DEAR GOD: THANK YOU FOR MY FATHER

I grew up in this really great typical family.  There was a mother, father, grandmother, sister and brother.  We lived a perfectly normal life in the decade of the 1940′s.  Everyone was treated fairly, both in praise and in reprimands.  And I am so glad I was placed there by Almighty God because it couldn’t have been any better.

My father was always the last word on anything.  He was very fair and very kind and very strict.  But he always was striving to make people happy and to feel better about themselves.  We had this neighbor who was always talking about his ‘hogs head cheese’ that his family ate when he was growing up. My father had eaten some of that before, too, down in the country where it was made.  So he talked with the neighbor and they both agreed that cheese was just simply great.

Next month or so, the neighbor family invited us over for Sunday dinner. And guess what!  They served hogs head cheese, the real kind, made out of real hog’s heads. The neighbor had made a trip to the country just to get that for us.  We had been taught all our lives to be nice and complimentary and kind to anyone, so when it came time to eat that hogs head cheese, all us kids smiled and swallowed – really, really hard.  I remember my brother looked a little green, but he didn’t say so.  And it was all I could do to eat mine, especially thinking about those hog’s heads.  But we ate it and raved over how good it was.  My father was raving over it, too, complimenting the neighbor for such a wonderful treat.  But, oh boy, we were really glad to get back home so we could brush our teeth and say what we really thought about that hogs head cheese.

Another time, our Great Aunt Mary was coming for a visit.  I had never seen her before as it had been so long since she had visited.  She and her husband were driving from California just to see us.  She had helped in raising my father and so he was really excited about her visit.  He kept talking about how he wanted her to make some of that great chili she had made for him as a kid.  He kept saying it had big chunks of garlic in it and we would just love it.  Well, after visiting for a couple of days, Aunt Mary decided to make some of that chili that my father was just raving about.  You know, the one with the big chunks of garlic in it.

My father watched while she cooked and he was so anxious to taste.  That night  at dinner, we had garlic chili with a little meat thrown in for flavor.  It had so much garlic in it that it was all we could do to swallow it.  But we did.  And we all complimented Aunt Mary for such wonderful chili.  I can still taste that garlic every time I think about it.  But we were kind and thoughtful and smiled a lot even if we did smell sort of funny that evening.

It was truly a great family full of all the things that families did back then.  And lots of fun and happiness.  You might like to read a little more about this family of mine along with living history about what was really going on in the world around us.  My book IN THE 1940′S  tells all that.  The War was raging all over the world and we were living with the rationing and the allotment checks since my father went to War and the air raids and everything else that was going on.  It was a very interesting time and if you like my writing, you will really enjoy this book.

Each book only $10 plus $2 postage.  Send check or money order to BET   P.O. Box 2249   Benton, AR  72018    Thanks, Bet

 

ORANGE JUICE

I heard that some imported orange juice had strange ingredients floating around in it and people were advised not to drink it.  In the first place, why would it have anything dangerous in it.  If it was made in America, it would be clean and healthful I am sure.

But instead, the news reported that at least 60% of our orange juice which is consumed in this country is from Brazil.  Now, someone needs to explain why orange juice of all things should be imported from Brazil.  Surely, there are enough oranges being grown in this country to provide for the healthy breakfasts of people in the good old U.S.A.  If not, why not.  It used to be.

Could it be the cost of the products here that make importing the orange juice better for all of us?  Could it be the added government regulations that cause the price to be so high here that it is more cost friendly to import it all the way from Brazil.  Or could it be simply that the labor costs are too high?  Wonder why.  Someone needs to have a congressional committee investigate this one for sure.  And then perhaps a year from now, we will read a tiny notice in the newspaper that says it is because of the cost of producing orange juice in the United States due to labor costs, government regulations and other mandated costs that it is more feasible to import orange juice from Brazil.  Then I will know for sure.

This is truly ridiculous.  Maybe it would help a lot if we all just read the labels and only bought what was made in the U.S  Think I have heard that one before, but it really would work if everyone just took the time to do this.  I am sure that somewhere in your town and mine it is possible to buy orange juice that has been produced in the U.S    Certainly not imported all the way from Brazil. No wonder it has strange particles in it.

HUNGRY CHILDREN

There was an article in my local paper the other day that told of a group of teachers who provide backpacks for hungry children to take home on the weekend.  These backpacks contain enough food to keep the child fed while at home and not receiving the free breakfast, lunch and snacks from the local school.  In another district, a group not only provides these backpacks for the children, but also enough food for their siblings at home.

My question is – why aren’t the parents feeding their own children.  I fed mine.  I’ll bet you fed yours.  Sometimes it wasn’t all that great, but they were fed and full when they left the table after each meal.  All species feed their young.   Why is it suddenly alright for today’s parents not to feed their young.  Is this the Great Society that Lyndon Johnson envisioned when he set up all these free programs?  Makes me wonder about those Democrats and all their freebie policies.  

I know some of these parents do not know how to cook a decent meal because they have never even tried.  But, you know, a box of oatmeal and a loaf of bread can go a long ways towards filling a hungry stomach of a youngster.  I used to figure my grocery money very carefully and I could pay for a box of oatmeal and plan on several morning’s breakfast instead of a box of cereal that would only go round a couple of times at a much higher price.  Why can’t these parents do the same thing.

Are these parents the ones that my tax money is supporting these days?  Are they the ones who holler all the time because they are out of a job when they don’t want to work anyway?  Are they the same ones who line up to get every freebie available?  And then they don’t even bother to feed their own youngsters.  I know times are tough.  I know there are fewer jobs.  I know everyone is having to tighten their belt a little bit.  But not everyone is out of a job.  And not everyone has to depend upon the freebies for sustenance.  

Meanwhile, feed those young children.  They are hungry and they have no reason to be hungry.  Surely, the mother or the father is capable to providing something on the table for every child.  I’m sure the mother and father have something to eat.  If not, they would be lying in the ditches everywhere.  So we know they are eating and probably eating very well.  Just too much trouble to provide for their young ones.  Too much effort to stop playing on their computer or watching their TV set in order to take the time to provide that meal.  If they have any kind of income, feeding their children should come first.  Period.  

It is the parent’s RESPONSIBILITY to feed their own children.  It is not the RESPONSIBILITY of the government, nor the school, nor the neighbors, nor the church.  It is the PARENT’S RESPONSIBILITY to feed their own young chiildren

Feed those hungry children – NOW!

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Having raised a large number of very average children, I used to hate going to Parent Teacher Conferences.  Not because I dreaded meeting with the teachers, but because I simply did not have the extra time.  I knew what my children did at school.  I knew what they were capable of doing at school.  And I was pleased with all of them as they grew up.  None of them were of the Straight A variety, but I really didn’t care.  They were all well rounded, happy children who knew what was going on in their world, had nice friends, and were blessed with a good sense of humor.  I was a good Mom.  My husband was a good Dad.  And we had a very happy family.  No problems to speak of, ever, except the normal teaching of discipline and manners over the years.  And that usually depended  upon the personality of each individual child.  

But here come the Parent Teacher Conferences once again. Time to go sit in the hall outside the various doors and wait to be called.  

My only problem was that in each and every room with each and every teacher, I was usually told the same line – ‘If your child would just try, he could do a lot better.’  I thought to myself by the time I was through with Parent Teacher Conferences that if one more teacher said that to me I was going to go over the top of that desk.  Instead, I always smiled and acted like a lady  the way  my mother  had taught me to do. 

Maybe I am wrong in my thinking, but it would seem to me that it is the teacher’s job to make my child want to try and want to do better in her class and want to be interested in her subject.   That is what she is there for; to  teach my child her particular subject, whatever it might be.  If she does not stimulate his interest, he will not try in her class.  Period.  That is why different people have different jobs in life.  They are interested in different and various fields.  That is also true of children.  They all have different interests.  May not be science or reading, but then it is the teacher’s job to make them interested in that particular science project or that book to read.  

Sure am glad I am through with Parent Teacher’s Conferences.    I might have become dangerous. 

BREAST FEEDING AND WORKING WOMEN

I just read an article that stated that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act amended the Fair Labor Standards Act which means for the first time ever, ever, ever, employers will be REQUIRED BY LAW to provide nursing moms with breaks and a designated location for either breast feeding or pumping.  This Act  is included in that wonderful health care bill that was shoved down our throats earlier.  And they want your comments regarding this Act. 

I think this is probably the most ridiculous thing I have  ever heard of.  Since when is the employer supposed to provide breaks plus a place for breastfeeding or pumping  If the mother is breastfeeding her infant and the infant is that young, then that mother needs to be at home where she can care  for that young infant. In breastfeeding it is not only the milk itself that is important, it is also the caressing and the cuddling and the holding of the infant that is of vital importance.  Wake up, young mother!  Go home where you need to be and care for your new baby!  It is time for the young women of this country to understand that a baby is not like a doll.  It is a very important human being and its needs must be met in certain ways.  One of those ways is to make sure the infant gets the proper nutritional and physical care.  This cannot happen if that mother is pumping at a workplace and then taking her infant to a daycare for someone else to feed.  Not the same thing at all.

I have never known any woman whose job was that important.  There is no more important job than caring for that young infant.  This is the whole of life!  Your infant’s lifetime  begins in your arms.  Family is ‘where its at’.  Wake up and smell the flowers!  This is what life is all about, your family and the lessons that you teach in that family. Teach your children from infancy that you want them, you love them, and YOU care for them.  

I know a paycheck must be important, but believe me, you can survive for a few more months or a couple more years without an extra one in the house.  You might be surprised to find that your husband can actually do the providing if he is given the chance.  Mine did and when my first child was born, we had nothing and were living from paycheck to paycheck.  But I thought it important to stay home and care for my children.   So he learned to provide very well.  Yours will, too.  Give him a chance.

Give your infant a chance in this world.   

Go to  regulations.gov/#!home and say what you think.  I certainly will.  

SPENDING

I read in the paper last week about a lady who was having her eyelashes glued on.  It was going to cost almost $200 to do this, plus another $65 periodically to make sure they still look good.  Now, I know I am  old fashioned, but I think that is probably the silliest spending of good hard earned money that I ever heard of.  Hope she didn’t also charge it to her credit card and then have to pay interest on the bill.  

I still remember when $200 was a big house payment or a car payment or a month’s groceries.  Maybe this explains some of the credit problems in this country today.  I know the housing problems were caused because people bought houses  they could not afford and the banks and credit companies were encouraging this.  

First house we bought cost $10,000. We could have bought one nearby for $10,500 but we had our limit and $10,000 was it.  Period.  We had an FHA loan and that required $1,500 down.  My husband was a salesman and he had worked his heart out to save up that $1500.  There was no way we were ever going to lose that house.  Our payments were $66 a month.  I remember that years later,  we were required to pay a dollar more a month.  It was almost devastating to us.  A whole dollar month more!  But we managed and had a very good life there.  In fact, we lived there for several years.  Until we outgrew the house because we now had three children and were afraid we might all get stuck in the hall.  

We sold the house for $11,500 so we didn’t come out too bad.

Years later, we had another house, much larger  and more expensive.  The phone rang one afternoon and a real estate agent wanted to know if we wanted to sell it for $195,000.  I turned and asked my husband.  His answer was ‘No, because then we would just have to find another one for ourselves.’  End of subject.

A little common sense goes a long ways.  Wish more people would try using some of it.  And not be spending so much on false eyelashes.  Oh My!!!

THOSE COLD NIGHTS

I was thinking again today about those cold nights back in the 1940′s when I was just a kid.  We had a very nice house, nothing fancy, but o.k.  Houses were not insulated like they are today, though, and it was very cold on some of those nights.  We had what was available to keep us warm, by that I mean gas stoves that had to be lit.  Before Daddy went to the War, he bought a big heater for the dining room.  It sat over in the corner and we all sat in front of it.  Except for when my brother, sister and I were doing our homework at the dining table.  We all listened to the radio.  Had to be quiet to hear it.  Lux Theatre was a favorite of course.  Never missed a word of that.  My grandmother loved Gene Autry on Sunday nights.  

To help keep the house as warm as possible for living, we shut off the living room and my brother’s bedroom.  Mother’s room was also shut off.  And on very cold days, my sister and I had our room shut off, too.  This just meant we had to heat up the dining room and kitchen.  Mother crocheted every evening and my grandmother did tatting.  It was a very simple, happy life.  

Daddy also put a sheeting over the windows in my brother’s bedroom because the wind literally whistled through there.  We could hear those  sheets rattling in the wind all night most nights.  But it was a comforting sound.  When it came time for my brother to go to bed, he would quickly tell us goodnight and then run to his bed and jump under the covers.  Didn’t dare stand around in that room or you would freeze where you stood.  

I don’t ever remember having a warm coat.  All the coats I had were the best at the time, but they were still cold, cold.  All that was available was wool and a lining.  And when that lining got cold, believe me, you were really cold.  And not everyone had gloves.  Most of the time, I couldn’t find mine or one was missing.  A hat might just mess up my hair, so didn’t wear hats a lot and hoods were not invented yet.  

But we were happy in our ignorance and blessed beyond belief.  What a nice life to look back on.  

If you haven’t read my book, In The 1940′s yet, you need to.  I tell of life like it really was in the family and how we helped each other and lived that good life.  For instance, we all saved up our ration stamps so my grandmother could get a new pair of shoes because she needed them more than any of us did.  Nice life.  My books are on Amazon.  Look me up.  Thanks, Bet

TOO HOT HERE!

I guess today you were sitting in your deck chair, iced tea in hand, reading a good novel and enjoying the tremendous amount of sunshine.  Right?  Of course you were.  And I’m sure you were wearing your bikini in order to get a head start on that beautiful tan for the summer.  And after reading for awhile, you will work in the flower bed while still getting even more sunshine.  Be sure and wear your sunglasses so the bright sun won’t hurt your eyes.

That is the scenario from The Global Warming Gurus.  Whoever they are.  I think I heard on the TV that Greenland just floated down the Mississippi, too.  You know it was melting in a hurry a couple of years ago and was going to come this way soon.  Probably because of the car I drive.  I have driven big cars for most of my life, ever since I finally learned how to drive.  I drove Suburbans for many years, hauling all those kids around in carpools here, there and everywhere.  That was a way of life for me.  Probably had about 5 different Suburbans.  Then I went to the smaller  SUV’s and still drive them and am proud to do so.  I love the big car feel in case of an accident.  And I enjoy sitting up high where I can see better and dare those other drivers to get in front of me.  That is due to that feeling of superiority in that big car.  Suits me fine.

When the snow melts down enough, find your deck chair and your bikini and get on with that tan.  Meanwhile, we’ll watch to see what those Global Warming Gurus have to say about this winter.  I’ll bet they don’t have much to tell the people in south Texas and Dallas and Mississippi and Alabama who normally see a few flakes every year.  Dallas was stopped cold on Monday because of the ice and snow.  And only 23 degrees today.  Even Kansas City was stopped cold with 12″ on Monday. 

We are expecting snow showers this evening and all day tomorrow.  And you know what that means – means the weather man doesn’t know what in the heck to expect next.  If we want to know more about what to expect in the weather this winter, maybe there should be a national number to contact the Global Warming Gurus.  Then we could all have an accurate update, hour by hour.  Sounds good to me.  We will have to promote that one.

Have a fun day playing in the snow.  Can’t do much else anyway.

QUICK SCRATCH COOKING

I’m sure everyone has heard that if you cook from scratch you will save money.  This  is definitely true.  I cooked for years without ever using much in the way of mixes or shortcut ingredients.  It is easy, quick, and usually very good.  And certainly healthier.   

Recently, I was in a hurry  to get dinner on the table, so I literally threw together a good meal.  I had ground beef in the freezer, brought that out and thawed it in the microwave.  Then I  made  meatballs out of the meat, mixing it with  an egg, a small handful of oatmeal, and  salt, pepper, and garlic.  I browned the meatballs in a skillet and then poured in one can of golden mushroom soup.  I turned off the heat and mixed in a half can water, stirring until all lumps were gone.  

Meanwhile, I had retrieved from the freezer a package of frozen noodles that were cooked earlier.  I placed noodles in a casserole dish and microwaved until partially thawed.  Then I poured the meatball mixture over noodles.  I slid the covered casserole in the oven, turned it to 350 degrees and left the room.  

By the time the meatball and noodle dish was done in about 30 to 45 minutes,  I had changed from my working clothes, started a load of clothes in the washer, and picked up the den area.  

I set the table for dinner, opened and heated a can of green beans and prepared mixed frozen vegetables from the freezer.  By this time, everyone was ready to eat and I was ready to serve.

Quick, easy, filing meal costing very little.  Only real expense was the meat.   

Want to know how to prepare more quick dinners like this?    Buy  BET’S COOKBOOK, only $10.95 direct from Amazon under booksbybet.  Lots of tips in the book telling how to save time and money.  For instance, always cook up a big amount of pasta, freezing what you are not going to use at that time.  Then you have frozen cooked pasta at your fingertips to use later.  This works for all pasta as well as rice.  

Hope you enjoy the cookbook!

LAUGH AGAIN!

I’m glad I have learned how to laugh.  If not, I would be crazy, that’s for sure.  Several years ago, I had snakes in my house.  That is enough to make you sit up and take notice.  First time, I came down my stairs and there, curled up at the bottom of the stairs was a snake with head raised.  If I had not seen him, I would surely have been bitten.  No doubt about that one.  But as it was, I skirted myself around him and cautioned my daughter not to move.  I hurried out the door to the garage, grabbed a shovel and came back and smacked him good.  Then I shoveled him up and threw him outside.  I have heard it said that if a dead snake is around, other snakes will not come around.  So I left him on the deck and forgot about it.   But just in case, I put the shovel in the closet inside the house.  Wouldn’t hurt to have it handy, just in case. 

About a week later, I came downstairs again and there was another one, looking just the same, all curled up and waiting for me.  Definitely scared me again.   I hurried to the closet, grabbed the shovel and smacked that one, too.  Now, I was really concerned.  It was possible that the first snake had managed to get in through a door somewhere, but two snakes would not have done that.  So that meant I had an access to my house for all snakes and didn’t know where that was.  

I began looking around every drain and pipe I could think of.  After awhile, I remembered there had been a pipe under the house and, at one time, the floor had been lifted around that pipe.  So, sure enough, I found the place where the pipe had been and I could easily lift the floor off the pipe.  I called my son and he brought something out to permanently close off the pipe and seal the area around it.  

That night, I was awakened by a sound I never expected to hear in my house.  It was a rattlesnake, rattling as much as possible.  I lay in the bed thinking to myself that he could not possibly have come upstairs.  So I was hearing him somewhere else.  I got out of bed and began searching for the sound.  The loudest place was in the shower.   So guess the rattlesnake had found the pipe and was making noises about it all.  But I knew he could not possibly get into the house.  It took me awhile but I did manage to get back to sleep that night.   After that, I had a plumber close off the pipe where it entered the house.  I didn’t want to wake up and hear any more rattlesnakes, whether they could get in or not.

Then today, I walked into a downstairs room and there was something skinny, brown, and curled up on the floor, looking just like a snake.  I was instantly afraid, but noticed that the form did not move when I did.  So I turned on more lights and started to go find something to poke it with.  Then I realized that I had been working on some old papers earlier and was wrapping rubber bands around them.  I wrapped one of the rubber bands and it broke and flipped through the air.  I was busy so I didn’t try to find the rubber band at the time.  And now here it was, all curled up and skinny and brown on the  floor in front of me.  

So you see, I have something to laugh at once again.  I might be half crazy by now, but  one thing for sure, I’m never bored.