Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1959-10-01, Page 2They Give Thanks For Many Blessings Now the cornstalks arch' thein gray -brown tassels, sagging with the harvest o£ ripening ears The barley on the hill, silkily green in Jely but running to gold before the month was out, whispers in its beard that sum- mer is fleeting fast, heat light- ning flickers in the •ve)vet• twi- light, The time for threshing is here, This morning brought the little engine snorting over the hill, spouting fiery cinders, its firebox glowing redly in the early light. The steamer shoved its blunt nose aoross the field and drew the little separator into Amos and Eli's setting of grain, the all-important water wagon bringing up the rear. Excitement gripped us all as neighbor men, their broadbrtms showing drifts of chaff from other threshings, clattered up be- hind their teams to lend a hand. It is a once -a -year thrill, the event to which summer work all over the valley is pointed. Houswives have made ample preparation for the harvest meals they must provide, and more than once Emmaline has set aside samples from a near -per- fect batch of jelly or a jar of tempting green and red pepper relish with the observation, 'Good for the threshers this will be." Exciting as it is to watch, the work of threshing is grueling for the men. Fierce heat and bil- lowing chaff combine to make it almost unbearable in the mid- dle of the day. So the big noon meal is a welcome respite es well as a richly deserved feast But even the busy women must watch the work get under way that first morning. There is drama in threshing not found anywhere else. Eli and the other strong young pitchers dig their fork tines deep into the bun- dles of ricked -up grain. A. mighty toss and the stacks quiver as they ride the belt up the side. A moment and then the engine begins to puff clouds of dark smoke that blow high over the stubble; the separator howls, and bundles, half -turning in the air, fall into the feeder and head toward. the whirling knives Straw arches in a yellow blur over the site of the stack, the blower roams, and the elevator begins hiccoughing grain, half a bushel at a time. We linger a moment to listen to the chuck -a -chuck of the ex- haust and smell the unusual odor of burnt straw and steam, then turn kitchenward to start our own labors, knowing we are at last deep in threshing again. Bayard Taylor has written of one group of the Plain People: "Orderly, moral are they . . Given to preaching of rules, inflexible outlines of duty. Seeing the sternness of life, but alas! Overlooking its graces." The last line could never be truthfully applied to Eli's Trina. She overlooks none of the graces of living, and her pres- ee'ce is always a joy. While I mind the playful twins, she helps Emmaline and the girls, Anna and Hilda, in the kitchen. And when the babes go to -;their morning nap in "G"randnnomma's big bed," she draws me into the charmed cir- cle where good woman -talk is going on, "Cold slaw it is n.ot," she tells us gaily, adding hits of bell pep- per and red -skinned apples to the chopped cabbage. "Pure Dutch words, 'keel' for cabbage and isle' for salad, make it cab- bage salad." "Nu, now," Emmaline says ad- miringly, "never did we know that." As Anna sets the yeast rolls, Trina tells us another item from her store of housewifely lore. If it's trouble you have getting whole-wheat bread to rise light, like the white does, try adding the juice of half a lemon to the :recipe for .two loaves of bread and surprised you'll be, "And tablespoon of lemon jtliee' ad, ded to angel food cake takes the puce of cream. of tartar, if you're out," she adds. She is a pleasing blend of the Old and the New, Last week she and Eli brought home a beef roast out of the frozen food locker they rent in town, Yet she makes the same end -of -garden sauce from ripe tomatoes; cab- bage, sweet peppers, carrots, parsley, and anything the gar- den yields in the fall that her great-grandmother made, writes Mabel Slack Shelton in the Christian Science Monitor, "Use the sauce in soups, for Swiss steak, smother chicken or pot roast in it, or make tiny meat balls and use the sauce to cover while they bake in the oven," she rays. Then noon brings the men in to a dinner fit for' harvesttime appetites and colorful enough for a magazine spread. Yet Amos' blessing is 'grave and de- liberate as he thanks the Giver of all good gifts, and there are heartfelt "Amens" before the hungry crew pitches in, As with everything • else, there is a ritual to threshing t h e Amish way. A "piece" is sent to the field at ten lemonade and spice cake borne by the ;su}i bonneted girls — the big •noon meal, another piece at lour, then the harvest supper. The sweet tinkle of cowbells sounds in the lane ars the last man rises from the suppertable, but the women must milk alone tonight. The threshing must be finished so therig can niove on to another farm tomorrow. Dishes are done at last, the milk strained away, cans set to cool in the springhouse, the cream separator cleansed; then again the thresher draws us like a magnet.'It is a different scene from that of early morning. The men are shadowy figures as they spear the last bundles. And in the growing dusk, above the engine, curves of winking fire drift into the night and die like falling stars. It is over at last. Teams are hitched up and the weary men go to their homes to sleep. But they are cheerful still, for the challenge of hard work is sti- mulating to these rugged sons of the soil, and they enjoy the generous warmth of brother- hood that such a day brings. In the dark by the well, Amos and a neighbour take their leave of Bash other, e11, Ames, a fine yield," the friendly voice says. "Yes," Amos rejoins gravely. Then he adds, "God sei Dank." "God sei Dank, indeed," the voice says warmly. And thus they offer again their thanks to God for all their many 'bless- ings. Benno Gets A Real Violin Benno Rabinof has been play- ing the violin since he was a tot on New York's. Lower East Side, and many good things have come his way — like being one of the last pupils of the great teacher Leopold Auer. But none was so exciting as the unexpectedwind- fall the 49 -year-old concert fid- dler revealed the other day. A wealthy friend and admirer had given him the one violin he wanted most in the world, the "Lord Amherst," a Stradivarius Fritz Kreisler had once owned, and which has not been heard in public in more than a decade. There was one condition, how- ever. Like "The Millionaire" series on TV, the donor of this extremely generous gift (estim- ated value: $50,000-$100,000) re- fused to be identified. "The whole idea is noble," Rabinof said. "He just wanted the violin to be heard again. I made a promise and I'm going to keep it. I told him I didn't deserve it and he said 'That's for me to de- cide." C -'MNG A HANDOUT — Joining the deer to beat the heat, Diane Duprey, 9, extends a goodie at the watering trough in E'rc', Hill Game Park, TRUNKFUL OF MEMORIES — "Jopa' a one -year-old Indian elephant, should never forget her grand reception by orphans at Munich, West Germany. She holds a bunch of carrots pre - rented by Roman Pankofer. The pachyderm will be an exhibit of the Munich Zoo. �dam TABA E TALKS When you start cooking macaroni, spaghetti, or noodles,, the three important steps: 1. Use plenty of water several quarts for 8 ounces of the spag- hetti, macaroni, or noodles. 2. Have the water boiling vigor- eusly — and use about 1 table- spoon of salt for the above amount of pasta, and cook it from 8-10 minutes. Try a piece at the end of 8 minutes; then you will be able to have it done firm or soft, just as you like it. 3. Drain it the instant it is done. Don't rinse it, but put it back in the hot kettle and add. butter. Mix and cover and you cankeep it for a little while while you finish the sauce. u R k Just as a change from the more usual sauces, try this one, featuring oxtails. YOU may want to prepare the oxtail part of this dish early in the day and heat it while you're cook- ' ing the spaghetti just before serving time. • BRAISED OXTAILS WITH SPAGHETTI 143 eup butter 1?.f; cups' chopped onions 4 oxtails, cut in 2 -inch pieces 1 quart hot water 2 tablespoons vinegar _ 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 teaspoons salt 1 6 -ounce can tomato ,paste 1 tablespoon salt 3 quarts boiling water 8 ounces spaghetti ,Melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute un- til tender. Add oxtails and brown well, Add 1 quart water, vinegar, garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt. Cover and cook over low heat about 21/2 hours, or until meat is tender and liquid has 'cooked down. Add tomato .paste and mix well. Cook 5 minutes longer. To cook spaghetti, add 1 tablespoon salt to 3 quarts rap- idly boiling water. Gradually add spaghetti so that water continues to boil. Cook, un- covered, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain in colander. Serve oxtails over the cooked spaghetti. * " 5 WEST COAST SPAGHETTI 3 tablespoons batter Y4 cup mushroom pieces '1,4 pound ground beef Sri cup shredded cooked pork 1.4 cup chopped onion 1 clove garlic, minced. 14 eup shredded celery Dash Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon popper. 1 tablespoon sugar 1. cup spaghetti (in 3 -inch pieces) 1 cup canned bean sprouts 1 firm pear shredded Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add mushrooms and brown lightly. Add ground beef, shredded pork, onion, garlic, celery, suaces, salt, pepper, and sugar.. Cook until beef is well done, stirring occasionally. Cook spaghettis in rapidly boiling water until just tender. Drain, Place spaghetti in large platter. Add bean sprouts and shredded pear to hot mixture. Arrange Sauce ever spaghetti. Serves 4 to' 6, ISSUE 39 — 1960 SPAGHETTI WITH CHICKEN SAUCE 1 garlic bud, sliced 3 tablespoons fat �/ chopped onion 3' tablespoons flour s/% teaspoon salt r/ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup tomato sauce (an 8 -ounce can) 11/2 cups diced cooked chicken 8 ounces long spaghetti Brown garlic in fat in heavy skillet. Remove garlic and add onion, cooking until brown. Stir in flour, salt, and Worcester- shire sauce, Add broth and to- mato sauce and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add chicken, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over hot, cooked spagetti. • SHRIMP WITH SPAGHETTI 2 tablespoons butter 1 cup diced celery 1/2 cup diced green pepper 1,41 cup sliced onion Y4 cup sliced mushrooms 1,4 cup flour 3% cups cooked tomatoes (No. 21h can) 1 teaspoon salt I teaspoon pepper 4 ounces spaghetti 1 cup cooked shrimp (a 1 - ounce can) . Heat butter in skillet. . Add celery, green pepper, onion and mushrooms. Cook 10 minutes. Sprinkle flour over vegetables, mixing lightly. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover and sim- mer 1 hour. While sauce sim- mers, cook spaghetti in boiling 'salted water until tender —about 10.12 minutes. Drain. Fold shrimp into sauce. Heat thor- oughly and pour over spaghetti. Serves 4, k M * If you want a spaghetti dish that is unusual, here is a Ko- rean adapatation. A little shred- ded • pork is added to ground beef and simmered with vege- tables in a soy sauce. At the last minutes canned bean•sprouts are added along with shreds of fresh pear 'to give a pleasing crispness to the dish. She Says Capital Punishmlent Wrong: For close to 50 years, Gleelys Carpenter Duffy has lived with- in the shadow of California's San Quentin Prison, She grew up in Prison Town as the dougle. ter and granddaughter of San Quentin guards. Later she mar- ried the son of another guard,, and while she and her hus- band' have from time to time lived and ,worked.. elsewhere, their interests have remained' intimately bound up with the thousands of men andwomen. who entered its gates; During this era, Mrs. .Duffy has witnessed the slow marsh of penology toward today's mo- dern .'rehabilitative methods as the older and long -used sys- tems of physical and trental torture gave way. It is often, by its nature, not a pleasant story. But Mrs, Duffy's book, "Warden's Wife," shows her deep-felt zest for prison work and her devotion to change in penal methods. The culmination of this change came just before World War II when her husband be- came warden of San Quentin — to serve in that role through ' turbulent war years and an even. more disturbing postwar period. 'But it was during, these 11 years that innovations in San Quen- tin's penal system sharply alter- ed the institution's handling of inmates. Ugly aspects of prison life were removed, rehabilita- tion ehabilita- tion of prisoners became the keynote of the system, and a variety of pioneering and dar- ing ventures paid off' in less pri- son trouble and better parole records. The innovations ran the ga- mut from adequate food to esta- blishment of a prison news- paper. They included careful ef- forts to parole offenders when ready for release — the pioneer- ing steps in the indeterminate sentence. Greater freedom for inmates within prison walls, Warden Duffysaid, would in- voke a sense of responsibility on the part of these inmates. It worked at. San Quentin, and the idea is slowly being accepted across the United States. All of this is a part of Mrs. Duffy's simply told story. In a real sense, "Warden's Wife" is more than a personal account of the long -held dream she and her husband shared — a dream of doing something to reform prison methods at San Quentin. The book serves as an informal history of San 'Quentin during the 50; years about which Mrs. Duffy writes with intimate knowledge. Across her pages march a cross section of San Quentin's population. In illustrating vari- ous aspects of her life at San Quentin, Mrs. Duffy tells much about the inmates with whom she and herhusband came in contact, *any of these episodes are pathetic; others are shoe4t- ing; and a few leave the reader, with virtual disbelief.. But woven throughout these accounts is a continued certain- ty on the part of Mrs. Duffy that no, case is hopeless,' "So. many wreaks are worth salvag- ing," she writes. She and her husband have apparently Prac- ticed this philosophy with im- proving results over the years. Recidivism . dropped' sharply while Clinton Duffy was war- den at San Quentin. Mrs. Duffy is firm in her be- lief that capital punishment is wrong, She is convinced that the main reason for itsretention is "a punitive desire for re- venge." To the Duffys, the ca- pital penalty is imposed by emo- tional drives to punish. It does not solve the problems facing society. The Duffys have con- tinued to struggle against capi- tal punishment and today are in the forefront of the abolition movement. Mrs. Duffy was known as "Mother" Duffy to thousands et men at San Quentin. Reading her book, it is easy to see why. She has a love and a firmness which, > coupled, won her almost instant respect. 0 n e suspects that a not inconsiderable part of Warden Duffy's success as a penologist and prison . adminis- trator has been due to the wo- man at his side. How Children Grow Up Sober In Italy, where even children drink wine at the dinner table in place of .water, there are few alcoholics. In America, Jewish children are given wine as part of religious observances — but again of the nation's 5 million al- coholics, few come from Jewish families. Why? Because these .children get a sort of "psychological vac- cine" which immunizes them against alcoholism, Dr. Albert Ullman, a 'Tufts University so- ciologist, told the American Psy- chological Association meeting in Cincinnati. "A child should have contact with alcohol in the home, in a perfectly ordinary way," lie said, "Then later in life, when he drinks with the peers and is under pressure to be one of the group, he really doesn't have to prove anything. He "knows" he can drink." Alcoholics, Dr. Ullman added, usually remember every detail of the occasion they first had a drink — because drinking had such importance in the eyes of their families or themselves. To avoid just this, Dr. Ullman's own five children, aged 4 to 16, now are getting "immunizing shots" of alcohol. "We're social drink- ' ers in our family," he said. "If_ a child wants to taste a tiny amount of wine on special occa- sions welet him. NEWLYWEDS — Noted British conductor Sir- Thomas Beecham, 80, and his recent bride, nee Shirley Hudson, 27, eye camera in London. He married his former secretary in Switzerland, PERSONALIZED SERVICE — Proudly claiming that his lown of Arcola, 1'11., consumes more coffee per, capita than any other, Bob Arrol checks the stock of personalized mugs in his drugstore. He started the practice 10 years ogo, now has 162 name mugs. Although many ethers want to join, they can't until someone dies ar moves from the town of 2,000.