If you’re stuck for a Father’s Day gift for your dad, how about a unique mug from Cowpie Creek? We have a lot of great Father’s Day gifts for that special man in your life, including beautiful t-shirts for dad, barbecue aprons, mousepads for the computer enthusiast, and lots of other gifts we’re sure your dad would love this Father’s Day.
A Special Poem For Dad
A Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.
He’s someone who listens,
suggests, and defends
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!
He’s proud of your triumphs
but when things go wrong
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong.
In all that you do,
a dad’s love plays a part
There’s always a place for him
deep in your heart.
And each year that passes
you’re even more glad,
More grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!
Thank you, Dad .
for listening and caring
for giving and sharing
but, especially, for just being you! Happy Father’s Day
Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and as vegans and vegetarians, the “centerpiece” of our table is NOT a turkey. In fact, vegans and vegetarians are more likely to invite a turkey to enjoy Thanksgiving at our tables with us rather than serve it up for dinner. As a vegan, my Thanksgiving dinner of choice is Tofurkey, complete with its luscious gravy, sweet potatoes, winter squash, mashed rutabagas, sometimes stuffing, cranberry sauce, creamed onions, and peas or other green vegetable. I’m absolutely in love with Tofurkey and look forward to Thanksgiving each year, because it’s seasonal in my part of the country, so I can only get it at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Whatever your Thanksgiving dinner choice, we hope you’ll have a peaceful and thankful day. A turkey will thank you for your compassionate choice.
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When I was a kid, tennis wasn’t a sport that was in the forefront like football and basketball. Very few kids learned how to play tennis, because no one taught tennis in those days. I was lucky enough to have grown up in a small town in Indiana, with a wonderful parks system, full of recreational facilities, and two…yes…two tennis courts. During the summer, my high school biology teacher gave tennis lessons at the park, so my sister and I were fortunate enough to have taken a full series of lessons from Mr. Jenkins. Looking back, I have to say he was a kind man with lots of patience, because none of us knew anything about the game of tennis.
I’m proud to say, my sister and I became good enough at tennis to have won several tennis tournaments, during our high school years. I thank Mr. Jenkins for that.
I grew up in Brazil, Indiana, a small town in central-western Indiana, during the 50′s. The 1950′s were a wonderful time to be a kid. Television hadn’t been around that long, so we weren’t bombarded with all the ugly news of the world. Instead, we were carefree and able to enjoy life to the fullest, without all the woes of the world coming down on us. Our favorite games in those days, didn’t require batteries, and involved interaction with other kids in the neighborhood. Our games of choice were Kick The Can, Hopscotch, Marbles, and a game I thought we invented then, but found out later, we hadn’t. We called the game Prisoner Of War, but I
think in other parts of the country, it had several different names. The idea of the game was to choose up sides and draw a line down the center of the yard with dead sticks or something that would divide the two sides. One team stayed on one side of the line and the other team, on the other. Each team had a pile of sticks that were stacked up, toward the back of the playing area. Players were suppose to sneak across the line and “steal” one of the sticks, then take it back across the line to their side. If the opponent tagged you while you were on their side of the playing field, you were “captured” and became a “prisoner of war”. The team that ended
up with the most sticks at the end of the game, was declared the winner. I know that probably sounds like a game that would bore the youth of today, but back then, it was one of our favorite games.
Every 4th of July, my hometown would bring a carnival to the park, a highlight of the summer. There were tons of rides like the tilta-whirl, the proverbial ferris wheel, dodge-em cars, a merry-go-round, and all the usual rides carnivals brought to town in those days. Games of chance were bountiful, and they were always my downfall. I was so naive, I thought I could actually win some of the “fantastic” prizes they offered. I went through money like water, trying to win teddy bears, watches, and other prizes that would have been less expensive to purchase if I’d just gone to the five-and-dime. The excitement, though, was winning them, so I shot at little
ducks floating in the water, threw rings over prizes stacked up on wooden blocks, and slowly made my way down the midway until I had tried just about every game of chance at the carnival. Needless to say, I hardly ever won anything, but the hope was always there.
Later in the afternoon, the Brazil Concert Band would give a performance in the park’s bandshell, of rousing Sousa marches, and Broadway show tunes. This was one of the highlights of the 4th of July afternoon, as it afforded everyone somewhere to sit down and relax and enjoy some of America’s most memorable music. I still think of my hometown to this day when I hear a Sousa march, and drift back to a less stressful time in my life, when people actually enjoyed the company of others.
Almost everyone was “poor” in the 50′s, my family not excluded. As a kid, though, I didn’t know we were poor, and never really wanted for anything. My parents were able to put a roof over my head, and food on the table, although I know it was a struggle many times to do so. I never went hungry, though, and never had to sleep on the street, so we made it through the rough times, a lot better off for the struggles, I’m sure. Since we were so poor, we rarely ate in a restaurant, so our occasional trip to the “big city” of Terre Haute, Indiana, was quite a treat for all of us. My mom, my sister, and I would take the bus to Terre Haute, and mainly window
shop, since we had very little money. The highlight of the day was lunch at Woolworth’s Five-And-Dime store. We always sat at the lunch counter, and I would order the same thing every time….a hot roast beef sandwich, with a mound of mashed potatoes and gravy, and a side order of peas, with a Coke to wash it all down….ecstasy! I loved Woolworth’s. It had a toy section to make a kid’s eyes sparkle…and mine truly did. I wanted everything I saw, but, of course, couldn’t afford, but it was all right. Just being able to see all the great toys lined up like soldiers in a parade made me feel rich. Sometimes my mom would buy my sister and me an inexpensive
toy to commemorate our trip to Terre Haute, and you would have thought she bought us the moon. We were always very appreciative, because we didn’t get that many toys, an act that would instill character in us for the rest of our lives.
During the summer months, my mom and dad would plant a garden in our backyard, to keep our food bill down, and my mom, my sister, and I would trample through the woods behind our house to pick wild raspberries and blackberries, which my mom would make into jams and jellies….if they made it back home before we ate them all. My mom would also can the vegetables from the garden, so we would have them during the winter months when my dad’s work would drop off. My dad was a house painter, and business was never good during the winter months, so we had to budget even more. One year, my mom and dad decided they would try to
raise chickens. Now, keep in mind, they were not farmers. My dad was born and raised in California, and grew up in a fairly large city. My mom, although from Indiana, graduated from college and became a schoolteacher, so she was a career woman, and never raised chickens in her life. This would be the experiment to end all experiments. Mom and Dad purchased 50 baby chickens from a local farmer, and put them in a pen my dad built in the backyard. We fed them, and watered them, and nurtured them, until the day came to kill one of them, which my mom did. At dinner that night, she served the chicken, and we all looked at the plate of freshly cooked
chicken, and none of us could eat it…including my dad. That was the end of the chicken raising experiment in my house, and it was back to the grocery store to buy chicken that someone else had killed. Sadly, during a rainstorm one night, all of the chickens drowned. I was devastated, and give that incident credit for my becoming a vegan, which I remain to this day.
HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS! You might think it’s too early to be shopping for Christmas gifts, but time sneaks up on you if you shop online…and that’s how I prefer to shop.
I’d rather shop online than fight the thousands of people in the mall, believe me….and with the high price of gas, shopping online makes
more sense than ever. I ran across these really cute Christmas t-shirts while I was surfing the web last night. Christmas T-shirts and Gifts
has some of the cutest Christmas shirts I’ve seen in a long time. Check out just three of the awesome Christmas t-shirts at Christmas T-shirts and Gifts.
You won’t be sorry.
Christmas T-shirts and Gifts is a subsidiary of Union Eight
If your family is one of the many “non-traditional” families that includes a stepmom or stepdad, you may enjoy browsing
the stepmom and stepdad t-shirts and gifts at Mother and Father Gifts.
Christmas is right around the corner, so if you’re looking for a special Christmas gift for your stepmom or stepdad, you just might find it at Mother and Father Gifts.
Mother and Father Gifts is a subsidiary of Union Eight
I’m mad…mad, I tell you. Totally mad about Mad Conductor Music T-shirts & Gifts. These great music and musician
t-shirts and gifts will have you foaming at the mouth to own one of their awesome musical instrument t-shirts, coffee mugs, buttons, refrigerator magnets, and several dozen more varieties of special gifts for the
special musician in your life. Check out the terrific designs Mad Conductor Music T-shirts & Gifts offers and I guarantee you, you’ll
just have to buy one of each. What better gift could you give a music lover for Christmas than his or her favorite instrument on a t-shirt?
Mad Conductor Music T-shirts & Gifts is a subsidiary of Union Eight
Faith and begorrah! We’re being invaded by the Irish!
According to statistics, the Irish are one of the most prosperous ethnic groups in the United States, significantly exceeding national averages on education levels, occupational status, income, and home ownership. In line with their steady upward social mobility during the 20th century, the American Irish moved out of the tight-knit urban communities of the Northeast and Midwest to settle in suburbs, towns, and cities across the United States. They also married increasingly outside their ethnic group, first with other Catholics and then with Americans generally. The result of these developments is a much less cohesive sense of communal identity than in the past. But Irish Americans retain a strong sense of ethnic pride, especially in the realms of politics and culture. To be Irish-American, after all, is to be part of a national success story.
When the Irish migrated to the United States, they brought with them their culture and their recipes, two of them still popular among Americans today….Irish stew and soda bread.
Irish Stew
8 small Lamb Chops, Thawed
Salt And Pepper
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
Parsley, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, Thyme, Rosemary
1 lb Potatoes, 3 To 4 Medium
2 cup Finely Shredded Cabbage
1 med Onion, Chopped
1 lg Leek White, Thin Sliced
12 small White Onions
1 1/2 cup Celery Stalks, Diced
1 1/2 cup Peas
Chopped Fresh Parsley
1. Season chops with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in saucepan wide enough to hold all chops in a single layer. Brown on both sides. Spoon off any melted fat and add enough water to cover chops.
3. Bring to a boil and add parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary enclosed in cheesecloth.
4. Lower heat and simmer.
5. Quarter the potatoes. Add potatoes, cabbage, onion, well-rinsed leek, white onions and celery to chops and liquid.
6. Simmer 20 minutes then add peas. Add a little more water if needed during cooking.
7. Simmer 10 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. Garnish with parsley and serve.
While you’re waiting for your Irish stew to “stew”, why not check out some awesome Irish t-shirts I found on the web at irish_shirts ?
Irish Soda Bread
3 cups Bread flour
1 cup graham flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 1/3 TBSP Salt
1 1/3 TBSP Butter
1 cup Raisins
3 TBSP Caraway seeds (or poppy seeds)
1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 1/2 cup Buttermilk
2 tsp Dry yeast, tablespoon sugar, 1 cup warm water
1. In a small bowl combine yeast sugar and warm water, and let yeast rise.
2. In large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar.
3. Cut in cold butter with pastry blender or two knives until fine. Stir in raisins.
4. In bowl beat eggs, stir in buttermilk and soda.
5. Make well in dry ingredients and add liquids & yeast mixture all at once, mixing lightly with fork until blended.
6. Turn dough on to floured surface and knead lightly for 5 minutes. Shape dough into ball and place on buttered baking sheet – cover & let rise one hour.
7. Flatten ball into 8 or 9-inch loaf.
8. Grease sharp knife with butter and cut 1/4-inch deep cross from edge to edge to mark into quarters. Brush top with melted butter and sprinkle with caraway seeds.
9. Bake in preheated 375F oven 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from baking sheet and cool to lukewarm.
Irish Breakfast
8 slices of Traditional Irish Bacon (Premium)
4 slices of Traditional Irish Sausages (Bangers)
4 slices of Traditional Black Breakfast Pudding
4 slices of Traditional White Breakfast Pudding
4 eggs
4 Medium size tomatoes
Freshly ground pepper
1. Over low heat, saute bacon, turning frequently until done to taste.
2. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Keep hot. Important note Irish bacon is not cooked crisp hard.
3. Place sausages in pan and cook until brown on all sides.
4. Cut the tomatoes in half and fry with slices of pudding in the bacon fat.
5. Remove and keep hot. All the above items can also be broiled instead of being fried.
6. Cook eggs to order.
irish_shirts is a subsidiary of Union Eight
I seem to be into music this week. I’ve found so many awesome music and musician’s t-shirts
on the web, I just had to share them with you. I found TeeShirtsTShirts Awesome Tee Shirts and Gifts
while I was surfing the web last night, and thought you might like to see a few of the awesome t-shirts TeeShirtsTShirts Awesome Tee Shirts and Gifts
has for you. These great t-shirts would make a wonderful Christmas gift for musicians and music lovers, if you’re already looking for great gifts for Christmas. Not only does TeeShirtsTShirts Awesome Tee Shirts and Gifts
offer a large selection of music t-shirts, you can also find great music stocking stuffer gifts for the music lover in your life.
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