Thanksgiving Then and Now

Happy Thanksgiving! 

     Holidays are almost never deleted from the calendar, just “edited’ if you will, changed to shape society.  Sometimes that is good, sometimes not. When we change them to suit society, we often lose the original meaning. I do not intend to “take to preachin’,” but a little soul searching will not hurt any of us.  

     Ask a seven or a 17 year-old where  Thanksgiving originated and instead of mentioning Pilgrims and Massachusetts , some will most likely say “on a football field.” 

     The Pilgrims, early settlers to our shores, spent some time in the field, but it wasn’t a football one. It was a field planted with corn, and they were thankful to have that.  They sang hymns like, “Now we thank all our God with heart and hands and voices….”(Rinkart) Children can no longer define the word “hymn” either, unless they are from Texas Aggie country where they sing the Aggie “War Hymn.” Called that by Texas A & M, that song will be sung Thursday in honor of their glorious football team. I love football as much as the next person, I am just saying.

      Both now and then people feasted for different reasons. Currently, some people do not thank anyone for their meal, not even their spouses, for they think they worked hard and paid for it, so they deserve it. I really doubt any of us  deserve all we receive in this country. We have been given more than we could ever achieve on our own, so let us take a moment and thank the Giver.  

Thanksgiving tea party for things both great and tiny. 

     Of course, some things never change as the women spent some time in the kitchen back in the 1620’s, as we do now.Nothing warms our souls, though, like good memories. I have sweet memories of my mom, grandma and aunts all in the Grandma’s kitchen. Nowadays people go to places like Honey Baked Ham and KFC and buy a ready- made meal. I say if that makes you happy, do it, but don’t forget to thank the workers who prepared it, so you wouldn’t have to spend time in the kitchen. No turkey for you? Spam and turnip greens, or huli huli chicken and rice instead of turkey will fill your bellies just as well. Just be thankful and not to yourself. Humbly bow your head in thanks to the Provider of All Good Things. If you have children, lead by example, and not just on Thanksgiving. 

Huli Huli Chicken and Rice For Thanksgiving? Be thankful!

     Check out this football game video between Princeton and Yale, yes, really they played football.   The first championship football game was played in 1876. (Thanksgiving) Besides the players, check out how dressed up the men were.  How things change!

http://www.loc.gov/item/00563607/ Yale and Princeton football game, 1903—Yes, they were already doing it then! The first football game on Thanksgiving came in 1876 with the Yale Bulldogs winning.  By the 1890’s over 5,000 high school, club and college games were played on that day.  Now that is what I call thankful for football. (Thanksgiving)

     Here is an easy to-do Thanksgiving project --Everyone who visits on Thanksgiving can participate. Purchase a plastic tablecloth at a dollar store. Gather several permanent markers. Put them on a plastic tablecloth spread on a surface that is accessible to most heights. Then place the permanent markers and a  tent card with the words, “Write or draw something you are thankful for this Thanksgiving.”  It will be a new twist to the old “What are you thankful for” before the meal, and quiet people might surprise you with their “thank yous.” If you watch, you will see your guests going back to check the tablecloth art.  

           

References
Rickart. (1636). Baptist Hymnal (11^th printing). Nashville: Convention Press.

Thanksgiving Timeline. 1541-2001 Thanksgiving Timeline. Retrieved November 23, 2014 from http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/presentationsandactivities/presentations/thanksgiving/timeline/1876.html

This is to honor a soldier:

Retired US Army Staff Sergeant Miguel Ortiz and his wife, mother-in-law and 15 year-old son were murdered  in Puerto Rico in their home by thugs who owed them rent. A 13 year-old son survived. SSG Ortiz had been a professor for nearly 20 years at Puerto Rico's American Military Academy,where his sons were enrolled in the eighth and ninth grades. Pray for the living son that someone will come and help guide him through this sad time, and that God will become real to him. 

Coto, Danica. (November 18, 2014). Ex-Army sergeant among 4 killed in Puerto Rico. AP. The Big Story. Retrieved November 23, 2014 from http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3cb4ab14aef241049a46e958ab0fe164/ex-army-sergeant-among-4-killed-puerto-rico

DON'T SHOP ON THANKSGIVING! MAKE THE MERCHANTS WISH THEY WOULD HAVE STAYED CLOSED! STAY HOME WITH YOUR FAMILY! 

A Salute to the Ladies Doing Their Job

These are tools of the trade for the military spouse

       I hope you observed Veteran’s Day. If you did not, you can combine my challenge and veterans and their wives. Today is E-card day. Send a card to as many friends as you have time, as well as veterans. Write something besides your name if you want them to respond to you and then total up your cards and we will add up how many cards we sent, and how many we received. See, I told you, the challenge could be combined with your thanks to a veteran and to their wives.

Our country honored United States’ veterans last Tuesday. I am here to honor their spouses. The veterans are the one who protect and defend the nation against all enemies, both foreign and domestic. They move in harm’s way and pretend it is normal. Yes, they need God’s help to do it. You know the spouses, too. They look like regular people, but sometimes their jobs are not. It includes protecting the home front against all enemies both foreign and domestic. That includes everything from lazy children who won’t do their chores to people who think their husband can’t hold a job, because the military keeps moving them. They pick up the kids after school, organize booster bake sales, as well as stay near Skype during deployment, and pray like the kids’ lives depended upon it. For it does, for those little buggers will push their mom to the edge of the pool whether their dad is gone or not.

             So here is a list of warriors and their wives. Their service expands from World War I to the war that now rages. I am sorry I cannot use their surnames, because some of them will never see their names in print. They will go about their lives and serve their country. They will be buried, and no one will know the difference, except there will be a difference. Warriors  have done their duty and beyond, and as well as their spouses. So I will say it again, when you send out your e-cards, send a couple to military wives.

            In honor of these wives, I humbly post this poem. It only touches the surface of the job the military wife does day after day, because her husband is called to be a warrior.

            Here’s to Anne, Becky, Cheryle, Diane, Eunice, Florence, and a million more whom I proudly served with and whom I delightfully call “my friend”.

A Tribute to the Warrior Wife

Love recruited the Warrior Wife for this assignment,

   Her voluntary enlistment lasts a lifetime—

       She knows no retreat for love of her Warrior Man keeps her here.

          Her swearing in came before God, friends and flowers.

               Her “I do”, given freely and without reservation, promised

                     Till death do they part, she and her Warrior Man.

        

Warrior wife’s survival kit includes laughter and a great respect for the power of prayer.

She speaks “militaryese” fluently with her family of military sisters.

While her anchor’s away, she taxis kids on three continents and on both sides of the road.

With artistic flair, she creates an address book that would make Picasso look sane.

An army of one, Warrior Wife destroys mounds of laundry which threaten the home front.

She holds her Warrior’s heart, and small hands, as well the American flag and a pet leash.

 Warrior Wife can fix a flat, sometimes,

               And kiss a scraped knee better every time.

                       Warrior Wife holds down a job part- time.

She makes friends and her famous fire-breathing chili lots of times.

                                                 She changes diapers a million times.

                                                              Regardless of duty station, she births babies in due time.

Warrior Wife’s pay day comes in the form of a candy bar.

Remote duty continues as the battle for the TV rages.

Their college student studies a thousand miles away on an unaccompanied tour.

Temporary duty finds her soaking in endearing emails and a hot bath.

Covert missions include her best “under covers” work.

Wild blue yonder orders do not scare her for she trusts the Supreme Commander.

And, at the end of the day Warrior Wife can be found on her watch,

            Continuing the cadence begun by previous sisters,

                    Waiting—Waiting at the kitchen door,

                             Waiting on some reunion- ready runway

                                          Waiting on some eternally mist-kissed dock,

                                                  Always waiting, waiting for her Warrior to return.

                                                                                                            --Frances L. Lewis

The first of five parts. 
Lava on the Mountain and Lava in the Cake 

Maui "lava" dirt

            If I were a clever writer, I might be able to connect Lava Cake and, Kilauea (Kill-uh-way-uh),  the active volcano in Hawaii that belches lava continually, even now.  It all started thirty years ago in January, 1983, when we lived in Hawaii. Kilauea started living up to its name which means “spewing.” Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little, it has spewed out two-thousand degree magma, called lava, once it hits the surface nearly all that time. It has now reached homes.
  At first, I checked listings for a volcano holiday. Then I thought, get real. You don’t honor something that happens every day. Like you carry out the trash every day, but we don’t have Trash Day.  I take that back. Our trash day is every Wednesday. But we don’t honor eggs or black shoes, even stilettos. Maybe it is because volcanoes are boring to some. You cannot accessorize, nor  go to lunch with one. The most provocative thing Kilauea does is run off at the mouth all the time. We all deal with people doing that without making a holiday for such people. We don’t even want to crack that door, or, in this case, crater floor and observe anything like that. That’s like having a Pick Your Nose Day. It is disgusting, and people may do it, but you do not want to make it legal and let them celebrate it.  But we will join Kilauea and cake. It seems only reasonable.  My first experience with Lava cake came from a plaid Betty Crocker cookbook many moons ago. It seems I started looking for new and exciting recipes to try on my newly married husband. The notation I have next to that recipe says, “Husband doesn’t like this.” So much for chocolate cakes with innards that belch out goo when you poke fork into them.  But I shall try again in honor of the longest running show on earth. Kilauea. And if it comes out funny or misshapen, it’s ok. It’s a lava cake.   

Page 2

 4-3-2-1  Kilauea Crater cake a.k.a. Chocolate Pudding Cake

Preheat your oven to 350°. We’re baking cake here, not producing  molten lava. 
 This is a blow-by-blow to make your own lava cake. Since it  is  lava cake,  no one’s has to look like Martha S’s, because this is your own creation!

Combine these four ingredients and ¼ teaspoon salt in 1-9 inch pan.

Mix 1 cup all-purpose flour, ¾ c. sugar, 2 Tablespoon cocoa powder (unsweetened) 2 teaspoon baking powder. 
Combine these three ingredients and add to dry mix, mixing thoroughly. Mix in  ½ c. milk, 2 T. oil and 1 t. vanilla.
 Spread evenly in pan (This stuff will look like brown paste! It has the consistency of Play-doh.)Optional : If you want to add ¼ c. coconut, that will be your plants your lava picked up as it traveled in your oven.
 Mix these two ingredients and sprinkle over paste.Mix 3/4 c. 

packed brown sugar and ¼ c. cocoa powder (unsweetened). 
Sprinkle over brown paste. (It does looks like dirt, does it not?)

  Don’t forget to pour 1 ½ c. boiling water over batter. Don’t mix in, just leave it alone. 

My "lava" dirt without hot water-Add it. 

Bake at 350° F (175 °) for 40 minutes.  Let rest for 15 minutes.  (See rest on next page.) 

 

Page 3

Bake at 350 ° F (175 ° C) for 40 minutes. Let stand 15 minutes, then spoon into dessert dishes or cut into squares. Invert each square onto dessert plate and spoon sauce over each serving. Top with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Real lava on the Big Island

P.S. A little hint. The cake is done when the cake part is on top and the bottom is of a pudding consistency. The top, though very authentic looking, will be springy to the touch.

There are four parts of this, so if this comes to your email first, you need to wait for all the parts.

My "lava"

Please say a prayer for these people who are losing their homes because of Kilauea.         

Pavement Cake

 For those of you who would like to repave your driveway and thought the budget could not handle it at the moment, I have good news for you.  My first attempt at this recipe had no baking powder in  it. But if you can get it chiseled out of the pan, it makes great pavement for the driveway.  It will stop the kids from complaining when they have a bicycle wreck. Providing they still have their teeth, they can have a little snack before they get back on their bikes.

Have a great week and give thanks!

Don't Feed Worker's Block Chocolate
           
                                                          

                                            Thanks to Brad H. for monster art. 

Most creatures on this earth we try to protect  from becoming extinct, but Worker's Block and other hairy beasts like him must be driven into extinction. They must not be allowed to invade and control our lives. WB,  a mean ugly beast, eats my creativity and my peace of mind.  So away with him, I say.

First, scare him away with Post-it  notes.  Keep them in the bathroom, near the desk and even in the car for when good ideas hit. Good ideas, sneaky little devils who like to play games, come to you when you are in the middle in potty training or rush hour traffic, times when free hands are a commodity. But you don't want them to escape. Better yet, use your smart phone, recording your ideas on it. I am sure WB can't outsmart it. Few of us can.

Do not stop working on your project. WB hates the sound of the keyboard clicking away, things being sorted, or anything that sounds like accomplishment.  In fact, he will run away on his own cognizant if he hears those kinds of noises.  When you quit trying, that's when he becomes fat, happy, and, worse yet, sassy.

WB especially does not like you stopping to clean out a drawer if no progress can be made on your main  goal. He would rather you wander aimlessly through the house or play a mindless video game, rather than rewarding yourself accomplishing a little job.

When a writer or any worker starts doing something for someone else, instead of muttering and complaining, it always gets the kindness juices flowing.  If there's anything WB hates, it's kindness juices.  They are like pesticide. They will knock him out sooner than Raid on an ant.

There's one more thing he hates---chocolate.  Any worker I know worth his or her salt or chocolate, in this case, always keeps a stash nearby for such occasions that WB might be lurking  in the shadows. Don't stockpile beans or pasta, but a stock pile of chocolate will ward off  WB's cousin, Discouragement.  If inspired ideas are reinforced with chocolate, they begin a sweet assault like marshmallow soldiers.  No scientific studies have  proven this, but why take the chance when it comes to chocolate?

Lunch happens to be something else WB hates.  This seems paradoxical, but if you are lunching with friends, it clears your brain to come home and hit the problem full blast once your return home, be it writer's block or that scary closet. 

So the next time you get WB, remember all the weapons you have against him like your cell phone or  your work ethic.  Keep your kindness and chocolate lunch schedule poised and ready to leap. If you find you can't go to lunch, you might take chocolate tea to a neighbor. Your plan to make WB extinct might not work but, at least, you will have a delicious time finding out!

So here's my question for the week.  What do you do to prevent Worker's Block from taking over your life and have fun, as well? 

Stay tuned next week for "Lava in the Cake and Lava on the Mountain."