Woodman, Spare That Tree!

 

Woodman, Spare That Tree!

Woodman, spare that tree! Touch not a single bough! In youth it sheltered me, And I'll protect it now. 'Twas my forefather's hand That placed it near his cot; There, woodman, let it stand, Thy ax shall harm it not. That old familiar tree, Whose glory and renown Are spread o'er land and sea— And wouldst thou hew it down? Woodman, forbear thy stroke! Cut not its earth-bound ties; Oh, spare that agèd oak Now towering to the skies! When but an idle boy, I sought its grateful shade; In all their gushing joy Here, too, my sisters played. My mother kissed me here; My father pressed my hand— Forgive this foolish tear, But let that old oak stand. My heart-strings round thee cling, Close as thy bark, old friend! Here shall the wild-bird sing ,And still thy branches bend. Old tree! the storm still brave! And, woodman, leave the spot; While I've a hand to save, Thy ax shall harm it not.

George Pope Morris.

Hollow Suppers

I think Mom had a million ways to use ground beef.  In the days when it was cheap, she could really stretch a food budget with it.  I thought you'd enjoy one of our favorites.
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Oriental Steaks
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1 pound ground beef
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
4 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon lemon juice
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Mix ground beef with salt, pepper, garlic, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, ginger, and lemon rind.  Shape into patties - one pound should make 4 patties about an inch thick.  Mix the rest of the soy sauce with the lemon juice. Brush part of the sauce mixture over the patties, reserving some for basting.  Broil, basting and turning patties half-way cooking (about 7-8 minutes each side) until well done.

Buying a House

Thanks for the article from Jermaine Haynes

Buying a house is more work than I thought it would be. I knew it would be harder than renting, but I didn’t think it would take up this much of my time. I guess part of the reason it has been so hard on me is because I couldn’t even find a house that was up to my standards. I can be picky and a perfectionist. I knew which neighborhood I wanted, but I couldn’t seem to find a house big enough for us. When we finally found one and closed on it, it was such a relief. Then we had to start dealing with moving in. For the most part we had nice furniture and we only needed to add some décor pieces. I went to www.direct.tv and got us connected with TV and internet, and my husband made any repairs that we needed. It took us a while, but we finally got everything done and are happy to finally be in our new home. I can’t wait to have our housewarming party so all of our friends can see it!

Now is the time…

Easter memories have been flooding back to me lately.  I remember hunting Easter eggs with my cousin when we were both hardly bigger than the baskets we carried.  And, coloring Easter eggs with my brother, the smell of vinegar hanging in the air.  MaMa always made a coconut cake that was so moist she used toothpicks to hold the layers together.  She also made this delicious potato salad that was more like mashed potatoes than the chunkier kind I make today.  That recipe is lost to time.  
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I’d like to step back in time and have us all together once again.  But, now is the time for new memories.  We can’t spend so much time looking back that we forget to enjoy today.  So cherish your memories of good times, but look at what you have in front of you right now.  Enjoy it.  Embrace it, because nothing lasts forever.
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Have a blessed day.

Easter in the Hollow

Can you believe it's almost Easter already?  Where has the time gone?  We've had such warm weather in the hollow that everything has bloomed early.  Still, it's hard to believe that we're ready to start coloring Easter Eggs again. I remember the year in the hollow that we couldn't find any Easter Eggs.  Mom got so frustrated and started searching all her hiding spots herself and couldn't find them either.  She finally realized our family dog, Candy, had followed behind her that morning and gobbled up the eggs.  The next year, Mom hid the eggs much higher!
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Do you remember Easter Baskets you received as a child?  I still love making them and including some homemade goodies.  When you can't be there in person though, www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com, is a perfect solution.  They have the traditional Easter Baskets along with a wonderful selection for the rest of the family.  I love the idea of the fruit basket for older relatives.  It's a great way to let them know how much you're thinking of them at this special time of year. 
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Brought to you by your friends at GourmetGiftBaskets.com.  Happy Easter!

Black Walnut Brittle

If you don't like black walnuts, you can substitute your favorite nut in this recipe.  Make an extra batch for a friend!

BLACK WALNUT BRITTLE

Put
½ cup sugar and
½ cup water in saucepan and boil quickly until syrup is a golden brown.

Remove from heat, add
⅔ cup chopped nut meats and turn into lightly greased pan.

Cool and pound until broken into very small pieces

Starting a pet specialty store

Content by Sol Rosales

I have a slight obsession with animals. I always have since I was a kid but now that I am an adult it has grown to a love of dogs more specifically. I decided a few years back after working for corporate America for twenty years that I needed to get out and do something different. It is draining working in the same office building for your whole career. I decided that a specialty dog boutique was the way to go for me. In my community people treat their dogs as if they were small children so I think no one will bat an eyelash at my gourmet organic dog treats that cost more than a Starbucks coffee. One thing that I knew I needed to get in place as soon as I got the store location was the internet connection. I knew I would need that to run all aspects of my business from credit transactions to social media and networking. I found t1.xo.com through a friend and had them come out right away to get started.