What Were You Afraid Of?

I don't know what you were afraid of when you were little but I was afraid of wasps. And I know why I was afraid of wasps. 

When I was very little I stayed with my Nana and Papa King in a rental apartment just off of Alhambra Blvd. in Sacramento. It was over a restaurant and at night the owners would play the accordion and sing. Very fun. One day Nana was coming in the back door from off of the back porch like thing where she had hung some clothes and a wasp stung her on the arm. Yikes!! She had been stung about ten times she said. I took a look at those wasps and they were crazy funny looking things and I decided that they were from Hell, not that I knew what hell was at that age but they were very phobically frightening to me and I decided that one would never, never, ever touch me. 

A few years later I was the little girl that caught honey bees in my bare hands without a quiver. But wasps... say the word and I would freakkkkk Outtttttttt!!! In fact one day my little brother and I were coming home from somewhere. I was driving and just as I turned the corner from Fair Oaks Blvd. onto New York Avenue in Fair Oaks, CA Kenny said "there is a wasp on your leg." I screamed and let go of the steering wheel and jumped to the passenger side of the car. Well the car didn't know what to do on it's own so it hit a telephone pole but the good news is that I didn't get stung by that WASP!

One good thing about these creatures is that they eat the maggot larvae in cow and horse poop so the fly problem is taken care of if you live in the country. 

I got stung a couple of years ago about five times under my arm and it hurt like heck. By then I had grown up and out of my phobia and I handled it very calmly. I Googled "wasp sting remedy" and found a great cure. The article said to take the inside of a banana peel, the sticky part and put it on the sting. I did and wahlaaaa, the sting immediately went away. HONEST, it worked. So next time you or yours gets stung by a wasp from Hell get out the banana peel and band aid the wet side onto the sting and see for yourself. 

So, tell me what were you afraid of when you were little?

Love,
Grammy T. 

But For Today I Weep

Mistie

My heart cried all day 

yesterday. 

My eyes also cried 

at the funeral and last night 

when I was asked to say 

the family prayer. 

I put my hands over my face and said 

”Heavenly Father this has been such a sad day.” 

And I cried and cried.  

Finally Danny said 

”Do you want me to say it?” 

Yes, I nodded. 

After the prayer he told me all of the 

wonderful news of the Gospel, 

that Mistie was in a wonderful place 

and her family would be 

with her again.

"Families Can Be Together Forever"

 “I know, I know” 

The first time I hugged Mistie we seemed to know each other heart to heart. And so we hugged a very long time. I had cancer twice and I told her that. There is something about being a Cancer Sister that I can’t explain. I told her that my best friend Carol also had breast cancer that was in her lymph’s too and then later in her bones and liver but that she was able to live for 15 years when they had only given her a few months.

And I told her of a dear friend in California that had brain cancer and the doctors had suggested two months but that a year and a half or so later he is still here and had given a talk in church last month, and it was a miracle.

I told her she must have hope and never give up that she could have a miracle too. Russ told me last week that the cancer was in her spine and on each vertebrae and was causing the most excruciating pain.

After the funeral yesterday I realized that 

her life was the miracle. 

She was the age of my seventh baby 

and youngest daughter 

Jessie 

but she was very much 

like my sixth baby, 

Amy. 

 “Why Mistie?" 

There is a reason, 

I know there is. 

And I know my heart will grasp 

it one of these days but 

'For today I weep.' 

No-Knead Bread

Picture and recipe from
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/The-Science-Behind-Dutch-Oven-Bread.aspx

Watch the Video is here.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Easy-No-Knead-Bread-Video.aspx

I found this bread that
I know your 4 year old could make.

I am making some now to go
with dinner tomorrow. 

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

No-Knead Bread

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt

Flour, cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.  Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.

Let me know how you like it. :)

Love,
Grammy T.