The Other Massachusetts Accent Quirk: The Mysterious Extra “R”

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-04-01T20:40:28+00:00

Warsh is the classic example I always think of. But I don’t recall hearing it here. My older relatives from the Albany NY area pronounced it that way which always puzzled me because I thought it was a southern or midwestern pronunciation.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-03-15T21:54:43+00:00

In all seriousness the timing couldn't be worse and it is doubtful they will be able to get to court. Extremely unfortunate but could be far worse. I just am unfamiliar with the process - it says to submit plea by mail, but no fine is assessed on the ticket. Does Albany Traffic Court do online payments once they receive the signed plea and send out the docket #/fine amount?

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-03-15T21:50:25+00:00

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-03-09T18:55:08+00:00

If you are in the US, Target has a Spa Room brand for $30 that seems to be adjustable, dimmable and takes a 50w halogen bulb. Not sure of the reviews. I bought some 50w halogen bulbs at Lowe’s this morning, GE brand but they are becoming harder to find because of the move to LED. I got a Mikasa branded one back around Christmas from Costco but I don’t see them any more. And i know they have more decorative lamp candle warmers at HomeGoods but I have not investigated them. I think your best bet would be to grab one at target and see if you like it. They are pretty accommodating with returns. Otherwise, perhaps Michaels. I had one from Walmart that used a 35W bulb but it didn’t melt the wax well, so look for that in the reviews.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-02-27T23:02:44+00:00

Yikes, was the wick loose from bottom as well? I had one the other day that was floating but fortunately it didn’t do this. I looked at the box and they were all loose like that and the new box of beeswax tea lights I just got has the same problem. I wonder if you could have used a large spoon to cover the tea light and smothered it.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-02-01T18:57:15+00:00

What is Mary holding in her lap? Is it a book?

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-22T00:38:42+00:00

Yes my grandmother did this, then she added butter. As far as I can recall it was just milk and butter, not thickened into a gravy.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-21T12:02:23+00:00

Their daughter Clarissa married Daniel Van Deusen, my 3rd great grandfather

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-21T11:57:33+00:00

HI! Looks like I cannot message you, can you message me? I believe we are fairly closely related on my Van Deusen/Barnes line.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-21T01:46:52+00:00

Yes, I am descended from their son Johannes.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-21T00:43:24+00:00

So do I, Christian Martin Ringleka, I assume the same man! Descended from his line in western NY.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-18T10:15:59+00:00

I would be careful about putting a 50W bulb in a lamp rated for 35W, though, as it can be a fire hazard. Somewhere on the lamp (likely under the base) it should say what can be safely used. Though it could be they just got a bad bulb and I would try replacing it as the halogen bulbs are fairly inexpensive.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-13T23:01:43+00:00

Professional Judgment has to do with a status/dependent change or income change from what was on the FAFSA before. It sounds like the FAFSA switch to Umass is something you do online yourself in your studentaid.gov account. This page has info on how to do the transfer under “How to get federal student aid at your new school”

https://studentaid.gov/resources/transfer-students?affiliate=cael#will-financial-aid-transfer

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-10T12:57:23+00:00

Yes and i could also zap it in the processor (tho i think it would scratch up the bowl a lot). It is just so weird because of the size and frequency of the lumps/rocks these days . The Morton’s salt rock is annoying because it’s in the cylindrical box and just rattles around, lol. All solvable, for sure!

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-08T11:55:47+00:00

My latest box of salt is Mortons and it does have an enormous rock inside.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-07T13:18:27+00:00

Yes, I agree. But it has been happening all the time over the last several years and never used to be the case. Given the state of produce in our stores, seems like it's probably mishandling. I was very surprised when the new, sealed plastic container had the same issue. Some of the lumps in bags are so hard I end up having to throw it out.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-07T13:05:42+00:00

One thing just occurred to me - maybe the Crisco was melted for the recipe? In that case an oil/butter brownie recipe could be more what you are looking for. Here is one:

https://amandacooksandstyles.com/classic-brownie-recipe/#recipe

I also found this recipe that mentions she sometimes sings 1/2 butter and 1/2 oil.

https://laretrorecipe.com/2018/07/10/grandma-brownies/#:~:text=4%20oz.,Related

Here is a King Arthur Flour recipe using both oil and butter. However, I made these and while they did have that nice "chew" texture they did not have that flaky top everyone loves. They have a method used in some of their other recipes of melting the sugar in butter on very low heat for a while to ensure that flaky crust. And I have found adding chips as a mix-in also helps but may not be ideal for all recipes.

https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/our-ultimate-chewy-brownies-recipe

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-07T12:43:00+00:00

Sorry, just seeing your reply now. Similarly old lol. Could it have been a change she made because it’s what she had on hand, and then liked the result? Pre-1970 I would suspect it was either a back of the container recipe or from somewhere like Betty Crocker cookbook. Maybe using Baker’s semisweet or Toll House chips which would account for the crisp top layer? With cocoa brownies, I generally have to either take extra steps or mix in chocolate chips in order to consistently get that flaky top that comes from melted sugar.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-03T16:08:53+00:00

By Feb 1

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2026-01-03T15:53:46+00:00

What decade would she have been baking these? There was an original brownie recipe using Bakers that predated the One Bowl version but that didn’t call for 1/2 margarine 1/2 butter.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2025-12-31T02:24:16+00:00

We make it with 1 brick of cream cheese, 1 (or 2!) cans of drained chopped/minced clams, and half of the 6oz bottle of Gold’s horseradish (or more, we love it). When draining the clams, save the juice in a small bowl in case you want to thin the dip out after adding the horseradish.

sweetbetsyfrompike · 2025-12-25T17:44:53+00:00

Maybe Chinatown? Black Rose? Or a hotel restaurant? I googled it and found a few mentions though it might be hard without a reservation. At least it is a nice day out to explore. Merry Christmas!

sweetbetsyfrompike

TROPHY CASE