By Jim Langham

A message on Facebook a couple of days ago reminded me of a dog from my childhood that once raised a litter of kittens.

Pepper was a lop-eared coal-black Cocker Spaniel, my first as a child. We obtained her from an elderly lady in Berne (Indiana) who felt she could no longer care for the frisky pup with all of her energy.

So we took her to our country residence and cultivated a warm dog house beneath a tree in the apple orchard behind our house. But Pepper wasn’t the only pet that we had. Somehow, along the way, we started giving homes to cats. One particular cat that I recall became sick shortly after she had given birth to a litter of several kittens. Within days, the kittens had lost their mother.

At first we sought to nurture the little of growing kittens with a small bottle of milk, and then with baby food. They slept in a warm box with a blanket in the garage.

By Nancy Whitaker

MAN’S BEST FRIEND

Those of us who are dog lovers and have a dog for a pet should know just how smart a canine can be. I have two little house dogs, a Shi-tzu and a Dachshund.

The old wiener dog, Brownie, is close to 20 years old and so it is almost like having an old man in the house. Brownie sleeps a lot, but gets up and slowly meanders around the house. After all he is at least close to 90 in dog years.

He has always been a good eater and it seems as if his long long tummy is never full. So, as long as he eats good, we feel he is doing well.

By Amber McManus

Winter, flu go

hand-in-hand

Winter is such a splendid season, isn’t it? The joys of having to get your car heated up 15 minutes before going anywhere, bundling up in eight layers of clothing to go get the mail, and having to walk extra slow to not slip all over the ice; just priceless. And the best part? The colds and flu that seem to be abundant everywhere you turn. Yes, I’m being sarcastic. I love summer, but winter and I have a bit of a volatile relationship. And this year, it was a bit harder on us as the flu bug just won’t leave our house.

I’ve always prided myself on being able to avoid sickness at all costs; my immune system is really good, and I very rarely become ill. I used to tell my mom that I never got sick because I always got into everything as a kid and built up my immunity by overexposure to germs. It seemed a fairly good argument for not washing my hands. I saw it as germs were everywhere and if I safeguarded myself too much, my body would never come in contact with them, and contact was good. Contact made my body strong. Sounds convincing, huh? Well, maybe not, but I always thought it was a good plea.

By Nancy Whitaker

MOUSE, MICE, HOUSE, HICE?

It is always fun to watch our children grow from babies to toddlers and it is even more interesting to hear them say their first word.

When my own kids were little I remember trying to get them to say “Mama” for their first word. However, my youngest daughter used the word mama, milk and more.

My son Tom, though, said the word “calendar” for one of his first words.

By Jim Langham

There are certain times when I can still hear my parents’ voices, even though they have been gone for many years, very special moments representing certain traits I continue to admire in them.

One of those times occurred at the conclusion of meal time at our house as I was growing up. As we got up and walked away from the table, my dad would always say, “Elnora, thank you for the wonderful meal.” He was always grateful to people who had put forth an effort that translated into some gift to him. It is a trait that I have sought to carry on in our generational living.

By Jim Langham

Assuming that Christmas really isn’t past since Christ is still alive and his birth has still occurred, I want to share a recently found journal entry that is 28 years old that melted my heart to tears when I recently reread it during a time of reflection.

The entry occurred on Dec. 14, 1983. Our children were young. Julie was 8 years old, Sandi was 5 and Jason was just a few months. We cuddled into a country home in the lake-like wilderness of Branch County, Mich., a place where our children spent 11 years of their childhood as I served a small country church there.

On this particular evening, we were having a discussion with the children about what Christmas would be like without Jesus. We agreed that in today’s world, we could still go on with the giving of gifts, the family feasts, the Christmas shopping sprees, the trees, the lights, the ornaments and all that Christmas had become as a festivity. Sadly, we concluded that in many places, Christmas, as known in our times, could go on even if Christ wasn’t in it.

By Dotha Schaefer

Note: Our “Spice Girl,” Dortha Schaefer, is out of commission for awhile due to a broken arm. For your enjoyment, we are reprinting this Spice Rack:

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Mary Lou claims this is her favorite quote: “All a girl really needs is the right pair of shoes!” Who says so? Cinderella.

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Are you a pizza lover? Does it look less than appetizing if a piece is left over the next day? Try heating the bit in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. It really works.

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By Dortha Schaefer

Note: Our “Spice Girl,” Dortha Schaefer, is out of commission for awhile due to a broken arm. She writes this to us:

“Tomorrow they start therapy on my banged-up left upper arm. It is nearly four weeks so hopefully I can use my arm again. This may be the last Rack as it seems too hard to compose it anymore. It even appears I have lost a portion of my sense of humor, something badly needed in this business.

“I really appreciate the letters and cards as well as phone calls so many of you have sent. It is good to know you want the Rack to keep on appearing in the Progress. Our address is 1717 Maplecrest Road Apt. 132, Fort Wayne IN 46815.”

We hope she gets well soon. For your enjoyment, we are reprinting this Spice Rack:

By Nancy Whitaker

PICKIN’ DANDELIONS

A lot of people who know me are familiar with my love of food. I love to shop, look at, take pictures of, cook, and eat food.

I would not call myself a gourmet by any means, but I do like to think of myself as “adventurous” in the kitchen. I certainly have had my share of “kitchen horror” stories, but all in all, through the years, I have learned how to whip up a good meal.

While shopping for food this week in a large retail store, I was enthralled with their produce department. I noticed the different kinds of tomatoes. There was a type I had never tried before called a mandarin tomato.

I’LL KEEP MY HABITS

A new year, a new you? So many of us have the best intentions at the beginning of the year to either lose weight, quit smoking or to live a healthier life style.

I always want to do better in the new year, but, I, too, look at my habits and although I want to change them, I lose interest before the end of year. I think I usually just say, “Hmmmm. If I haven’t changed myself so far in  my lifetime, it is getting a little late to do it now.”

Don’t get me wrong. We are never too old for New Year’s resolutions, however it is often said, “promises are made to be broken.”

According to a report there is a list of the most common New Year’s goals and resolutions that people make, but fail to achieve. Then there are also some resolutions that deals with habits we want to stop doing.