Commentary

If there was one area and set of issues upon which both political parties could make common cause and find agreement in this highly partisan time one would reasonably conclude it would be in matters of foreign affairs and national defense.

That is why, as I watch the Biden Administration, it strikes me that every American president, regardless of party, would seemingly recognize the great dangers to our country across the globe and the desire of ruthless nations to seize the opportunity and fill the vacuum when they sense American weakness, either because we are unaware or incapable of stopping their advances and aggression. In fact, that insight and experience was a major selling point of Joe Biden, as a presidential candidate.

That is also why I find troubling the actions taken by Russia, Iran, and China in the last year.

Memories and mile-markers.

They remind us of where we’ve been; but, we shouldn’t cling to them or let them determine where we’re going.

Yes, the past and present are two things we have in common. One (the past) helped define and refine us, i.e., helped make us into who we are. The other one (the present) is an opportunity to determine where we’re going—if we’ll let it.

In this day-and-age of “Cancel Culture”. . .where some are trying to remove any remnants of the past. . .or seeking to rewrite it by their own warped point-of-view. . .it’s important for us to remember the past and learn from it.

That’s why the tearing down of all of these statues is wrong.

They’re not idols people worship; they’re simply reminders of our past—albeit good or bad—so we’ll not forget where we’ve come from and can learn how to be (or not be), as the case may be.

I love experimenting with the old recipes I find that belonged to my ancestors. This one was found in a Duo-tang notebook that belonged to my Aunt Dot. It is a cross between bread and cake and is very delicate once it is baked. The flavor is ‘soft spoken’, so adding a dollop of whipped cream makes it even more delicious.

This recipe takes a little more time, so you may want to use it on those occasions you are able to plan ahead for coffee with a friend. This is also a great coffee cake to use for a Christmas Breakfast Buffet!

How to Make: 2 pkgs. Yeast 3 Tablespoons Sugar 1 cup Buttermilk (warmed to approximately 100 degrees)

1/4 cup Milk (warmed to approximately 100 degrees)

2 cups Flour In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm milk. Add the buttermilk, flour and sugar and mix until ingredients are blended. Let stand in a warm place about 20 minutes.

1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Butter, softened

4 Egg Yolks, well beaten

If you’re looking for a fun place to do a little Christmas shopping (or a lot!), Tyler, Texas is a good place to consider.

Of course, it’s about an hour and a half drive, but I would say it’s worth it.

Last Thursday, my mom, sister and I went to Mistletoe and Magic in Tyler, a three-day shopping event sponsored by the Junior League of Tyler and held at the beautiful Rose Garden Center.

There were more than 70 specialty boutiques and merchants from all over the country. Ticket proceeds raise financial support for nonprofits such as the East Texas Food Bank, the Literacy Council, and the Alzheimer’s Alliance.

After a merry time of shopping at Mistletoe and Magic (and complimentary fresh cinnamon rolls and coffee from Sola Bread Co. in Tyler), we headed out to the new shopping center in south Tyler called The Village at Cumberland Park.

You could happily stay at The Village for hours.

Making a Christmas Gift shopping list can be tough. But with a Christmas Gift shopping list, you can still get the gifts you know you will need.

When I was doing my own planning for this column, the Country Boy told me he could easily write it – so, I gave him the chance. Here is his version of this post:

“Christmas shopping? Easy! Make a list. Now, give it to your wife. Done!”

Well, I hate to spoil his fun, but making a Christmas Gift shopping list just isn’t that easy! But it can still be a simple task to do, and the perfect thing to explore while curled up in a chair and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate!

Step 1 – Making a

Shopping List

Before you can shop for anyone, you need to know who you are shopping for. Keep in mind, shopping for Christmas gifts may not be just for family members. You may enjoy doing small things for your neighbors, a friend, and if you have children in school, teachers.

Last Thursday, we all gathered at the family hunting camp in Grand Cane for Thanksgiving.

It was the first time we had done this, as we usually go to Mom and Dad’s house in Mansfield.

There were “the sixteen of us”, as we call ourselves: Mom, Dad, my family of five, and my sisters and their husbands and families. Cousins galore.

All was going well. The Bears vs Lions game was blaring. Several of us were in the kitchen preparing and laying out dishes. There was the usual chattering and laughing.

The dressing, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, yeast rolls, salad, and iced tea were all placed around the island in the kitchen.

Finally, someone said, “Well, where’s the turkey?”

Things suddenly got quiet.

People stood very still and got that deerin-the-headlight look in their eyes.

Stone-faced, Mama said, “I don’t have a turkey.”

“Quit teasing, Mama!” my sister Ashley said. “We know you’re joking.”

We all know that Thanksgiving is a time to express gratitude for the big stuff: family, friends, good health, food, job, and home.

But I also like to give thanks for those “little random things” that are easily overlooked.

This year, a few things come to mind, in no particular order:

The lifting of the mask mandate at LSU Baton Rouge. Now my college freshman son can finally live un-muzzled and free.

“Larry’s Chicken” at El Cabo Verde on Southern Loop in Shreveport. It is just perfection.

The YouTube channel “Eternal Call.”

Amazon. Need I say more?

4C Coffee in Grand Cane, and the upcoming Rhino Coffee on Southern Loop. (Hey, I’m just thankful for good coffee!) Our recent purchase of Blink home security cameras.

Our recent purchase of Blink home security cameras.

Reruns of The Golden Girls.

Cinnamon TicTacs being available after a decade of being discontinued.

Be Thankful For:

The family and friends that surround you.

The love and laughter you experience each and every day.

The ability to lend a helping hand – to those you know and those you don’t.

The soldiers and other military personnel that work day and night to protect your freedom.

The smiles you give and get that brighten even the gloomiest of days.

Each and every day you wake up – and be sure to make the absolute best of it, no matter what your circumstances are.

The old and young alike. The old can help you learn from history; the young can teach you new things.

The joy of life itself –and the ability to offer it as a gift to others.

The love of a Savior who teaches us what it truly means to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving –

From the Farm Wife, Country Boy and all the critters on our farm

My dear friend *Laraine who teaches middle school in the Cincinnati area has many eighth graders who are overly focused on “their preferred pronouns.”

In fact, the school’s administration admonishes the staff if they do not embrace the student’s choice pronoun usage to describe their “choice of sexual identity.”

One of Laraine’s female students has recently decided to “be a male.”

*Catherine has asked Laraine to call her *William, and has also asked for “male pronouns” to be used.

Laraine, a devout Christian, is compassionate and kind to “William,” but has decided that using male pronouns in this instance is not only inaccurate but also dishonest, hypocritical, and a rejection of biblical ideas.

“I do call this student ‘William,’” she told me, “because I will respectfully call each student by the name or nickname that they prefer. But, for me, using a male pronoun for a biological female is endorsing ideas that the Bible calls false.”

I wait all year for October.

While many are mourning the passing of summer, I look forward to bringing out the sherpa and sweatshirts.

I’m glad to trade lemonade and popsicles for hot chocolate and cider.

I look for to an excuse to cook a pot of chili or my grandma’s recipe for vegetable-beef soup.

I get excited when the air smells like fallen leaves and bonfires, when it gets dark early, when pumpkins are on sale everywhere, and when jackets are mandatory for comfort at Friday night football games.

I smile when I walk outside with my coffee in the early morning and see my breath in the crisp autumn air.

In October, there’s a certain “quiet” at night without the crickets and frogs.

We finally have moments without mosquitoes. I burn my pumpkin spice candle while baking pumpkin spice bread and

I burn my pumpkin spice candle while baking pumpkin spice bread and brewing pumpkin spice coffee.