This is not a good day for cats. They don’t like wind and they don’t like cold. My outside cats are always anxious to come out of the garage in the mornings but on days like today, they get a blast of the cold wind and they make a U-turn at the door.

We had Jennifer home for a visit since I last wrote. We really enjoyed the time spent together as it doesn’t happen too often. George came part of the week of Thanksgiving and Becky did the honors with food. Watching the Cooking Shows is giving her the “skinny” on how to make ordinary food taste wonderful.

Raising 3-kids in the 50’s and 60’s gave me all I needed to know when it came to food. I could take a pound of hamburger and stretch it a week. Comfort food has always been potatoes, meat, home-made bread, some veggies and for a bonus there was always pie, cake, cookies or cobblers. I grew up under a mother who loved cooking but mostly baking. Mom could turn goodies out of the oven into a great ending for a good meal.

Life was so different in the late 30’s and early 40’s. Going to the store meant a walk of about 8-blocks. Mom traded at the Safeway store and Hinky-Dinky’s. She would read the ads and make a list……then we walked together with me pulling a little two wheeled wagon. Dad had built it from “scratch” and had the wheels centered so it would easily pull with two brown paper sacks of groceries. At the time it was useful and I was proud to pull Dad’s masterpiece.

When I think of driving 20-miles to Walmart, the parking lot filled with vehicles and the huge baskets to load groceries into, it’s a reminder that those good old days are now…..just good old days. When Mom would go to buy her meat, the butcher always greeted her with, “Hello, Mrs. Andersen, what would you like today?”

She would read off her list while he would continue, “Would you like some liver today? Or maybe some kidneys, I have good soup-bones today.” His offerings were free. He never charged for the less desirable cuts……brains and the like. Sometimes Mom would take some and then other times not. But regardless of her choices he would always break off a wiener for me from a string of them looped around a meat hook.

A real butcher at your beck and call…..free meat, cut to order on the old butcher block and a big thank-you for your order. I sure miss the personable side of going to the grocery store……..

Essentially Esther