Columns

History has been made by the citizens of yesteryear. It is the feeling of this writer that these people should be remembered and appreciated. The main character of this article is such a person and his name is Henry Adams who claimed DeSoto Parish as his home although he was born in Newton, Georgia of slave parents. They were sold to a DeSoto planter in 1850 when Henry was seven years old. As slaves were sold they usually took on the name of the new owners just as women usually take on the last name of the man they are marrying.

Henry grew to manhood on this plantation and was treated well by the owners. His aptitude for learning was evident and he was taught to read and write. In addition, he learned how to get along with both whites and blacks. He married a young lady named Malinda and they had four children — Lucy, Rena, Josephine and Henry, Jr. They acquired property, horses, a fine buggy and some money. It was evident that Henry had ambition as well as ability.

A Brussels Sprout Affront

We all know people who just hate mushrooms (they taste musty) or onions (too strong) or pickles (they’re vinegary) and a LOT of people really can’t stand Brussels Sprouts. Those little unassuming baby cabbage looking vegetables that our Mothers always told us we had to “at least try”. Someone posted on Facebook a pretty good looking picture of some covered in cheese sauce and asked, “Does anyone actually EAT these?”

My answer is YES! I do and have a real good sounding recipe for them. Wait, wait I know you’re getting ready skip to another portion of the paper but hear me out. The Title of the recipe is actually the four ingredients that go into it “Olive Oil toasted Brussels Sprouts with Alfredo Gruyere’ Sauce” so I don’t have to bother you with the actual recipe. I thought that they sounded good paired up with a Shrimp Scampi or Broiled Snapper main so I thawed out a handful of Sprouts in preparation for the Friday night dinner.

Thanksgiving. What began as a celebration of a large harvest with the Pilgrams, slowly evolved into a national holiday which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November. And as most things do, it becomes so familiar, we often forget the true meaning of what it stands for. Giving thanks.

As with the holiday, our lives have evolved from a slower pace, where we had time to sit on the front porch and visit with our neighbors and spend more time with friends and family, to fast-paced, driven lives that don’t allow us much time to even think, much less take the time to be grateful.

With the Thanksgiving holiday headed our way, our minds and hearts are filled with gratitude for so many things. But did you know Thanksgiving wasn’t always in November? Prior to President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation that the holiday become an annual event in November, Thanksgiving Day varied by state and were sometimes held earlier in the year. We can also thank Sarah Josepha Hale, the same woman who wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb for campaigning for 17 years to even make Thanksgiving a national holiday.

Here are a few other things you may not have known about Thanksgiving: TV Dinners Were Invented Because of Thanksgiving — In 1953, Swanson overestimated the demand for turkey and had 260 tons of extra frozen birds. To avoid wasting them, the company sliced the turkey and packaged it with sides, giving birth to the TV dinner!

“Chee-Bugah” Casserole

To paraphrase Saturday Night Live’s late John Belushi in his ‘Greek Diner’ skit: Customer orders two cheeseburgers and a coke and Belushi’s greasy aproned diner owner turns and shouts, “Chee-Bugah, Chee-Bugar — No Coke just Pepsi!” Those of you who remember that old skit know what a hilarious classic it was. John had a similar skit called ‘Samurai Tailor’ that was pretty funny, too.

What brought all this to mind was the ‘Cheeseburger Casserole’ by Nicole Mc-Laughlin on the “My Recipes” site that I wanted to share with you. I’ll be cooking it this weekend after the game and it looks to be another one of those great mouthwatering casseroles that the whole family will love (Charlotte Miller take note!).

It is the belief of this writer that you “History Buffs” who read this article weekly like a variety of historical subjects. Local historical subjects are primarily discussed here but there are other things that lure me in to deeper research — Such as today’s topic Air Force One.

Read ing history, possibly about your foreparents, you will encounter words that are no longer commonly used. The following words will clarify some of those “Bygone Words” that were often used many years ago but are not in common use today:

1 — Bootblack — polished shoes and often made minor repairs to shoes.

2 — Circuit Rider — a minister that traveled a monthly circuit preaching. This writer’s grandfather was a Methodist Minister that had four churches that he served. Two of these churches were relatively close and on the months that had five Sundays they would meet together and have singing and dinner on the grounds.

3 — Cooper — a person who made and repaired barrels out of white oak strips

4 — Cobbler — repaired old shoe heels and soles.

5 — Drummer — a traveling salesman mainly calling on small towns and cities. He usually specialized in certain things like clothes or harnesses for horses.

I felt a deep sense of relief and gratitude on Wednesday that the election was over; and equally relieved that President Trump’s victory was decisive enough that the country won’t be put through endless election challenges and legal disputes. My great gratitude is due to the fact that I believe our country will be placed on a much sturdier, safer, and prosperous path going forward.

While many prominent pollsters were wrong about which candidate would win the election many polls prior to the election were accurate regarding the issues Americans were most concerned about: the invasion of illegals on our southern border as well as the economic/ inflationary suffering created by a decline in real wages coupled with the high cost of daily goods like eggs, bacon, milk, gas and the impossibility of purchasing a home due to high interest rates.

The most recent issue of the V.F.W. Magazine had an excellent detailed account of W.W. I the last W.W.I veteran was Frank Buckles who died in 2011. It is the thought of this writer, a W.W. II veteran of the European War Theater that, while some W.W. II veterans are still alive, would enjoy reading an article concerning W.W. II in Europe. Not knowing as much about the Pacific part of the war that will be left to someone else to discuss.

In spite of the attacks on American shipping by German submarines, it was not Germany that plunged us into W.W. II, but Japan. Our relations with Japan had become strained since they invaded China in 1937 with full intent of conquering all of the Pacific. In 1941 Japan became a partner with Italy and Germany as a member of the Axis Nations.

As you read this, it’s a matter of hours before voting in the presidential election is over. That’s not to say that a final verdict will be determined. As we saw four years ago, if the election is close as every analysis indicates that it will be, it may be weeks before the actual victor knows the final results. Remember the 2020 election where Vice President Al Gore thought he had won, but the Supreme Court determined otherwise? So let me pass along some pre-election commentary from a guy who oversaw the election process in Louisiana for eight years back in the 1980s.