Annie Get Your Gun

I'm not sure if it's a kid thing or I was just an odd child (perhaps both?), but I used to take the same books out of my elementary school library over and over and over again.  Granted I had a few dozen in the rotation, but for whatever reason stacks of gem and rock books, Native American and Ancient History books, and biographies always made it home with me...even if I'd read them and studied the illustrations countless times before.  Annie Oakley's dusty rose-covered life story was one of these favorites.  The black and white sketches would come to life for me as I envisioned her little 5-foot frame wielding a cumbersome firearm with deadly accuracy.  Gosh, was she cool!  In my neck of the northern woods I didn't know anybody but the police who owned a gun and I was in high school before I had an acquaintance who had been hunting.  Now that I'm living in the rural south I'm almost embarrassed to admit it!  These days I'm not exactly a pistol packin' mama, but I see the merit in getting cozy with some gun powder and lead.

Thankful: To "B" or Not To Be

There are two sides to every coin.  Good day, bad day.  Good season, bad season.  Good year, bad year.  I've found that life usually falls somewhere in between with a strong leaning to the good if we're willing to see it that way.  But we always have a choice...

The Skinny on Fat

Growing up we had a large pantry in the kitchen.  It wasn't a walk-in, but it was very deep and had lots of cubbies and shelves. The main level was knee high and when the shelves on it were rolled to one side I had the perfect nook in which to sit, hide, or snack -- and sometimes all of the above.  I remember one such occasion when I spied a large cylindrical tub with a blue label and a delicious-looking piece of yellow cake with white frosting on the front.  In childish wonder I pried open the plastic top to reveal the treasure within.  Frosting!  In plunged my pointer finger and out it curled with a delectable glob that headed toward my tongue without hesitation.  DISGUSTING!  Many of you probably realized a few sentences ago that this treasure chest would not contain frosting and was in fact a tub of vegetable shortening.  I repeat...Disgusting! This is my first memory involving the wonderful world of fats.  Jump to last Thursday morning in which I began the process of rendering lard -- yup, the forbidden fat of yesteryear.  I've got a simple step-by-step photo-filled guide posted below.  But first, I'd like to take a walk down a rather fatty memory lane to explore both how fats have fallen out of favor with the masses and why the right kinds of fats are actually a life-giving nutritional necessity.