1998 Christmas Letter: A Classic

Dear Family, Friends and neighbors that I’m speaking to:

This year has been a very exciting year for us. First of all, Rory got planters warts. Not just little ones but great big infected ones. We took her to a specialist who, treated them by turning the warts into huge puss filled blisters. Boy were they ugly. I haven’t seen foot problems like that since the early l980’s when,  Great-Aunt Hilda bared those size 13’s and shared her bunions. Of course her bunions were a purplish hue while Rory’s blisters were a bright green. Then too bunions don’t ooze. The very next week after the bungled wart removal the poor child broke her arm. She chose a green cast to match those blisters. Color coordination is a social requirement that saves us all from visual anarchy.

Cole still fills our lives with the special joy he always has. Super achiever and as ambitious always, he was suspended from school this year for mooning. While his buns have been de-breached, his pride remains intact and he denies everything. That young man’s political potential is positively limitless.

Doug is going for his second demotion this year and I am lending him my “full support.” He feels that any further contact with the public could cause him to pile drive the next person that contradicts him in to the floor. Obviously, Cole gets his political acumen from his ol’ man. Doug has always felt that he is an inspiration to mankind but has no current plans for higher office, until his demotion goals has been achieved, and rightly so. He’s a good kisser and I could do a lot worse.

Crystal our loving and devoted family pet still has a leaking bladder that can soak a bath towel.

Because of bad hips and insomnia, whining to get into bed is heard all night long. Doug hates it when I wake up the dog.

I always like to share a verse or two of scripture with loved ones during the holidays. Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.

Here’s to sharing the joy of our home with yours.

Happy Holidays

Pat and Doug

Recipe: Christmas Trivia and George Washington’s Eggnog

For many years, prior to and while I worked at the Capitol, I was the recipe editor and Christmas special section writer for ECM’s Forest Lake Times, North Branch Post Review and the St. Croix Valley Peach. For many years I had my own column. One year my editor told me to get a great interview for Christmas. On a lark, I called Governor Arne Carlson’s Office and asked for an interview. At that time he owned a home in Forest Lake. Not only did I get the interview…I was invited to have lunch with him at the governor’s mansion. He loved my column and wanted to meet me.

I believe that it is best to ask the most important question first when doing an interview. So I asked him if he liked lutefisk. “No”, he shouted. We had a long and lovely lunch.

Here is some Christmas trivia from the year 2000 copy and George Washington’s recipe for eggnog.

Christmas Trivia:

It was in 350 A.D that Julius I, Bishop of Rome chose December 25 to celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.

The first Christmas tree decorated in the White House was during the Franklin Pierce Administration.

Calvin Coolidge in 1923 lit the first Christmas tree on the White House lawn.

When it pays to send the best… The first official White House Christmas card was sent by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He asked a friend, Joyce. C. Hall, the founder of Hallmark Cards, for help. Hallmark has supplied the official presidential holiday cards ever since.

The first tinsel was made in 1878 and distributed in Nuremberg, Germany. These icicles were made from thin strips of silver foil and became a huge success in America.

Angel hair is spun glass and was first made in 1880. Germans used it to make garlands to decorate their homes. Americans tended to just toss it all over their Christmas tree for an overall frosty effect.

The first Christmas tree to sport electric lights was illuminated in 1882 and and stood in the home of Edward Johnson, a New York resident and friend of Thomas Edison.

There are over one hundred and forty different types of Holly. Holly grows all over the world and is often used as a decoration for winter holidays. Because it sets fruit in the winter it became a symbol for immortality. To Christians holly’s thorns represent the crown of thorns that Christ wore on the cross. The red berries represent his blood.

To estimate how many lights you will need on your Christmas tree, simply multiply the height of the tree times the width of the tree at its widest part times 3.

George Washington’s Eggnog

1 quart of milk, (from your own cows)
1 quart of cream, (skimmed from the milk from your own cows)
1 dozen eggs, (from your own chickens)
1 dozen tablespoons sugar
1 pint of brandy
½ pint rye whiskey
¼ pint Jamaica or New England rum (nothing from England, please)
¼ pint sherry

Mix liquor first. Separate yolks and whites of eggs. Beat the yolks. Then, add sugar to beaten yolks. Mix well. Add liquor mixture, drop by drop at first, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture, Let set in cool place for several days.

Recipe: Bitter-Sweet Holidays: Cranberry-Orange Bread

This time of year can be very bitter-sweet and a real struggle for many people. It natural to recall memories of past holidays, traditions and loved ones who are no longer with us. Such as memories of happy times with children who are now grown and have homes of their own, loved ones whose faces and stories are well remembered and are no longer with us, the loneliness of a military deployment and memories of the complicated dynamics of large family gatherings. Also, there are the financial challenges and current events that can cast a shadow on the season of cheer. Then, too, there are people, such as myself, with health issues who have battled and are battling life threatening conditions. Yes, this time of year can oftentimes become more bitter than sweet.

Priorities in life are important. As a two time cancer survivor, I have learned the only things that really matter are relationships—a heavenly relationship with God the Father and his son Jesus Christ and earthly relationships with  loved ones.

First of all, I would like to assure you that there is a loving and just God and I have learned to appreciate him. Over the past three years, as I have struggled through broken bones and treatment for Multiple Myeloma, I have heard, seen and felt the love of God. I heard him when I was in the nursing home and couldn’t stand on my own, was on morphine to try to help control the pain, dirty and covered with excrement from not being bathed.

His voice of encouragement came in the letter from a friend reminding me that I had promised my Great Aunt Ida that I would never give up. I heard him again in the hope voiced by my doctor as he explained the seriousness of my situation. He was there when I thought about not doing the transplant because it was too expensive.

When I felt useless, was sick of the pain, and didn’t want to be a burden anymore to my husband and children. I heard God in the anger of my husband’s voice as he screamed at me, “To hell with anyone else you are going to do this for me!”

I saw God in my nurses at the University of Minnesota as they gathered around my bed and prayed over me the day of my stem cell transplant. I saw God in my husband’s patience as he sat beside my bed for months on end helping me through the constant pain and heaving. Night after night he would be there with the bucket as I would start to retch.

I also felt the love of God in my friends who attended to me every day so my husband could go to work. God came with Pat, Mary, Janis, Susie, Bette and Cousin Sylvia on their daily visits as they faithfully cared for me these past three years.

I have also learned how much I value earthly relationships.  I am so grateful for my precious children and grandchild and that they are healthy and happy. I am thankful that our parents are still are here and somewhat healthy. I am blessed by friends who have been so supportive to both Doug and I. And, I am grateful that I still have both of my dogs this Thanksgiving–Walter and Truman. They have been true friends and good supporters for many years.

Yes, I have been blessed by God and have many blessings for which to be thankful. I am regaining my health. I am happy. I am loved. I have a safe home and food to eat. I can afford my medicine. I can do my artwork again, and I can still fit in to the same jeans I wore three years ago. I am even grateful for this affliction that has given me uninterrupted time with God to pray and to grow in my faith and has strengthen my relationship with him, my husband, my family and friends. There is much to celebrate.

I was raised to believe that real faith demands action. Especially during this time of year which can seem so very bitter-sweet for so many. With a loving and just God as our guide we should feel compelled to help and love our fellow brothers and sisters on this earth. The joy of the holiday season truly is in the giving. Joy like kindness is meant to be shared.

After spending so much time in hospitals and being shut in this house, I cannot stress strongly enough how much a phone call, a card, a letter, gift of food or a visit means to someone who is hurting or alone. I would encourage everyone to take time during this holiday season to put down the phone, get off social media and the computer and personally visit those  we love or those who just plain need us. Our goal should always be to truly love our neighbors as we would like to be loved. Of course, if  you can’t do something positive for someone else, then at least do not do anyone any harm.

If we all make a sincere effort of supporting one another maybe someday the term “bitter-sweet” will only describe cranberry-sauce not our holiday memories and relationships.

A great tradition in my family is to bake gifts for friends, neighbors and shut-ins.  In our family the motto of “Nuthin says lovin like something in the oven” is a call for action. I hope you enjoy this recipe for Cranberry-Orange Bread.

Cranberry-Orange Bread

Batter:
2 cups flour
I cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg (well beaten)
1 ½ cups of fresh cranberries (coarsely chopped)

Topping:
2 Tablespoons of sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour the inside of a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan

In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Stir in orange juice, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix until well blended. Stir in cranberries. Put batter into the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle sugar over the top of the batter.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on rack for 15 minutes. Slide a knife around the edges and then tip the loaf pan upside down to remove the loaf. Cool completely.

Peony in the Wind

I just finished my first floral portrait, an oil painting of a pink peony.

Pink peonies are one of my favorite flowers.  On warm spring days these full blooms perform a floral ballet when their petals dance in the wind.

 

Recipe: Apples: Baking and Bravery…Fresh Apple Cake

Both farms that I have lived on here in Minnesota had their own apple orchards. The “home place”, where I was born, was homesteaded by my Swedish immigrant great-grandparents in the 1880’s. One of their several sons, Alfred, owned the farm that we later moved to and my parents still live on today.

When I was young, food on the farm was usually produced or canned right on the place. Very little was ever purchased in town at the store. Apple products were no exception. The gals on the farm peeled, sliced thin and put up the apples for sauce, winter pies and cakes.

I found it fascinating to watch my grandmother Esther peel apples. She used a very old small paring knife that seem to fit exactly into her very old crooked fingers. It was very sharp, because grandpa had the sharpening stone in the junk drawer and would sharpen it right at the table. He usually put water on the stone, but sometimes would spit on it to get it wet, which irritated grandma. With her sharp little knife, Grandma Esther could peel the apples faster and thinner than I could with my apple peeler. Her peelings were rarely broken and taken off the apple all in one long piece. She beat me every time we raced.

Making apple jelly was also a skill-based operation than demanded excellence. Homemade jellies and preserves were oftentimes donated to the Church’s autumn fundraising sale. At this function, in addition to evaluating all the quilting seams for straightness, crocheting for tightness and knitting for evenness and complexity of pattern, the church ladies would hold up the apple jelly jars to the light to make sure that they were completely clear–free of any apple pulp.

There were high standards among the Swede Grove Township church ladies and many a youthful bride’s culinary skills rapidly improved after having their jelly jar held aloft and hearing the click of tongues and the seeing the sad slow shaking of the disappointed gray haired pin curled old heads as they felt compelled by honesty to mark it at lower price than the clear jellies.

The young gentlemen on the farm had much different uses for apples than did the gals. Apples were for ammunition and tests of bravery.

One would think that Swede Grove township in the middle of Minnesota during the 1960’s would have avoided some of the social turmoil of that decade. Not so. Many a summer saw skirmishes between the Johnsons and the Larsons. Battle plans were created and trenches dug. The weapons of choice were usually a good throwing arm or a sling shot. Hard green apples were exceptional ammunition and you were a lot less likely to get spanked for using apples than dirt clogs with a stone in the center. After all, the church ladies had always stressed in Sunday School that it was a stone and a slingshot that David used to slay the giant.

If a hail of green apples sailing at you through the air at high velocities was not a test of a fellow’s bravery, a “real man” competition usually settled the question. For this “real man” competition you needed lots of green apples, usually unwashed, and an outhouse supplied with lots of old retail catalogs or corn cobs for post explosion sanitary purposes. The goal was to see who would eat the most green apples before succumbing to the inevitable gastronomical consequences. This challenge of bravery, not intellect, usually took a quite a while.

Bravery has been on my mind a lot this week. Every generation that has gone before us has had to bravely defend their liberty. It is now our turn. May God bless the families of military personnel.  May he give wisdom to our world and national leaders as they develop policies to protect the innocent and defend freedom. Let us all be brave together.

This recipe is probably as old as some of my stories and has been a favorite for generations. Fresh Apple Cake is super moist, spicy and filled with apple goodness. It is best made with a tart apple. My favorite baking apple is the Haralson.

Fresh Apple Cake

Cake Batter:
½ cup softened butter
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup of white sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 cup buttermilk (to sour a cup of regular milk add a teaspoon of white vinegar, then let it sit for ten minutes)
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 ½ cups of finely diced raw apples. (peeled and cored)
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg

In a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugars. Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk, then add to butter and sugar mixture. Beat in eggs. In a medium-sized bowl mix dry ingredients together. Slowly mix dry ingredients into the batter. When completely combined, fold in apples.
Spread into a greased 9 X13 pan. Sprinkle topping over the batter.

Topping:
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup white sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¾ cups chopped walnuts (optional)

Mix together in small bowl and sprinkle over cake batter.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Recipe: Delicious Desserts and the Boy in a Box…Frozen Pumpkin Dessert

 

Sunshine Club current members.
Photo from Independent Review Newspaper

The Sunshine club has met for 82 years. Agnes Palm was a founding member and my mother has been a member all of my life. I have many memories of going with mom to club when I was a very young girl, especially when it was held at Mrs. Palm’s house.

I remember the delicious desserts, being horribly bored and being allowed to play with two plastic horses. One was extra special as it had little gold chains for reins. I will never forget her beautiful white faced cows and calves and the big mean old bull that once escaped the pasture and tried to ram our white ford station wagon with the red interior.

My most vivid memory is of her youngest son Darrel. He was in his late twenties by the time I first met him when I was just a preschooler. He had wonderful dark hair like me, unusual in Swede Grove Township, Minnesota. Darrel was  always all full of smiles…even though he was totally paralyzed from cerebral palsy and had lived his whole life in a wooden box with wheels that was parked in front of the east window in their dining room.

I liked him and always visited with him should I find myself in their house. At first I must admit I was afraid of him, but his smile held such merriment that I soon got over that. He was smart, and even though his speech was affected by his condition I could figure out what he was saying. He knew all about his farm such as when the calves would be born. He loved sharing about his summer trips to the Courage Center Camps. They brought him such joy.

I still remember the day at school when I learned he died. He was only in his early thirties. It hurt that his life seemed to be trading life in one box to just be buried in another box. I knew that he was a Christian and I took comfort in the image of him finally being able to stand tall and run as free as a breeze for all eternity.

When, due to my bone damage to my spine from my cancer, I ended up in a hospital bed looking out my east window for over two years, I often thought of him. If he could find joy in his affliction then so could I. I woke up everyday, said that this was a day that the Lord has made, let me rejoice and be glad in it.  Some days when I couldn’t move because of pain from my broken bones and nausea from my chemotherapy, I would just lay there and pray for those I love and those I do not love.  Even on those days the peace would come.

Many people cannot see much of a value in the life of a disabled soul such as Darrel, but on my darkest days, it was the image of him with his positive attitude in his bed box laying there smiling that helped me again see the sunshine of life.

The following link tells about the club and its founder Agnes Palm.

http://www.crowrivermedia.com/independentreview/news/local/years-later-social-club-brings-ladies-together/article_2e84c196-ea36-5216-9414-3d48212acacb.html

Desserts were very important to the Sunshine Club members. Each cook tried to outdo the other.  Most of their desserts were rich creamy concoctions.  This recipe, while looking like one of their desserts, is a wonderful light freezer dessert for the pumpkin pie season.  I hope you enjoy “Frozen Pumpkin Dessert”.

Frozen Pumpkin Dessert

 Crust:

1/2 box of vanilla wafer cookies crushed. (I have used homemade gingersnaps too.)
1/4 cup butter melted
3 Tablespoons Sugar
Mix together and press into the bottom of a 9 X 9 pan.

Filling:

1 package ( 8 ounce) softened cream cheese
1 can (16 ounce) of pumpkin
3 Tablespoons Brandy (optional)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 (8 ounce) container of cool whip (I made my own whipped cream using a pint of heavy cream, 1/4 cup sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. I come from a long line of Sunshine Club cooks we do not use Cool Whip unless there is some sort of emergency situation.)

In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine cream cheese and sugar.  Mix well with and electric mixer. Add pumpkin and pumpkin spices and mix well.

Reserve one half of cool whip for topping and add the rest to the pumpkin mixture by gently folding it in.

Spread remaining cool whip on top of pumpkin mixture and cool in the freezer for several hours before you serve.  Enjoy!