Bear's Anecdote - Years ago, Bear's mother sent Jodie and Bear a box of recipes. Here is one from the box.
One time, my family was moving from Northboro, Massachusetts to La Crosse, Wisconsin. While my parents looked for a home, Aunt Vir watched over us kids. As I recall, we kids were not too cooperative, but Aunt Vir handled every situation remarkably well. When the time came for the move, Aunt Vir and I went to their home in Memphis, Tennesee. Aunt Vir then took me to see the sights. We saw the place where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was killed. We saw Graceland. We saw the Commercial Appeal, where Uncle Irv worked. We saw a brewery in which there was a replica of a stern-wheeled steam boat. And of course, we saw every junk shop in Memphis. (To this day, Bear is hooked on junk shops and this has been exteneded to e-bay, the ultimate junk shop!) We had a marvelous time. I seem to remember being ill one of the days I spent with them. (Sorry!)
Finally, it was time to return to my parents, now in La Crosse. Aunt Vir bought me a suitcase I still have (a treasured artifact!), and put me on the train all by myself. Bear has ALWAYS loved trains, and still does. So this was a treat beyond belief. It was about midnight when the train finally left Memphis. I was in coach, and slept sprawled across a couple seats. Sometime around 1 or 2am, someone woke me. "Is this seat taken?" I just growled and went back to sleep. (Never bother a sleeping bear!) The next morning, I sat in coach and watched the world go by. The coach was mostly empty, so the man waking me in the middle of the night was just being mean. I arrived in Chicago and changed trains there, taking "The EMpire Builder" to La Crosse. I sat in the very front seat of the Budd Domeliner! I remember not wanting to get out of that seat, because someone else was sure to take it, and I loved that seat! In Milwaukee, we were delayed quite some time by a freight train derailment. Now, on those old passenger cars, when the train stopped, the airconditioning stopped. So, that dome car was quite warm before we got started again. Fortunately, there was a little hatch I was able to open in the center front of the dome. I got some air anyway. It didn't matter if I suffered, I still had the best seat on the train! I arrived quite late in La Crosse, because of the derailment. Even so, it was a genuine adventure, even for someone about to enter high school. And I have my Aunt Vir to thank for it!
This is one of her recipes!