Holiday decorations--flags

I have a flag pole on the northwest corner of my house and I like to fly flags of the season. I have a New Year one, a Valentine cupid, flowers for spring and that sort of thing. It is nice to let the neighborhood know what season it is. Of course someone has to put it up and take it down for me anymore. I love the big firecracker one I have. They will be taking down the Valentine one but I'm in no hurry because it is nice to let a little love last longer. Inside my house I still have Valentine's Day and am in no hurry for the hearts to be put away because it reminds me of all the people I love and who is in a hurry to lose that feeling at the moment I do not remember. My husband's family were Irish and Welsh but I was of German descent and don't know the holidays there. My mother was of English descent and I don't remember her celebrating anything special. She just liked American Holidays so I have an excuse that I don't know others.

Other holidays

I've tried to remember what other holidays we celebrated. I know on Arbor day I used my Christmas tree pan for a cake, Valentine's Day I had a heart shaped cake, Easter I did not do because my cousin Laura made a cake which my granddaughter, Grace, still does. I think it is a roll to make like a big egg. We had pumpkin pie and a cake for the five birthdays we have at Thanksgiving. One relative only wanted cherry pie and that was good. Christmas is pumpkin pies again. If it was your birthday you got to pick so it was a surprise. Sally makes a great Fourth of July cake. Then sometimes we bought the dessert and had an ice cream cake. Now I just use the frozen pies and they are good. Birthdays are generally celebrated in the person's home and they get to decide what they want. Holidays are fun.

Lincoln's birthday

In our household we celebrated every birthday with a special dessert. This being Lincoln's birthday we had a Lincoln's Log.
4 egg yolks
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla
4 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup cake flour
1/4 t salt
1 t baking powder
Beat egg yolks until thick and lemon colored, gradually add sugar and vanilla. Beat egg whites until stiff; gradually add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until stiff. Fold yolks into whites, then add sifted dry ingredients, folding it in carefully. Bake in wax paper lined 10 1/2 by 15 inch jelly roll pan at 375 degrees for 12 minutes. Loosen sides and turn onto wax paper. Trim crusts. Roll quickly with fresh wax paper. Wrap in XXX sugar towel, cool and unroll. Remove paper and spread with Richmond icing. Spread outside with frosting and sprinkle with almonds,
Richmond icing
1 cup sugar 3 T cornstarch
2 squares of chocolate 1 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
1 cup boiling water
3 T oleo
1 t vanilla
Mix sugar and cornstarch, add chocolate and salt, add water. Cook until mixture thickens. Remove from heat, add oleo and vanilla. Spread on cake while still hot. Remains smooth and soft

Valentine's Day

I have always loved Valentine's Day even when I got mean valentines. My husband loved the day and one year gave me 30 Valentine's. I have many decorations up around my house. I have a lovely Heart on my front door and a flag with Cupid flying. I have a cute clown doll on a shelf that I received at a dinner that Ray was the speaker. I have things hanging from the heater vents in the front room and I look forward to the mail each day to see if I might receive one. I have already received two and who knows someone may turn up with chocolates. On my linen closet I have a group of three hearts that tried to stay outdoors but kept blowing down. I have mailed some with leftover Christmas stamps to my grandchildren and two great. It was fun making them out and thinking about the people they were going to like my sister, Helen. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO ANY BRAVE SOUL HE READS THIS.

Vacation at Potato Lake

My father was a great believer of vacations and thought everyone should take a couple of weeks to do something different. Sometimes we traveled and saw America and sometimes we did what he really liked to do--fish. When my Dad fished we went to Minnesota to Potato Lake. It must have been named after they had airplanes as the map drawers had to show it was shaped like a potato. My dad would go out in his boat and fish. The fish he caught was stored in an ice house. When we were ready to go home the owners put the fish in a barrel with sawdust and ice and we took it home in the trunk of our car unless my dad had them ship the fish. We went back to Kansas and ate fish for awhile. It was good. One year my sister and her husband went with us. He was never very fond of me but liked my sister Helen. We played cards a lot and the owner of the camp had a son about my age and we had a great time. After my sister Ethel died, Harold asked Helen to marry him as she was a widow also but she refused for did not want to move to San Diego and he did not want to move back to Kansas and I don't think she wanted to anyway. We lived in a cabin while we were there and slept on cots. The days would be hot but the nights were cool. The mosquitoes were terrible as they were larger than Kansas ones and it hurt when they bit you.

Nancy Drew

I loved the Nancy Drew books. I had a few. I loaned them to my friend Martha and she liked them also. She told her rich grandfather and he immediately brought the whole set and a bookcase to store them in. She would loan them to you but she had rules. Wash your hands before reading. Don't eat when you read. Use a clean book mark. Be careful when you laid it down. Return it immediately upon finishing it. Don't loan it to anyone else. I think she let me allow my sister Helen to read them but I'm not sure. It was worth it and I loved it when Nancy Drew stories came on TV. It was nice after reading the Bobbsey Twins to have something with a story and mystery to it.

Driving lessons

When I was in High school my mother thought it was time for me to learn to drive. My first lesson was in one of the trucks that my dad used at work. As time went on I got better. I think it was July 15th in 1938. My second lesson I drove up to Washburn College, July 18th I drove to church and then I got to drive to Scranton, Kansas to visit my dad's mother. I got my license when I was 14. It had limits on it. My mother was a better teacher than I was as when I taught my husband to drive he drove us into the ditch on his first lesson. My mother taught many women to drive over the years. I don't think there was anyone to teach people in those days. It is too bad I had to end my driving career at 85 by driving into a building and breaking my knee. The building was not hurt and is still doing well.