Gotta Love My Mom

I love my mom. She has endured and prevailed all her life. She was raised in a hard working family as an only daughter. She endured the hardships of life with five kids, a fractured home and brought it back together salvaging the home and now creating grandma and grandpa’s house. The place everyone can call home.

My papa, (Mom’s dad), used to own a gas station across the street from their small home in rural Illinois. Back then it was full-service and oil changes. My papa was an honorable man who worked hard. Meme (Mom’s mom) worked for the phone company for 50 years. She worked all shifts and times. Back in those days, every call was handled and routed.

Mom was active in school growing up. A popular beauty, she was kept busy in clubs and school activities. But busy was relative; she also spent a lot of time reading, teaching herself how to make her own clothes and chores around the house. One of her weekly chores was using a rotary push mower to cut the grass each Saturday. Can you see a kid today doing that -- a girl, nonetheless?

Mom also learned the art, the gift, of cooking. She watched her grandparents and her mom make and bake all the foods served at their home. Homemade breads, canning, stews and more were a daily responsibility, and she excelled.

Meme’s house had a cherry tree in the back, apple trees on the side, and everyone had vegetables gardens. Nothing was ever taken for granted and the words disposable or biodegradable were yet to be intertwined into the common vocabulary. Empty jars were collected and used for storage or as drinking glasses. Grocery bags were paper and used for lining gardens or collecting compost. Leftovers were eaten before they went bad or used and incorporated into the next day’s meal. It was a green society.

Growing up, I never went hungry. Even in the hard times mom would bake or put together a casserole that would melt in your mouth and fill up your tummy. I remember for breakfast or snack sometimes she would let us have white bread, sugar and milk cereal. That was a glorious treat, and the more sugar the better – the milk at the end was heaven sent. She also made a bread pudding from stale bread, baked and served with a creamy sauce over the top that was to die for.

Special days like Sunday were good food days. The smells of the meal to come filled the house and the yard. A pot roast or Irish stew made for a complete day. Back then very little was ready to bake or heat and serve. Handmade dough rising in the kitchen, frying chicken in the cast iron skillet, potato salads and coleslaws were creamy and hearty.

To this day, my mom cooks meals each day, prepares sauces and breads, special salads and desserts. I love it when we visit and there is a pan of orange peel bread and banana nut bread sitting out the whole time. You can walk by her kitchen without slowing down for a snack grab or indulgence. She still makes jalapeño jelly that is to die for and cans all types of fruits and vegetables.

Mom has written two books. The first one is “Pioneer Living,” where she talks all about the lifestyle and hardships of the pioneers. Her second book, however, may be my favorite; it is her home-style cook book. In it she divulges all of her recipes and tips. This book, in some ways, is the lifeblood, the legacy, the family traditions from her kitchen. I love that she has taken the time to collect and categorize the foods we grew up eating in a way we can now share with our kids and their kids for generations.

All in all, food can be a powerful thing. Proposals for marriage, family talks, laughs and tears all come while sharing food with each other. The Bible has all kinds of references to food from front to back. Jesus used fish, wine and bread a lot. He was especially fond of it when He was teaching and in quiet intimate moments with His best friends.

This year when you are enjoying the bounty of food before you at Thanksgiving, think about the grace that has been given us to live in such an amazing country. Spend a quiet moment giving thanks to God for what we sometimes take for granted. Make a few sandwiches up from the leftovers and go find someone in need or, better yet, invite some folks over to enjoy the time with you.

We are planning our trip to grandma’s house right now, the warm enticing aroma of her kitchen and the fresh sweet treats call us back. In the meantime, I think I will make her bread pudding with an extra batch of sauce; it is a comfort food and we all need to be comforted every now and then. Thanks mom.

See every copy of Country Line Magazine for one of Shirley’s best recipes or e-mail her at sbaker5@bellsouth.net.

Jokes, Candy and the Fall

Ah yes, the cool breeze out of the north this morning was perfect. I have been waiting for the fall weather to arrive. This is my favorite time of year.

The month of October includes so many different elements and events. The stores are putting up Christmas and Thanksgiving decorations, archery starts for deer and dove season is slowing down. The kids are excited with the holidays coming and Halloween is just around the corner. Yes, this is a good time of year.

Halloween is different at our house today than it was early on. We still do some of the candy gathering, the kids love it and it is a chance for Sandra and I to have a nice walk. We usually go to another neighborhood than ours; ours is a dead-end street with a dozen houses, so the take has been historically slim for the kids. We have friends in great neighborhoods where almost every house participates with gusto -- that is where we like to go.

I don’t care if they get a bunch of candy, dress up in a creative costume and have fun. We have friends who don’t let their kids do Halloween -- no problem for me. There are lots of options as well: harvest festivals, candy carnivals, parties at church. Great stuff and great options and we have been known to do them all.

Practical jokes have always been a part of Halloween night as well. They range from funny to horrific. I am no fan of anything that hurts or damages others’ body or property. Being an FFA parent, I now also have to do a shift at the FFA barn on Halloween. There have been random acts of violence on animals around the country at FFA barns. People blame black cults, witches and satanic groups for these horrific events and some may be, but I think most of it is kids who are, for lack of a better description, screwed up.

My daughter and some of her friends have a series of practical jokes going among themselves. One of the jokes was on her while we were away for summer vacation. Her pickup truck was left in our driveway and a couple of the instigators completely covered her truck with “sticky notes.” Pink, blue, yellow squares covered the whole vehicle; it was fantastic. The other really good one is a bit more serious. They put zip ties on the crank shaft so when the unsuspecting driver drives, they slap against the under part of the car and it sounds like something is seriously wrong. Pretty good one.

The good Lord loves to joke with us and bless us. He joked around back when he was here in the flesh, and I paraphrase, “You ding-dongs, why do you worry about cleaning out your cup and a tiny gnat when you turn around and swallow a camel?” I bet there was also some kids who figured out sticky scrolls on a camel or leather zippy strips on a chariot axel. God jokes with me.

Recently I was trying to fit a landscape timer into an open spot. I only had one piece left and as I walked across the yard to get it, I talked with him. I asked him if he would just make it the perfect size so I could be done with the yard work. I laughed as I set it in place; it was, to the millimeter, perfect. I love those times with him.

Fall and the holiday season will get a lot of folks to start thinking about family and giving, what life is about and their legacy. That is a good thing. Know that God is not a collector of marks against you. He does not keep track of what we do wrong. God is a loving Father who only wants to love on us and care for us. He wants us to learn and do better, just like a loving earthly father would.

Take time this fall to love on someone who needs it. If you feel so moved, donate to our youth ministry, www.kidsoutdoorzone.org. We are planning fall hunting outings for boys who don’t have dads, and we could use the support. Go visit your family, heal a riff that may be there. Eat some candy, laugh, get out of your world and help someone else. If you know of a good, safe, clean practical joke, e-mail it to me. I like to have a little something in my pocket in case I need to “pass it on,” if you know what I mean.

Picture: Taylor’s “sticky note truck”, courtesy of Josh and the one guy who is always around when the jokes go down -- Dylan.

Today is Our Day of Destiny

Ronald Regan once said, “You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will reserve for our children this, the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children's children will say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done.”

Today I believe we are facing that rendezvous with destiny, we are face to face with the providence of our children’s future, our grandchildren’s future, the future of America as you and I know it today.

This country was built on our self sacrifice, hard work, sweat, ingenuity, compassion, commitment and drive. We are the ones who get up each day and fight the fight, live life in this community. We shop at the grocery, pay an electric bill, buy fuel for our cars and trucks, sit in PTA meetings, boy scout meetings and little league games. We are the ones who are unemployed, sick or young and just starting out. We tithe to our churches and donate to the causes we hold dear. We pinch pennies and try hard to make ends meet. This is our life.

Hard work yesterday, today and tomorrow should not be in vain. Our wages and savings should not be taxed or mortgaged to the backscratchers and special interests who have taken over Washington. If we allow this to continue there will be a financial obligation upon our children and their children and their children. It will one day create a burden so heavy that they will never enjoy the life, freedoms and beauty of the America we love so dearly today.

They will live in a society where it doesn’t matter if you get up early or stay late doing more than the employee next to them who comes in late each day and leaves early. There won’t be rewards for those who sacrifice and give more or castigation for those who abuse and choose not to perform with excellence or even competence.

Yes there will always be those who break out of the box, create, explore, build and excel because we are America and that is what we do. But will we be wounded to a point where recovery from generations of a demoralized and liberal society who expects to be taken care of in a mother state be irreversible?

Never allow the true history of this great nation to be transformed. That first and foremost we are called to be faithful servants to God. That there are many who have and are fighting today for the mighty and better cause motivated by their love for this God blessed land, their fellow American and their families.

We have to stand together and lift each other up. We have to speak out and speak up. We have to mentor and help and give back, hands on.

I refuse to be one of those who wakes one morning knowing that I did not rise up, I did not speak up, that I did not take a stand. That I allowed those who are hungry to go without when I had food or children to be abandoned when I have a home they could come to. I won’t lay down and wait to be cared for or expect others to care for those I am charged by God to care for. I will work hard to be an example, a mentor, a friend who can be trusted to serve, assist and help when called on.

To those who get up each day and pastor our families, protect us from thieves, are fighting terrorism, feed the hungry at the soup kitchen, put out our fires and so many others, thank you. Thank you Lord for these mighty warriors for this country who because of them I can get up and live the dream America is today. I will stand alongside them to my last dying breath fighting for right and good by person or pen.

We are obligated by those who have died for this dream, this vision we call America. Does anybody remember Sept. 11th when the terrorist attacked us in New York? Remember the way we all came together and our country was united? I do. “Let’s Roll.”

School Light

Lord I ask you to pour out over our schools today. I pray blessings on the buildings and roofs and windows. That the corners are softened and the windows are bright and Your light shines in.

I pray over the maintenance staff and their support teams. That they are happy and kind to our children. That our children are kind to them. That they are blessed from the work they do to support our children.

I pray over the teachers. That they are overcome by You Holy Spirit and that they feel a shift in how they think of You. That they leave anything that is dark or not of you at their home. That they are truly hungry to be the leaders of this generation in knowledge and health. That You find a way to use the interaction of our children and these teachers that can only be described as miraculous and amazing from You.

And Lord I pray over all the children. I pray that the ones who know You are bold and unafraid. That Your light shines from them in an amazing and undeniable way. Lord protect them from the evil one, from influences and dark places. Show them the times they need to turn or walk away. Give them strength to stand strong and make wise decisions.

And Lord, thank you for schools. Thanks for getting the kids out of the house for a while so we can get something done.... thanks God!

A/C and Heat - Don't Talk to Me!

In the winter we complain about the cold, and in the summer we complain about the heat. I try to convince myself that I love all the sharp winds of the north and the warm dry breeze from the south, but there is a lot to be said for the comforts of the modern home. However, the direction God has me going with the Kids Outdoor Zone Youth Adventure Ministry, I don’t spend a lot of time cuddled up inside.

I had a friend tell me the other day that society, in his opinion, began to degenerate when air conditioning was created. He believes that when people began to stay inside to be cool, we became detached from each other and thus began societal detachment (I just made that word up but I think it works). People quit sitting on the porch, taking slow walks, enjoying each other as neighbors in many ways.

I think societal detachment happens in a lot of areas. Next time you’re driving in your car, look and see how many folks are driving alone. Our cars are very sacred in this country. I know for me that my truck, in many ways, is a safe haven when I am traveling or even when I need to think about something important. The Ipod is another way we detach. You don’t interrupt folks or try to spark up a conversation with someone who has their earphones in.

For me, I get frustrated when I am talking to someone who pulls out their phone and reads a text message. Can I just say to them right now that is totally not cool and I have been known to walk away? Look at all the kids walking around with a phone right in front of them typing away the whole time you watch them. Not only are they not learning to communicate verbally but they are also doing it in a non-expressive way. They can end a relationship, beat another kid down and laugh all in symbols and letters. And it can still hurt or make them feel good about themselves.

Does anyone remember when we used to call each other and talk for hours? Now you Facebook them, text them and e-mail them a long note without punctuation or correct grammar. Is there a kid out there under 20 who has ever written a letter to someone with paper and pencil today? I am thinking a bar that serves oxygen, plays funky music and has pens and tablets of paper might work. Call them Twain bars after Mark Twain, the author, remember him? Make it cool to write letters. I would go, but then I am old.

What about reading? I think the art of reading is waning in the younger generation. My friend Ben Rehder, an author, was doing a trade show once with me, and there were kids everywhere. When they would come up to his table and ask what he had for them he would say, “Books, kids. Look, you can read them.” They would run off immediately because he had nothing free to offer, and, for the most part, I don’t think mystery novels about the outdoors interested them much. But then, not reading isn’t just a kid thing; most adults are not readers -- I mean book readers. But I digress.

There is a day we have recognized as National Get Out of Your House Day, or National Sit In Your Yard Day – something like that and it works to get some people outside and meet their neighbors. That can only be counted as a plus, but will we ever really have the opportunities to befriend those crossing our living areas again?

The Lord calls us to share the Good News of his gift. It happens in many ways, but human to human connection, emotional and heartfelt, is most powerful. He wants us to know those around us, care for them, include them in our life story.

I Facebook, I text, I use my cell phone when I shouldn’t, I am imperfect for sure. I do, however, strive to do better. This summer, this August, take the time to get outside and enjoy your family, meet a neighbor or a few of them. Take your family on an overnight camping trip or a ride to the lake for the day. The key will be to leave the electronics behind, which that includes the kids’ stuff. Turn off the world beyond your immediate reach and watch how God will move to speak to you and your family. I bet you God will put someone into your life that day who will be amazing and awe-inspiring. You wait and see! Then e-mail me how the day went. I would love to hear the stories.

Random Rocket Men

Science has never been one of my gifts. I love the science channels on television and all types of smart inventions and ideas. I was talking with a group of young teenage boys recently, and they were telling me all about video games and gaming systems. They were explaining new gear that has been created or are coming out that makes the video games more interactive. One of the ones I thought quirky was a helmet and suit you put on that popped you on the head or body when you were struck by another gamer’s virtual bullets during the game. It sounded to me like it would hurt.

I shared with them that back in my days, in the ‘60s and ‘70s, the show “Star Trek” had a room on the ship that you could program to be any environment you want and then enter the room and be in the place you created. On the beach, in the mountains or at an event, it was all just a few keyboard strokes away. They didn’t know the show, but they thought that that idea was not far from reality and I have to say I think they might be right, virtually.

Like I said I have never been good at science. I remember once when I had signed up for a science fair at school. I waited until the morning of the event, got up early and went out in the garage. I took some scrap wood, nailed some plants from the yard on it and wrote edible and non-edible. I somehow snuck it into the fair and forgot about it until later that day when my class was to go see the projects. I was horrified, thinking it was going to be seen and I would look like the total loser I was that day. Much to my surprise, it was gone. I never asked about it again and never heard what had happened. Obviously someone learned a great lesson of science and ate the edible stuff, discarded the non-edible poisonous stuff and threw away the debris. Good science? I don’t think so. A lesson learned? Somewhat.

I did love model rocketry when I was young and to this day enjoy a good rocket launch. I grew up in Nassau Bay, Texas, and the Apollo astronauts’ kids were my friends.

My youngest son, Jon-Michael, and his pal, Luke, have taken model rocketry to the next level. Recently they began a series of rocket launches with a slight twist. They are launching things.
The first launch was a car. It never went up; it just kind of went sideways then burned up. To some, it may be considered a failed launch. To them, it was totally cool. The next launch was a vertical success. They launched a Barbie doll strapped to a rocket. It went really high, and, except for the parachute malfunction, it was flawless. That went so well they figured that, heck, maybe if they taped her arms facing up hands together, she might be aerodynamic and fly. They strapped a giant D-something engine on her and launched her away. Fantastically, she went really high and came back to earth really fast.

I feel like that Barbie rocket on some days. I have a really wonderful encounter with God one moment and then find myself in a ditch the next. My desire today is to try and live in the high parts, the parts where I feel I am in His presence, doing His will. I hate it when someone says you have to accept the ups and downs in life. My friend Jimmy told me once he was at a place in his life where he accepted things to just be God’s will or His plan. He said, “You get a flat, it keeps you stranded for a while and you get mad, when maybe He was keeping you safe from an accident you may have otherwise had.”

I don’t know yet how to live today without an encounter with the world and not get drug into the ups and downs. I like the big G rocket engine on my back, and I am learning to go to God more often, learn to talk to Him before, during and after I do life launch each moment of the day. I also find solace and answers to my life science questions in the book of direction, encouragement, love and life -- the Bible.

Good science for me today is mixing the right ingredients for a barbecue rub or a homemade salsa. My days of mixing salt peter, sulfur and charcoal together creating smoking blobs of stink are long since over. Good science for me today also seems to include cash donations to the rocket guys’ engine fund so they can continue their launching operation and get it on their Web site for scientific documentation.

You ask what kind of science is that crazy Barbie rocket stuff? Well as a matter of fact, that is rocket science in its purest form.

Check out the boys’ launches under Random Rocket Men on Youtube …cool.

Early Mornings, Naps and Martha Stewart

I have always been an early riser. I love the mornings when few folks are out. The mornings are also the coolest time of the day, and if the days are hot, I choose to start early and end early on outside projects. In the mornings, before anyone is up at our house and the world begins to spin, I love the smell of the coffee and quiet moments on the front porch. The older I get, the longer it takes my brain to begin functioning correctly, so I need a few minutes.

Some of my best memories have come around a mid-day nap when I have been up early. Take elk hunting, for example. I hike way up into the timber or along a ridge, find a comfortable tree or a dead fall to lean against and doze, nodding in and out. That time being quiet and just sitting there has provided many a shot at unsuspecting elk. I remember once waking, standing up and being in the middle of a herd of them. Crazy.

Our cat likes to nap a lot, and I know few earthly creatures that are as calm and cool as Pumpkin. Pumpkin was an old feral stray that, over the years, has conned his way into a regular feeding bowl and warm comforts during the winter months. I usually find him tucked away napping or watching his cat world go by. I have seen him pounce on other cats coming in the yard, and he kicks tail on them. He doesn’t want anyone coming in on his gig. But, mostly, he is calm, seemingly going from one objective to the next or resting.

I like a breeze when I am napping, too. I love the sound of the wind through the trees, the song of the wind chimes, the breeze crossing through the house. The air seems cleaner when it is moving, too -- no science behind that observation, just a personal thought.

I saw where Barbara Jordan was once quoted as saying, “Think what a better world it would be if about 3 o’clock, the whole world just had a few cookies, a glass of milk and took a nap.” How can you not like that? Who would not like that in their day-timer every day?

If you really struggle with naps, just consider what Martha Stewart was once quoted as saying, “I catnap now and then, but I think while I nap, so it’s not a waste of time.” That’s it -- nap and think at the same time. I may think best when I nap.

The Mexican culture has it figured out -- siesta. They work hard until it gets hot, then they find a shade tree and nap for a few hours; revitalized, they return to work and finish the day. Long haul drivers say when they get tired, they stop on the side of the road and nap for a few minutes. It refreshes them so they can get on with their work.

I know some folks who just can’t nap or slow down during the day. That is fine. My wife, forget it, she is non-stop all day. I don’t know where the energy comes from, but it wears me out just writing about it and I might have to take a quick nap right here and now.

Truthfully, I have said it before, it is these moments and ones like it when I best communicate with God -- quiet, restful, contemplative times. He is always there; I just don’t always think about Him being there. I guess maybe I take Him for granted. Maybe I just get moving so fast that I forget to talk with Him about things. When I can rest, when I can slow down and be still, I notice Him there with me and I do better.

Yes, there are times you have to mow the world down, push through when you are tired to get something done. Yes, some people can be slothful and wait for the world to hand them something or fill their needs. I am not talking about that.

I am thinking we might be better off if we were more like Pumpkin, maybe a Mexican Pumpkin. Work hard and pay attention to what is going on around us. Take some time each day to slow down and make sure life and the things important to us are not slipping by. I, for one, am going to try my best to take time each day to check in with God, try to keep Him closer, to listen when He whispers and not wait for Him to be yelling, “Hey knuckle head, I am talking to you!”

I will not waste another minute when I get a chance to nap, either. I am going to be thinking the whole time, just like Martha. Planning meals, considering drapes for the foyer and cool new craft ideas will be my objective, and I vow to stay napping until I figure out that crazy tomato plant thing I saw on TV that grows upside down.

Thinking, napping and quiet time with God -- perfect!