Simple Sparrow

Christmas Cookies from the 1940s

Great Aunt Patty’s Ranger Cookies from the 1940s There were dark days in Europe and Asia during the 1940’s as ideologies clashed around the globe during World War II. A bright moment did occur from time to time as American soldiers received what was called “care” packages from their sweethearts back home. Along with windows and porch railings reflecting the patriotic homemade banners of Service Stars, an American tradition that began during World War I, another homemade idea was being prepared in American kitchens. It was Christmas time and the girls were getting together to send their boys in uniform what they called Ranger Cookies.

On a radio filled with glowing tubes they listened to the Bugle Boy of Company B, Little Brown Jug and many other swing bands of that era as they lovingly prepared the Ranger Cookies in Christmas packages. That’s the history that Great Aunt Patty passed down and here’s the recipe to go with it. Great Aunt Patty’s Ranger Cookies from the 1940s 1 Cup butter or Crisco, 1 Cup White Sugar and 1 Cup Brown Sugar. Mix these three ingredients well. Then add three beaten eggs, ½ teaspoon vanilla, two cups sifted flour, one teaspoon baking soda, a dash of salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder and mix the ingredients well.

Then you need to add one cup chopped walnuts, one cup chocolate chips, one cup grated coconut, and two cups fine oatmeal. Mix all ingredients well. Then stir in two cups Rice Krispies. Drop by teaspoon onto a cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Truly these cookies will bring on smiles and happy faces today just as they did to many soldiers over 70 years ago.

Happy Holidays everyone and have a Merry Christmas.

Gbagbo arrested in Ivory Coast

It appeared that Ivory Coast was on the verge of a civil war with the former President Laurent Gbagbo looking to walk over their own people to hold onto power over the people. The elections appeared to show that rival Alassane Ouattara had won a fair election but Gbagbo and his people were looking to cover this up and it seemed at one point that Mr. Ouattara might have been in risk of being assassinated as his hotel complex was being attacked. Surely events like this are only going to cripple the people in Ivory Coast and one has to wonder who holds the real power in this country and will the cycle of corruption continue to hold their own people prisoners?

The price of chocolate and cocoa has gone up as a result as a lot of cocoa is produced in the Ivory Coast. Back in December international football star Didier Drogba called for peace saying the unrest was going to cost lives and more.

Either way you look at it, some damage has been done but hopefully for the people of Ivory Coast they can move forward to the future and not a step backwards.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13056546

On Thursdays and Routines

There comes a point when it's Thursday and you wonder exactly what you're doing with your life, or why you're sitting at your office desk doing the same thing you've done the past ten days, the past ten months, the past ten years. It is on days like Thursday -- too early for the weekend, too late for the mid-week bust of expectations -- that we all tend to feel like robots, adrift in a sea of corporate productivity and high expectations.

And it can get rather hopeless, enduring a Thursday. Eventually, thought, 5'o'clock rolls around and the futility of life is pushed behind us; we are instead filled with expectations of the evening to come. There's happy hour, of course -- and who doesn't get excited for a couple good brews with a few great friends? After that, there's dinner and a night of great television. Perhaps there's even a little time at the end of the night to enjoy a few more pages in our favorite book.

And then it dawns on us Thursdays aren't so bad, after all. In fact, most days are pretty good. Work is a necessary evil -- eight hours of routine, mundane tasks that help to remind us of how dynamic we are as individuals, and how lucky we are to have friends and hobbies outside of work that are so delightfully random and enriching.

It is during the waning 2pm Thursday sunshine through our office windows that are we are reminded of the world outside that awaits us, if only we slog through a few more hours of writing these memos to the finance department.

OMG choco teeth

A good friend of mine sent me the worst link that you should never ever open. I of course won't share that link with you but you can certainly search for it yourself and find the same thing.

I was having breakfast when someone posted on my facebook a link. I thought hmmm chocolate and teeth this could be interesting. What I saw was a video that made me stop eating on the spot.

How desperate can people get for cash? I know you can tease your friends and offer them $50 to chug a bowl of hotsauce but this is just crossing the line gross. I know there are plenty of other WTF stories out there but this is what I woke up with today, while I was eating cereal and stopped. I nearly threw up it was that gross.

Now I need to find a video and website that is ten times worse to get even with her.

If you have seen chocoteeth leave a comment.

I love traveling

I have a confession to make. I love traveling and I can't help it. I have traveled a lot but I still have more places I want to travel to, namely India, China, Japan, Russia, Portugal, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and all of South America too. Let's not forget the Africas either.

Mexico I want to go to but it seems that once a week there is news that a bunch of people have been executed and I'm not so sure it is a safe country anymore. It seems that the country is completely enveloped in the drug trade and has gone out of control. They are certainly feeding the demand of the Americans and I wonder if the demand has increased over time.

Africa seems partially unstable as well but it remains on the list of places to visit. 

Right now I really want to go back to Paris as it is a beautiful city. The coolest parts of the city are hanging out on the bridges with all the young adults drinking wine, champagne, having sandwiches and of course smoking. Yes smoking I don't think will ever disappear from French culture, not to say that smoking is French but plenty of people smoke there. Fortunately the smoking ban seems to have improved the city.

Try telling that to the Greeks where supposedly 60% of males smoke. That is very disgusting and disturbing if the numbers are indeed that high.

How I started my day today

I woke up with my nose all runny and a headache. It was a nice sunny day but I'm a little frustrated that I don't feel 100% yet it is a perfect day for a bike ride or a stroll in the park. Instead I am blowing my nose and filling tissue papers with snot. Yes allergies today continues.

Why am I sharing this information with you? Because this is my blog and I can't think of anything else to write or do anything else without this being the center of attention of my day today.

Since it is the Labour Day weekend I might spend a bit of time watching some youtube videos, messing around with twitter, checking facebook and writing a few more posts to keep my fans entertained.

Is it me or is Paris Hilton just really stupid? Why is she trying to publish articles about how intelligent she is when she just recently got busted for possession of cocaine. She claimed the purse wasn't hers, that it was shared with a friend and the bag of white substance she thought was coke. Dumb blonde alert!