Sitting on the Fence

 My sister and I were emailing about the movie "Gone with the Wind". We're both Missouri-born, a "Southern" state with Union sympathizers. Her last comment to me: "Well you might have problems deciding which side you supported. You had great grand fathers on each side and they both got to Arkansas and their kids married each other."

Peer Knitters

      Don't ask me to explain, but a cherished memory was the time I stood with a group at the National Hotel in Havana, Cuba. Jane was having trouble fitting her knitting into her luggage because she had finished the scarf, but it was still on the needles because she had forgotten how to bind off. While we waited for a bus to the airport I watched a woman named Selkirk from Winnipeg, Canada, take Jane's knitting in her hands and finish the bind off. You never know where you will find a peer knitter.

NOTHING FISHY HERE

    Still trying to downsize, I've been making tea from a tiny little tin that holds what looks like powdered tea leaves. Have no idea how old the stuff is, but it still makes something that looks like tea. Anyway, it's a colored liquid to which I add stevia and cream. Not wanting to drink the leaves, I've been using a strainer which doesn't look like a regular kitchen strainer. I finally remembered where I had seen the strainer before. Back when my parents had a bait business my mother used the device to scoop minnows out of the minnow tank. What the heck? That was so long ago any fishy odor is gone, and it does the job of straining out tea leaves.

LEGACY IN PRINT

    I finally got to Associated Radio, a radio equipment store in Overland Park. I gave the owner, Dan Harlow, KF0RS, a copy of the landmarks issue of 105MeadowlarkReader https://www.105meadowlarkreader.com/ . Jim Andera happened to be there, (buying a new transceiver) and before I gave Dan the book, I opened the book to page 125 (I think that's the page) and asked Dan if he recognized the individual in the picture, which was Jim Andera holding an egg crate in the kitchen of the Ensor house. Ensor Park and Museum is closed to the public until May, but I think the essay in 105 is helping us convince the Olathe city council of the historical importance of the Ensor legacy.

I WON $25 !!!

 I won $25 from the Sarcoxie (MO) Record Holiday CookBook. Every year I enter a recipe, some years I enter several recipes, in the Sarcoxie (MO) Record Holiday CookBook competition. This is the first year I have ever won anything. What was my recipe? It was Easy Baked Apple. Briefly told, cut apple in chunks and put in large mug with butter, vanilla, spices, sweetener of choice and water. Put mug in microwave and cook until apple is tender. Cool with milk, or ice cream, if you are really in a hurry. So what category did I win? Snacks? Dessert? Overall Best? No, I won the "just because" where all the contributors names are put in a mixing bowl and one name is drawn. Ah, well, it's time to start working on the recipes I will submit next year.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING LIST

 A great Christmas gift for friends, neighbors, even relatives (yes, spouses) who don't know beans about amateur radio is Issue #6 of 105 Meadowlark Reader. The 'landmarks' issue includes "Hams and Eggs", the story of radio pioneers Marshall Ensor and Loretta Ensor and their farm south of Olathe. If amateur radio hams are to provide critical emergency communications "WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS", the public needs to know what ham radio is all about. 105Meadowlark Reader available at Kansas book stores and meadowlarkbookstore.com

TAKE THE ELEVATOR

         Are you hungry? I advise you to try the Elevator. In Valley Falls, in the northern part of Jefferson County. The Elevator Bar and Grill is on the eastern side of Valley Falls. When a large group needed another table added several of the customers walked an empty table around a couple of occupied tables. The waitresses never slowed down, every step was almost a trot. One of the two pool tables at the end of the room was occupied when we entered. If you aren't into pool, there are several television screens with different shows. The menu is not long, but every bite we had was delicious. Besides Smash Burgers, there is a daily special. The elevator is open 11 am to midnight. https://www.theelevatorbarandgrill.com .  Worth the drive.