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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1957-02-14, Page 6Changing Fr°d r Wheels to Runners "Shifting to Runners" was rather's apt phrase to describe the winter transfer from car- riages to sleigh and pung. No time -could be set for the annual Change. Occasionally, a surface- overing November snowstorm ;gave an early date to the chore of changing; frequently, the shift was a December duty; always by mid-January, the sleigh and the pung were in their winter locations in the barn, places that in summer were occupied by the 'family carriages. Whenever the transfer was made, whether in November or December or January, it was a task not undertaken unadvised- ly. Father discussed with Cous- in Herman and Dan the pros- pects of the snow cover being a permanent oner,: Mother was warned to have the blankets and lap robes on hand, and I was sent to Uncle Arthur's to sum- mon help and to invite Aunt Nellie and Alice to come along as 'spectators. The door of our barn was rolled back and the two car- riages drawn into the whitened yard, where the dry snow made aa, complaining whine under the wheels, Next the pung and the sleigh were dragged from the farthest corners of the barn, where they had spent the sum- mer in canvas -covered retire- ment. Then the carriages were pushed into the back corners and covered with the same can- vases that in summer had pro- tected our winter vehicles. The final job was that of backing the arleigh and the pung into the barn and turning back their thills, which were caught at the ceiling by leather loops. The family animals were curi- ous onlookers of the "shift to runners." From the opening over his feed crib, Prince watched the proceedings with cocked ears, now and then giving a soft nicker as though he chuckled to see men and boys doing his work. Shep ran officiously from carriage to pung, his shrill barks punctuating the stillness of the chill air. Joe, the cat, viewed the activity from the safe shelter - of the haymow. The cow could not see the transfer task but she knew that something un- usual was being done. From her stanchion came the uneasy clink of her chain and the sound of her restless side-stepping until Father calmed her with a pat and a measure of "shorts." The removal of the canvas from the sleigh was always done with ceremony, for the family was proud of the sleigh, a so- called `Buffalo cutter." One year when work had been slack at the granite yard, Father and Uncle Arthur had painted it. They had applied black paint, then sanded the surface, repaint- ed, resanded, and given a final finish that was as smooth as down. The lines of gold and the decalcomania had been painted by Cousin Herman, who was skilled with brush and pen- cil. The running part was paint -4 ed vermilion and the upholstery was of morocco leather. The brown buffalo robe was a handsome complement to the equipage. There was no ques- tion that the sleigh had style. My brothers and I were always impressed when we watched Mother and Father drive off to Lodge or Grange meetings in it. Prince also was impressed by this, the lightest of the vehicles that he drew. With ears erect SALLY'S SALLIES "There yoiz gol Scuffing up ray newly -waxed floor!" and with neck arched, he needed no urging to strike a brisk clip • when he was hitched to the sleigh, writes Esther E. Wood in The Christian Science Monitor. The pung had no style but it had utility and an almost limit- less capacity. Otis once called it a "big soap box an runners." It had three removable seats. When these were removed, it became a cart for conveying grain, groceries and even lum- ber. With the seats in place, it was a capacious conveyance that took the family to church, to school, and to dinners at Aunt Harriet's and Grandmother's. Every second year, my brothers painted the pung. The exterior was painted black but it received no such sanding and refinishing as had been lavished upon the sleigh. The interior was painted a contrasting color with what- ever leftover paint chanced to be on hand, One year the in- terior was blue, "dump cart blue" as Ben had belittlingly described it. Another year it was green because green paint remained after the boys had touched up the screen doors. We children preferred a red interior, and after we were old enough ' to . earn money by selling ber- ries, we earmarked a portion of our blueberry money for the purchase of red paint for the pung. The pung had to be furnished with robes, in fact with three robes. One was of black dog fur. A second, of gray wolf fur, shed long speckled hairs upon the pung's occupants. The third was of red wool plaid and was a favorite with the womenfolks, for it left no telltale hair. The robes gave insufficient warm on the coldest winter days. When we children "punged" to school to the Head of the Bay, Father covered the bottom of the pung with straw, and Mother provided supplementary warmth by heating soap -stones on the top of the stove and by baking potatoes in the oven. The stones were placed at our feet and the piping hot potatoes were held in our mitten -clad hands. On cold days we were as con- cerned for Prince's corrifort as for our own. His bag of hay and container of oats were placed near the pails and boxes that held our own lunches. Fold- ed under the front seat was his green blanket that he wore dur- ing the long hours that he waited for us at the blacksmith shop. Our blacksmith friend assured us that Prince found the wait enjoyable, for he watched with interest the shoeing of the horses. and snorted in amaze- ment 'vhen the red hot irons were plunged hissing intoe bar- rel of water. However much Prince had en- joyed his stay at the shop, ,he was delighted when school was out and my brothers came to harness him and hitch him to the pung. He showed his pleas- ure by setting a brisk gait that made the deep -toned bells dingle. Our own bells were not the only ones that we heard on our home- ward trip to Friend's Corner. We caught the clang -clang of the single bells that hung from the collar plates of the work horses dragging home sleds loaded with cord wood. We listened to catch the distant jingling of bells on approaching sleighs. There were not a few sleighs that we could recognize from the reverberations of their bells. The high-pitched chime of Uncle Arthur's bells, the tremulant tone of Aunt Harriet's, and the jingling of Grandfather's were familiar sounds to our ears. Father's decision to "shift to runners" was always one that we children welcomed. We knew that it meant the laborious changing of vehicles in the barn and the locating of robes and blankets. But we also knew that "shifting to runners" meant changing to bells. "And where, my dear," in- quired a music master, "did you originally learn to sing?" "In a correspondence school," replied a girl who was obvious- ly no budding opera star. "Are you sure none of the lessons was lost in the post?" LIONS SHARE -- Playing with dolls is hardly what you'd expect of lions, even cubs like these two, Nitta and Prince, who live in Paris, France. Just like human youngsters they'll give their tov such rough trpnfrric.,+ t4. u,n,.14. int+ veru lona. ENGAGED -•' Herb Score, Cleveland Indians` youthful pitching ace, and Nancy Ann McNamara announced their engagement. Miss McNamara, 20, is a senior ci St. Mary's College. She was a high school class -mate of the Tribe pitcher who, at 23, is recognized as one of• the outstanding pitchers in baseball. TABLE TMJ(S Nothing in the world — ex- cept possibly a pocket -book or bank account — seems to get empty so mysteriously as the family cookie -jar. Here are a couple of recipes for Brownies made with cocoa — both 'deli- cious and both well 'worth a trial. * * * COCOA FUDGE BROWNIES 3/2 cup sifted flour % teaspoon baking powder` Ye cup cocoa Ye teaspoon salt 1 cup chopped walnuts 11/2 cups sugar • % cup melted shortening 2 eggs, well beatei 1 teaspoon vanilla 4, Sift flour, baking ',powder,, cocoa, and salt together. Add nuts and mix well. Add sugar. gradually to beaten eggs, beat ing constantly. Blend in short- ening. Add flour -nut mixture and beat well. Add vanilla. Pour into well -greased, floured, 8x8 baking pan. Bake at 350° F. for 30-35 minutes. Cool and turn out of pan. Cut ? into squares. * * * DRY MILK COCOA BROWNIES 3/4 cup sifted flour 11/2 cups sugar % teaspoon baking powder v4 teaspoon salt % cup cocoa 3,�14/ cup dry milk 72 cup soft butter 2 unbeaten eggs 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon vanilla % cup broken nut meats Combine dry ingredients and mix; add remaining ingredients and beat hard for 1 minute. Spread in well -greased 8x8x2 pan. Bake on •center rack 25 minutes at 350° F. Cool in pan on cake rack for 30 minutes, then cut into squares. * * * Many of us have used grated carrots in puddings or cakes, and with simply grand results. But a carrot pie is something different, and those who have it have been delighted. triedghted CARROT PIE 2 cups ground raw carrots % cup sugar Yolks of 2 eggs 1 cup, half milk and half 7� cream 72 teaspoon salt 1/ teaspoon each, cloves, nut- meg and cinnamon 1 unbaked pie shell Whites of 2 eggs 1/ cube butter (1 ounce) Precook carrots with salt in just enough water to cover. Re- move from heat; add other in- gredients except egg whites and mix well. Pour into unnbaked pie shell. Bake at 350° F. until done. Beat egg whites to peaks and top pie with them. Brown and serve. * * * There is no bottom crust to this honey apple pie, so it can be reheated and will maintain its original, delicious flavor, HONEY APPLE PIE Sliced apples 2 tablespoons' water cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons flout 2 tablespoons liquid honey Pastry for 1 9 -inch pie 1 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon Fill baking dish 9 inches round and 2 inches deep with sliced apples. Add water. Com- bine fiour and brown sugar and spread over apples. Pour on honey. Sprinkle with spice. Cover with pie dough. (Put pie tape around edge to keep juices from running out.) Bake at 425° , F. for 50 minutes. * * * BAKED PUDDING WITH MOLASSES 4 slices bread, lightly buttered, or 2 shredded wheat biscuits, crumbled 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 cups milk cup molasses (unsulphured is best) 1 teaspoon cinnamon' 1/ teaspoon salt 34 cup raisinns (optional) Place bread, cubed or whole or shredded wheat in buttered baking dish (if shredded wheat is used, dot mixture with butter before baking). Combine other - ingredients and pour over bread. Bake at 350° F. for 45 minutes. Serve with cream or milk. Serves 4 generously. - * * * And here's a new — to me at least — recipe for gingerbread. Try it hot from the oven or, for a real treat, with a slab of vanilla ice cream on top. FEATHER GINGERBREAD 4 tablespoons melted lard 4 tablespoons sugar 4 tablespoons molasses 4 tablespoons each, sweet and sour milk 1 teaspoon each, ginger, cin- namon, salt, and soda 1 cup flour 1 egg, lightly beaten Sift together the dry ingredi- ents; add milk, molasses, and lard. Last, add egg. Pour into shallow loaf pan that has been greased and floured. Bake about 30 minutes at 375° F, TAKE A CHANCE The dentist told the million- aire Texas oil man that his teeth were in perfect condition. "But I feel lucky today," plead- ed the Texan, "drill anyway!" Handy Gadgets Make Their Bow New household tools and utensils help homemakers save time and work. They are at- tractive too. More than 100,000 pots, pans, brooms, dust ,mops, toasters, roasters, knives, dish- pans, appliances .and other pro- ducts used in running the home have been shown at the National Housewares Show. .' Housewares are so important that they draw more than 10,000 buyers. This year there have been at least a hundred more manufacturers showing their wares than last year. Among the several miles of exhibits color has appeared everywhere, even in dust mops, mundane household cleaning brushes, a n d fly swatters. Handles of kitchen tools, egg beaters, and cutlery are in natching color. Yellow, tur- quoise and pink are the most popular, followed by white, red, and copper. Take peeling and cutting, for instance. A professional type enamel drumshaped peeler eli- minates hand peeling of fruits and vegetables. With a flick of the handle a micro -thin peel is xemoved from two pounds in less than a minute. A special citrus hand peeler has a steel point that runs around the center of the fruit and a curved plastic blade to lift the peel from the inside. Another new knife, with a double grinding action, has a series of saw tool grooves ground into the edge on one side only. It's especialy effective on foods with hard outer crusts. For simple cake icing jobs, there's a spreader with angled handle which keeps frosting off the finger and does a smooth, even job. An old-fashioned improved biscuit cutter cuts, crimps andd seals tarts and turnovers and can be used to make ravioli filled .cookies, Bismarks, and. fried pies. A glass enclosed rotating food chopper does the job quickly and safely on an ordinary flat cutting board. It will chop three onions, four hard boiled eggs, and a dozen cooked chicken livers at a time. Mass bake -and -serve dishes. can also be used for freezing and storage of cooked foods. The same is true of stainless steel individual 10 - ounce casserole dishes. A serving oven heats rolls and other baked foods on the range and is equipped with a candle warmre to keep them warm at the table. Every year, new cake and pastry mixes appear on market shelves. So, there are new uten- sils to keep up with them. A two-inch layer cake pan is th• result of suggestions of borne economists to enable a cake to rise gradually and lie flat. Last year a square angel food cake pan was so well received that this season manufacturers brought out a long loaf pan. Molded salads have become so popular that they have inspired new utensils. A small one -quart mold holds one package of gela- tin and makes six servings. . A two -in -one mold has one side as a party -size ring mold, the other for individual molds or salad. Warm water in either' 'side helps release the contents, as good cooks know. Eating out of cans is made easier than ever with an elec- tric can opener. A knife sharp- ener can be attached to stand and mixers, portable mixers, and ,power tools. There are many new devices for more efficient kitchen stor- age. A dinner ware caddy holds complete service for eight in a 10 -by -20 -inch space. A cupboard rack holds 12 cups securely, with room for large dinner plates and outsize platters. A storage rack holds 24 plates. Cups, a specialstorage prob- lem, can, also be kept out of the way on sliding racks or a circu- lar unit for hanging. A similar circular unit which fastens to any shelf will hold a good col- lection of any size or shape of spice packages. Magnetic racks, which fasten or metal cabinets, can be used to hold tools and towels. Even the most mundane cleaning tasks are easier. There are sponge rubber knee pads, for instance. An electric polisher scrubs, washes, and polishes hard wood, tile and patio floors and also has an attachment for dry cleaning rugs. A paste wax now comes in liquid form which protects like paste, but is easier to use. A new liquid cloth can be used mending everything from pillow cases to boats. It is applied to c loth, canvas, rub- • ber, plastic, or leather and re- mains flexible. It also repairs glass, china, crockery, porcelain, wood and metal. SAVED MONEY A storekeeper in a small town was greeted by a neighbor who consoled him on the loss of some merchandise in a fire. "Did you lose much?" he asked. "Not as much a I would have a few days ago," answered the storekeeper. "I'd just marked most of my stock dcwn 25%. The young man who's look- ing forward .to stepping into his father's shoes ought to be re- minded that Dad doesn't we si loafers. ti � •. C a Oar �a � �t' FAR CRY FROM TIMES SQUARE — This elaborate hall, looking likeart of p a royal palace, is slated to become part of the Moscow subway system. It is the central hall of the Frunzenskaya Station of the city's Frunze line, scheduled to begin operation this year. Artist's sketch and caption material are from an official Soviet source. Reeeeier MINUET IN LILLIPUT -- It might be the hand of Gulliver seating the pianist in this charming scene from a collection of miniatures on display in Brussels Belgium. The exquisteiy coved figures of the couples on the right are poised to begin the dance while the orchestra prepares to play.