Snowflakes Falling?

Well, we had a flash of snow last night. Even after all these years this is so strange to me, flashes of snow falling lightly from the sky. Before we moved to Dallas, (I was seven when we moved here.) I had lived in Egypt and Italy. Mom took me to ski when I was very young in the Swiss Alps. I knew real snow up until we moved to Texas. I think it is amusing the way the city comes to a crawl for snow, but then in the same sense the sheer delight and wonderment on the faces of the children who see it so rarely.

As I journal today I am remembering raking leaves my first fall living in Dallas. There are trees every where and in autumn the leaves are going to fall. We have "leaf fall" and not "snow fall." Our house was built back off the street and slightly elevated so there is a small hill from the yard down to the sidewalk. We had two huge trees out front and lots of leaves to clean up. I went with Dad to the Ace Hardware Store and he picked out two rakes. The rakes had colorful handles; I chose a blue one and Dad wanted the red one. I told him we needed one for mom, but he assured me she had enough to do inside the house and he and I would rake the leaves.

My dad had the ability to make any type of work fun, so I unsuspectingly looked forward to raking leaves. I proudly climbed out of the car dragging my rack with it's blue handle while watching the neighbors across the street already out raking, piling their leaves. We were going to do a compost area in the backyard, so Dad went to the garage to get his wheelbarrow. The morning flew by as I helped him rake the leaves and we piled them by loads in the wheelbarrow. He let me ride on the top of the leaves as he pushed it to the backyard to our compost area. Occasionally I didn't bail out fast enough and he "dumped" me with the leaves. My curly hair seemed to be a magnet for the leaves to tangle in. I know we worked a long time because we stopped, had lunch and went right back to work.

As we were finishing David and his brother Charlie arrived on their bikes at Nanie's house. They began raking her leaves in the front yard. Charlie was too small to push the wheelbarrow, but David pushed Granny's old wheelbarrow out of the garage. It had a flat tire. Dad let them use ours and he declared our job done for the day. Me, I decided to help the boys. By six that night I was so tired that when I sat at the dinner table I fell asleep while I was eating.

Every year I anticipate the turning of leaves in our Lakewood neighborhood. There are so many different types of trees that the colors vary from the deep reds,through all the oranges, yellows and browns. Leaves falling in Dallas are almost as exciting as snow falling somewhere else.

Only a few more day left before Winter arrives.

Lauren
10 December 2008

Nanie's Deviled Eggs, the heart of Lakewood Picnics

THE BEST TIMES

Holiday gatherings of family always bring back memories of the good foods we shared. The first time I ate Nanie's deviled eggs was at a block party in September after we moved in to Lakewood that summer. They blocked off the streets; men brought cookers out to the streets and everyone brought out picnic tables and lawn chairs. It was one of the only times we were allowed to play in the streets.

We had three legged races (Do you know what those are?), waterballoon fights, horse shoes, and lots of jump roping and four square. I always brought out my colored chalks and drew ahead on the street colorful four squares. Usually we had three set ups. The girls liked to do cheerleading. I never was very good at it. I learned two cheers in my entire life time. But jump roping...I can still jump rope with the best of them!

The kids would play, the dad's would cook, the mom's set up the food tables and watched over the youngest children. When it was time to eat, we all held hands in this huge circle and one of the dad's blessed our food, our families and the nation. I looked up at the first gathering and peeked at the huge circle while we were praying. It was filled with all the different families tightly holding hands and praying together. It made me feel warm and good all the way through my body. I have known these families for over 50 years now. God is good! AND so are Nanie's Deviled Eggs.


The highlight of every holiday or Lakewood summer street parties were Nanie's Deviled Eggs. The recipe seems so simple, but nothing was better than her deviled eggs. When we were kids we tried to sneak up on the food tables to snag one before the lines opened up to fill your plates with food.

My girls grew up with Nanie in her kitchen preparing these eggs from when they were big enough to spoon the stuffings into the eggs. Only when they were helping there was never enough filling and always left over white egg boats. I have a feeling that licked the spoon between every egg fill. Nanie would then use the left over whites and dice them up for her green pea salad. Oh my, and that is a favorite of our menfolk! Nanie's pea Salad.

Here I am supposed to be recording memories of my life for the grandchildren, but it seems a lot of the family gatherings involved the sharing of food and family. Nanie's love lives on through those memories and the dishes we still make to serve the next generations.

Nanie's Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 1 dozen eggs
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard or New York Hot Honey Mustard
  
• 1/3 cup real mayonnaise
• 1 Tbsp minced onion
  
• Salt and pepper
• Paprika

Method

First hard boil the eggs. Fill up a large saucepan half-way with water and gently add the eggs. Cover the eggs with at least an inch of water. Always add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water (this will help contain egg whites from leaking out if any of the shells crack while cooking). Also add a pinch of salt to the water. When the water boils, cover the pot and remove it from the heat. Let sit covered for 12-15 minutes. Drain hot water from pan and run cold water over the eggs. (At this point if you crack the egg shells while the eggs are cooling, it will make it easier to peel the shells.) Let sit in the cool water a few minutes, changing the water if necessary to keep it cool.

Second, peel the eggs. Using a sharp knife, slice each egg in half, lengthwise. Gently remove the yolk halves and place in a small mixing bowl. Arrange the egg white halves on a serving platter. (Nanie had five different deviled egg platters!)

Then, using a fork, mash up the yolks and add the hot mustard, real mayonnaise, onion, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Spoon egg yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Sprinkle the top of each egg lightly with paprika.

This makes two dozen deviled eggs.

I am off for the day to grocery shop. We are out of food after Thanksgiving!

Lauren
6 December 208

Advent Memories

Advent is a huge part of our lives not only at this Christmas time season but also through out the year. I have a homemade wreath that David and I made together about 20 years ago that I still use every Christmas season. Traditionally David will buy me five large jar candles each Christmas. He labels them for each week in Advent so that as I use them through out the year I am pulled into meditation for that candle and that message.

I remember the first time I saw an advent wreath was at David's house the first Christmas we lived in Dallas. I was always nervous going over to the Mooring's house. There was always too much noise (four kids) and too little space for so many people. Cleo was always nice, but I worried she didn't like me. I think every little kid wants to be accepted. It was on a Sunday afternoon that David rode his bike over to my house and asked if I could come over to decorate Christmas cookies, and then go to the church for a potluck supper and a small candle light service. He had me at the word Cookies.

We walked back to his house together as he pushed his bike. I remember it was already cold outside and very windy. The leaves were off all the trees and despite the sun and cloudless day with deep azure skies, it was downright cold.

The decorating of cookies was a huge success. Cleo had everything planned out with stations for icing and sprinkles and decorating. They even packed a box for me to take home to Mom and Dad. We all piled in their station wagon. David and I were allowed to sit in the last seat facing backwards. That was really cool too.

At the catholic church the parking lot and church building were bursting with people and laughter. I clung to David's hand not wanting to be lost or trampled. Cleo carried new baby Ben and Robert, David's dad, had Molly up in his arms. Charlie, David and I had to make our own way. We shared pot luck with about 200 families and there was more food there than I think I have seen in a lifetime.

After the supper we all headed toward the church and quietly filled in the pews. The sanctuary was beautiful. I could not stop staring at everything and of course felt totally full of God as I sat there. Up near the alter on a stand was a wreath with candles. It was that night that I shared with David's family the lighting of the first candle on the wreath. I cried that night sitting there. Cleo passed me a Kleenex, and she made sure I was with them every Sunday night during advent.

These memories are so sweet and I pray that my children and my grandchildren will have good times to look back upon. One day they will find this journal filled with all my writing. David was always the writer; I am the artist.

Lauren
3 December 2008