I was going to say ‘When Winter comes can Spring be far
behind?’ being this is the Spring issue and all that but I just
looked out the window and it’s snowing it has been snowing for
about four hours now it rained all morning and washed all the last
snow away and went right into a new snow – so I won’t mention
anything about Spring yet!
I’d like to thank all you good folks who remembered us with
a Christmas card and letters it was so nice to hear from you.
Here’s a good word for you ladies who like to embroider if
you’ll look in Classified Ads, you’ll see there a
Cross-stitch pattern book written by Mrs. Wilbur Collins of
Pontiac, Illinois. We saw many of her items she created when we
visited Montpelier last summer. They were quite beautiful so have a
look at the Sale Ads.
More interest stirring in Canada with the steam trend. We had a
letter from Bill Martin, 25 Division St., Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
Bill is a new subscriber and tells us that in that vicinity they
are starting to prepare for a steam threshers reunion there next
summer. They have quite a number of engines lined up and hope to
have a lot more entries till summer. Good luck with your
organization!
Had a nice letter from Lloyd Kolda part of which I would like to
quote. ‘I enjoy reading the ALBUM very much. I read it from
cover to cover and get lots of good out of it. It brings back the
old memories of the steam threshers which I used to thresh with
before gas took over.
‘There seems to be something about the steam engine for
anyone who has run or worked with one likes them and if they hear a
steam whistle off in a distance, they perk up their ears like a
scared rabbit wondering where it is and wanting to see and hear it
run. It seems to get into a person’s blood and can t be gotten
out. Steam engines are gone but not forgotten.’
I thought that letter expressed a lot of the sentiment most of
you folks of the steam era feel. Lloyd is building a 4′ cyl.
and 4′ stroke steam engine in his spare time. Perhaps we’ll
hear more of that later.
Might I suggest here that you ladies please send me some
material, recipes, household hints, any little bits of information
that may be of interest to the women-folk. It could be used in my
column or on the Ladies Page.
And, speaking of tips, you might try this one. Many people throw
away the juice left in a bottle after using maraschino cherries
DON’T save it and use when making pie dough in place of or
added to the water that is mixed in the dough. This is particularly
good in the crust of an apple pie try it and see!
Also to cook dried beans and eliminate distress after eating use
about half a teaspoonful of baking soda in the water they are
boiled in and the gas that causes the distress will be eliminated.
Try it in Sauer Kraut, too.
When boiling rice or macaroni, grease for three or four inches
the inside of the kettle holding the water and it will not boil
over on the stove.
And now, on to a good recipe for Cream Puff Shells. No, they are
not hard to make either! Just try this and see. cup shortening, 1/8
teaspoon salt, 1 cup boiling water, 1 cup sifted flour and 3 eggs,
unbeaten. Add shortening and salt to boiling water and stir over
medium heat. Add flour all at once and stir vigorously until
mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and let cool.
This is very important! Then add 1 egg at a time, beating after
each addition. That’s all there is to it. Spoon onto ungreased
cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350
and bake 20 minutes longer. Makes 12 puff shells. Of course you can
use any desired filling.
And onto the poem for this time. It’s called ‘WHAT
CHRIST SAID?
I said, ‘Let me walk in the fields.’
He said, ‘No! Walk in the town.’
I said, ‘There are no flowers there.’
He said, ‘No flowers, but a crown.’
I said, ‘But the skies are black;
There’s nothing but noise and din.’
And He wept as He sent me back;
‘There is more,’ He said, ‘there is sin.’
I said, ‘I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say.’
He answered, ‘Choose tonight,
If I am to miss you, or they.’
I pleaded for time to be given,
He said, ‘Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in Heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide.’
Then into His hand went mine,
And into my heart came He;
And I walk in a light divine
The path that I feared to see.
– George McDonald
That’s about it for this time, good people, except to add a
few words of philosophy:
Let others share your sunny days, and you will find it true,
that others will be glad to share the rainy days with you. His
thoughts were slow, his words were few, and never formed to
glisten, but he was a joy to all his friends, you should have heard
him listen!
