Life on the Prairie

Once Upon the Prairie

 

Life on the Prairie

 Rylie

 Rylie is a ten-year-old writer.

She uses her stories to make her brother’s life brighter.

Her brother, George, has gone to fight in the Great War.

Rylie prays daily the war will be no more.

Her family and she know George is not a fighter.

Family, friends and neighbors dread the knock at the door.

It could mean the family’s soldier is injured or more.

George does safely return at war’s end

Giving Rylie, her family and the world time to mend.

Everyone must try to understand the pain the soldiers bore.

  

Rylie: the Imaginative Girl took first place at the Heart of America Christian Writer’s Conference 2014 Writing Contest in the children’s story division.

Please note this blog posts the first and third weeks of the month.

 

 

 

 

 

Prairie Girls

Prairie Girls

Rylie

by Collette

George returned from the Great War with an injured leg. The doctors think he will not limp if he exercises daily. His best friend and Edith’s boyfriend, Lucas, was not so lucky. He was killed in France along with so many others. Both Edith and George seem sad sometimes. One of the times I see George smile is when I share one of my Sammy Squirrel or Molly stories. He says he is getting better each day because he is home.

Edith has enrolled in college, but lives at home and attends classes during the day. She has so many friends. The house is filled with young people on the week-ends and lots of music. Sometimes George and her friends roll up the dining room rug so everyone can dance. I love the new music, the fast dances and the card games they play. It makes me happy to see Edith enjoy some fun.

Games

                                               By Judy

Like Rylie’s sister Edith, I have always liked to play card games. Pitch was sometimes played at family gatherings when I was a child. I also played pitch while riding a school bus in high school and later with my college roommates.

I was in my early twenties when I learned to play bridge. The game itself was interesting and always a challenge; I liked that. Crazy Eights with grandchildren was pretty fun. Games are only games, though. Good conversation, fun, laughter, friends, and family…those are what I really enjoy.

 

Results of WWI

The History Fact

Results of WW1

                                          By Collette

World War I planted the seeds for WWII. Germany and the Axis powers were held accountable for causing the War and burdened with huge reparations’ payments to the allies. Europe was in economic ruin and left with little monies to repair and rebuild. Discontent was experienced everywhere making the political systems of socialism and communism attractive to those at the bottom of society. Hitler began his plans for Nazi Germany during the 1920’s using the malcontent of society as the foundation for his takeover. Not all of the nationalism from the war has disappeared and countries feel the sting of the war deeply.

Many from this “Lost Generation” followed the path of isolation and pacifisms. America intended to not get involved with the problems in Europe. Many of the monarchies had fallen, and countries had been divided and given over to other countries to control. America rose as a world power and was active in the global trade that followed the war. Women were liberated all over the world and many received the vote. Although military weaponry had been revolutionized, countries began outlawing some because of their use on civilians in warring countries.

The following sites may prove useful.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aftermath_of_World_War_I

www.mapsofworld.com/world-war-i/effects.html

www.history.com/topics/world-war-i

http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/timeline/time_post.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

Desserts from the 1920's

   Prairie Recipes        

Desserts from the 1920’s

                                               By Collette

The refrigerator was new in the 1920’s, and cooks wanted to show off their new appliance. The following are recipes needing refrigeration.

Easy Tapioca Pudding

1/3 cup of sugar                                          1 egg or 2 egg yolks, beaten well
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca                    1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¾ cups milk

Combine sugar, tapioca and egg in saucepan. Stir and let stand five minutes. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool 20 minutes. Pudding thickens as it cools. Cover pudding with wax paper or plastic wrap touching surface before refrigeration to prevent skin from forming. Serve warm or refrigerate several hours. Serving: six ½ cup servings.*

*Serve in an old fashioned ice cream dish topped with a maraschino cherry and chocolate curls and mint jelly for a classic presentation.

Easy Egg Custard

4 large or 6 small eggs                               1 can evaporated milk
1 ½ cups sugar                                           1 can water
¾ cup flour                                                 1 stick butter (1/4 pound)

Combine everything except butter, mixing well. In a heavy bottom pan or double boiler, put melted butter in pan (coat sides and bottom, then leave the remaining butter) and pour in mixture. Bake @ 350 degrees until a thin knife inserted in center comes out clean. Shut oven off and open door, allowing the custard to cool without moving it. May be topped with a sprinkling of lightly toasted coconut, or a fruit sauce, if desired, before serving. May be served warm or chilled.

Whipped Gelatin Dessert

1-3 ounce package Jell-O gelatin (any flavor) ½ cup chopped nuts (any kind)
1 cup small marshmallows                                whipped cream
1 medium-sized fruit cocktail, drained              maraschino cherries

Prepare Jell-O according to package directions. Refrigerate until very thick and nearly set. Beat until thick and fluffy, to almost double the volume. Stir in marshmallows, nuts and fruit cocktail. Pour mixture into fancy dessert cups and chill until firm. Top with whipped cream and a cherry as garnish. Serves: 4    

 

 

 

Let's Get It Right This Time

The Storyteller’s Corner

 

Let’s Get It Right This Time

                                                    By Collette

The treatment of returning soldiers has varied with each war. While WWI soldiers left for Europe looking for adventure, they returned as “The Lost Generation” damaged not only physically, but emotionally as well. We did not know what to do with shell shocked victims, so they were left to figure out things on their own. The reconstructive surgeries of the day could not meet the needs of those injured and disfigured so badly. They were, however, treated as heroes when they returned home.

WWII troops left to fight with the attitude “we have a job to do, so let’s do it.” Fresh from the Great Depression, these soldiers were hardened by adversity. Yet, that did not prepare them for the immense killing power of modern weaponry and changes in the army, navy and air power. Opening up concentration camps and seeing the devastation of the war of attrition on the civilians was horrifying. Like their fathers who fought in WWI, these men struggled with what they had seen and kept the grim truth to themselves. Society did not understand how broken these men were. Despite our inability to help them, they too, were welcomed home with parades.

For the first time in history, Americans returning from the Vietnam War were not given a hero’s homecoming. They were spat upon and shunned by their fellow Americans. Most were not prepared for what they faced upon their return. People did not understand how war could damage soldiers. Congress did not provide the financial help these men deserved for many years.

I have had students who fought in the Gulf War, Iraq, or Afghanistan. It was hard to see them leave to go to war. Some of the best minds I had went, and some did not return. Their problems are so difficult when they return. Communities have supported the National Guards in their towns as they left, while they were away and when they returned. Finally, America has taken the blame and shame away from those who fight for us. They deserve our respect and assistance for whatever they need to survive in society. Let’s make sure we treat them right this time.

The Weather Report

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weather Report

                                            By Judy

 

“Mom, do I have to wear my coat today?” one of my children asked on a bright sunny morning. “I was really hot yesterday. Teacher said the temperature was 78 degrees.”

“Yes, you have to wear your coat, and do you have on long underwear? This is January, you know,” I answered.

Another child asked on the Fourth of July, “Mom, have you seen my gloves? My hands are freezing.”

“No,” I answered. “I haven’t. If I knew where your gloves were, I wouldn’t let you wear them. Lighting firecrackers with gloves on is a good way to burn your hands.”

Kansas has four seasons. Some years, though, the state itself is confused about which season it is, so it should be easily understood why I am also confused. It is not real uncommon for the temperature to go directly from zero degrees on a Monday in March to 80 degrees the next day. A hot day early in spring might mean Kansas will experience the kind of weather someone moving here from either coast doesn’t appreciate. My children’s comments are similar to the comments of those not native to Kansas.

“Mom, are we going to have a tornado?”

“Look at that cloud. It looks green.”

“Why is it so dark outside when it is not night?”

“Mom, is this hail?”

“Let me know when it stops lightning. I’ll be under my bed.”

“I’m scared. I don’t like this wind.”

Spring in Kansas always brings a threat of severe weather, but it also includes days of warm sunshine, gentle southern breezes, and a feeling of  “beginning again.”

Spring days morph into hot, sunny, windy days—days made for swimming or air conditioning—restful, take-it-easy, enjoy life kind of days, and it is summer. Fall days are brisk, cooler, and brighten our surroundings with red, orange and yellow leaves. There are leaves in our yards and in our neighbors’ yards. (It is a rare day with no wind in Kansas.) Fall is a time to gather the harvest and prepare for winter.

Winter blows in with a frigid, north wind, and cold, ice, and snow fill our days. It is time for boots, scarfs, and winter coats. It is time for cozy evenings with a fire in the fireplace and a good book.

Most of the time I like our four seasons…just don’t ask me about the weather on the coldest day of winter or the hottest day of summer.