After an awesome several days visiting in Devine, it was time to get back into the swing of life as lived in the country. The first Monday of the month is always a busy one and it was no exception this month. The first thing I did was go out to the hospital and try to sell some more tickets on the beautiful quilt our Auxiliary is having a drawing for. The excitement was before and during the time I was there. A friend and I were visiting outside the parish office and a lady fell as she slightly turned to speak to us. Luckily she fell on the grass and a young man who was with us helped her up. She was not injured, thank heavens. The second excitement came when someone walking with a cane lost his balance and fell at the hospital. It took less than a couple of minutes before there were numerous people there to help him, and, luckily, he wasn’t hurt either! The rest of the day was pretty quiet after that! First Tuesday, as usual was a day of meeting, getting my booster shot, (which I didn’t know was going to happen, as they were given originally while I was still in Devine), and working in the gift shop that afternoon. It was almost boring after Monday! The rest of the week was pretty quiet, all things considered. We had a thunderstorm and a couple inches of rain on Wednesday and that was really great, as it was getting pretty dry, and a meeting that night. Also on Wednesday and Thursday, we had the funerals for two long time citizens of Yoakum.
Thursday evening my furnace was working fine, and then it quit. This wouldn’t be too bad, but I just paid a lot to have it fixed, the man was back out this morning and will be back later with whatever it is he needs to get it going again. My thought is, I survived 15º to 18º weather outside, with my thermostat turned to 69º, (due to a shortage of propane in my tank, and they couldn’t get here to bring me any), I can handle outside 56º and inside 66º with no problem. Now, I just have to wait and see what other exciting things will happen over the weekend! It’s never boring around here, I can definitely tell you that!
Thursday is Veteran’s Day. Veteran’s Day is the day we honor the veterans of all the wars. It is a day not only honoring those who lost their lives, but also honoring the living veterans.
Veteran’s Day had its beginnings at the end of World War I. This was known as the war to end all wars. It officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the German officials signed the Armistice, which was a temporary suspension of hostilities by the agreement of Germany and the Allies. In actual fact, the war officially ended on June 28, 1919 with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. It has been known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world.
According to Wikipedia the commemoration of Armistice Day was recognized in the United States by a proclamation from President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, with the words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
An Act approved May 13, 1938, made November 11th of each year a legal holiday. This was a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be celebrated and known as “Armistice Day”. It was primarily set aside to honor veterans of World War I, however, in 1954, after World War II, and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans”. Then President Eisenhower signed this on June 1, 1954.
Veteran’s Day almost fell prey to a change of date, being moved to the fourth Monday of October by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. This is the law that moved Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day and Columbus Day. Due to protests by veterans groups, it was moved back to November 11th in 1978. It is a federal and state holiday in most states. Don’t forget to fly your flag proudly on November 11th!
Here’s a delicious recipe to begin getting things together for your Thanksgiving feast! It is very good, even though it is a little labor intensive. My daughter had a friend whose husband did some baking for his wife’s’ fellow workers and she would have one of these made for us every year!
Pumpkin Roll
Cake:
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¾ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup walnuts (optional)
Filling:
6-ounces cream cheese at room temperature (2 packages 3-oz each, or cut 6-oz from an 8-oz block)
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons butter softened.
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Blend cake ingredients (except walnuts) together until creamy, about 5 to 7 minutes. Grease and flour an 11” X 15” X 1” jelly roll pan (cookie sheet with sides). Pour batter into pan and top with the walnuts, if used. Bake in preheated oven for 18 minutes. While still warm, place a kitchen towel* (not terry towel) over pan and invert. If you used the walnuts, invert again so the nuts are on top. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar and roll up starting at a narrow side. Allow to cool completely and then unroll and fill with the following filling: beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth, gradually add the powdered sugar and vanilla and spread on the cooled cake. Roll back up and place in the freezer until firm. Remove from freezer and cut into slices. Store in refrigerator. *If you don’t have any kitchen towels that are not terry type, use a 20-inch to 24-inch square from an old sheet.