POCKETS, POCKETS EVERYWHERE!

This is the day that most children are looking for the man in the red suit to come to their house over night. He always is jolly and has a big round belly that shakes like jello. As I had mentioned earlier, this is one childhood memory that I didn't have, BUT - - - - - - - -

I did have a man that I looked up to in my life as a child. That was my dad!!!! He wasn't round, but tall (6 ft tall), handsome and just the right built. I can't remember a time that he would not allow us to sit on his lap. He might have been reading a paper and engrossed in the latest news, but we always knew that we could climb under the paper and on his lap whenever we wanted. He really enjoyed his children. I guess after waiting so long for us to arrive, he wanted to cherish each moment.

As a farmer, my dad had umpteen pockets in his overalls. Each pocket had something to explore. He was such a kind gentle man and never got ruffled easily, that we wanted to never disappoint him in our actions. He wasn't necessarily demonstrative, but showed his love in the way he responded to our needs as children.

Our son-in-law's mother mentioned that her dad was so kind, that it was easy to know what our heavenly father is like, by the example of her earthly father. This is exactly the way I felt about my father.

Dad was indeed one that I held in high esteem. He was so---ooo easy to talk with and discuss anything that we were concerned with.

Wisdom of the day--Relationships and not "things" build the right memories.

HUTTENKASE, GERMAN POTATO SALAD AND MORE!!

Since my dad was from German heritage we would have the following recipe often growing up.
My mother would cook without recipes, for the most part, I don't have her particular recipe, but another recipe that very similar is below.

GERMAN POTATO SALAD

5 bacon strips

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

2/3 cup cider vinegar

1 1/3 cups water

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

6 cups sliced cooked peeled potatoes

In a large skillet, fry bacon until crisp; remove and set aside. Drain all but 2-3 tablespoons of drippings; cook onion until tender. Stir in flour; blend well. Add vinegar and water; cook and stir until bubbly and slightly thick. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves. Crumble bacon; gently stir in bacon and potatoes. Heat through, stirring lightly to coat potato slices. Serve warm. Yield: 6-8 servings.

It seems that my mother would often have milk on the back burner of the "old cook store" for the first steps of making Huttenkase (the German name for Cottage Cheese). However, we always called it "Smearcase" and I thought that was the correct German name, but just recently found out differently. I know there is high German and Low German and I don't know the difference. Anyway, when the milk curdled just right. My mother would put this in a cheesecloth and hang it up to get all the whey out. Cottage cheese was not to have the whey left in for a really "good" tasting cottage cheese. Then she would put cream, milk and salt and pepper to taste. We had a lot of milk, so this was a staple on the table.

Another memory seems to loom up, is my mother would after supper and before bedtime would make a large pot of Mush. We would often eat a bowl just before bedtime, but she made it mainly for the next morning breakfast. The next morning she sliced it and we would have "Fried Mush". To this day, I have never tasted fried mush as good as she made it. She fried the slices until golden brown and we ate it with butter and syrup poured over it. Of course it was served with ham or bacon. Yummy!

Below is some Pan Cookies that my mother made a lot and is the same recipe that she used, but I modernized it into today's kitchen appliance language.

PAN COOKIES

1 cup raisins or nuts

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

1 tsp. soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup lard (I use butter or oleo)

1 cup sour milk (I've used buttermilk and that works)

Sift together dry ingredients--flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and set aside. Cream shortening, sugar, eggs, vanilla in mixer until fluffy. Start adding 1/3 of dry ingredients alternating with half of milk, 1/3 dry, and rest of milk, ending with 1/3 dry ingredients. Fold in nuts and raisins. Pour in flat sheet pan. Bake at 350 degrees. Depending on the size of pan and how thick it is, take it out when it tests right with a tooth pick. Frost with thin layer of butter cream icing. Cut in squares. (My husband likes it plain without icing)

I ran across this next recipe for homemade Lye Soap. One of my stories told about my mother making homemade Lye soap. At the time I wrote about this, I didn't have a recipe, but this is very close to what I remember how she did it.

HOME MADE LYE SOAP

5 to 7 lbs. melted grease

16 oz. lye (1 can plus 1/3 can)

1 qt. cold water

3 Tbs. Borax

1/2 Cup hot water

1 Tbs. salt

1/4 Cup ammonia

2 Tbs. sugar

Early in the day, put 1 quart cold water in a steel bowl and carefully pour in 16 ounces lye; stir with a wooden paddle or spoon. Let set until cool. In a small bowl, pour hot water over Borax and stir. Add salt, sugar and ammonia and set aside. In an enamel pan (use an old dishpan or an enamel canning pan), heat grease to 110 degree on thermometer. Have ready a good wooden paddle, 2 feet long, to stir. Outside or garage (open area), slowly pour the cooked lye into the pan of grease, stirring all the while. Then stir the Borax mixture and add it, stirring. Keep stirring and if it doesn't get thicker, leave it a while and return. When it starts to thicken, pour it into a flat enamel pan and let set. It must be scored (cut into squares) with a sharp knife, maybe that evening or the next morning, let set a day or 2. It must be removed and cakes placed on brown paper in a cardboard box. Let cure. Easy on hands, great soap. Use pans only for soap. Can not use for cooking soup or anything after containing lye.

Now I don't suppose any of you have 5 to 7 # of fat around, (well maybe around our waist, perhaps) but thought you might be interested in the process anyway. This recipe was taken from my sister's church cookbook.

When cleaning out my mother's town house, I wish we would have kept an old cookbook that her mother used when she was homesteading in Nebraska. It called for butter the size of an egg, in the instructions, etc. Probably the date on the cookbook was back in the 1800's. I suppose, we threw it away thinking that the instructions were so far removed from our current cookbooks, that it was useless.

Wisdom today--God's law shows us a need that only God's grace can supply.

SOUP TO NUTS ON WHEELS!!!!

First of all, I have to tell you that we got the estimate for the car damage. It totaled about $1,500. It sure adds up, even though it wasn't damaged that much. A new bumper in the back and the sensor lites were goofed up and needed new ones. To compare the difference today and what it was when I was a child, you could purchase 2 new cars for this price in 1938. Now it just repairs a minor fender bender. My dad purchased a Chevrolet car in 1938 and paid $750 for it. What a difference years make!!!

My title today is that years ago we could purchase "soup to nuts" right in our own barnyard.
I remember a country peddler would come often and he would have brooms, cure-all medicines, and what ever the house wife should need for the next month or so was in his "store on wheels". We also, had the Fuller Brush man to come to sell his wares. The Raleigh Man would sell vanilla, spices, and all the array of enticing products that a housewife "MUST HAVE". We even had a "bakery on wheels" would stop by and try to sell bakery goods. Occasionally we would buy "Long Johns" that had filling inside. All these were regular peddler's that would try to make a living selling their products to the busy farmwives when I was a child. No doubt, Lydia Pinkham (a cure all), was part of the potions that were sold. I mentioned this is in the "Big Black Bag" story. However, I think the title should have been "The Little Black Bag". It just appeared BIG to a 5 and a 3 year old.

Today's wisdom--An honest talk with God is the first step in finding peace of mind.

"OUR CUTIE" IS ONE!!!

December 20 of last year we had our First Great Grandson!! Yesterday we celebrated his first birthday. WHAT A CUTIE!!!!

Yesterday we were over to our daughter's home and Cutie's mother and father were home for the holidays, so we had a great day celebrating his birthday. Children are truly a joy to be around and see the world through their eyes once again. We made a game out of putting up one finger and saying "one". He got the idea and would put his finger up and we would clap. Then he would clap and smile. Of course, he didn't know that ONE meant that he was one year old.

Later on in the day we noticed it was starting to rain and freeze more on the trees. Our kids suggested that our granddaughter's husband (Mr. Wonderful-as our granddaughter calls him) could drive us home and our son-in-law would drive his truck so that he would have a way back. We were so grateful for this, as it truly was bad driving conditions.

Well you might of guessed, we had a fender-bender experience. We are so glad that "Mr. Wonderful" was driving, as he has been teaching "Drivers Education Classes" for many years
and knew just what to do. No--it wasn't his fault, as the other car didn't have his car under control and slid into our back bumper as we were exiting onto another road.

Since I am on the subject of "Mr Wonderful", I have to tell you a story a few years back.
Our daughter called one morning and gave me some prayer requests about her daughter.
These are the requests--1. She would find a Christian Soulmate (God's choice), 2. That he would love her dearly, 3. That our daughter and husband would love him and he would feel the same about them (this was just an added request), but not as important as the first two requests. I promised that I would pray with her about these requests.

Our granddaughter went with some Sorority close friends to a New Year's Eve party in Chicago
shortly after this. (Her best friend lived in Chicago at the time). She met her "Mr. Wonderful"
that evening. I'm sure this was no accident, but an answer to our prayers. He truly is a good Christian man and has a clear cut value system that is rare. Yes, we all truly love him and he shows that same love in return to all of us. Beside, he loves our granddaughter and is really a great daddy to "Cutie".

One thing that helped him to develop this value system was that his dad and mom had foster children into their home all during his growing up years. I think they said that there were 51 children that came to live with them, even though some of them were for a short period of time.
That is not counting 4 of their own children.

His mother had always wanted to run an orphanage ever since she was in high school and this was as close to that as she ever got. Her father was a medical doctor and the genes of "caring for others" were present. His mother and father met in college and fell in love and truly have been a loving family and has accepted our granddaughter like their own child.

For an added bonus, he is handsome, has a sense of humor, and very intelligent. Now when God answers our humble prayers, he adds even more than we ask or think.

Wisdom for the day--Invest your life in what pays eternal dividends.

"THE BIG BLACK BAG"

My dad and hired hands had come in for dinner (noon meal) and my mother had fixed a hearty meal for the family and hired hands.

Right after dinner my mother called my dad over and whispered in his ear. He quickly went to the phone and called someone and said who he was and told him "It is time".

It wasn't very many minutes later a car pulled up in our yard and a man got out with a "BIG BLACK BAG". He went into the bedroom where my mother was and just a few minutes elapsed and a cry came from the bedroom.

The man with the "BIG BLACK BAG" came out and told my sister and brother that they had a baby sister (ME). They were overjoyed and couldn't believe it! This man brought me in that
"BIG BLACK BAG". There were 2 eye witnesses to this and they were convinced he carried me in the bag.

I know you thought that "Storks" brought babies to us, but I'm here to tell you that I have two living eye witnesses and it wasn't a stork, it was the man with the "BIG BAG BAG".

I just wanted to set the record straight. That old fable about the Stork is all wrong. I know because I was there!

My mother had a hard time getting pregnant (a word that was not discussed in those days). She had one miscarriage and couldn't seem to have any more. She prayed a lot about this situation and read about a tonic (Lydia Pinkams) that people used to help them have children. They claimed there was a "baby in every bottle". What!!!!! I thought babies come from "Black Bags"
now I hear they come from "bottles"!!!! What gives? Oh well, she has always said that through prayer and Lydia Pinkams (I think this was an iron supplement), she had her 3 children. She was 35 years of age before my sister was born and I was born when she was 40 years of age. A brother was born between these two ages. She was married at 26 years of age and so she waited quite awhile before God answered her prayers.

Wisdom of the day--"Never give up in your prayers! God does answer our prayers, sometime he just wants us to Wait awhile."

MY DISAPPOINTMENT--LEFT BEHIND!

I heard on the Today show about a modern day Frugal Family. They were interviewing this couple and 3 of their children. Because of their frugal living, they got their house paid off in 8 years and seemed to have it all together. They even had their children involved in "good deals" and values that seem to be lost in our society today. They were labeled as tightwads, stingy or frugal. They are writing a book about how to economize so that one has enough for all their needs and budgeting for future needs. Back in my day, this lifestyle was the normal, rather than unusual. At least people in that era was "forced" into this lifestyle since money was scarce.

I mentioned that I was going to write about my disappointment when I was 6 or 7 years old. My dad decided to take my sister and my brother to the Worlds Fair in Chicago. Since my mother didn't want to go and dad had only 2 hands to hang on to 2 children, I was left behind. I remember standing there crying and watching the car leave without me.

My mother had promised me, that we would get a Banana Split the next time we went to the town where there was a really fancy "Ice Cream Parlor". That seemed to console me as they left. This was our "special treat" for not getting to go to the Fair.

They left early after chores were completed and took their lunch with them. I learned about the Worlds Fair second hand. They arrived home yet that day. The year was 1933 (in the depth of depression years).

My mother indeed kept her promise to me and I remember eating a huge "Banana Split" in this fancy (and it truly was a fancy ice cream parlor even in todays standard). We had just been served our Banana Splits, when who should appear in the ice cream place, is my sister and brother. They were disappointed that they weren't included in this "splurge". One must remember that this was in the depth of depression years and truly was a splurge to get to go to the Worlds Fair and or/the "Fancy Ice Cream Parlor".

Wisdom of today--Disappointments are part of life! One thing that we can be sure of, God doesn't ever disappoint us! Down through the years I have found out that Christ truly is "Our Rock" and we can trust Him for our future!

HOW WE BECAME "IRRESISTABLE IN THE EARLY YEARS!

I just came from the beauty parlor and had my hair cut. She made me "irresistible" and so I decided to let you know how we did that when we were very young.

During the time that our house was lite by kerosine lamps we had a curling iron that we heated up in the globe part of the lamps. When hot, we would curl our hair with this iron. It didn't stay curled very long with this method. Then I remember wires that had leather wrapped around these wires and you twisted the hair up in this contraption, and that did a little better with our curls. Some used strips of cloth and wrapped their hair in these until dry.

There were metal curlers that we used at one point in growing up. This wasn't a very good method either (it split your hair). Then we used hair pins twisting one row one way and the next row the other way, and it created nice waves.

Sometime in the late 30's and early 40's we would go to the beauty parlor and get a permanent.
Now the machine that they hooked you up on was wired to electricity, and they clamped dozens of these strange looking things on to your wound up hair. They set the timer and lo and behold you came out with beautiful curls. I don't know what would happen if the place caught on fire, as you were really wired for a permanent stay! Luckily, this didn't happen and we were transformed into an "irresistible beauty".

So now you know how "girls" got so irresistible!

Todays wisdom--I Peter 3:3,4 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart in that which is not corruptible, even ther ornament of the meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. (God is looking at the inner beauty of a person instead of the outer beauty.)