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Children’s toys are so much more sophisticated now than they were when I was young. They include many of the things my contemporaries and I had to produce with our imagination. However, sometimes I think we were better off because we learned to be creative. It’s funny, though, how even now kids will choose to play with boxes instead of the toys that came inside. For some reason, I keep picturing some of the favorite toys my sisters and I…..
Remember the cartoon character Popeye? The one who was “strong to the finish” because he ate his spinach? October must have been his favorite time of year, as it has been designated as National Spinach-Lovers’ Month. I learned to eat many different types of greens when I was a child. It seemed like my mother loved them all. Kale, collards, mustard, turnip greens, and even pokeweed were often served as side dishes at family mealtimes. Notice what is missing? Spinach. …..
This past weekend was something I had been anticipating. The plan was for it to be filled with time with my grandchildren. Things started out well; my son Jonathan brought his son Elijah (4) on Friday morning. After Jonathan left, Elijah and I went through a book filled with cookie recipes; I let him choose two different kinds for us to make. Following a trip to town to purchase some needed ingredients, plus taking time out for lunch, Elijah and…..
One of my favorite “food groups” is potatoes. Baked, mashed, fried, made into a salad – I love them all. So the fact that September is National Potato month gave me an excuse to find new recipes to play around with. I can just hear Bob, my late hubby, announcing, “My wife takes a recipe and departs therefrom.” Nevertheless, they all turned out well in spite of my tinkering. To accompany the recipes, two different potato stories kept popping into…..
Just a warning – before reading this column, be aware that it has some fowl language. The word “chicken” is often associated with cowardice. It has caused many a person to act in ways they would not ordinarily behave. After all, who wants to be called a chicken? The dread of being associated with poultry seems to make people lose their common sense. Take my sister, Cindy, for instance. Besides being known as a tomboy, she was never one to…..
One thing that has enriched my life is the abundance of family stories. My siblings and I heard all kinds of tales about our extended family, Dad’s adventures in the army, things that happened in church; the list could go on and on. Through the years, we developed favorites and would beg our parents to tell them. Some of the incidents have even found their way into my column. And, of course, I have retold many of them to my…..
This past weekend was packed full of time with family, especially with my daughter, Molly, and her three children. Many of my readers will remember little Maggie from the years I first started writing “Cooks’ Corner.” She is now fifteen, and the oldest of my grandchildren. Although I saw her in March, she has grown even taller since then; now she stands 5 feet 10 inches tall. Lincoln, Molly’s middle child, and Melody, the youngest one, finish off the list…..
I keep asking myself, “Where has the time gone?” Labor Day, the unofficial end to summer, is one week from today, and I already see signs of autumn. Leaves are falling here and there, and my garden is slowing down; even the zucchini plants are barely producing anything. Another word for labor is “work.” I picked a whole lot of green beans last week; not only did I spend a great deal of time in the garden, I also washed,…..
There are times when my calendar looks mercifully clear, and I look forward to time spent working on things I need to do around my house and yard. Last week the only thing I had scheduled was a doctor appointment on Wednesday afternoon. I had an ultrasound on my thyroid the Friday before, and I was going to find out the results, plus the annual checkup post-thyroid surgery two years ago (half of it was removed). After writing my column…..
During the weeks of late spring and early summer, our theme song could have been, “Who’ll Stop the Rain?” The sun seemed to be in constant hiding, and we had way more precipitation than we needed. While all that was going on, I kept wondering how July and August would be, remembering other wet springs that were followed by long dry spells. Sure enough, our theme song changed from the one previously mentioned to “I Wish It Would Rain.” Last…..