The Past
I was in the fourth grade when my grandparents gave us a television set. It was the first one in the neighborhood. Whatever else we were doing during the day came to a screeching halt as our family plus half the neighborhood kids gathered in front of the TV in the late afternoons to watch various westerns including Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the cowboy I was in love with—the Cisco Kid. Our Saturday morning fare was Howdy Doody, a lovable ventriloquist’s dummy. But, hey, if it was on this exciting new box called TV, it was real to us. As unbelievable as it would seem to children today, TV was not a 24/7 experience. We started out with just one channel and that channel televised programs for only a few hours each day. The test pattern would appear on the screen along with a grainy rendition of the national anthem and then the station would sign off. The only violence on TV was the cowboys’ fake fist fights and fake gun fights. I never questioned Roy Roger’s marksmanship when his gun went off while pointed at the clouds, and the bad guy he was chasing flew off his horse. No blood and, by today’s standards, no real violence. Wonder how we managed to survive and become productive adults!
The Present
Do I long for those idyllic westerns? No, I don’t. If I saw one now, I would probably think that a little CGI could go a long way in improving them. However, that is not to say that I am enamored with television today. As a matter of fact, I rarely watch television. This departure has to do with the word “gratuitous.” A thesaurus will tell you that this word means “free, Gratis, On the house, superfluous, unnecessary, unreasonable, uncalled for, wanton and needless.” Yep, that is what television means to me today. Gratuitous sex, gratuitous violence, gratuitous language. I can’t even watch the weather channel anymore because, heretic that I am, I don’t believe in global warming! Therefore, I have returned to the distant past—the days before television, and I find that I really don’t miss it at all. I know many hardworking people feel that television is “freedom” from stress at the end of the day. I have found that my freedom is just the opposite. Solitude with God. It allows me to have more time to study His Word. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy2:15).
Recipe
Colette’s Last Minute Rolls
1 ¼ cup scalded milk
2 ½ tbsps. sugar
1 ½ teas. salt
¼ cup soft butter
2 pkgs. Active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees)
3 ¼ cup sifted flour
Into the scalded milk stir the sugar, salt and butter. Cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl sprinkle the yeast into the warm water—stir until dissolved and let proof for about five minutes. Add this to the warm milk mixture. Add the flour and stir until blended (about 1 minute). Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Stir the batter well, then beat vigorously for about ½ minute. Fill greased muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the pan while hot. Makes one dozen rolls.
I don’t know where my sister got this recipe, but it bears her name. However, how can any recipe which claims to be “last minute” contain instructions which say to let rolls rise until double in bulk. That takes time. Maybe we should rename this recipe—Colette’s ALMOST Last Minute Rolls. As long as she doesn’t read my blog, she’ll never know. LOL.
I was in the fourth grade when my grandparents gave us a television set. It was the first one in the neighborhood. Whatever else we were doing during the day came to a screeching halt as our family plus half the neighborhood kids gathered in front of the TV in the late afternoons to watch various westerns including Hopalong Cassidy, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the cowboy I was in love with—the Cisco Kid. Our Saturday morning fare was Howdy Doody, a lovable ventriloquist’s dummy. But, hey, if it was on this exciting new box called TV, it was real to us. As unbelievable as it would seem to children today, TV was not a 24/7 experience. We started out with just one channel and that channel televised programs for only a few hours each day. The test pattern would appear on the screen along with a grainy rendition of the national anthem and then the station would sign off. The only violence on TV was the cowboys’ fake fist fights and fake gun fights. I never questioned Roy Roger’s marksmanship when his gun went off while pointed at the clouds, and the bad guy he was chasing flew off his horse. No blood and, by today’s standards, no real violence. Wonder how we managed to survive and become productive adults!
The Present
Do I long for those idyllic westerns? No, I don’t. If I saw one now, I would probably think that a little CGI could go a long way in improving them. However, that is not to say that I am enamored with television today. As a matter of fact, I rarely watch television. This departure has to do with the word “gratuitous.” A thesaurus will tell you that this word means “free, Gratis, On the house, superfluous, unnecessary, unreasonable, uncalled for, wanton and needless.” Yep, that is what television means to me today. Gratuitous sex, gratuitous violence, gratuitous language. I can’t even watch the weather channel anymore because, heretic that I am, I don’t believe in global warming! Therefore, I have returned to the distant past—the days before television, and I find that I really don’t miss it at all. I know many hardworking people feel that television is “freedom” from stress at the end of the day. I have found that my freedom is just the opposite. Solitude with God. It allows me to have more time to study His Word. “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy2:15).
Recipe
Colette’s Last Minute Rolls
1 ¼ cup scalded milk
2 ½ tbsps. sugar
1 ½ teas. salt
¼ cup soft butter
2 pkgs. Active dry yeast
¼ cup warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees)
3 ¼ cup sifted flour
Into the scalded milk stir the sugar, salt and butter. Cool until lukewarm. In a small bowl sprinkle the yeast into the warm water—stir until dissolved and let proof for about five minutes. Add this to the warm milk mixture. Add the flour and stir until blended (about 1 minute). Cover with a clean towel and let rise in a warm place until double in bulk. Stir the batter well, then beat vigorously for about ½ minute. Fill greased muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the pan while hot. Makes one dozen rolls.
I don’t know where my sister got this recipe, but it bears her name. However, how can any recipe which claims to be “last minute” contain instructions which say to let rolls rise until double in bulk. That takes time. Maybe we should rename this recipe—Colette’s ALMOST Last Minute Rolls. As long as she doesn’t read my blog, she’ll never know. LOL.