Marlboro Man

Our neighbors have a new puppy and as cute as he is, I am not tempted to rush out and get one for us. For one reason, our senior citizen Cocker Spaniel is a full time job. He has some health issues with skin and eyes and ears that we treat on a daily basis. Cockers are prone to these, especially as they age. He also takes thyroid medicine twice daily, we have to do the hot dog trick to get him to take it. We love him though and no matter how much work we would never think of giving him away. But we have had to do that with one dog we took in as a stray.

Our youngest daughter Amy brought home the cutest little pup one day from work. It had obviously been dumped and wouldn't have lasted long on a busy parking lot. Our intentions were to find a home for her, but in no time she had worked her way into our hearts! The vet guessed she was part Great Dane and part Catahoula, a breed known for their herding abilities. She got big quickly, you could almost "hear" her growing from day to day. She wasn't an easy puppy to love though, she would bite our ankles, eat the lawn furniture and eventually started attacking our pool cleaner, the machine...not the man! We tried Lord knows, but after nearly a year I put my foot down (she promptly bit it) and said we were going to find her a good home. I advertised her as a healthy, spayed dog who needed a new home on a ranch with room to run.

The very first day a man called with a thick Texas accent.

"Ma'am, I saw your ad and I wanted to know what kind of dog she is?" I told him the vets' best guess was Catahoula and Great Dane. He wanted a good cattle dog he told me and made plans to come by later in the day. My heart fluttered a little as I hung up. I was at my wits end with this dog who just wasn't cut out for city life, but I wanted to find her a good home that would work.

When you live in Texas, it's not uncommon to see the big "Dually trucks," loaded down with bales of hay on flatbed trailers. I could hear his diesel engine when he pulled into the driveway. He left it running and when I opened the door, there he stood... Marlboro Man! He had on jeans and western shirt, leather chaps, gloves and a cowboy hat that was bent and dirty from hands that had done ranch work.

"I've come to look at the dog," he said. I told him she was in the backyard and to just come on through the house. As he stepped into the foyer, I glanced at his boots. They had layers of dried mud caked around the sole. He had a strong quietness about him that made me think Julie had found the right master!

She was chasing the pool cleaner around when we went outside. The hose-like contraption would circle over and over under the water, it had become an obsession with her. She would jump wildly into the pool diving and biting at the "Undersea Monster!" I called to her and she nearly knocked me over coming to a stop a few steps from him. He raised his gloved hand and simply said "Sit." Julie immediately sit, and stayed. It was a miracle, I had never seen her do anything like this. No matter how hard we had tried, we could not tame her wild ways. In one second he had accomplished what we had been unable to do in a whole year.

He explained to me he wanted a good cattle dog that had the stamina to live outside, watch over his property and work the cows. He said, "She'll do good." I tried to give him her outside toys but he declined, telling me they would just be a nuisance for his wife to have to pick up every time SHE mowed....I couldn't help but smile at that!!

"Well then, you'll need her leash," I said as we walked around to the gate. Julie had always been walked on a leash, we'd never let her run loose.

"Nope, she'll have to mind me or this won't work." My heart sank. I just knew she'd take off, never to be seen again. He flung open the gate and she took off like a bullet, all 100 pounds of her. He whistled sharply and motioned for her to get up on the flatbed loaded with hay. She obeyed him like she had been doing it all her life. She easily jumped to the top of the bales and then into the back of his Ford F350, wagging her tail wildly!

As he pulled out of the driveway, the sun was just going down in the West and the hot Texas day was giving way to the cool evening breezes. I stood there and watched as they drove away. Julie never looked back. She was looking forward to new frontiers and her life with Marlboro Man!

I see the red barn...

I think of my Grandma Keeling often this time of year. I associate a warm kitchen and the aromas of the holidays with her. Although she's been gone for 40 years now, I can still see her in that little kitchen at Lead Hill. Thanksgiving was always at Grandma's house. We'd make the trip down to Arkansas after Daddy would get off work. I'd sleep part of the way, waking up when we headed down the big hill that turned into their gravel driveway. You could see the porch lights and the glow of the kitchen windows shining brightly in the cold November night. The house would smell delicious as we came through the service porch, pies and broth and sage all mingled together.

The next morning when I woke up, she and Mom would have already started the preparations for the big meal. Grandma in her apron with the big pockets, their voices would go up and down depending on what they were discussing. Grandma was always cheerful and she spoke often of friends and family. She was a prayer warrior, sprinkled into her sentences were the mention of those who were in need of a prayer sent up. "Bless Cora May, she's going through a hard time right now." We always knew who was sick or sad or down on their luck. Grandma would laugh and talk non stop as she cooked dinner, making trips to and from the pantry. In that pantry were rows and rows of tomatoes and green beans, pickles and relishes, jams and jellies. Every jar she opened, she'd say the same thing... "Isn't it good to have plenty?"

Today as we celebrate with a table loaded with our favorite dishes, in a warm house with family all around us, we feel blessed and loved and her voice rings in my ears. Happy Thanksgiving!

Fried Peach Pies

Grandma Keeling's fried pies were simple, that's not to say that they weren't the most delicious treat that came out of that old kitchen. She was a country cook who used lard and white flour and didn't have to go to the store for everything, they grew most of what they needed. Every morning she put on her apron and made biscuits for Grandpa, he would have thought the world would have come to an end if he didn't have a hot biscuit on his plate alongside his eggs at 7AM! Those biscuits were enjoyed with honey or sorghum or preserves that had been put up over the summer months when their little orchard produced peaches, apples and pears. Grandma also dried the fruits, spreading them out on steel screens that Grandpa fashioned out of old window frames just for this purpose. On special mornings she'd put that little saucepan on the back burner and add some dried peaches in preparation for making her fried pies. As the peaches cooked down the smell of summer filled the kitchen, even if it was the dead of Winter. If you had a Granny who made these for you, I don't have to explain how good they are. If you didn't, you need to make them... just once. Make sure you do it when someone you love is there with you to absorb the goodness♥♥♥

Fried Peach Pies
Filling
6-7 ounces dried fruit (peaches, apples, apricots)
1 cup sugar
2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Dough

2 Cups all purpose flour
1 Tsp salt
1/2 C Crisco Grandma used lard
1/2 C of milk

Put the dried fruit in a saucepan and add water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until the fruit is tender, about 15 minutes. Add the cinnamon, then mash with a fork. Set aside while you make the dough.Place flour and salt in a bowl and stir together. Cut in the shortening with a fork and add the milk and stir until dough sticks together. Divide into about 8-10 balls. Roll each out on a floured surface, in 5-6" circles. Place 2 tablespoons or so of filling in each. You want them full but not enough that it oozes out. Wet the edges and fold over, crimping with a fork. Cook in oil which has been heated on medium heat, until brown on both sides, turning as needed. Remove to paper towel lined plate.

Stand back and wait for compliments!

Nine Eleven

All of us are remembering where we were 9-11-2001. Fourteen years have passed, but in my heart it feels like yesterday. Our life at the time was a flurry of family turmoils; our youngest daughter had moved back home to escape an abusive relationship, my Mother was on a downhill slide with her dementia and my brother was facing his last year with terminal heart disease.

That morning I was on my way to Mom’s farm 100 miles away to take her to a doctor’s appointment. I had an oil change scheduled early at the dealership and was in the waiting room watching TV when I saw the first reports of the plane crashing into the Trade Center. By the time they had the car ready and I was on the road to Mom’s, the second plane went down. The radio announcers reported the news in a panicked state and I remember feeling so vulnerable in a world I’d never known. I turned the car around, called Mom and told her to turn the TV on and to stay inside close to the phone. As I drove home I saw long lines at gas stations, really long…out on the highway, backed up to refuel in this state of emergency. My head spun with what to do first, call my husband…he had left that morning on a business trip and was on the road too. He too was in shock, turned the car around and headed home. We both realized our lives had changed forever. In the days that followed we watched in horror the coverage on TV. I remember thinking how worried I was about Mom’s declining health and Amy’s broken heart. Now those problems seemed so small compared to the grief so many were facing with the loss of their loved ones.

A lot has happened in fourteen years. Life has a way of going on. Regardless of what happened yesterday, one thing is certain about life…the fact that it’s uncertain. But that makes the sun coming up each morning so special.

Our gratitude to the many who sacrificed countless hours and months in all capacities to rebuild our country. Today I honor those who lost their lives, our thoughts and prayers are with the many loved ones left behind.

Home Sweet Home

We moved a lot when our daughters were growing up. I've counted before, 18 addresses in 45 years. Not enough time to put down roots with many of the houses. Home should always be that place where memories are made. It has to be much more than four walls to feel like home and a Mother's job is to add the ingredients needed to make the warm and fuzzies.

If you reach back into your childhood those feelings are stirred when you remember how you felt in the security of those walls. It wrapped around you like a blanket and protected you from the outside world. I can remember my bedroom...the wallpaper was pink roses. I can see the white curtains moving gently with the cool breezes from a south window. It was an old house, on the corner of Summit and Division with a big wrap-around porch. Mom had the banisters full of pots of begonias and impatiens and ferns. I would set out in the swing and watch as neighbors mowed their lawns or walked to the neighborhood market. Inside, Mom was almost always in the kitchen cooking.

Since our daughters are eight years apart, their strongest memories would most likely be two separate houses. For Stephanie the house on Birch in Harrison is where she learned to ride a bike, celebrated many birthdays and wondered how Santa got in the house Christmas Eve since we didn't have a fireplace! For Amy the house at Horseshoe Bend is where she lost her first tooth, learned to swim and played long summer days with our dog Lizzie. It's not far from here, if you go by boat it's only a few coves away. It seems like such a long time ago that we lived on that little farm, 25 years can seem like an eternity while feeling like a "blink ago."

Every house had celebrations...holidays with family gathered, sleepovers with best friends and private "alone in their bedroom" time when they played and pretended and grew up. 

In their heart and minds will forever be the color of that bedroom or the pictures in the hallway. Etched in their memories are playing house or riding their bikes or just setting and dreaming about their future.

Home is as simple as the front door...

...or the sound of the doorbell~

It's that feeling of welcome and being the most important thing in your parents' lives. That is what being a Mother is, and a Father too. Forever that bond that never goes away, only gets stronger. Even when we are separated we hold those memories most dear.

Ki Yi Yippie Yippie Ay

I'm pretending I'm in Texas this morning... it's a typical Saturday and we've slept in a little. Coffee and paper, we had a bowl of cereal and now we're beginning to get hungry for some lunch. Lot of choices but only one if you want BBQ! Just a few miles up I-10 and Highway 80 north (exit 628) is Luling City Market! About an hour east of San Antonio, it's the best barbecue you will ever put in your mouth! We were lucky enough to share many meals here with good friends BW and Carol. I don't know if it was the company or the food, but this place remains in my memory as one of my favorites! Rough-around-the-edges, City Market offers few amenities. You have to fetch your meat the old-fashioned way, waiting in line. When you enter, the delicious smell hits you like a ton of bricks!

At the back of the dining room a swinging door leads into a shadowy, cave-like room illuminated by the glow of burning logs in pits. I can remember the first time we visited City Market, the anticipation I felt as we waited in line. Towards the back of the line we were visiting, laughing and taking in all of the "local flavor" of the place. But as we got close to the enclosed area, the pit, our moods changed. There was a reverence that came over us, just like the scene in Seinfeld when George realized he needed to order the soup in a very particular way.

The meats are cooked long and slow in a brick smoker that holds enough food to feed Luling plus the hundreds of visitors that come each day from far and wide. As you enter the pit, men take your order, cut and section the amount of meat you want, and assemble everything on a big sheet of pink butcher paper. They gather the edges of the paper together so it becomes a boat-like container that serves as both carrying device and eating surface. Once you get your paper-wrapped order of meat, you leave the pit and carry it back into the comfy pine-paneled dining room.Find a place to sit and join the citizens of Luling who are kept alive by the sauce and BBQ! John Wayne, Tommy Lee Jones and Dubya thought it was worth the trip!


Tender smoky brisket, succulent ribs that fall away from the bone or links that have been made the same way for 50 years...you can't go wrong if you choose a little of each. My favorite was the links, cut and placed on a slice of bread and doused with the orange BBQ sauce that Luling is famous for. No other sauce, anywhere tastes like this. First time users aren't sure, then BAM...you're hooked. You need the stuff for everything!

Sides are basic, white bread, pickles and onion...

Don't forget the sweet tea, or maybe Texas' favorite Big Red!

Besides having no plate for your meal, City Market deems all you need to enjoy this feast is a plastic knife, fork and spoon. They're right, the meat is so tender it cuts like butter!

Take a minute and soak up the relaxation this YouTube video will impart.

Just like being there, well almost!

A RE-RUN, too good not to share again!

Happy Mother's Day!

The Mother’s Hand (1966) by Antanas Sutkus

 Mother's Day is Sunday, I didn't have to tell you though. All of us who have Mothers, had Mothers or have been Mothers know when it's our day. It can be a day of pampering, but most likely it's not. You still cook or clean or straighten up after kids or husbands! But Mom's just do that, they don't think twice about picking up the family room before bedtime or folding a load of clothes while dinner is cooking. My Mom was a typical 1950's Mom who stayed home with my brother and I and gave up all aspirations of career or fame so that she could wipe our noses and attend every school play we were ever in. Daddy went to work and Mom did the rest. 

♥     ♥     ♥     ♥     ♥

If you think about it, childhood is a very small part of our lives. In 12 years we make the memories that we carry with us the rest of our lives. Not enough time really to do all the things that make for a happy childhood...

√  Play dress up 

√  Go Sledding

√  Build a snowman

√  Go swimming

√  Have a picnic

√  Visit the zoo 

√  Play Monopoly

√  Take a walk

√  Look at baby pictures 

√  Sing Songs

√  Go roller skating

√  Build a blanket fort 

√  Have a scavenger hunt

√  Go to the movies 

√  Finger Paint

√  Make S’mores

√  Play baseball

√  Rake leaves and jump in them

√  Go on a hayride 

Visit a pumpkin patch

√  Plant something

√  Have a water fight

√  Play hide and seek

√  Go to the state fair

√  Make homemade ice cream 

√  Go wading in a creek

√  Go horseback riding

√  Climb a tree 

√  Go camping

√  Draw a map and have a treasure hunt 

√  Play in the rain 

√  Paint a picture by numbers 

√  Fly a kite 

√  Jump rope 

√  Go fishing 

√  Play Simon Says

√  Play “I Spy”

√  Start a collection of rocks or shells 

√  Draw pictures on the sidewalk with chalk

√  Go for a bike ride

√  Play pretend

√  Tell Knock-Knock jokes

... unless you had a Mom like mine. The only thing I missed was going to a Pumpkin Patch, but they didn't have those in the 50's! Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all of you out there that have been a Mother to someone or SOMETHING, that includes Moms of pets~ Dad's of course, Grandparents who step up and fill in for all the working Moms! It was such a blessing to have her in my life and I honor her this day.

♥     ♥     ♥     ♥     ♥ 

The Christmas Album

The year my Dad passed we were expecting our first Grandson Jackson. It was a long winter to go through, depression and anticipation are an odd mix. I decided that keeping busy was the best medicine for me so I began putting together a Christmas Album. Up till then, the various years were scattered from album to envelope to the "Picture Box." Every night I'd set down to watch TV and go through the pictures, 1970-1994. Years of Christmas mornings spread out before me to be placed in the pages of an album that I hoped would mean something in time to the Grandchild waiting to be born.

As I went through the pictures, the memories flowed back. Stephanie was 2 when we were stationed at Biloxi, Mississippi in the above pictures (1972).

Stephanie and her Daddy under the mistletoe...Sacramento, California 1974

1981, Amy was 2 and Stephanie 10

Many, many Christmases at our parents houses. We were lucky, they lived across the pasture from each other so when we went it meant TWO Christmases!

1987 at Mom and Dad's

1988, the next year Stephanie graduated from High School

When you look at a picture you see many things, the look of surprise on someone's face, the excitement of opening the gifts and you remember the feelings you had at that moment of being with the ones you love the most.

It was the perfect project for me to work on. I relived the many happy years that my Dad enjoyed his Grand Daughters. His greatest joy was when we were all together. Whether it was Christmas, or digging potatoes out of the huge garden he grew each year, or at the table laughing and talking all at once...he loved every minute. I think that's probably what I inherited from him that I value the most. It's those moments in our lives that add meaning and joy and make each Christmas something so very special...

Failure is Not an Option!

I had some amazing teachers as a child who inspired me. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Hayes immediately comes to mind. Oh, how I loved that woman! She was kind and patient, guiding and directing the 30 impressionable lives for the 9 months she had us. We learned how to add and subtract, all about the World in Social Studies and how to write in Cursive. But we learned so much more from Mrs. Hayes. We learned trust and responsibility and that honesty was the best policy. I'll never forget Mrs. Hayes or that feeling when she would have me collect the milk money each morning. It was good to be so young and trusted to do an important task.

The famous people below overcame that feeling of failure and reached for the stars. They struggled with disappointment and criticism, but somewhere along the way in spite of discouragement... they excelled.

Abraham Lincoln, former US President first went into politics at the age of 23 when he campaigned for a seat in the Illinois General Assembly and failed. He then opened a general store which failed after only a few months.

Harry S. Truman, former US President was rejected by the US Military & Naval Academies due to his poor eyesight. At one point he was a clerk in a newspaper mailroom, and also an usher in a movie theater.

Michael Jordan, the most famous name in basketball was actually cut from his high school basketball team.

John Wayne - Before his successful acting career he was rejected from the United States Naval Academy.

Steven Spielberg - This household name dropped out of high school and applied to attend film school three times but was unsuccessful due to his C grade average.

Beethoven - His music teacher once told him that he was a hopeless composer.

Babe Ruth - This baseball legend struck out 1,330 times.

Henry Ford - The Ford Motor Co was Henry Ford’s third business, the first two didn’t work out.

Winston Churchill - This former British Prime Minister did poorly in school and had a speech impediment in his early years.

Walt Disney - He was fired by the editor of a newspaper for lacking in ideas.

Soichiro Honda - The founder of Honda was turned down for an engineering job by Toyota after World War Two.

Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita - These two were the founders of Sony, but one of their first products was an electric rice cooker. They only sold 100 or so of these cookers because they tended to burn rice rather than cook it.

Charles Darwin - His father told him he would amount to nothing and would be a disgrace to himself and his family.

Albert Einstein - He learned to speak at a late age and performed poorly in school.

Thomas Edison - As a boy he was told by his teacher that he was too stupid to learn anything.

John Grisham - This best selling novelist’s first novel was rejected by sixteen agents and twelve publishing houses.

Isaac Newton - He failed at running the family farm and did poorly in school.

Henry Ford said,
“Failure is the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.”

Fireflies

It's easy to close my eyes and think back to the long hot summers of my childhood. After supper we'd play outside until darkness took over the sky, Hide and Go Seek or Mother May I until the Fireflies came out. We'd try like mad to catch their little flashlight bodies and place them in an old Ball jar, but mostly it was running and giggling!

The fireflies flew just out of our reach, inspiration and wonder just beyond our fingertips. That's kind of like life, what we want sometimes is out there but it seems almost fantasy... what we want is just too hard to "catch." If we're not careful, we let the "I can'ts" into our hearts and then we forget how to be children again. Every Summer my Grandchilden teach me how to be young again. They leave fingerprints on the glass doors, they scatter toys in the living room and they delight in a simple ice cream cone.

Not a banana split, not a sundae... just a plain, ol' ice cream cone! 

New Beginnings

Christmas is over for another year, the last tree came down today. As happy as I feel putting them up each year, I have pangs of sadness when I pack away the ornaments. Forty-three Christmases packed away in less than a dozen boxes. Many of the ornaments so old or so tacky they don't even make it to the branches, yet I hold onto them. They've made their way to the bottom of the the storage boxes like the Land of Misfit Toys, they have lost their place on the trees. 

I did pass along some ornaments and decorations this year to our oldest Grandson. His first apartment is decorated with hand-me-downs, he never says no to anything we offer! He inherited Papa's old but much loved recliner and most recently a sofa and loveseat, a little worn where I set and and blog! I noticed today as I read his Facebook post, on the counter in the kitchen set Mom and Dad's salt and pepper shakers. You've seen them in every Grandma's house since the 50's, clear glass shakers with aluminum tops. I love that he uses them, the tops are pitted from years of salt. They set on Mom's stove in the house on Summit and seasoned a million meals with ♥

The first day of the new year seems to be a good starting point for new beginnings. Last year was filled with extreme happiness and extreme sadness, but that's life in a nutshell. Wishing everyone a Happy and healthy New Year!

Back to School

That familiar school bus is making it's way down Old Prairie Creek Road that winds back to our house. If I come home from shopping 4ish, I get behind the bus. It makes half a dozen stops out our way, not too many kids live out our road. They always look like pack mules carrying backpacks, lunchboxes and jackets! Tired little disheveled bodies pour off the bus and run wildly up their driveways or roads. I was a city kid and never rode the school bus, but our daughters did and complained unmercifully about the torture they endured on the bumpy un-airconditioned buses. There was always a mean driver, or a kid that picked their nose, or just the fact that it came so darn early! I would drive them to the main road where we would wait patiently for the bus to round our curve and stop. We'd listen to the radio and talk. Great talks about friends and feelings, right and wrong, conversations that make Moms and children bond.

It's back to school today for GRANDson Gavin who's an 8th grader in middle school. Next week GRANDson Ewan starts 1st grade, both are feeling like they "know the ropes, I've done this before!" That's part of growing up and gathering up strength as you gather up knowledge! I have a little lump in my throat remembering those years when their Moms were out the door on that first day of school. I know how my daughters feel this morning and I know what's ahead for them for the next 9 months... helping with homework, packing lunches, attending school functions and along the way making memories that will last a lifetime!

Texas Sausage-Cheddar Kolaches

Kolaches on the brain here lately, I get this way when I can't find Texas food. There was this little bakery just off the Judson Road exit in northeast San Antonio that made the best sausage-jalapeno-cheese Kolaches. Our grandson Jackson would spend Friday night and on the trip home Saturday mornings... somewhere around Garden Ridge on I-35, he'd remember the cream filled donuts at this little place and beg for one. It didn't take much coaxing because we knew we could order Kolaches!

If you have the time to make the dough, it's definitely worth it. But if you have a craving AND you have Rhodes frozen dinner rolls in the freezer, you can easily make these if you plan ahead the night before! We had them for breakfast this morning and I feel better now. The world is round and life is good...

Texas Sausage Cheddar Kolaches
Rhodes dinner roll dough, thawed
hardwood smoked jalapeno sausage, cut in 2" chunks
Vermont cheddar cheese, sliced/chunk
Thaw rolls in fridge overnight. The next morning flatten the roll into a 4-5" circle and add a 2" chunk of smoked sausage and a slice of cheese, fold dough up around the deliciousness and pinch closed. Place seam side down on greased baking sheet and allow to rise for about 1/2 hour in warm place (I turn oven on, then off and set them inside with door open) all the while Jerry was like "How much longer???"  Bake 375 for 15 minutes. Brush with melted butter when they come out of the oven. Serve with spicy mustard.

Blasts from the Past

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Remember these? Percale sheets, smooth and silky... they came out of the dryer looking like they'd been freshly pressed. I never see percale sheets in the stores anymore. Wondering why did the trend go to 100% cotton that looks like a truck ran over it unless you do iron? We had these exact sheets, my oldest daughter nearly fell out of her computer chair laughing when she came across this post on Pinterest the other day! Psycho psychedelic daisies she called them... I loved the pink and yellow daisies, they were my favorite sheets. If I still had them I'd put them on the one double bed we have left and sleep in there in Hippie Heaven! 

I don't know what happened to them, I guess they wore out. It's only been 43 years since we married! That first apartment on Church Street in Fayetteville was so cOoL! We had avocado green shag carpet and burnt orange drapes. The only pictures I have of that apartment is our first Christmas tree, no people, just the tree. We had one of those little Kodak Instamatic cameras, the one with the cube flash on top but picture taking was way down my list of importance at that stage of my life! The furniture in this retro pic has the horrible Danish Modern that furnished our first place. Avocado green ruled the universe in 1970!

A few years later when we bought a house, we added a fireplace just like this. When it was on, it got so hot it became a fire hazard after about 15 minutes. So, basically, we didn't use it... it just looked cool. Shag carpet, yeah baby, and we had a carpet rake... did you have one of those?

via

I don't know where my burnt orange fondue set went, 

via

-or the melamine bowl that we used for popcorn.

I DO still have the dishes we started out with, a Noritake pattern called Sunnyside. It has yellow daisies and gold mums and always makes me feel hippy dippy happy! Guess what???? I just found more Sunnyside, you can never have enough... and a great site for treasures!

So, what have you hung onto that's now considered "vintage" (older than Methuselah)? Maybe a little contest to see who holds onto stuff the longest!

Fido didn't make the list...

I love the lists that appear in the paper this time of year, hottest day, coldest day, most popular movies, trends and foods... even most popular pet names. 


From Psychology Today, take a gander at the list and see where your Fido or Fluffy placed. My BennieBear made the list twice! 


Growing up I had a Blackie (guess what color my Cocker Spaniel was?) and through the years we've had a Scooter, a Maggie, Apache, Bunny Toes and Lizzie. There have been River's and Tanner's, Seymore's and Lebowski's! 

What about your family, are your pets on the list?

Aunt Zesta's Pies

Thanksgiving 1950

Grandma Risley with her Grandchildren

Turkey Day can be a little nerve-racking for a new cook, or if you have a houseful of guests and you're trying to make everything come out perfect. No one ever said family gatherings were easy, it's just that our Moms and Grandmothers made it look that way! Practice made for perfect meals, but in reality they probably flubbed up on many occasions before they got it under control!

Uncle Tracey, Aunt Zesta and cousins Shirley, Patsy and Betty

I was talking to my cousin Patsy the other day and I told her I sure wished I could bake a pie like her Mom, Aunt Zesta. She was a master of pie making, each slice picture perfect. I don't think there was a pie college that all of my female relatives graduated from, but they all had degrees in crust making and filling finesse. Aunt Joy, Aunt Hope and of course my Mom and Grandmothers could turn out a holiday meal in two shakes of a Revere Wear pan. And they did it with everyone in the family underfoot in their little kitchens!

Shirley, Betty, Patsy and my brother Sheldon

Our family compiled a cookbook years ago, it was the brainchild of my dear Aunt Joy who loved to cook for all of us. As I turned to "Desserts" to look for pie recipes, I couldn't help but notice just how fat that chapter was! There are 6 recipes for pie crust, each a little different from the others. Hmmm, I've had all of these through the years and they were all Blue Ribbon good, so what's the real secret? Maybe, just maybe it's the hands that made it and the love that was rolled inside. 

Uncle Tracey, my Dad and Uncle Walton

Just in case you are the cook this year and you have a few questions that need answering.... here's a list of hotlines and websites that might just save you from making the meal a "learning experience!" Most of these have a hotline and email that works all throughout the holiday season so keep this list handy.

All times below are Central time.

USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline: (888) 674-6854. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays year round; 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Thanksgiving Day; recorded food safety messages available 24 hours a day. Email mphotline.fsis@usda.gov. The website features tip sheets and an automated response system available 24/7, including "Ask Karen."

National Turkey Federation: Recipes, FAQs, chef demos, tips galore.Eatturkey.com.

Butterball Turkey Talk Line: (800) 288-8372. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Friday; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through next Wednesday; 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thanksgiving Day; 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays Nov. 23-Dec. 26, plus the weekend before Christmas; 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 24. Butterball.com features tips, recipes and FAQs. Email talkline@butterball.com. Connect with other Thanksgiving cooks on Facebook.com/Butterball or follow @Butterball on Twitter.

Honeysuckle White Turkey Line: (800) 810-6325. 24 hours daily during the holiday season. Recorded messages on a variety of topics. Honeysucklewhite.com has tips, recipes, FAQs. Live help from a consumer response specialist, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, (800) 532-5756 (not Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day).

Jennie-O Turkey Hotline:(800) 621-3505. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, excluding holidays. Jennieo.com has recipes, tips and FAQs.

Reynolds Turkey Tips Hotline: (800) 745-4000. 24 hours daily during the holidays. Recorded messages on thawing and roasting turkey. More at reynoldskitchens.com.

Epicurious: Recipes, slide shows, videos and more at the epicurious.com website.

Fleischmann's Yeast Baker's Help Line: (800) 777-4959, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays. Answers here and at breadworld.com to questions about breads and rolls.

Food Network: Thanksgiving menus, recipes and tips at foodnetwork.com.

Food.com: Share your photos, peruse thousands of Thanksgiving recipes and talk turkey in reader forums.

Better Homes & Gardens:Holiday survival guide atbhg.com/holidays.

General Mills' Betty Crocker help line: (888) 275-2388. 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. weekdays. Bettycrocker.com has recipes, menus, tips and more.

Pillsbury: Tips, menus, recipes, holiday ideas atpillsbury.com.

Land O'Lakes: Recipes, FAQs, baking tips, videos at the landolakes.com.

Crisco Pie Hotline: (877) 367-7438. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays year-round; 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 15-24 and Dec. 13-23. More at crisco.com.

Libby Consumer Hotline:(800) 854-0374. 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays year-round. Tips, advice, recipes using canned pumpkin and at verybestbaking.com/Libbys.

Ocean Spray Cranberries:(800) 662-3263. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays year-round. Oceanspray.com has recipes, menus, tips, FAQs.