THANKSGIVING NIGHT
T'was the night of Thanksgiving
But I just couldn't sleep.
I tried counting backwards.
I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - the dark meat and white,
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.
Tossing and turning with anticipation,
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door,
And gazed in the fridge, full of goodies galore,
I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
Until all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.
I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky,
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But I managed to yell as I soured past the trees,
"Happy eating to all, pass the cranberries, please.
May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes and gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off your thighs."
Anonymous.
I ATE TOO MUCH
"I ate too much turkey,
I ate too much corn,
I ate too much pudding and pie,
I'm stuffed up with muffins
and much too much stuffin',
I'm probably going to die.
I piled up my plate
and I ate and I ate,
but I wish I had known when to stop,
for I'm so crammed with yams,
sauces, gravies, and jams
that my buttons are starting to pop.
I'm full of tomatoes
and french fried potatoes,
my stomach is swollen and sore,
but there's still some dessert,
so I guess it won't hurt
if I eat just a little bit more."
JackPrelustsky.com
Skillet cranberries
(serves 4 to 6)
"Colonial cooks made this delight in a skillet with legs (about eight inches tall). It was cooked directly over hot coals. The electric (or gas) stove isn't nearly so romantic as an 18th century working fireplace, but much more efficient."
Ingredients
1 pound fresh cranberries
2 cups brown or white sugar
21/4 cup rum
Directions
Dump the fresh cranberies in to your indispensable black iron skillet (or oven proof dish).
Sprinkle the cranberries with sugar, cover the skillet, and place in a 250 degree oven.
After one hour remove the lid (use foil if you don't have a lid) and pour in the rum.
Continue cooking until the rum evaporates.
And please do not stir unless you have to absolutely have to. Stirring breaks up the cranberries, serves 4 to 6.
Submitted by Sonja Welch, aka The Community Chef, publishes her recipes in the The Community Bank quarterly newsletter "KITE TALES".
A picture once was shown,
In which one man, alone,
Upon the ground had thrown
A lion fully grown.
Much gloried at the sight the rabble.
A lion thus rebuked their babble:—
That you have got the victory there,
There is no contradiction.
But, gentles, possibly you are
The dupes of easy fiction:
Had we the art of making pictures,
Perhaps our champion had beat yours!"
Until the lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunter.
African Proverb
I came across this story on a storytelling listserv.
The story was posted by Wayfayer Tomm.
I think this story has a message for all of us.
The Forever Trap
Sometimes are like other times and other times are like no time at all.
One morning that was like no other morning except maybe this morning.
Owl was returning from a long night, of exploring and studying and thinking and other types of work, that owls do in the quiet of the night.
As Owl was returning home he saw a Hunter sneaking through the low morning mist and the tall grass at the base of the big banyan tree.
Owl watched as the Hunter tied a shinny glass bottle.
To the root that stuck out from the base of the big banyan tree.
And Owl thought that that was more than just a little strange.
I mean, what the heck, the shinny glass bottle wasn't going to run away or
anything.
As soon as the Hunter finished tying up the shinny glass bottle he reached his hand into his pocket and he took some things out.
He put them into the bottle then the Hunter crept carefully and quietly off into the low mist and tall grass.
After the Hunter had left everything became really quiet.
Nothing happened for a long time while Owl's eyes closed and he took a well-earned nap.
Owl was almost dreaming when suddenly he heard a clittering and a clattering, a chittering and a chattering from the base of the big banyan tree.
"Oh me, oh my, oh me, oh my, oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I'm trapped, this bottle has me trapped and I'll be trapped forever!"
"Eeeeee! I'll never get loose, I'll never get loose! I want to get loose and I want to get loose right now!!
"Oh me oh my", on and on went the chittering and the chattering, on and on when the clittering and the clattering as owl looked down to the base of the big banyan tree.
He saw Monkey just a pulling and a tugging and a jumping up and a jumping down, a running back and a running forth with his hand stuck inside the shinny glass bottle that was tied to the root that stuck out from the bottom of the big banyan tree.
Owl quickly flew down to get a closer look at the situation and as he looked through the clear sides of the shiny glass bottle, he could see right away what was causing Monkey to have his hand stuck in the shiny glass bottle.
Inside the bottle were many nuts which were Monkey's favorite food.
Monkey had his hands wrapped around three or four of the nuts which was why Monkey could not pull his hand back through the small opening at the top of the shiny glass bottle.
"You have your hand filled with nuts," said Owl to Monkey.
And Monkey said back " I found them, I found them, they're my nuts, they're my nuts and I want to eat them right now!"
"You have your hand stuck in the bottle," said Owl, again, to Monkey.
Monkey said back, " Oh me, oh my, oh me, oh my, oh my goodness this bottle has me trapped! I'm trapped and I'll be trapped forever!"
"EeeK I want to get loose and I'll never get loose I want to get loose and I want to get loose right now!
"Well, let loose of the nuts and you can take your hand out of the bottle." said Owl to Monkey.
And Monkey said back "They're my nuts, they're my nuts! I found them, they're mine and I want them right now!"
Owl told Monkey " If you drop the nuts they will still be in the shiny glass bottle
and you will be able to get your hand out of the bottle and you can decide what to do next while the nuts are still safe in the bottle which you will still be
holding."
Monkey looked around to be sure there was no one else near him and Monkey open his hand and he dropped the nuts and slowly withdrew his hand from the bottle.
When his hand was out of the bottle Monkey started to jump up and down
Shouting joyfully, "I'm free! I'm free! Thank you Owl! Oh thank you Owl! I
don't know how to thank you enough."
And with those words Monkey went running up the big banyan tree until he got
to the end of the rope. Which was tied to the shiny glass bottle, which was tied to the root that stuck out of the base of the big banyan tree.
Well, the rope snapped tight and it pulled Monkey off of balance and he fell to the ground with a big thump and a bounce and a little bump.
And monkey started yelling at Owl. "You tricked me, you tricked me! They're my nuts, they're my nuts, I want them and I want them right now!"
Owl waited until Monkey calmed down and then told him, "If you turn the
bottle upside down, all those nuts will fall out and you will be able to eat them."
So Monkey slowly turned the shiny glass bottle upside down.
Out of that bottle flowed more nuts than any one monkey could eat at any one sitting.
Monkey was so happy that he started to jump up and down shouting joyfully, "My nuts, my nuts! Oh thank you Owl, thank you! I don't know how to thank you enough!
"Well", said Owl "Those nuts look awfully good. There are more than you can eat. Maybe you will share a few of those nuts with me."
Monkey shouted "They're my nuts, they're my nuts! I found them, they're mine and I want them and I want all of them!"
And he tried to pick up all the nuts at one time and to run off with them but there were more nuts then any one monkey could carry.
The more nuts that Monkey tried to pick up the more nuts that he dropped until out of complete frustration Monkey stopped and asked "What am I going to do? What am I going to do? Oh Owl, what am I going to do?"
Well Owl cocked his head to one side and he looked at Monkey.
Then Owl cocked his head to the other side and he looked at Monkey some more.
Then Owl said " Monkey if you put all the nuts back in the bottle there will
not be any left on the ground."
Monkey grabbed at the nuts and quickly put them all back in the bottle
Then Owl said "Those nuts look good enough to eat."
Monkey said "And I want to eat them right now!"
Monkey reached his hand into the bottle and rapped his greedy little fingers around three or four nuts, when he found that he couldn't pull his hand out of the bottle.
He said "Oh me, Oh my, oh me, oh my, oh my goodness, oh my goodness I'm
trapped! This bottle has me trapped and I'll be trapped forever! I'll never get loose, I want to get loose and I want to get loose right now!"
Owl just looked at Monkey and Owl said "Monkey, that bottle is not what will
keep you trapped forever."
Then Owl unfolded his wings and flew off to his home where he got good days
sleep.
A wonderful message for all of us!!
(blog music can be turned off at the bottom of the page)
A Classic and too too funny!!
(go to bottom of blog to cut off music)
The Origin of the Rainbow
A Native American Legend - Nation Unknown
Once upon a time the colors of the world started to quarrel: all claimed that they were the best, the most important, the most useful, the favorite.
GREEN said: "Clearly I am the most important. I am the sign of life and of hope. I was chosen for grass, trees, leaves - without me, all animals would die. Look over the countryside and you will see that I am in the majority."
BLUE interrupted: "You only think about the earth, but consider the sky and the sea. It is the water that is the basis of life and drawn up by the clouds from the deep sea. The sky gives space and peace and serenity. Without my peace, you would all be nothing."
YELLOW chuckled: "You are all so serious. I bring laughter, gaiety, and warmth into the world. The sun is yellow, the moon is yellow, the stars are yellow. Every time you look at a sunflower, the whole world starts to smile. Without me there would be no fun."
ORANGE started next to blow her trumpet: "I am the color of health and strength. I may be scarce, but I am precious for I serve the needs of human life. I carry the most important vitamins. Think of carrots, pumpkins, oranges, mangoes, and pawpaws. I don't hang around all the time, but when I fill the sky at sunrise or sunset, my beauty is so striking that no one gives another thought to any of you."
RED could stand it no longer. He shouted out: "I am the ruler of all of you - I am blood - life's blood! I am the color of danger and of bravery. I am willing to fight for a cause. I bring fire into the blood. Without me, the earth would be as empty as the moon. I am the color of passion and of love, the red rose, the poinsettia and the poppy."
PURPLE rose up to his full height. He was very tall and spoke with great pomp: "I am the color of royalty and power. Kings, chiefs, and bishops have always chosen me for I am the sign of authority and wisdom. People do not question me - they listen and obey."
Finally, INDIGO spoke, much more quietly than all the others, but with just as much determination: "Think of me. I am the color of silence. You hardly notice me, but without me you all become superficial. I represent thought and reflection, twilight and deep water. You need me for balance and contrast, for prayer and inner peace."
And so the colors went on boasting, each convinced of his or her own superiority. Their quarreling became louder and louder. Suddenly there was a startling flash of bright lightening - thunder rolled and boomed. Rain started to pour down relentlessly. The colors crouched down in fear, drawing close to one another for comfort.
In the midst of the clamor, rain began to speak: "You foolish colors, fighting amongst yourselves, each trying to dominate the rest. Don't you know that you were each made for a special purpose, unique and different? Join hands with one another and come to me."
Doing as they were told, the colors united and joined hands. The rain continued: "From now on, when it rains, each of you will stretch across the sky in a great bow of color as a reminder that you can all live in peace. The rainbow is a sign of hope for tomorrow."
And so, whenever a good rain washes the world, and a rainbow appears in the sky, let us remember to appreciate one another.
Story found at Story-Lovers.com
•••••
Rainbow at the beginning of the blog found at MissouriSkies.org
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