My Book ………………LILAGCS (10)

October 27,2010

Article Written in Spencer Times

All this happened in the mid to late 40’s B.C. & B. T.V. (Before computers and Before Television. What in the world did we do after supper to occupy our time? Well, we did what most other families did; we played a game that today very few families play call “family time”. In the evening we would open the large doors to the fire station, get some chairs and sit and watch the cars and trucks as they passed by.

I would continue playing fireman with my “pretend tricycle” fire truck and put out fire after fire every night. This activity I did of putting out imaginary fires, one after another drew the attention one day from a reported from the Spencer Times, one of the two newspapers in town back then. I have since lost my copy of the article, but it was a small write up featuring my tricycle fire truck with my red wagon behind it.

Living with my Aunt and Cousin

Shortly after we originally moved to the fire station, my dad had to leave for the Navy. Mom and I were left alone in the apartment and I guess that she and my aunt Imajean, her sister decided that it would be beneficial for all to live together in my aunt and Uncle’s stucco house on 4^th Avenue East. My Uncle Swede, as I called him was also in the Armed Service, the US Coast Guard.

My cousin was 2 years younger than me but we were like brothers. We shared the same bedroom and combined our toys and had a great time playing together.

              

He had bunk beds and I’m not sure, but they may have been purchase when I moved in.

I am not exactly sure of the time when we lived together, but I know I was about five and he was three. We had wonderful times together playing our imaginary games on his bunk beds. We both had a lot of toy trucks and building blocks, Lincoln logs and books. Every night Aunt Imagine and Mom would take turns reading to us.

Mom Worked at the Red Circle Store

Mom had a part time job working at the “Red Circle”, a very small grocery store located on about West 5^th Street not too far from the Lincoln school. The owners were very good a friend of mom and dad and hired mom to help out for some extra money while dad was in the Navy. Art and Blanch Woolsteincroft were their names. They had no children but were very active in Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. Art and Blanch were to play a very important roll in my life later in my story.

        There was a small meat case in the Red Circle

  Art and Blanch had no children, but they did have dogs. (Two real purebred bulldogs, Pudge and Shorty).

         

Pudge was the mother of Shorty. They took very good care of the dogs and treated them just like children. I can recall going over to their house and playing with the dogs. I also remember going to their small grocery store and watching Art cut meat for the small meat case that was there in the store.

Webb and I had fun playing

in the Garden in the Fall

Other things I remember about living with Aunt Imagine and Webb where the fun times Webb and I had playing in the sandbox and in the garden.

            

In the fall after the produce was pretty well harvested from the garden, Webb and I would glean the green bean stocks and place the dried-up leftover beans and place them in containers. We did this hour after hour.

Throwing rotten Tomatoes at the House

One particularly bad experience in the garden was when we discovered the rotting leftover tomatoes. We decided it would be fun to through them at the stucco house. Well you can about imagine what the reaction to this fun time event was to Mom and Aunt Imagine. The scolded us, I remember there were no spankings, but were given a pail of water and a rag and instructed to clean off the tomatoes from the stucco walls and deposit the remains of the tomatoes in the garbage cans in the ally behind the house. Needless to say I have never thrown a tomato at anything since then.

                               

The tomato experience reminds me of an extremely good tomato soup recipe. Much time one of my favorite meals was tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. My mother-in-law from my first wife taught me how to make real tomato soup from scratch! I would make it many times in my life as it turned out. It became very important especially when I worked as a cook in a retirement home for the elderly in later life. I will share with you the recipe here:

Grandma Herman’s Real Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwich

   

RECIPE

Ingredients:

3 cans of diced tomatoes

3 cups whole milk

2 cups of V8 tomato juice (or regular tomato juice will work)

¼ cup diced green peppers

¼ cup diced onions

1 tsp. Diced garlic

1 tsp. baking soda

1Tbs. butter or Margarine

Cooking Directions

In a 2-quart sauce pan heat the milk to hot (Do not boil) as the milk heats use a 3 to 4 quart saucepan, sauté the onions, green peppers and the garlic together in 1 Tbs. of butter or margarine. (Just so the onions become clear). On medium heat, place the diced tomatoes and the V8 into the pan with the onions. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 20 minutes. Place the soda into the tomato mixture stirring constantly (it will foam up) then carefully add the tomato mixture to the hot milk stirring continually

OLD-FASHIONED GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

1/2 pound Cheddar or Velveeta cheese

· 4 large 1/2-inch-thick slices country, whole wheat or other hearty bread.

· Thin slice of boiled ham makes for added flavor

3 tablespoons butter

Preparation Directions

Place sliced cheese (and ham if using) over 4 slices of the buttered bread. Cover with the remaining 4 bread slices.

In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Place the sandwiches in the pan and cover. Cook until the sandwich is golden brown on the underside, about 3 minutes.

Turn with a spatula and cook the other side until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2 more minutes. Serve immediately.