Sugar Grove
By Paula Mitchell
During pioneer days making butter was primarily a child’s job. They would milk the family’s cow and let the milk sit in a shallow pan overnight in order for the cream to rise to the top. The next morning, the cream layer would be skimmed with a wooden ladle and left out to sour. The cream was then poured into the butter churn. The dasher would have to be rhythmically pounded up and down (the dasher is a stick with paddles at the bottom). This would take quite a lot of time, and require more than one person to rhythmically pound.
Once the cream has been properly churned (churning breaks up the protein coating surrounding the fat globules in the milk therefore allowing them to stick together), the cream would separate into buttermilk and grain-sized pellets of butter. The buttermilk, which was drained off, could be used to feed the pigs or for baking. The butter pellets were put into a bowl and thoroughly rinsed with cold water.
The butter was squeezed into a nice lump using a butter paddle. It was then sprinkled with salt (to help preserve it) and pressed into a crock to be stored in a cool place.
Life’s little lessons include the following:
- If life hands a person a lemon, make lemonade.
- Sing a song.
- Call a friend.
- Smile at strangers.
- Get regular checkups.
Winter seems to have made its royal entrance. Those wishing to participate in the Parade of Lights competition need to catch the warm days forthcoming. Mornings have delivered temperatures in the low 20s, with Monday morning clocking in at 13 degrees, daily temperatures in the 30s. Winds have been quite brisk allowing one to tug the coat a little closer for warmth. The skiff of snow on Saturday morning left by lunch time. Wood furnaces are cranking out the heat, and all is well in Sugar Grove.
Quotes for the week are as follows:
“When you rise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive; to breathe, think, to enjoy, to love.” — Marcus Aurelius
“Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” — Native American Saying
“Some of the days in November carry the whole memory of summer as a fire opal carries the color of moon rise.” — Gladys Taber
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
It is a definite to hear the “Talk of the Grove” that one needs to sit by the fireplace.
The South Fork Rescue Squad held its annual Thanksgiving dinner, Saturday the 23rd. Lots of good eating!
Robert Hodges of Harrisonburg, Virginia, and Carl Larry of Virginia Beach, Virginia, spent the weekend with the Wes and Becky Puffenbarger family. They all attended the South Fork Rescue Squad turkey dinner. This past weekend, Wesley, Becky, Ben, Emma and Nathan motored to Virigina Beach, Virginia, to view the Christmas lights on the boardwalk. They also celebrated Emma’s 13th birthday.
Judy Costello of Verona, Virginia. spent several days with her mother, Evelyn Varner. Thanksgiving dinner was at Evelyn’s home with all of her family in attendance, enjoying each other’s company.
Jim Puffenbarger of Rising Sun, Maryland, and Bob Puffenbarger of Ohio accompanied their brother, K.D. Puffenbarger, to Dayton, Virginia, where they visited with their sister and husband, Loretha and Bryan Bland. On Thursday, K.D. and family enjoyed their Thanksgiving dinner.
Tom and Paula Mitchell held their Thanksgiving dinner with extended family at their home.
Bob and Judy Grimm spent Thanksgiving with Rodney Kiser and family of Preston County. Weekend visitors of Bob and Judy were Chris Grimm and family of Uniontown, Ohio. A first time volunteer experience for grandchildren, Tiffany, Brody, and Zach, was to ring the Salvation Army bell on Saturday. All in all, Bob and Judy had a blessed Thanksgiving week.
Natalie Nieves and Alex Fattore of Huntington spent several days visiting with Willard and Judy Rader. Natalie, Alex, Judy and C. J. Eckard enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner at Bennie and Linda Custer’s on Thanksgiving Day.
A Thanksgiving dinner was held at St. Paul Independent Lutheran Church where John Bodkin and his family gathered to enjoy the feast. Phil Downs, Cleo Simmons of Staunton, Virginia, and Wanda Pitsenbarger of Franklin were some of those who enjoyed the meal.
Phil Downs visited with K.D. Puffenbarger and family on Thanksgiving Day.
Clickety-clacks for the chin waggers are as follows:
- Starfish do not have a brain.
- The world’s oldest dress, the Tarkhan Dress, was found in Egypt. The dress is more than 5,000 years old.
- The shore line of all the Great Lakes combined equals nearly 44 percent of the circumference of the planet.
- More than 300 different languages and dialects are spoken in Australia, including 45 Indigenous languages. In fact, 21 percent of Australians don’t speak English at home.
- There are five Sundays, five Mondays, and five Tuesdays in December. This is quite an unusual happening.
Concerns are for the following: Bob Adamson, Dyer Anderson, John Ashley, Roger Ashley, Mercedes Aumann, “Bo” Boggs, Marie Cole, Stanley Dahmer, Benny Evick, Isaac Eye, Linda Eye, Marie Eye, Mary Eye, Carl Gant, David Gillespie, Lola Graham, Patsy Green, JC Hammer, Marvin Hartman, Steve and Armanda Heavner, Donald Hedrick, Jack and Starr Hedrick, George Hevener, Jim Hiner, Evan Hise, Tim Hively, Edsel and Mary Ann Hogan, Virgil Homan, Jr., Keith Hoover, Myrtle Hoover, Tim L. Hoover, Debbie and Enos Horst, Lisa and Mike Jamison, Jessica Janney, Alice Johnson, Richard Judy, Marsha Keller, Kim Kline, Tracie Knight, Laura Kropp, Melissa Lambert, O’Dell Lambert, Robert Lambert, Rex Landis, Roger and Skip Mallow, Yvonne Marsh, Ed May, Gene and Joan McConnell, Gary McDonald, Neil McLaughlin, Rick Linaburg, Rose Miller, Bruce Minor, Barbara Moats, Gloria Moats, John Morford, Bill Mullenax, Helen Nash, Aaron Nelson, Angie Nelson, Ruth Nelson, Cheryl Paine, Terri Parker, Diane Pennybaker, Andy Pond, the Steve Pope family, Janice Propst, Eldon “Butch” Puffenbarger, Alda Propst, Janis Propst, Marilyn Propst, Mike Propst, Sheldon Propst, Tom Rader, Brandon Reel, Jason Rexrode, Linda Fay Rexrode, Dennis Riggleman, Donna Ruddle, Jenny Ruddle, Mary Sawyers, Brittany Shriver, Annie Simmons, Erin Simmons, Eva Simmons, Greg Simmons, Judy Simmons, Nelson Simmons, Robbie Sites, Mike Skiles, Tina Stuben, Steve Stump, Linda and Larry Vandevander, Sandra Vandevander, Amy Vaus, Estelle Wagner, Mary Louise Waldschlager, Rene White, Sherry Wilfong, Judy Williams, Ann and Ed Wimer, individuals and families affected by the natural disasters and the people of Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine.
