Grandma’s Stories

Jun 24th “For AMERICANS to Read and to Remember”

“For my American Family and “YOU” the reader…”

“The next time you have a thought that this country should go to WAR, please stop and read this!!

Even better, have your children and grandchildren read it!!

The author just passed, but will surely be remembered!!

GUEST-WORDS:   By E.L. Doctorow

The Unfeeling President

I fault this president for not knowing what death is. He does not suffer the death of our 21-year-olds who wanted to be what they could be. On the eve of D-Day in 1944 General Eisenhower prayed to God for the lives of the young soldiers he knew were going to die. He knew what death was. Even in a justifiable war, a war not of choice but of necessity, a war of survival, the cost was almost more than Eisenhower could bear. 

But this president does not know what death is. He hasn’t the mind for it. You see him joking with the press, peering under the table for the weapons of mass destruction he can’t seem to find, you see him at rallies strutting up to the stage in shirt sleeves to the roar of the carefully screened crowd, smiling and waving, triumphal, a he-man. 

He does not mourn. He doesn’t understand why he should mourn. He is satisfied during the course of a speech written for him to look solemn for a moment and speak of the brave young Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. 

<snip>      They come to his desk not as youngsters with mothers and fathers or wives and children who will suffer to the end of their days a terribly torn fabric of familial relationships and the inconsolable remembrance of aborted life . . . they come to his desk as a political liability, which is why the press is not permitted to photograph the arrival of their coffins from Iraq. 

<snip>   The president we get is the country we get. With each president the nation is conformed spiritually. He is the artificer of our malleable national soul… He becomes the face of our sky, the conditions that prevail. How can we sustain ourselves as the United States of America given the stupid and ineffective warmaking, the constitutionally insensitive lawgiving, and the monarchal economics of this president? He cannot mourn but is a figure of such moral vacancy as to make us mourn for ourselves. 

For this next election, we Americans  sure have much to think about,  “WHY” must we always pay the ultimate price,  our using the  “YOUNG LIFE”  of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces to protect America???         D.V.

Jun 23rd “Some Friends are never forgotten”

***JUNE 23rd,  “KELLY UZZETTA”   she was just like   my above  FRIENDS, once you met  “KELLY”  you were immediately a good friend!   There must be something  special in the “STARS”  for this period of  TIME in “JUNE”   something about making a good friend, and once you do,  you are  “GOOD FRIENDS” for ever!

Sometime in the 1970’s,  as  I  was working in the “REAL ESTATE”  in the “FENTON”area, a new  world of selling homes, and that is where I met “KELLY”  and two of her small children. They had a large home in the Saint Louis area,  but for her husband, Al’s business, they were needing a home with property, for  the extra large equipment,  that her  husband  would need to work on and  with,  having home and business on the same piece of property, well,  that  would  just be  the best thing in the world! 

Just as if the “STARS”  were all in the right place, I had just listed  the perfect place,  this was one of those “DEALS” that were made in HEAVEN,  every thing worked out just fine, and ever since that date,  we were very “GOOD FRIENDS”  something that just clicked  for KELLY and  her husband,AL  with  their seven children!  

Some TIMES in LIFE,  so much seems to be accomplished, and every thing just seems to fall into the right place, but  there  are things that happen to all of us, and for the wrong reasons, things that some others cause,   serious tragedy happens,   so,  this is where you will find the “rest of the story”   as I  posted some  time ago,  check the “search bar”  for KELLY,   let me know if you can not find,  and I will write more.    D.V.

***We regret to say that Kelly Uzzetta passed away on 09/14/1995 and was 58 at the time.

Jun 22nd “Best of Friends are ALWAYS Remembered”

Happy Birthday “Kelly”

Happy Birthday to another dear friend, “Kelly Uzzetta.”  Have a lot of friends who  are having  a birthday all around this time of the year!

“Kelly” was looking for a new home when I first met her. I was a real estate agent at the time and we spent a couple of weeks looking for a nice property,  something with some land and lots of rooms for their seven (7) children.  We found just the right property and her family moved in ,  and we had struck up such a good friendship,  which was fun for both of us, and our families.

Over the years her children grew up and I was invited to birthdays  and then to  weddings and to children being born, making  “Kelly” a  “Grandma!”  Also, Mr. Uzzetta was in the construction business and I was in need of having a new “bay window” being installed at  my home.  Mr. Uzzetta and his son were able to complete this  job, perfectly.  There were   several other jobs we needed and Mr.Uzzetta was able to  do these  as well and at reasonable rates.

There were times when  we had the Uzzettas come over for dinner and  we were also to their home  just as many or more  times. It was just one of  those times when you just  click  into a good  long term friendship,  and  not knowing  what  the future  would have  in store  our friendship just continued   as  we all  did  enjoyed many  very good years  associating!

The time  for an unforeseen accident though,  is something  we just could  not comprehend. “Kelly”  had just come  home from work  and   had dinner with her family,  and was going to enjoy a short time watching  “TV”  when,  without any  warning  and  no way  in this world  to know,  what  tragedy   a complete  catastrophe would be  happening in just a very few minutes?

Coming down the highway,  a driver  “drunk” and having been arrested so many times and still had  his  driver’s license,  crossed over  the highway,  “Highway 30”   going   up and over another road-way, into the “AIR”   and right into  “Kelly’s” living room window and  “Kelly was there,  suiting right there,  on the sofa!

Instantly,   she was killed.  The living room  and front entrance  to the house,   all damaged beyond belief.  How could this have happened?  The drunk- driver came right between two  (2) very large trees,  and he,  “DRUNK” without a scratch.  What a night -mare for  my  very good friend, “Kelly”  and her family. Her funeral followed in a few days.  Such a good life,   killed by a drunk-driver,  who should have been without a license to drive!  HE never was punished for his prior arrests, nothing done about his drinking and driving,   always  driving as  he still had to drink???

“Kelly”  you may not be here on earth with all of us  now,  but,  you  are in a for greater  place,  and that  is   in Heaven  with our Creator,  where we will all be some day and will have more Good Times and FUN, much better than anything here on EARTH.    I will never  ever   forget you.  You were and always will be,   a most  “terrific friend to me!”     D.V.

Jun 21st “Sister Emilene’s Birthday is TODAY”

“Sister Mary Emilene”  was  one of the “BEST of NUNS” at the  German St. Vincent Orphanage  and she,  just so happened to become one of  the very special people in my LIFE,   always,  until the day she went on  to her extra special  journey to HEAVEN!

  “Sister Emilene” a FRIEND, that  someone  extra  special, I  have always remembered on all occasions and still  forever remember her BIRTHDAY was on the 21st of JUNE  and with a real nice and LOUD singing voice,  that I have,  that can be heard  all the way to “GRAND AVENUE”   and  now   with a  one, two, three,   and  with all of us together singing, “Happy Birthday  dear Sister  Emilene!”

The  following letter, regarding “Sister Emilene”  her LIFE and FAMILY   and as you  will read, she was also an “ORPHAN” and  in the very  same   “GERMAN  ST. VINCENT ORPHANAGE”  so I feel that  with the knowledge she had of the situation  of  “ORPHANS” she had a much better attitude with the children,  that were in the same  “ORPHANAGE”  and  in my case, she became a personal “FRIEND” to me,  all the years,  that she and I were  in the Normandy, Missouri  location.

You just might want to say,  “She was a real  “FRIEND” to me, till the very  END!”   Many  years later, after my leaving the Orphanage  and when, “We, my Family” moved back to the Saint Louis area  from Florida, I had called her, to make arrangements,  so that I could bring her to my home for  the day and stay  with us, for dinner.  My sons Lee and Al would play  the piano and organ, and we would always have a very nice time together,  something so different than just  a short visit  with her, at the  Orphanage!  I always thought that it was good for her to have somewhere to go,  that was more entertaining for her  and even FUN, including the long  drive,  and at different times of the year,  with the seasons changing,  lots to see and talk about   forever!

“I feel  that, making “GOOD FRIENDS” and for a “LIFETIME”   is really what, we were planted on this “EARTH” to do!”      D.V.

“The following letter – regarding Sister Emilene – her LIFE and FAMILY,  was sent to all the NUNS in their different locations and to FRIENDS, and I was lucky to be on her contact list – listed FRIEND.”

Just glad to share something of great value –  and that is being a “Friend” and being the good  “Friend”  forever, till the end!”

Jun 21st “Best Cornbread ever and Side Dish for every Meal”

This sweet, cake-like cornbread is sure to be the star side dish at any backyard barbecue!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup cornmeal
• 3 cups flour
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup oil
• 6 tbsp butter melted
• 2 eggs beaten
• 2 1/2 cups milk

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

2. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and add the oil, butter,  eggs, and milk.

3. Stir just until combined.

4. Pour the batter into a greased 9×13” baking pan.

5. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes.

    

So what’s so special about it, you ask? It’s a bit sweeter than other kinds of cornbread I’ve had, and more cake-like too. It’s light and fluffy and delicious on it’s own, but when it’s slathered in a generous amount of honey butter, it’s simply divine! And good news for the gluten-free crowd—this cornbread tastes every bit as good when you make it with a gluten-free baking mix in place of the flour. (And we all know how rarely that happens!)

So if you’re looking for a side dish to make for a barbecue or cookout this summer, I highly recommend giving this cornbread a try. (Just make sure to keep the recipe handy, because you’ll probably end up with a few requests!