Author: Dale "Mad Dog" Messmer

by Helen V. Lundt

Author Unknown

We in the United States have all heard the haunting song, "Taps". It's the song that gives us that lump in our throats and usually tears in our eyes.

But, do you know the story behind the song? If not, Iv think you will be interested to find out about its humble beginnings.

Author Unknown

An old man, probably some ninety plus years, sat feebly on the park bench. He didn't move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands.

When I sat down beside him he didn't acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat, I wondered if he was ok.

Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check on him at the same time, I asked him if he was ok.

He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. "Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking," he said in a clear strong voice.

Copyright: Bill Hawksford.

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop and the consequence of placing intelligent people in repetitive jobs and boring environments, challenges their ingenuity to find ways of making it interesting, or …. it up, and sometimes both!

By: MILTON J. LONG

Certainly no single day in the 20th century changed more American lives than December 7, 1941. On that S morning the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor.

The American losses were staggering. We lost 150 planes and 18 ships including the USS Arizona, the pride of the fleet. The docks and airfields were so badly damaged that it would take months to repair them.

Author Unknown

"Hey Dad," one of my kids asked the other day, "What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?" "We didn't have fast food when I was growing up," I informed him. "All the food was slow." "C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?"

"It was a place called 'at home,'" I explained. "Grandma cooked every day and when Grandpa got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it."

by Bill Hawksford

As a truck driver in the Canal Zone of Egypt in 1948, Billy’s duties involved delivering yeast to the small mobile bakeries in the desert from the garrison at Moascar, which was situated roughly in the middle of the Suez Canal.

Author-- Joe Mayfield

Today when we think of bank robberys, large cities come to mind; cities with large banks or banks with multiple branch locations. After all, things like that would never take place in small town America, not in a town known for its law and order, not in a farming community, everyone knows farmers have no money, or do they?

GO WEST YOUNG MAN, GO WEST...and so I did!

By Howard A. Ellis

Moreno Valley, Ca.

Way back in the 1800s Horatio Alger told a curious youth inquiring of directions to a future, ‘Go West Young Man, Go West.’ Alger was, of course, speaking of California, the golden west.

By Lois Monroe

GUIDELINES FOR UNDERSTANDING THE HOOSIER CULTURE

submitted by Marion Hoffman

For those of you who are Hoosiers, this is so accurate it hurts. Really. To those of you who are displaced Hoosiers, you may get homesick.

Know the state casserole.

The state casserole consists of canned green beans, Campbells cream of mushroom soup, and dried onions. You can safely take this casserole to any social event and know that you will be accepted.

Get used to food festivals.

Pine Apple Custard

Legacy of Lizzie Fink Hostetter nee Long (1881-1961)

South Annville, PA

1 ½ cup Pine Apple

1 cup sugar

2 table spoons corn starch dissolved in ½ cup water

2 egg yolks

Boil. Pour in baked crust. Put 2 egg whites on top.

Ella Alt Sandtarts

This recipes was found in a collection belonging to Lizzie Fink Hostetter nee Long (1881-1961) of South Annville, PA.

¾ lb butter

1 lb sugar

4 eggs

Good Cool Drink

Legacy of Linda Clark

Everyone can drink, kids will love it.

Make a gallon of any kind of Kool Aid sweetened drink

mix in a couple cans of Ginger Ale.

Let it get real cold, or you can pour it over ice cubes.

Or freeze some of it in ice cube trays.

Kids will like it as a Pop Sickle, too.

CABBAGE BORSCHT

Lynn Ruth Miller

1 large head white cabbage

This is great, take a moment to read it, it will make your day!

The ending will surprise you.

Take my Son

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.

When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

Naval Historical Center / Associated Press

USS Indianapolis survivors arrive ashore in Guam in August 1945. After the heavy cruiser was sunk by a Japanese torpedo attack, nearly 900 of its crew drifted in the ocean for five days battling thirst, exposure and ravenous sharks. Only 316 crewmen survived.

Nightmare at sea

60 years ago,(+23) the USS Indianapolis suffered unforgettable ordeal

By JOHN W. GONZALEZ
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

By Laura Jean Bhadra

by Kelly Denise Baker

With the climate in our world, I find it relaxing to walk down Memory Lane..

By Anonymous

Not stepping on a crack or you’ll break our mothers back ... paper chains at Christmas, silhouettes of Lincoln and Washington ... the smell of paste in school and Evening in Paris.

What about the girl who dotted her is with hearts? The Stroll, popcorn balls, & sock hops.

By Heather Stergos

January 15, 1895

Tchaikovsky’s ballet Swan Lake premieres in St. Petersburg, Russia.

January 24, 1895

While imprisoned in Iolani Palace, Queen Liliuokalani is forced by representatives of the Republic of Hawaii to officially abdicate her throne.

January 9, 1905

By Anjum Wasim Dar

From Rawalpindi, Pakistan

New Years Day brought joy and excitement because the schools would close. Cold hazy mornings would be filled with breakfast gatherings in front of the fireplace. The low table [in height like the Japanese tables,] would be laid with specially prepared meat dish called Hareesa. The famous Kashmiri breakfast delight eaten hot, with baked naan served with kebabs and pink salty tea or Namkeen Chai.

From Harvey Wike

By A.L. Tony Wilcox

The story about Thomas Patterson was based on the following account recorded in the book,

(A history of the Patterson Family of Cross Creek Township Washington County, Pennsylvania)

Compiled by Mary L. Patterson and Published in 1924

Chapter 2 Page 12 OUR FIRST WASHINGTON COUNTY, PA SETTLER

By Linnea Travis Miller

Churches maintained the earlier cemeteries; public grounds did not come into their own until the late 1800’s. Many families had a burying place on their farms, oft-times within site of the main house. You sometimes can find many generations on this plot of ground. Farm cemeteries were still used into the early 1900’s in central Pennsylvania.

Century makes a Difference!

Since we just marked another year off the calendar, we thought it would be interesting to look back at life 100 years ago. Here are the U.S. statistics from one hundred years ago…

The average life expectancy in the U.S. was forty-seven.

Only 14 Percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. A three-minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.

By Harvey Wike

When we moved onto our farm outside Fredericksburg, PA, the road past our house was an old dirt road.

I guess at times we could be called Hucksters, as we would load up our produce from the farm, take it to the town of Lebanon, PA, in a Dodge panel truck and sell the produce door to door.

Thoughts

If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They’re both dogs!

If Wyle E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn’t he just buy dinner?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Common American Superstitions and Their Origins

By Jennifer Thompson

In remembering the black-eyed pea and cornbread tradition of New Years Day, I realized that for years now I have been reminded to do that by my family for good luck. I asked a friend of mine who had come up with that why it was supposed to bring good luck. He replied that he had no idea. And so this got me thinking of several common superstitions and their origins.

Oct. 9, 1899-July 22, 1970

By: Lisa Redd

Alice and her husband, Forest, raised 3 children on Bishop St., in North Atlanta, GA. Near the Atlanta Water Works. She loved cooking and never followed a recipe. She always prepared a huge Sunday dinner where she could feed an army because she couldn’t stop, with just one meat. She cooked ham, chicken and roast and every vegetable imaginable.

Cooking Southern Style

By: Sandy Williams Driver

A stranger could taste my down-home cooking and probably guess I was raised in the Deep South, Alabama to be exact. As a child, I stood on a stool and watched my mother fry everything from chicken and pork chops to okra and potatoes. She rolled out the biscuits by hand and always cooked cornbread in an iron skillet.