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I n Mansfield? Where?? Well, last week I was coming back out to the driveway to finish bringing in the groceries from my car when I spotted a thin chalky white stalk sticking about a foot up out of the ivy. Curious, but thinking it was a large stick that had fallen out of the big beechnut tree in my front yard I moved over to check it out. AND, … it slowly rotated its head watching me as I passed up and to the side of it. As I got closer, I could see eyes and a flickering tongue! This was no fallen stick impaled in the ground but an upright snake’s neck. Since the ivy there is a foot tall and the neck was a foot over that I knew this had to be a pretty long snake. How long you ask? Very long! How many feet you may ask?? Well, Heck – it was a snake (Ha!) so it didn’t have any. I do know that it covered most of my driveway when is slithered away.

Well, are y’all HOT yet? It’s way, way to early for this heat and not even summer yet. But we can’t be satisfied LOL...I didn’t like the DEEP freeze for a week we had last winter either. What oh what is one to do?????

Oh well, despite our wonderful (NOT) weather, the show must go on here at MNC. We are always on the go!! During our Monday Bingo we had a wonderful surprise. Mrs Julia Dickerson, a previous Activity Director several years ago, came and helped out during bingo We love her, she is such a delight to be around and a wonderful helper.

There are some historical events that I believe every American should remember. Please forgive me if you think differently but my mind will probably not change. The war in Europe was over but Japan’s Emperor Hirohito had called on his people to fight to the last person living. They stood behind him solidly.

D o n ’ t Forget To Take Care of Your Men

My husband has been asked to lead the men’s ministry at our church. I am very excited for him because he has been part of some most excellent ministries in other churches. Now he has an opportunity to grow and develop his own ministry. He immediately called his mentor and shared his exciting news. He also asked for suggestions and ideas. His mentor offered to help in any way possible and they began to brainstorm.

I love that my husband has a mentor, especially since his father has passed away and he doesn’t really have another man to connect with. He has several friends, and I am grateful for that as well, but friends fill a different role than mentors.

Kitchen Knives

Knives are one of the most used items in the kitchen. And every knife has a purpose. There are small knives used in formal place settings to spread butter, paring knives to peel an apple, all the way up to cleavers and butcher knives. But do you know what each type is, and what it is used for? Maybe this list can help:

Paring - Usually 3” to 4” in length. Use this knife for small jobs, such as peeling fruit, hulling strawberries or other thing a chef ’s knife is too large to do.

8” to 10” Chef (also called a ‘clip point’, cook or kitchen knife) - This is the one knife you will use the most for prep work. It is used for chopping fruits, vegetables, herbs, and meats. The length and width may be unwieldy at first if you have never used one. But because of the size, it is relatively safe to use. Do not use this knife to peel hard rind vegetables, such as winter squash, as a carving knife, or to debone or cut up chicken.

I think we all have had some of the popular old school dish at one time or another while growing up. Some of us really liked it and still keep a box in the pantry at all time - AND you can include me in that latter group. The other day a big steaming helping of Rice-A-Roni sounded real good but I couldn’t decide what to have with it. I decided to chop up a leftover hamburger patty and add to the mix and felt pretty clever about this inspiration. However, when I read the box directions they suggested several things to add such as my hamburger, corn (probably not), shredded cheese (Hmmm, don’t think so), ground turkey (nope) or topped with salsa (What?!). Who would have thought? We always just had it as a side dish. Don’t even start with hash brown potatoes because it’s called RICE-A-Roni not HASH-A-Roni although that does sound kinda good.

It is not a practice of this writer to insert himself into an article, however, this is not exactly a regular article. In 1932 my father bought about 100 cows from several people west of Carroll’s Sawmill near Keachi. Being an 8-year-old boy who thought his help was needed with the cattle drive, it became necessary for him to ride a mule with a burlap sack for a saddle. If you ever experienced a 30 mile cattle drive on a mule you can imagine why this was a memorable trip!

Now to the reason for this article – this was my first meeting with 18-year-old Frank Carroll. Friendship was not renewed with Frank for approximately ten years. Sometime later he related the following story concerning the history of Carroll’s Sawmill.

Five Ways To Help Our Hurting Adult Children

My friend’s son just retired from the military-he had hoped to be promoted one more level, but had been turned down twice. He knew it was time to leave. Jim has a wife and several beautiful kids. He has a lot of people counting on him financially.

Make It Your Own

Some of you may remember me talking about my favorite basic recipes that have resisted changes or additions. It seems no matter what I did to “Bonnie McCullough’s Chicken Enchiladas” or my own Mom’s “Hamburger Hash” the basic recipe always seemed better. However, in today’s NYT Cooking Section Editor Sam Sifton asked the rhetorical question, “How Do You Make A Recipe Your Own?”

Sam’s article was about his attempts to make Tajin Chicken (What?!) Yeah, … I know – but his point was that every time you make the dish and change one little thing like a dash of cayenne, or some chives you are making the recipe your own. I thought Tajin Chicken would be from India but turns out to be a chili-lime seasoning powder from Jalisco, Mexico and, now, I’m gonna have to find some to try!

Mary Lilline Ricks was just 16 years old when she graduated from Mansfield high School and enrolled as a Junior in Mansfield Female College (MFC). She was thrilled to be a student at the first female college built west of the Mississippi River and it was in her own home town of Mansfield, La. Her parents were pleased, too, that she wanted to attend MFC because they really couldn’t afford for her to attend a college in another town. “I was too young to leave them,” she said as she began her sentimental journey back to the days of her youth. “And, anyway, they couldn’t afford to send me anywhere else.”