BIG SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS?

This is a picture of the big snow of February 2010.  It is the type of snow I want for Christmas this year because it is the huge amount of snow that I remember from my childhood.  It was common to get several snow storms one after the other, each producing 6-12 inches of the white stuff.  


I remember pulling on my brother's old long johns, then a pair of corduroy pants, then thick, brown snow pants, layers of flannel shirts, sweaters or sweatshirts, and a couple of pairs of thick socks.  Then, though I could hardly bend at my waist, I put on my sneakers and pulled on the black rubber boots with the metal clasps.  The boots were not insulated by the way.  Then a scarf, hat and knitted mittens went on.  A short brown jacket with a clasp at the waist and that was it.  I was sweating from all the preparation to go outside.  But it was worth it!


With my sister and my next door neighbors, I played Fox and Hare on paths that had been stomped out into strangely configured forms where our outdoor basketball court lay under the snow.  Other activities included making huge snow balls for forts and snow people, little icy snowballs to throw at everyone within distance, sledding down one of three hills, ice skating on the town pond, shoveling snow off of our walks, feeding the birds, or just taking walks around the town to see what everyone else was doing in the snow.  


In later years I took my three young sons to McSmalltown for Christmas.  On Christmas Eve it snowed and we woke up to a snowy wonderland.  The boys were excited about their gifts, but when they received sleds, they could not wait to use them on the little hill across from Grandma's house.  Later back at our house they slid down  the famed "Killer Hill," so named because it ended in going through a patch of cane and into a shallow stream.  The trick was to get stopped before you reached the cane.  


I believe I love snow at Christmas because it feels like a new world. A happy and beautiful new world, and, indeed, Christmas does represent the coming of a new world led by Christ the newborn King!  Have a Blessed Christmas--white or green!

EASTER

As a child, Easter meant the Easter Bunny hiding eggs and bringing candy, and me wearing a beautiful new dress, coat, shoes and hat to church. What more could a little girl want?

First event was dying Easter eggs in the old farm sink. Mother had saved tin cans from fruits and veggies. She used a white enameled pan to boil the eggs. From there, the eggs were dropped into the tins which were filled with hot water, a tablet of dye from a kit, and some vinegar. It was hard for me to not keep lifting them out every few seconds with the copper wire lifter. Every time I lifted them up, I thought they were ready to be taken out because they were SO beautiful, but Mother and sister Jane insisted that they needed more time and would become even MORE beautiful in a short time. They were right, of course.

The eggs dried quickly. Then I had to decide whether to leave them plain colored like a big jewel, or stick something else on them. Usually I left them as jewels. Not every egg was dipped. I liked to just use Q-tips and paint designs on the white hard-boiled shells. The dye this time was just bottles of food coloring. Easy and fun to make! I still like to do my eggs this way.

Easter morning, I always found a hidden egg in my slipper and one in my shoe as well. Downstairs, there was always one hidden in the sugar bowl and behind the pillows on the davenport (sofa, to those who don't know what that is). Many more eggs were hidden and ready to be found all over the living room and dining room.

The Easter Bunny always filled our baskets which were on the dining room table. A chocolate cross was always there to remind us that Jesus was somehow part of this day. Of course, it took many more years before I understood the REAL significance of Easter--and that it was more important than Christmas!!

Other food that was important on this day was, of course, ham and Hot Cross Buns with a white icing cross on the top of each bun. There again, the significance came with years.

The smells I associate with Easter are vinegar (dying eggs), chocolate (Mother made home-made chocolate covered Easter eggs), ham (Sunday lunch), and hyacinths (decorating the table).

The only smell I can't get now is the hyacinths because I have a cat that eats plants and flowers. Eventually I'll get that back too.

Easter music I remember: "Here comes Peter Cottontail", "The Easter Parade", "Eggbert the Easter Egg", "Up from the grave He arose".

Going to church every Sunday morning was traditional for my family, but it was special on Easter because we only received new clothing at Christmas and Easter. Who doesn't like wearing new clothes??? And Daddy always took a picture of us in our Easter outfits!!!

I'm so happy that my family had all of these traditions. It's sad that my children and grandchildren do not want to have some of these traditions any more. I pray for them daily!

COOKBOOKS

I have a great passion for collecting and reading cookbooks. Yes, I know they are not the "normal" reading fare, but my mother had a wonderful collection and was a superb cook, and my sister, Jane, understands my addiction and collects and reads them too. It's always good to know you are not alone in your goofiness. I can always say "It's in my blood! I love cookbooks!"

My love of cookbooks probably began as a child of perhaps 10 years of age, when Mother sent me to a "Cooking School" sponsored by the local electric company. Classes were given in the home economics classroom in the high school. I still have the home-crafted booklet bound with yellow construction paper. It contained good solid recipes like Nut Luscious Cake with Peanut Butter Broiled Frosting, Barbecued Hamburgers, Quickie Pizza, Toasted Tuna Buns, Graduation Butterscotch Cookies and, of course, how to boil veggies and make mashed potatoes.

At the end of the week of cooking lessons, we were invited to create poems about cooking. I chose to create a poem about the electric company's mascot, Reddy Kilowatt. I won first prize which was a Reddy Kilowatt pin. He has a special place in my jewelry box to this day.

I had more cooking lessons with 4-H. I became adept at making fried Spam with Pineapple and frequently made it for our family. Today, I don't like Spam--I've become less accustomed to eating salty foods.

A project during my year with 4-H was to clip recipes from magazines and paste them into a small well-organized 3-ring binder. I think I finally threw it out after 30 years of no use. I do, however, enjoy reading food magazines as well as cookbooks. I rarely find any that I want to try, though because there always seems to be some wierd ingredient that I don't have in my cupboards.

Today I read recipes online as well as cookbooks. Somehow, online just isn't the same. I like those cookbooks that tell a little tale about each recipe. The recipe becomes personalized to me then. Often, too, I read the same recipe from different sources and creatively combine them into one recipe that I call "my version." I'm collecting these recipes in a file on my computer. No more using scissors and glue. I cut and paste the "easy" way. (But I think the other way is more fun!)

My fondest hope is that one of my granddaughters will enjoy reading all of my cookbooks and making my recipes some day!