco and sugar.   Not to hurt Grandma Jennie's feelings,Grandpa Peter always ate the cake after  he had carefully removed the icing.  Perhaps he knew, even then, that fat and sugar on top of Grandma Jennie's home-baked cake was not the healthiest comestible.  Perhaps that's why he almost reached 100 years of age.

The expression, "That's the icing on the cake!" -- popular in the 1940's and early 1950's --  (do folks still use the expression?) actually had a negative connotation -- something added that was not necessary, and that, in fact, made the situation a whole lot worse.

Funny how something sweet can become something sour.

All that as background to suggest that, in this more health conscious time, should we still choose to bake cakes, we can avoid "the icing on the cake" -- both the work of making it, and the "work" of eating it.  Simply sprinkle coarse sanding sugar (uncolored) over the top of cake batter before baking.  Remove that cake from the oven, and your cake will sparkle!  No fat or Crisco needed.

Marash Girl's Favorite: Banana Cake

Okay, so Marash Girl was planning to make Banana Cake for Thanksgiving.  But what to do?  No rotten (or more delicately put,  "overripe") bananas were available anywhere.  How would she make her famous Banana Cake without rotten bananas?  And where can one find rotten bananas?  Certainly not at any of the supermarkets.  Now what?

I suppose they could rewrite the song, "Yes, we have no bananas" (One of Grandpa Peter's favorite songs  . . .  a song sung by Eddie Cantor, a song which became a musical hit in 1923) to read, "Yes, we have no rotten bananas!"

But seriously . . . if you want to make a decent Banana Cake, you need rotten bananas!  Well, Marash Girl, you still have a few days left before Thanksgiving.  Maybe you'll find those special bananas you seek  . . . But where?

Grandma Jennie & Arlene Francis

Recently Marash Girl sold Arlene Francis's ARLENE FRANCIS, A MEMOIR. (You know that Marash Girl sells out-of-print books on the internet, right?)  Why should that sale call to mind her mother Jennie?  Because Arlene Francis was a household word when Marash Girl was growing up.

Marash Girl's mother Jennie (born Lucille Mae Vartanian) always spoke of Arlene Francis with great pride. Yes, Arlene Francis was a well-known actress and popular television personality in the 1940's and 1950's.  But that was not all.  Arlene Francis was born Arlene Francis Kazanjian on Oct. 20, 1907, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Her father, Aram Kazanjian, was studying art in Paris at the age of 16 when he learned that both his parents had been massacred  by the Turks   during the 1894-1896 Armenian massacres. The same massacre that murdered both of Marash Girl's  great grandparents --  her father's mother's parents -- and her mother's mother's fiancee!) Arlene Francis' dad Aram Kazanjian  became a painter and portrait photographer, an Armenian immigrant to the United States  who married Leah Davis (daughter of actor Alfred Davis).

Despite the fact that Arlene Francis had changed her last name, all Armenians in the United States knew and took pride in the fact that Arlene Francis was of Armenian descent.  Arlene Francis was Armenian (at least half) and was a world famous actress.  Jennie identified with Arlene.  Jennie loved to sing, play the piano by ear as she sang the popular songs of the day, dance (despite the fact that Grandpa Peter had promised his mother that he would never dance -- and always kept that promise). Jennie laughed and loved life and people.   Never a cross word; never a negative comment.  She was the happiest woman Marash Girl has ever known.  

Arlene Francis became known for her aphorism, "Life is the best party I've ever been  invited to."

Jennie could have written that line!  She actually may have!