Dear Folks, I was a good girl today and put the final touches on my chicken soup. Last night I skimmed off as much chicken fat as I could and poured it into Pyrex custard cups so that the fat would solidify in my refrigerater. Then I removed all of the meat from the chicken bones and shredded the meat with my fingers into bite sized chicken morsels and dumped them into the soup pot. (Oh my goodness that sure is a lot of chicken!). Today I got a pot of water boiling and then dumped the bones and scraps into it and let it simmer for a couple of hours but frankly, I would have preferred to simmer the bones for more hours to get all of the calcium from them. However, I was content enough with my efforts and when the bones and broth cooled down, I dumped everything into a colander to drain the bones and pieces of fat so that I could then feel comfortable dumping the bones, etc. into the garbage. I added the remaining broth to what I had already made up for my soup. But even then, it seemed that the amount of chicken meat is still too much for the soup broth. I have the feeling that when I ladle out the soup into my soup mug for lunch tomorrow, I won't be able to decide whether to use a fork or a spoon. Oh well, I'll see tomorrow. But now I also had to contend with the chicken fat that had solidified nicely in my refrigerator. The last time I mentioned making a pot of chicken soup I also mentioned that I had skimmed off the chicken fat, put it into the refrigerator and then threw the fat in the garbage. A Jewish email friend of mine read the message and was horrified that I would throw out schmaltz (chicken fat)! Apparently it's used in many Yiddish recipes. So this time when the chicken fat solidified, I stored the schmaltz in a small plastic container and put it back into my refrigerator. Now I have to admit that I've never considered using chicken fat in any of my recipes, but who knows but what the next time I sauté anything up I'll reach for the schmaltz instead of the butter. Ah yes, another exciting ethnic way to prepare good ole down-home food. Life is such an adventure! vee

Dear Lesli, Yes I guess I do live in Small Town America. In fact the population of the entire Town of Porter is only 6,920. I grew up in the city of Niagara Falls, NY and even though we knew who our neighbors were, I don't remember any particular "neighborliness" between all of us. We had family friends and no doubt we did things for each other, but that was about it. But now I DO have caring neighbors and I'm still trying to feel comfortable with all that they do for me. About the only thing I ever did for them was to share my bountiful blueberries with them and the bounty of the English walnuts from my tree. Oh, and of course, the bounty of my vegetable garden. Oh let me tell you another neighbor story that still makes me laugh. He was my next door neighbor at the time but we barely knew each other. His name was Doug. One day I left the house at just the right time to get to the historical society right on the dot. I believe that it was in the summer inasmuch as I had my parked outside my door rather in my barn/garage. When I went outside my door and looked toward the car I could see a big woodchuck/groundhog strolling by my car on the passenger side. I shooed him away but instead of his scurrying off into the fields or wherever, he ducked under my car. Oh, great! I bent down and looked under the car but I couldn't see him anywhere. OK, now what! I decided to open the hood of my car and see if he was anywhere in the engine compartment and by George, there he was huddled toward the back of the engine. I decided to get a long stick to poke him out of there. I found one and gave him a poke. It worked; however he ended back underneath my car. I bent over and gave him another poke and back he went into the engine compartment. I knew that I was in a no-win situation and I didn't dare drive off with him anywhere near my car. Right at that time I saw Doug working in his yard. I gave him a big yoo hoo and waved to him to come over. When I told him the situation, he was as puzzled as I was. He tried the poking bit and soon realized that we weren't going anywhere. Finally, I thought of something that might work. I got a broom out of my barn and handed it to him. I told him that I would poke the woodchuck who was in the engine compartment at the time and the minute I did that, he was to make a sweeping motion underneath the car to chase him away. At first he wasn't quick enough but once he got the hang of the importance of speed, between the two of us, we dislodged the woodchuck by poking and sweeping and off he lumbered away from the car. After the woodchuck was gone, Doug and I had a big laugh over it. Neither of us ever imagined that we would be working together with a stick and a broom to persuade a woodchuck to leave the area. I believe that it was because of that incident that we became friendlier neighbors. He always made certain that my driveway was plowed and in return I helped his wife in her college course regarding her being required to give a critique of a story, sort of a book report. In addition, I taught her some of the computer basics. I guess that's what neighbors do for each other. Note. I was definitely late getting to the museum that day but after I had told them the bizarre story of the woodchuck, they certainly understood my tardiness. vee ----- Original Message ----- From: "~~Leslie~~" <Aug67@cox.net> To: <NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, March 04, 2005 11:18 AM Subject: *Re: [FOLKS] Re: Snow and another good neighbor > Vee, > > Do you happen to live in what I call "Small Town, America"? > I grew up in (and still have a house in) one such town....... > population 4100. There, people are still very caring of each > other. (And, I very much enjoy spending time there.) > > My parents did me a great service by encouraging me to not only help any > neighbor but to be especailly helpful to older > people. And, since a lot of the people in my parents' and > grandparents' age-range were always so good to me, it was > easy for me to learn that they deserved a lot in return. So, I > have always used a "Pay it forward" approach... even with > genealogy. > > Living mostly in a huge city atmosphere for many years now, > I tried to show our 4 children that these important values can > still be used. And, as I watch them now (as adults), I see that > this "took". But, I also see that the vast majority of younger > people in this city do not seem to understand older people. > Personally, I think that this is because they haven't have the > wonderful opportunity to know many older people on a day-to- > day basis. > > Anyway, it sounds to me as though you live near to some truly > caring people, and I am very happy for you. > > Leslie > >

Kim said, > While Vee is talking about winter still, it is acting like Spring here in > the Great Plains. Yesterday the temp reached to 67 degrees! I even had > some of the windows open to let in some fresh air tho it wasn't windy. > Already today it is 59 degrees and it's going to be another nice day. > > The robins have been back since late January and the Sandhills Cranes have > already made their comeback to their nesting grounds. > > We had a mild winter compared to other winters in the past. It's > partially due to the ongoing drought and the weather patterns that favor > California to get all the rain. Yesterday, the air was so dry, there was > only 15 % humidity. Low humidity spells bad news for us, the possibility > of grass fires. I'm hoping we don't get too many grass fires this year, > but we've already had one or two. > > In sunny mild SW Nebraska Dear Kim, I just can't fathom the temperature going as high as 67 degrees in SW Nebraska! Good grief, Nebraska is just south of South Dakota. Who woulda thunk it! vee

Dear Folks, You know me and my passion for murder mystery books and my passion for genealogy. Well, tonight I finished one book that combined the two. It was "Bloodroot" by Susan Witting Albert. It was one of her China Bayles mystery series. I couldn't believe I'd be treated to such a combination. It's about China Bayles and her return to her childhood roots in rural Mississippi that takes you back to before the Civil War. But first off, the book contains a family tree/pedigree chart that shows who China's ancestors were. Trust me, I couldn't have followed her discoveries about the secrets of her ancestors without it. I'm certainly not going to go into the whole story but just let me tell you this. I've never read a murder mystery book that was so intertwined with genealogy. It was a real delight. However, I must admit that none of us would REALLY like to bring up the ghosts of our families like the ones she dug up literally. On another note, I could certainly relate to the fear of the genetic disease Huntington's Disease that had been passed down from one generation to the other in the book. We had similar fears of inheriting the disease in our DeWees family inasmuch as my gr-gr-grandmother Mary (Clark) DeWees died of it in Gettysburg shortly after the Civil War, and then my gr-grandfather DeWees died of it but instead of my grandfather dying of it, the disease was inherited by his brother Lafayette DeWees. Therefore, my mother, none of my aunts or my uncle inherited it. Ah, yes, a very exciting book that I can really relate to. vee

Dear Vee & group: While Vee is talking about winter still, it is acting like Spring here in the Great Plains. Yesterday the temp reached to 67 degrees! I even had some of the windows open to let in some fresh air tho it wasn't windy. Already today it is 59 degrees and it's going to be another nice day. The robins have been back since late January and the Sandhills Cranes have already made their comeback to their nesting grounds. We had a mild winter compared to other winters in the past. It's partially due to the ongoing drought and the weather patterns that favor California to get all the rain. Yesterday, the air was so dry, there was only 15 % humidity. Low humidity spells bad news for us, the possibility of grass fires. I'm hoping we don't get too many grass fires this year, but we've already had one or two. In sunny mild SW Nebraska, Kim

Vee, Do you happen to live in what I call "Small Town, America"? I grew up in (and still have a house in) one such town....... population 4100. There, people are still very caring of each other. (And, I very much enjoy spending time there.) My parents did me a great service by encouraging me to not only help any neighbor but to be especailly helpful to older people. And, since a lot of the people in my parents' and grandparents' age-range were always so good to me, it was easy for me to learn that they deserved a lot in return. So, I have always used a "Pay it forward" approach... even with genealogy. Living mostly in a huge city atmosphere for many years now, I tried to show our 4 children that these important values can still be used. And, as I watch them now (as adults), I see that this "took". But, I also see that the vast majority of younger people in this city do not seem to understand older people. Personally, I think that this is because they haven't have the wonderful opportunity to know many older people on a day-to- day basis. Anyway, it sounds to me as though you live near to some truly caring people, and I am very happy for you. Leslie

Dear Folks, Today I spent a number of hours in cooking up the best tasting chicken soup that anyone has ever tasted. Although I was on my feet until they got a bit achey, I still had my handy dandy motorized wheelchair to sit on while I continued with my cooking. Now it's all in the refrigerator just waiting for me to put the final touches on it. All the while, I recognized that I was once again compelled to cook up a pot of soup because of the cooking urge in the middle of winter. This is what I wrote back in 1999. WINTER AND THE COOKING URGE January 14, 1999 Those of you who live in the frozen north and who are experiencing scary heavy snowfalls, high winds and sub-zero wind-chill factors might know what I'm talking about. Those of you who live in the warmer areas might not quite understand what I'm talking about. But this is what my observations have been this past week or so. This year, once winter REALLY hit us, it brought out an urge to cook up a pot of something. A great big pot of something that would fill the house with a warm and delicious smell of good home cooking. Now I have no children, I live alone, and I have no one who expects me to cook anything whatsoever. Nonetheless the urge is a very strong one. And tonight I kinda figured out what it's all about. You see, I think it has to do with a sense of security. No matter how scary the situation is, when you find that you have finally managed to struggle home in the middle of a blizzard from school or from work and you find that "Mommy" is there with dinner on the stove, all is well with the world. Or even if you are the "Mommy" and feel panicky over the impassible roads or the actual impossibility of even getting out of the driveway, there is nothing more soothing than being able to cook up a pot of something with whatever ingredients you have in the house. It makes you feel that you can survive, no matter what. And I have an idea that our ancestors would know what I'm trying to say here. Something like no matter what the danger is to the family's survival, as long as you can cook up a bit of food and put it on the table, somehow today wasn't all that bad and tomorrow will be even better. Vee from NORTH of Buffalo, NY!

Bob said, > Although we don't have snow as a burden I can appreciate the joy that your > neighbors have in having a nice lady to do something nice for. I am sure > they > are gladdened to be able to do for you. The satisfaction I assure you is > overwhelming. Dear Bob, Thanks for saying that. But here's what amazes me most. All three neighbors who are helping me out, have assured me that any time I need help, just call them. The thing of it is, they barely know me with the exception of Dawn who has lived here well over 10 years. During that time Dawn and I have had occasion to talk to each over the phone. As a result we've gotten to know each other pretty well. But with Ken and Bob, I'm only a neighbor who needs help on occasion. Yes I'm getting to know Ken and he's getting to know me, but with Bob, we are total strangers. We know nothing about each other. Nonetheless, the three of them are only too glad to lend a hand when I need it. Is it because of my advancing age and/or my current physical condition? I really don't have a clue. I have a warm feeling in my heart that they're the type of neighbors who instinctively take care of their neighbors. In fact when I had told Dawn about Bob's plowing out my driveway (note: Bob is Dawn's next door neighbor), she just replied, "He's one of us." That told me a lot. We're all neighbors and we do such things for each other. That's such a rewarding feeling. I've never experienced such a neighborly thing on such a grand scale before. vee

Dear Folks, I thought you might be interested in Tracy's response to me regarding Spring Creek books and what I'm now doing with my stories. She said, > Great! I'm proud of you! I wish more people would do that too. It becomes > a > blessing to so many people when you share your knowledge and experiences. > Best wishes in your own printing. If you'd like to share something with us > for our manuscript we'd be honored. > Tracey Dear Tracey, I'm not surprised that you would applaud my efforts to share my memories and stories with my family and friends. I know that on the whole it will be a genealogy of me and my family that will put a lot of flesh on our ancestors' bones as well as give them a good glimpse of my life from the mid 1930s to the present. Although I'm "only" an aunt, gr-aunt and gr-gr-aunt, I'm sharing with my family a lot of stories about their ancestors all the way back into the 1700s. If that ain't genealogy, I don't know what is. :-) vee

In a message dated 3/3/2005 3:01:05 P.M. US Mountain Standard Time, NYNIAGAR-FOLKS-D-request@rootsweb.com writes: What can I say? In all my life I've never had such caring neighbors who continue to remind me that if I ever needed anything, just call. It kinda takes my breath away. vee Although we don't have snow as a burden I can appreciate the joy that your neighbors have in having a nice lady to do something nice for. I am sure they are gladdened to be able to do for you. The satisfaction I assure you is overwhelming. Bob AZ

Dear Folks, I thought you might be interested in the message I received yesterday from Tracy who had contacted me regarding my submitting some of my stories to her and having one or two of them actually being published by Silver Creek publishing. She said, >I finally heard back from Spring Creek publishing. You would retain the > copyright for your individual story but the whole book would be > copyrighted > by the publisher. So that's good news if you wanted to re-publish > something > for yourself. > Hope that answers your question. > Thanks! In response I said, "I must admit that I'm very pleased with such an arrangement regarding copyrights that certainly makes sense. But I've gotta tell you something that I want to thank you for. Because of your inquery, it made me think about the numerous stories that I've written over the years about not only my genealogy adventures but of the memories of my childhood years, my teenage year, my 30 years in the Navy and into my Senior Citizen years. I'm 73 years old and I've been sharing those stories with my email friends for a number of years. In turn a number of them have been begging me to put those stories into book form so that they could read them again at their leisure. Again, thank you. As a result I've been printing out all my stories in draft form and eventually plan to put them in good order, edit them severely, print them out properly and hand over my manuscript to the local photocopier to print out all so that all I need to do is spiral bind them on my own spiral binding machine. Whether I send them off to only my family members who I know will treasure what will basically be my autobiography or to others who just enjoy reading all my stories will remain to be seen. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have received the eventual impetus to finally do what I've wanting to do for years. Good luck with your project." vee

Leslie said, >To this day, I am glad that my parents taught > me this way to help some people I loved dearly. It also help > me to learn to be thoughtful of others. Dear Leslie, I know what you mean. Even though I can't remember my parents actually "teaching" me such values, in retrospect I know that I was following what my own parents did. Family and neighbors were very important and whatever they needed they got from our family. That's what family and neighbors did for each other. vee

Dear Folks, This afternoon I knew that I just HAD to go to the library for more murder mystery books. We've been having a considerable amount of snow (probably less than 12 inches) and I figured that I wouldn't have a problem getting out of my driveway not if I played my cards right. I put on my snow boots (the first time since last winter) and started toward my garage. I found that the snow was deep enough to make it a bit iffy trying to keep my balance but I managed it anyway. I settled into my car and I backed up easily until I got closer to the road. I could see that a considerable amount of snow had drifted across the end of my driveway as it always does and that the snow plows had piled snow even higher. Still I knew what to do. When I approached the snow drift I gunned the engine to gather up speed to break through it. I was going like h___ but as soon as I was barely through the drift, I was stopped dead in my tracks. My rear wheels where spinning and I wasn't going anywhere. OK, I know what to do in that situation and that is to drive forward and give it another shot. I no sooner got a few feet ahead when the wheels were spinning again and I wasn't going anywhere. To be frank with you, I can't remember the last time I got stuck in the snow. My guess is that it was about 20 years ago. Finally I remembered that if I were able to rock my car back and forth by shifting gears (Drive and Reverse), I might be able to get it to work. I tried it and I admit that I was making a bit of headway but I was still stuck. Then I remembered that if I turned the steering wheel to the left or right, it would help. That's what I did and after several tries, with my wheels squealing, I finally hit the road going like h____. After I got everything under control and feeling proud of myself, I looked back at my driveway. It then dawned on me that I'd have the same problem getting back into it. Nonetheless I was on the plowed road again and I started off for the Town Hall and I'd have to deal with that problem when I got back. I was awfully shaky about the whole situation and when I got only two doors down I saw my neighbor Bob plowing out his driveway. Even though I had never met him in the number of years that he'd been living there, I just had to stop, back up and I hailed him. He got out of his pickup truck to see what I wanted. I had rolled down my window and actually had the NERVE to ask him if he would plow out my driveway two doors away. No problem, he'd plow it out in just a few minutes. I was so touched with how neighborly he was that I had tears in my eyes. Later this evening I called him and told him how much I really appreciated what he had done. Again, no problem. He said that if I needed to be plowed out in the future, just give him a call. Note: he's in the business of plowing snow from driveways and he never even mentioned any sort of money he would charge me. Again I was almost in tears. No that's not the end of the story. Later tonight my neighbor Dawn came over to take my recycle bin to the curb. In addition she unloaded the groceries in my car and brought them into the house. While she was still here, my next door neighbor Ken came over to deliver my newspaper and mail. AND he came prepared to plow out my driveway with his snow blower. Since that had already been done, he could see that the entryway to my side door was pretty deep with snow. He brought out his shovel and not only did he shovel out the entry way, he also shoveled the snow away from my garage door. What can I say? In all my life I've never had such caring neighbors who continue to remind me that if I ever needed anything, just call. It kinda takes my breath away. vee

Vee, how wonderfully heartwarming your tale of today is! People can be soooooooo great. This reminded me of what my parents always had me do years ago in Missouri, when I was a teenager. I scooped not only the all of the sidewalks at our house, but also those of my grandaunt (who lived next door and was widowed) and my grandparents (who lived in the next block). To this day, I am glad that my parents taught me this way to help some people I loved dearly. It also help me to learn to be thoughtful of others. Leslie

Mom always ironed Dad's boxers, and when I was old enough to do the ironing I did them too. After learning with the flat work the boxers gave me practice with something with shape to it yet it wasn't something that would be seen so it didn't matter. Ruth PS: Dad's boxers haven't been ironed since Mom died. At 10:25 PM -0500 3/1/05, Vee L. Housman wrote: >Dear Folks, > >I was recently reminded about the question of actually ironing underwear. >It reminds me of a time back around 1946 when I was a teenager who loved to >go horseback riding. However, one week I found that I had already spent my >$.50 a week allowance and didn't have the $.50 I needed to go horseback >riding the coming Saturday. > >I was desperate and I asked my mother what I could do to earn the $.50. She >called our neighbor Mrs. Hawley and told her my dilemma. Mrs. Hawley knew >just what I could do for the $.50. She agreed to pay me that amount if I >would iron her recent load of clothes. > >I went over to Mrs. Hawley's house and she had already set up the ironing >board in her basement with the basket of clothes nearby. I plugged in the >iron and went to work. By that age (around 15) I certainly knew how to iron >clothes. It was a rewarding bit of work but when I ran out of the usual >sheets, table cloths, napkins, men's shirts, blouses, etc. there was nothing >left but Mr. Hawley's cotton boxer shorts. Although I had never ironed >men's boxer shorts before, I did that day as best as anyone could. When I >showed Mrs. Hawley that I had ironed everything and folded them up properly, >she happily handed over $.50 cents to me. She seemed happy and I know that >I was. > >A day or two later my mother had told me that Mrs. Hawley couldn't believe >her eyes when she noticed the ironed boxer shorts! I guess that Mr. Hawley >never had a pair of boxer shorts that had actually been IRONED! > >Hey, if you need anyone to iron your clothes, I'm here and I work cheap! :-) >vee -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT

Dear Folks, I was recently reminded about the question of actually ironing underwear. It reminds me of a time back around 1946 when I was a teenager who loved to go horseback riding. However, one week I found that I had already spent my $.50 a week allowance and didn't have the $.50 I needed to go horseback riding the coming Saturday. I was desperate and I asked my mother what I could do to earn the $.50. She called our neighbor Mrs. Hawley and told her my dilemma. Mrs. Hawley knew just what I could do for the $.50. She agreed to pay me that amount if I would iron her recent load of clothes. I went over to Mrs. Hawley's house and she had already set up the ironing board in her basement with the basket of clothes nearby. I plugged in the iron and went to work. By that age (around 15) I certainly knew how to iron clothes. It was a rewarding bit of work but when I ran out of the usual sheets, table cloths, napkins, men's shirts, blouses, etc. there was nothing left but Mr. Hawley's cotton boxer shorts. Although I had never ironed men's boxer shorts before, I did that day as best as anyone could. When I showed Mrs. Hawley that I had ironed everything and folded them up properly, she happily handed over $.50 cents to me. She seemed happy and I know that I was. A day or two later my mother had told me that Mrs. Hawley couldn't believe her eyes when she noticed the ironed boxer shorts! I guess that Mr. Hawley never had a pair of boxer shorts that had actually been IRONED! Hey, if you need anyone to iron your clothes, I'm here and I work cheap! :-) vee

> Leslie, At least you don't IRON them, do you????? Ruth Ruth, nothing at my house gets ironed unless absolutely necessary. And, part of my shopping strategy is that if it has to be ironed, I DON'T BUY IT. <LOL> Actually, I think I got lucky. Mother didn't care much for ironing, so most of hers was either done commercially or by our maid. I cannot afford either of those options. So, I feel very glad that Mother did not stress ironing. ~Leslie~

Dear Folks, I'm beside myself because I lost two pounds again. No not of body weight, I lost two pounds of hamburger that I swear I had in the freezer. The time before when I had lost two pounds of hamburger, I almost emptied my freezer trying to find it. I eventually rescued it from the floor of the chest freezer and I felt so good about it. But this time was different. A couple of days ago I realized that I was down to about the last of the soup I had cooked up for my lunches and then figured that the next pot of soup I'd make would be a vegetable soup or a chili sort of soup. Even though I realized that two pounds of hamburger would be a bit much for a soup, I knew that I could adjust the ingredients accordingly. Yesterday I figured it was time to take the package of hamburger out of the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator. But when I tried to find the package in the freezer, it just wasn't there. I swear I looked thoroughly. Yesterday my grandniece stopped by the house to deliver more goodies from her mother, my niece Deb. While she was there I told her that I couldn't find my package of hamburger in my freezer and she willingly agreed to search for it herself. She did quite a thorough job of searching for it but she couldn't find it either. Tonight I was determined to take a second look myself. I all but emptied out the freezer and eventually gave up in defeat. It just wasn't anywhere. Now I KNOW that I have a frozen two-pound package of hamburger somewhere but even though I moved heaven and earth, I guess I'll have to admit I lost two pounds. (sigh) vee

I fold mine in thirds the long way and then in quarters. Just the opposite of the way you do it. I think I learned that in nursing school. Ruth At 11:47 PM -0500 2/28/05, Vee L. Housman wrote: >I know, I feel the same way but when you mentioned folding pillowcases, I >have a feeling that we may have come from the same "school." My mother >always taught me to first fold the pillowcase in half crosswise and then >crosswise again. And from there I was to fold them into thirds so that the >hem edge of the middle of the pillowcase was face up. The reason for that >was that just about every pillowcase was elaborately embroidered or had >fancy handwork on it in the middle of the hem edge of the pillowcase. With >the middle showing face up, you were able to keep the pair of pillow cases >together and in addition you could pick out just which pillowcases you >wanted to use the next time you changed the bed linen. > >Any other folding of a pillowcase now would be almost sacrilegious to me! >:-) >vee -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT

Leslie, At least you don't IRON them, do you????? Ruth At 9:34 PM -0700 2/28/05, Leslie wrote: >Vee, the odd part about your writing this particular message is that I have >an elderly sister-in-law who *has* to wear her panties inside out. She is >allergic to the threads that are used in the seams. So, hey, if you want to >wear them inside out... I say, "Go for it!" > >BTW, I also have the compulsion that every pair of panties has to be folded >right side out. Someone can see the dust in my house, but Heaven forbid that >someone might find my underwear inside out! <G> I also have a compulsion >about folding the pillowcases and the towels "correctly". I grew up in a >home where this was stressed; and, old habits die hard! > >Leslie -- Ruth Barton mrgjb@sover.net Dummerston, VT