By Ivalien Reynolds

We really got a bit of winter. The weatherman hit it pretty good this time. The top of the mountain looked like a war zone with trees down, power lines down. Looked like one winter when I lived there.

“Miss” Vera Plasters 103rd birthday party went well in spite of the rain and sleet, ice, and winds. The state got the trees out of the road. The family had a lot of good soup and desserts, and I love the way they make you feel welcome.

The other day, I met a young homeless man. He told me he was sleeping in a tent, but to me, that would be cold these days. A nice lady bought him a sandwich and I told him about warm clothes at the Jesus House that were free.

My sister-in-law and I went on the mountain to fix the Christmas flowers at the cemetery. It was sad to see the mountains because it looked like a war zone, the tops of the trees were all broken off. It’s been years since I’ve seen it like that. While on the mountain, we visited “Miss” Claudine Wood. She was looking good for 98 years. Hilda and I enjoyed our visit and we were blessed to get all the flowers to the cemeteries for Christmas.

Thanks to LaNita Harris from Meadows of Dan for the nice card. It brightened my day. At that time, they had no power, but had heat and were warm.

It was good to hear from Pat and Dot Spangler, who are in Florida for the winter months. I always love hearing from members of my graduating class.

The Soup Kitchen did 100 meals (estimated) for Thanksgiving. It was a boxed lunch with turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potatoes, brownies, cranberry sauce, and various other good things. Linda Roberts helped me to deliver the lunches. We enjoyed the people. It was good to see Mrs. Foley doing well following some surgery. Thanksgiving is special to me because it was Ronald and Chris’ favorite holiday.

Food for thought – Franklin Roosevelt said, “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” Mark Twain said, “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”

Cabbage and Sausage Stew

1 head cabbage

1 package Jimmy Dean or Maple Sausage

10 small red potatoes

1 large piece of ham (Smithfield Center cut)

1 onion

Garlic salt, onion salt to taste

Brown sausage until done. Wash and cut cabbage in chunks. Slice onions and place cabbage and onions in pot and cover all ingredients with water. Season with garlic salt, onion salt, salt and pepper. Cook until cabbage and potatoes are done. Serve with Jiffy cornbread.

Cheese dip

1 pound hamburger meat

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 block Mexican Velveeta cheese

Brown hamburger meat, add soup and cheese. Heat until cheese and soup are melted. Serve with Firtos Scoops.