Yes I know it has been months and months since I updated this blog, but sometimes I get writers block. Taking on the Hamasa News this year has taken up a lot of energy. Energy I really didn't have to spare. I get feelings of burn out occasionally and I guess this is one of those times.

I really love the work the Shriners do, but I don't like the related apathy that comes with the fraternity. Plus I think too many people want too much from me at times. This turns my association with the Shriners into a full time affair. There are times I wish other members would take care of things. I get several calls from people wanting answers from me. It would be different if I was a paid employee, but I am not. This is the first Lee County newsletter article I have written this year, enjoy.

Another Month Another Page

At last month’s Lee County Shrine Club meeting I was asked what happen to this newsletter, that I hadn’t written any articles all year. Several things are the cause of the two-page newsletter this year. One is I am trying to cut costs so we can honor our pledge to Hamasa and Ruben this year. Two, at the first of the year I was asked to help revamp the Hamasa News publication and subsequently was named editor. The third reason is I have become totally discouraged with our Club membership participation of late. Where have you people been? How many more times and ways can I say, “Hey come join us!”

We have actually had some good meetings this year. Some good Lee County people stepped up and helped out big time with Ruben’s Potentate’s Ball. We also sold all of our onions this year, thanks to the folks that made it happen. Some of us are trying to keep the Lee County Shrine Club active and growing. Thank goodness some good Nobles from Pontotoc County got involved with our local transportation program; they truly are making a difference. I am torn between brooding about the lack of membership participation and boasting about the ones doing all the work. So thank you to some and to the others we need you. We aren’t asking that you dedicate your whole life to the Shriners, but frankly some of us need a break.

The Hamasa News project has been quite a task. We have bumped into a few hurdles but we also have learned a few things. One thing we learned real quickly is who in Hamasa really cares about the future of Hamasa. We have also seen first hand that Hamasa is not a one man show and the more people we have participating in our efforts the more successful we are at being Shriners. We are trying to get all the kinks worked out to bring the Hamasa membership a bi-monthly publication that you can be proud of and is also useful. The Hamasa News is our primary communications tool for our members and if our members don’t read it and contribute to it, we fail. Thank you to all those people who have been a big help to me in this effort and get ready for the next deadline is upon us.

During the month of June I am going to do something for Melvin, something that doesn’t involve the Shriners. Yes, just like all you busy people I have a life too. Sometimes I wonder if I went away and quit publishing this newsletter, would I be missed? Would someone step up and take over in my absence. This thought reoccurred when I was told we have a member demanding a Shrine Club dues card. We haven’t used dues cards in a couple of years because all of our meetings are open and we have officers that keep track of who pays their dues. Dues cards require someone to either print them or get them printed and the additional expense of mailing them out. When was the last time you needed a Lee County Shrine Club dues card? I might actually print up this one guy a card if he ever actually attended our monthly meetings and if he does, I doubt if anyone would request to see his dues card. Our club dues are only $10.00 a year and we don’t normally collect enough to even pay for one month’s newsletter expense. Why demand extra work on the ones doing all the work now anyway? Now if anyone feels strong enough about dues cards please show up and take over the membership role, collection of dues and distribution of cards. You got my vote.

Death, disharmony and disinterest are the main enemies to our membership. We have lost too many to death, too many to petty disagreements and misunderstandings and far more due to plan ole apathy and getting out of the habit. Yes, I will be the first to admit that we have burned out a few by begging them to do more and more, plus get involved with everything to a point they spend 95% of their time on being a Hamasa Shriner. If we had a fourth of our Lee County Nobles attend only a quarter of our meetings, Ruben and Marvin would have to cook a bunch more food. If only a half a dozen Lee County Nobles came forward and volunteered to drive a child to Shreveport just once a year, the relief felt by our regular drivers would be wonderful. If those people reading this and probably thinking, “Melvin is up on his soapbox again” would simply make this paragraph known to the people you come in contact with on a daily basis, you would change the world

Shriners International supports Shriners Hospitals for Children®, a health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing pediatric specialty care, innovative research, and outstanding teaching programs for medical professionals. Children up to age 18 with orthopaedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Think about the difference you can make in a child’s life by letting them know we can help, we will help, and we definitely want to help. Being a Shriner isn’t about what you did ten or twenty years ago. It’s not about what happened last year, last month, last week or whenever. Being a Shriner is about what we, as a fraternity with a worldwide philanthropy, can do for tomorrow and the future of our world. The people I see at our monthly Club meetings and our monthly Hamasa meetings are some of the finest people in the world. You can be part of that group if you wanted. Come join us, we welcome you.

My August 2010 Article

One of the primary reasons I had my daughter set this blog page up for me was so I could post the articles I write for the monthly Lee County Shrine Club newsletter. Some months I don't have an article, I use a photo page or like last month just sent out a short notification and calendar newsletter. I started sending out this newsletter about ten years ago. back then the club had a by-law that required a monthly meeting notice to be mailed out to our membership. When the late Milton Collier got me back involved with the Shriners, he asked me to take over this meeting notice in the form of a monthly newsletter. His only requirements was the meeting notice information and a calendar. It grew from a simple black & white copy to the four page legal size issue it is now. Several years the club purchased a HP 4600 color laser printer and I self-print it monthly on 24 pound paper. I have received several requests from people to be on the mailing list, good thing we have a bulk mail permit.

This month's (August 2010) issue was very personal due to the article. These children we treat at the Shriners Hospital for Children are very sacred to us. Milton loved these kids as much as anyone and his compassion and dedication to these children has carried on past his death through the Nobles that knew him well. I know privacy issues prevent us from discussing the medical factors of our children or even publicly mention their name. I obtained permission from the parents to share this article with my readers. I appreciate her parents for allowing me to share this with people. Her death is very sad but her life was a blessing.

Emily Grace: 1999 - 2010

Being a Shriner and involved with the transportation program puts you in contact with the very children we so adamantly seek to help. One such child was little Emily Grace Jenkins. Normally we don’t talk about the individual particulars of our children but in this case I have permission from the parents. Still the details of her medical conditions are not necessary for this article. Emily was born with several medical conditions that gravely affected her life. We lost little Emily in May of this year; she was ten years old. If there has ever been an angel on Earth, Emily Grace was that angel. I can confidently say that everyone that was in contact with her was truly blessed by knowing her.

I first met little Emily in 2002, Vance and I were transporting three children to the Shreveport Shriners Hospital for Children. The Shreveport hospital specializes in pediatric orthopedic conditions. This was Emily’s first visit and we had a van full of folks. Emily’s mother had an arm in a cast so it was a good thing we allowed both parents to go on the first trip. Her parents told us that Emily had several medical conditions from birth and said that she didn’t ride to well in a car seat. Naturally we replied as always that we could stop anytime we needed, traveling down the day before the appointments gave us all day to get there. Emily did fairly well, but just like her parents had warned, we had to stop ever so often and get the child out of her car seat. All in all it wasn’t a bad trip and with three patients, four parents and two Shriners we obviously didn’t run out of discussion topics and even had a few laughs. We were eleven miles from our final exit on a busy four lane highway with nowhere to pull over and Emily got to crying needing to get out of the car seat. The whole van was in tears, saying “Hold on Emily we will be there real soon.” We couldn’t get to our exit fast enough. No one wanted her to be in discomfort.

That evening when the whole group went out for supper, Vance offered to hold Emily so her parents could enjoy their meal. At that time Vance had a baby girl about the same age at home and his empathy level was way up. After about two seconds of holding little Emily, Vance fell totally in love with her and declared he was keeping her. He held that child the rest of the evening. Even though my own daughter was an adult by that time, I vividly remembered what it was like to hold something that precious in your arms. Neither Vance nor I have ever forgotten that experience.

The next morning we got everyone to the Shreveport Shriners Hospital for Children without any difficulty. While Vance and I were sitting in the lobby waiting for our charges to be seen by the doctors, Emily’s mother came out from the examination and treatment area in tears. Vance and I were very alarmed by this; normally the hospital lobby is a happy place full of playing children, parents, Nobles, hospital staff and volunteers. We asked her what was wrong and she told us that they were x-raying her baby. I was confused, especially since I had personally been x-rayed a couple of hundred times and knew there was nothing to it. I remember Vance saying that he was pretty sure that an x-ray didn’t hurt her. Emily’s mother wiped her tears and said, “You don’t understand, no one has ever x-rayed her before, they didn’t care about her legs.” With all the doctors and medical professionals that had seen little Emily since birth and knowing about all of her medical problems, these so called “professionals” had not bothered to find out what was causing this baby so much discomfort. This child was born in 1999 and it was now 2002; even with her mother asking them to x-ray her “they” didn’t see the need. I guess they figured that the child would never walk anyway, why bother. Emily’s mother was crying because finally someone was trying to help her child.

What these long overdue x-rays showed was that Emily’s hips were dislocated and most likely had been since birth. No wonder the poor baby didn’t like riding in a car seat. The Shreveport Shriners Hospital doctors performed surgery on Emily and fixed her hips. Emily made several more trips to Shreveport and I personally drove her two more times. The bad car seat days were over and you could not ask for a sweeter child to transport. Shriners did something to improve her quality of life. Even with all of her medical conditions, a Shriners Hospital made a difference. Being a person myself with an orthopedic condition, I do know what relief from pain means. I also understand what it is like to finally be able to walk across a room means. As an adult, I really have a lot of empathy for these children we treat. Think about it, you are in pain yet you are unable to communicate the cause of that pain for yourself. What would it mean if someone finally seeks to bring you relief?

The last trip I drove to Shreveport with Emily was less than a year before we lost her. We were riding along, I was being my normal self carrying on telling some crazy story or such when I hear Emily laugh. This laughter confused me because she was usually so quiet. Her mother explained that it was the tone of my voice and certain words I said that made her laugh. Talk about a blessing from heaven. That sweet child’s laughter touched the very essence of your soul. It really made me feel good to know that I had brought some joy into her life.

We are very saddened by losing Emily on this Earth but I believe that she is on that higher plane watching us. She surely knows what a Shriner is and every time one of us seeks to help a child, Emily is there. We may not be able to fix all of a child’s problems, but we can do what we can to improve their quality of life. Shriners help thousands of children each year from all over the world. We do not ever take any child for granted, they all are very important to us. Many people were blessed by knowing Emily Grace. She will forever be remembered. She will forever be loved.

Emily Grace Jenkins: October 16, 1999 – May 27, 2010
Memorials can be made to the Shriners Hospital for Children or the Hamasa Transportation fund in memory of Emily Grace Jenkins. Please contact the Hamasa Recorder’s Office at (601) 693-1361

Newsletter Mode….Turkey pastrami

I am 80% finished with the August 2010 Lee County Shrine Club newsletter. I have all of this stuff floating in my head and trying to determine how I will get what is left squeezed in. A lot of writing is editing and a lot of editing is cutting down on the extra fluff and repetitiveness that slips from your fingertips. Plus I had a few extra projects to knock out this week. One was the meat sale tickets for our Shrine Club. We will be cranking up the ole cooker again and selling Boston butts, ribs and briskets for Labor Day. I generated an order form with individual order numbers to keep things straight, but I bet there will still be a level of frustration present.

My article this month is something I had in my head for a couple of months. Since I didn’t produce a full newsletter last month I had to save it for August. It is one of those Shriner Hospital success stories but very sad as well. I got permission from the parents to run the article and they even sent me a photo to use. This sweet girl had a lot of medical problems but at least the Shriners Hospital for Children in Shreveport was able to make some improvement in her life. We lost her at the age of ten, but she will forever be remembered. I plan to post this article in this blog after I complete the newsletter.

I have been tied up with various projects and a trip to Cincinnati with a Shrine patient. I took another driver with me from the Pontotoc Shrine Club so he would be able to make more trips giving us more trained drivers to rely on. I handled our local transportation program while our chairman was in Toronto at the Imperial Shrine Session. That is a full time job. Many of our members and even leaders take these dedicated drivers for granted and the importance of what they give to our philanthropy is trivialized. I am thinking of a way to elevate the level of awareness of our transportation program and volunteer drivers.

I am back to reading. I recently read Anthony Bourdain’s latest “Medium Raw.” It was a follow up book to his popular “No Reservations.” I enjoyed this book as much as I enjoyed “No Reservations.” In spite of his past and his strong opinions Bourdain can write. I would recommend Bourdain to any “foodie” that likes read.

Another good book for any “foodie” is “Heat” by Bill Buford. I found this book in the bargain book section of a book store. It was actually a library book from Ontario, Canada.

The full title for this book is “Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany.” After some on-line searching I have found where “Heat” has already been optioned for a movie. Mario Batali has said he wants Philip Seymour Hoffman to play him in the movie. Maybe it will make it and maybe not. I did enjoy the book and found some if the details of happenings in a three star kitchen to be revealing. One character mentioned in Bourdain’s book was also a subject in “Heat.” Both of these books give a good insight to the world of high class New York restaurants and the inside world of food. I do like Bourdain’s attitude towards fast food and his acknowledgement of needing to straighten his life out when he became a father. I am also glad I picked up the bargain book to read following Bourdain's latest.

While I am on the subject of food, I have enjoyed the new web page Food Network Humor. http://www.foodnetworkhumor.com/
These gals also have a free podcast and have a good time laughing it up at the expense of Food Network celebrities. They are also on Facebook and Twitter. Some of the stuff they post does make sense.

I am currently reading the new Daniel Silva book “The Rembrandt Affair” but I haven’t gotten enough into it to give any type of review comment. I expect it to be good based on his books in the past. I have enjoyed all of his previous work. Daniel Silva has become one of my favorite authors and I have been waiting for this new novel to come out. Waiting for the bargain rack won't do in this case, it was off to the book store on the release date for this one. I will admit I used the coupon Barnes & Noble e-mailed me for the purchase. So far what little I read from his latest work is right on track.

While on the subject of books, my wife and I paid a little visit to the Goodwill bookstore on McCullough Boulevard in Tupelo. It was pretty neat. It had a lot of decent books along with the normal stuff you would expect from donations. Some neat cookbooks to boot. The store was clean and well organized. We donated a few boxes of stuff to Goodwill and the guy was out to the car and had us unloaded in seconds. Goodwill has really stepped up their game. The people working at donation drop-offs have ten seconds to get to your vehicle. My wife has a friend that is the manager of the Corinth Goodwill store and this company is doing things to make them a major player in the retail market, all with donated goods. This bookstore is a pretty good place for a person that likes books.

Our dog has been driving us crazy; she has been sick again and spent another costly week at the vet. We already have to give her Phenobarbital for seizures and now she has to be on stomach medicine for her irritable bowel disorder. She is much better now because she has gone back to being annoying and spoiled rotten.

I do have one rant to express. We bought some sandwich meat at the grocery store, turkey pastrami. It’s not bad and low fat. I noticed the container was empty, my wife having finished it off, so I went to remove the label and dispose of the container. I like to save these plastic containers but when I am not looking my wife will slip them in the recycle bin. I noticed the label that they stick to the lid had “recipe idea on back” listed on it. Cool, I like recipes and wondered what they had cooked up to make with turkey pastrami. The recipe was for a turkey pastrami sandwich.
What?
Well duh? Who would have ever thought to make a sandwich with deli sliced sandwich meat? Have you ever needed a recipe to make a sandwich? I told my wife I was going to e-mail them and ask if they thought consumers were so stupid we needed a recipe to make a sandwich with sandwich meat. The recipe even lists to use two slices of bread. Damn, glad they clued us in on that. Maybe this time I won’t get mustard all over my hands. Two slices, who would of thought? You think someone stuck their head in the door of the marketing department on a Friday afternoon and said, “You guys get a recipe sent over to labeling for the turkey pastrami and you’re done for the day.” Poof, recipe done, sees ya Monday. Maybe I should e-mail them and ask about the recipe. Stating I am confused because they listed “dill pickles, sliced” in their recipe but they didn’t specify if it should be the crinkle cut pickles or the straight cut ones. Wait, could they mean the “sandwich” sliced pickles? It says to use two ounces of the sliced dill pickles, now I have to go out and buy a scale just to make a sandwich. Plus the recipe calls for three ounces of turkey pastrami per sandwich and there is only eight ounces in the package. So I either have to waste two ounces of meat after two sandwiches or I have to buy a total of three packages of deli sliced meat to make it even out. How in the heck am I supposed to eat eight turkey pastrami sandwiches? Wonder how they would respond to a lawsuit for mental anguish because of their recipe? Probably the same way most folks respond to my craziness. By the way I am keeping this recipe, you never know.

Concasse?

I got the July Lee County Shrine Club newsletter in the mail yesterday. No article this month either, I sent out a one page newsletter. A one pager means one legal size sheet of the 24 pound paper printed on both sides with the calendar on the back with the address header. We aren’t meeting in July, due to the holiday week and people being gone. Attendance would be very low. Plus our main cook will be in Toronto at the Imperial Shrine session. I have an idea for an article about the ten year old girl that passed away last month. She was a Shrine Hospital patient with more problems since birth than you can imagine. She was a sweet kid though and I have to get it down just right to satisfy me on the article. I already have approval from the parents to write something.

Funny thing happened last week. On Tuesday, while Christy was on vacation after the store inventory, I went after us some lunch. She was focusing on house cleaning stuff, like getting rid of stuff and cleaning up her scrapbook room. I went to Subway for a couple of sandwiches. This was about 11:45 AM and the Subway on West Main & North Thomas was packed. I was in line and I ordered two ham & turkey subs and while I was waiting for all the toppings, she girl behind the counter was telling the guy in front of me that he could get two sandwiches because it was “Two for Tuesday.” He said he didn’t want a second sandwich but she insisted, so he gave in and said he could feed it to his dog or throw it away. Good deal, Two for Tuesday, right? I was getting two sandwiches, so I wanted a free one.

When I got to the register to pay I asked, “Two for Tuesday, right?”
“No, that doesn’t apply on the ham & turkeys, they have to be melts.”
Then she said, “You can add bacon and get one for free, that would make them a melt.”
I was confused. How could adding to “their food costs” make me qualify for a discount? I didn’t want the bacon. My doctor wants me to cut down on fat and salt. So I said “Okay” and paid full price for both sandwiches. When I got home I stewed on this and it made me mad. The guy in front didn’t even want a second sandwich and they insisted he take the extra one for free. I started looking at the Subway web-site and saw that the sandwiches I ordered were the “healthy” ones. So I guess eating better costs more and you can get free food if you eat extra bacon.

I sent them an e-mail through their contact section. I told them where and what I ordered including the store number and receipt number from my purchase. I simply asked them why adding to their food costs would qualify me for a discount. I also told them that the guy in front of me didn’t even want a free sandwich but the counter girl insisted he take it anyway but then refused to give me a free sandwich unless I added bacon.

I have only contacted a company a couple of times before. One was a true complaint and one was just for grins. I contacted Hardees a few years back after seeing a girl doctor another girl’s new tattoo on the food line. I was at the drive-thru waiting on my order. Someone from Hardees called me and told me they would be taking care of this and he said I was the kind of customer they wanted.

The other time was over a TV commercial. It was a Healthy Choice commercial; the actor tasted this soup and put his soup back in the pot of soup. It’s a commercial, no real harm to anyone, but I was tempted to contact someone. I did a little research and found out the brand was owned by Con-Agra Foods and sent them an e-mail. It was about four months later; I thought they had ignored the crazy guy from Mississippi when I got a response e-mail. The e-mail explained that their company was all for food safety and it was just a commercial and they were only actors. I saw the commercial later and they had cut out the returning spoon part. That was funny.

A manager from Subway called me the next morning. He said he had received my e-mail, read it and said he agreed with me. He said, “I’m sorry some of our employees are stupid.” He said they might as well wrap up a dollar and given it to me. He also went to explain that the “Two for Tuesday” promotion was for melts and if he tried to explain any exceptions that would only make it worse, because some of their employees were stupid. He told me to simply order a “melt” and hold the bacon and/or cheese. Then I could get the ham & turkey sandwiches I wanted. He agreed with me completely and told me he was going to send me some coupons. I told him I was looking for anything in the way of compensation, I just wanted to understand how adding to their food costs would qualify me for a free sandwich. He still sent me three coupons for free six-inch subs. I gave them to Christy to use when she has a short lunch from work. Now I feel obligated to have a “good” experience at Subway and e-mail him and tell him about the good part to balance out everything. So on Tuesday, order a “melt” and simply tell them to hold whatever you don’t want.

O concassed a tomato, actually a couple of tomatoes now. To “concasse” actually means to “peel seed & chop.” I like the word. I was watching Julia Child on the new Cooking Channel and she mentioned “peel, seeding & chopping” tomatoes but she never used the word “concasse.” I guess many people are doing something fancy named while cooking but never realize there is a fancy word for the process. I heard Martha Stewart mention once that if you love your family you will peel your tomatoes. The old boiling water and ice water plunge really works well. So I guess if you love your family you will boil some water. I have found if you get into the habit of doing the little things right every time, it won’t seem like a bother. Using decent cookware and a good sharp knife also helps.

I am growing some basil along with my pepper plants this year. I am growing it in a plastic window box type pot and it has done really well. That fresh basil plucked off the plants just before you use it is amazing. The flavor is so nice. I am finding stuff to cook that I can use it in now. I was whooping up me a quick lunch the other day after I finished printing the newsletter. I chopped an onion, garlic and some of my mild peppers and one jalapeño. I started to sweat that then concassed a tomato and threw it into the mix. Then I tossed in a can of herring filets in tomato sauce that I found at Big Lots. You can tell Christy was at work, because she would never eat something with herring filets. While my herring sauce was simmering I cooked up some linguine noodles and had one heck of good lunch. I used fresh grated parmesan also. I know buying real parmesan cheese of good quality seems to cost more, but in the long run it tastes better and you get more cheese than you will out of some container of fake filler parmesan product.

This morning I made my version of caprese bruschetta. Caprese (kah-PREH-seh) is a mixture of tomatoes, basil, olive oil and mozzarella. I added some onions, peppers and garlic though. But I got to concasse another tomato and use some more fresh basil. The only side effect is I now sound like an Olive Garden. The bruschetta was tasty though.

I am reading Anthony Bourdain’s new book “Medium Raw.” It’s pretty good and I agree with a lot of things he has to say. Some people might not like him but the man can write. Maybe this book is what has me thinking about cooking and food. Now if I can break my Facebook farming obsession for a while. Why this virtual farming is so habit forming I don’t know, but it seems a lot of people are wrapped up in it. I see a group called Farming Anonymous coming up. People addicted to virtual gaming to a point it controls their lives. People that don’t drink, do drugs, or gamble but have lost everything because their grapes were due. We are destined to become a society of “weebles” sitting at home in front of a computer screen plowing and planting. So I guess the cure it to sit around blogging about peeling seeding and chopping a tomato, CONCASSE!

By the way, here is a link to a whole encyclopedia of pasta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pasta

More Blogging for the sake of blogging; Don’t Panic

A while later….
I guess I am not as good as a blogger as some, but it isn’t a job and I am sure that my readers number in the few. But I do appreciate the ones that actually read my blog and I would hate to make tolerating my musings to be a daily chore. I have been involved in reading a book which for some reason inhibits my desire to write anything; kind of like I don’t have anything to say yet because I am not finished with this book.

My regiment of daily blood pressure pills affect my ability to rest, because I am supposed to take this one pill twice a day and it makes me sleepy. Taking it during the day creates a problem staying awake then you don’t sleep through the night. Reading has helped. Now I am awake in the middle of the night drinking a pot of Community Coffee, half New Orleans blend and half Between Roast laced with Half & Half, it’s good.

I have several things to do today to prepare for my trip this Sunday and Monday to Shreveport transporting a couple of kids to the Shriners Hospital for Children located there. Making these trips does take up two days of your life but it also recharges my Shriner batteries. I am taking another Shriner with me so he can be ready to help out with our transportation program. It will be two full days and I also have a meeting in Starkville Tuesday night. I have a lodge meeting Monday night and hope to get back in time to make it to lodge. My Facebook activity will slow down except for what I read and post from my phone. At least my wife will have some quality computer time while I am gone. I wonder if Facebook will shrivel much while I am gone? (facetious question by the way)

My wife is baking a cake for her grandmother’s birthday tonight, so I will be cooking supper for her this evening. I am planning on fixing roast beef, steamed asparagus and roasted potatoes, carrots with onion. I have been trying to figure out how to use some of the fresh basil I have growing on the back porch, so I might fix a simple baked tomato with fresh basil and mozzarella. After looking at Mark Bittman’s iPhone application “How to Cook Everything” I will probably use lemon zest and lemon juice to dress up my steamed asparagus. I like cooking for my wife and making her happy. She is a good wife. I know, because I have experienced a bad wife. Now to have to kitchen clear and oven ready when she starts the cake baking. Her plan is to have it for Sunday to take to the nursing home. This is by request from her father, so I am glad she is able to bake one for the occasion.

I have been reading the “Ultimate Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” which is five complete novels and one story all by Douglas Adams. Amazing writing, it is totally original and fun. I bought this “classic” edition a few years ago, but kept pushing aside until lately when I was looking for something to read until Daniel Silva’s latest novel come out in July. I should have read this collection of work long ago. Like all good books this one is an experience; one of a different caliber more “avant-garde” than you will normally find. I can understand how the various series of this work became so popular. “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” is a book that needs to be experienced; it will blow your mind.

I am almost done with the fourth novel part and about ready to put it down for a bit. Mainly for two reasons, one my brain needs a break from the wild ride this writing generates and secondly I am anxious to start two other books on the food world. One is the recent “Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook” by Anthony Bourdain. I enjoyed his “Kitchen Confidential” book so I had to get his latest book just published. Bourdain may piss a lot of people off, but the man can write. His No Reservations series on the Travel Channel is enjoyable as well. I don’t get the Travel Channel on my cable but I can see his shows though the On Demand portion, which is better, low commercial content. I previewed the first pages of this book the other night while waiting on a computer to update at my bother-in-law’s house and I’m expecting it to be another good read.

The second book I have on deck is “Heat: an amateur's adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta maker, and ...” by Bill Buford. I hadn’t heard of this one and found it in the bargain book section; actually it was a resold library book from a library in Ontario. I think I paid three dollars for it or something. Sorry Bill, I guess you don’t have Bourdain’s connections, but the other day I also saw Hemingway in the bargain section. From what I have previewed in the book it should prove interesting, especially for a foodie person. When I Googled the book, I found it got decent reviews; I guess I will find out. I will probably read the Bourdain book first.

I am a cookbook fanatic. I always look though the cookbook section of a bookstore and I have five or six iPhone cookbook applications on my phone. While looking at an Ina Garten thirty-five dollar slick page edition I found a Moosewood cookbook next to it that looked really interesting. With what I already own plus the vast resources provided by the Internet and my phone, I don’t usually need to buy a lot of cookbooks anymore. I guess Ina is going to have to get an App like Tyler Florence has now. I can’t even find Ina on Twitter and I thought everyone was on Twitter. I guess living in the Hamptons means you have so much money you don’t need to tell people what you are doing every day.

The Food Network is all over Twitter and Facebook, the Food Network Twitter account has over 136,000 followers but the much more interesting part is that they are following 1098 different people and groups on Twitter. Is there someone at the Food Network monitoring all of these Tweets? Is it them just participating in the on line world by clicking on everything food related or corporate paranoia? I wonder if Monday morning a report will be on someone’s desk at the Food Network that will include that Melvin from Mississippi used lemon zest on his asparagus this weekend. Probably not but they are following Britney Spears and Conan O’Brian though.

The sun is up, my wife left for work and I made more coffee. Kharma Jean the Phenobarbital dog is on the couch after her morning dose wondering why I didn’t share my rye bread toast with her. After six hundred dollars in vet bills in the last six weeks, she is going to eat that blankety-blank expensive dog food we had to buy.

I haven’t written anymore articles for my Shrine Club newsletter lately because I had photographs from the fishing rodeo for June and we aren’t meeting in July, so I will put out a single page July edition. I have one in my head, but it isn’t totally created. This past month I went to a funeral home visitation of a ten year old girl I knew as a Shrine patient. She had several things medically wrong with her from birth. I want to write something about her but the sadness of her life and loss is overwhelming. She didn’t talk and was blind but she was a pure angel. I felt real bad for her parents, whom are also nice people. I am not sure how to write down what I am thinking and feeling about her. She obviously touched a lot of lives because the funeral home was full of people.

This has been Shriners International Awareness week, I hope many were aware. I am going to drive a couple of children to Shreveport tomorrow for their appointments Monday. I am aware of what we do for children. Time to start my day…..

Blogging for the sake of blogging; books and reading

I just finished another novel, Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel. He is the one that wrote the famous Life if Pi; which I consider one of the best and most interesting books I have read. I purchased Beatrice and Virgil solely because I remembered how much I enjoyed reading Life of Pi. This one was different, thought provoking, deeply symbolic and totally unexpected. I wouldn’t say it was one of the top five best books I have ever read, but I will definitely remember this one. It was actually exhausting in the middle, tiring out your mind and thoughts while attempting to reason just what direction the author is leading you. I wondered how the author was able to come up with all the images and metaphors that are detailed in the words of this book. The one line from Beatrice and Virgil that really hit me was “Those who carry a knife and a pear are never afraid of the dark.” Wow, what a thought; how many ways can this phrase be interpreted by readers? His description of a pear was a beautiful use of the English language and a brilliant piece of writing. The jacket cover describes this one as a “novel” but to me it isn’t novel at all, it is “literature.” I think a person really has to enjoy reading before they would enjoy and appreciate this particular book. Yann Martel’s work should be studied and learned from.

I guess not all books written today are for profit or a potential movie script. I think reading different styles of books and various authors increase a person’s range in enjoying a book. Can a person appreciate and truly enjoy modern day written novels without first reading authors from the past? Can you appreciate the success in story telling without having read works by James A. Michener? Can you get as much out of a novel without having experienced a Morris West novel? I think personally that I enjoy the books I read now which are written within the past decade more because I have previously read several authors from the past fifty years. I also think reading various types of novels and books also widen my enjoyment of the books I now choose. I believe I was able to grasp Beatrice and Virgil easier not because I had read Life of Pi but more because I have also read Watership Down by Richard Adams years ago.

I recommend anyone that likes action/mystery novels also read the three book Big Stone Gap series by Adriana Trigiani. Why does a series of personal growth/semi-romance novels help with novels of a different genre? The character development and storytelling without the drama of an action sequence or blood curdling mystery broadens your sense of the human experience. Like taste buds if you don’t widen your range of foods and flavor profiles you can dull your palate. I think one of the most poignant factors of Beatrice and Virgil is Yann Martel’s statements about the mixture of fiction and non-fiction books.

Reading and books are very personal, which probably keeps the book publishing and book selling business successful in this modern “e-world.” We should encourage the reading and development of the written word. Good storytelling is timeless and the great stories will never leave us. I feel sorry for those who can’t read a good book and I pity those who refuse to read. I hate it when someone says, “I can’t read that, it is a thousand pages.” A good book has no page count and some books make you wish it contained many more pages of that fulfilling story and captivating plot. When I read Merle's Door: Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote nothing about the page count, book size, or any physical attribute of the book mattered. The pure emotion and totally engrossing story of this dog took over. Humans should read this book; it will affect you if you are human.

I admire people that can make a living writing. My son-in-law and I recently joked about Nora Roberts having either a herd of trained typing monkeys or a room full of slave labor literature majors cranking out pages of her many juicy romance novels. Maybe it is trained monkeys shooting out pages to slave-editors all who previously had huge gambling debts paid off by Nora. Well it obviously works for her and she is successful. I am at the book store purchasing Nora’s latest for my bride as soon as it hits the shelves. My wife consumes Nora Roberts’ books almost as fast as Nora can crank them out. If she is happy, I’m happy and I bet Nora’s publisher is also happy. He probably doesn’t mind the searing pain from the “I heart Nora” brand on his butt as he rides to the bank in his Bentley. I will give my wife credit; she has and does read other authors than Nora and other than just romance. People that are making a good living writing novels have a skill and I admire this skill. Badly written books help make good books good. Mediocre books make well written books shine even brighter. Authors that can maintain a steady course of enjoyable novels, well written with new elements mixed with the remembered pleasure of the past are the ones keeping book stores in business. When a reader finds one or two of these steady authors, they are truly happy.

Novels are almost organic and reveal much about the author. A person that produces a successful novel which receives public and critical success will unveil their true personality in their following offerings. I have read several “first” novels. I look for these in the bargain books sections. Speaking from a purely speculative aspect I am of the opinion that this “first” novel requires more effort on the author’s part with more personal pressure to not only produce a well written original book but a manuscript that will initially make it past a publisher’s set of hurdles and blockades into print. First novels are interesting to read. When an author doesn’t have tags like “Best Selling” or “Author of” on the covers items such as the title, cover art, and the synopsis written in the jacket cover can be the book’s only selling points. Just getting published is such a feat that it prevents many from even trying, like me. Remember John Kennedy Toole and his Pulitzer Prize winning book A Confederacy of Dunces? It was published eleven years after the author’s suicide. Supposedly he committed suicide after failing to get his book published. First novels reveal the authors raw talent, inexperience, and desire to tell a story. They also have an element which convinced a publisher to spend money. The following works of that author prints how history will remember them.

When and if an author hits the big time, the truth unfolds. That’s when he or she will continue to captivate the readers or the author will let their ego overrun. I have read both, ones successful in writing more good books and those that only sold because of a marketing campaign. In books, art and music you can tell when the creator of such has forgotten what it is like to be hungry. Fame and fortune has ruined a many a poor boy. What is the old cliché? You rise to the level of your incompetence?

Yann Martel brings this to mind in his recent book. I guess I was expecting the same magic in Beatrice and Virgil that I found in Life of Pi. I found something completely unexpected and very though provoking. I can’t really say if the book was good or bad; my thoughts on completing the book was that Martel is a genius that has managed to create new literature for the world. I am glad that I bought the book. Now will the next book I pick up impact my life or disappoint? I guess we will have to find out.

Editorial Note: Tradition versus Change – Together we are winning!

Editorial Note to the Editorial Note: This is my May 2010 Lee County Newsletter article. Its not as long because in the newsletter I included some photographs from the ball. I was a day late on mailing it out due to running out of black toner and having to wait for more to arrive. I usually try to get it in the bulk mail on the Tuesday one week before our regular club meeting night which is the first Tuesday of each month. The original intent of the club newsletter was to serve as a meeting notice for our regular meetings. Ten years ago or so the late Milton Collier asked me to turn this meeting notice into a full blown newsletter and it has been part of my life ever since.

I guess as long as I stay away from controversial subjects everyone is happy. I am tempted to tackle various topics just to get a "rise" out of folks. Sometimes I feel I am repeating myself with too much "Rah Rah Go Shriners" rhetoric. I feel people are numb to the message that we true believers often repeat. It's hard to get people to look up from their busy lives and see the truth behind the work Shriners Hospitals do for children. It's not just about funding our efforts to aid children but more of a total awareness of how important these orthopedic and burn centers are to families all over the world.

I find that the women usually are the first to read my newsletter. Sometimes I think that many of the men bypass reading it, especially when they ask about an even that was clearly and boldly detailed in the latest issue. Oh well, Shriners are human too. I personally feel that if we, as Shriners, could find a way to "officially" involve the women our fraternity would profit greatly. The women involved with our club and Hamasa Shriners are our greatest asset. The men and our children truly benefit from their participation. The "Together we are winning" is a quote from our 2010 Potentate at our last meeting held in Tupelo.

So here is my latest offering to my mailing list, all 377 of them. I did have a lovely onion frittata this morning made with Shriners vidalia onions, yum.

Tradition versus Change - Together we are winning!

If you missed the 2010 Hamasa Potentate’s Ball you missed a good time. It was reminiscent of traditional days of old with a large hint of things to come. This was most likely the last Potentate’s Ball to be held in the historic Hamasa Shrine Temple Theatre ball room in Meridian. The path is laid for our new Hamasa Shriners home in Marion, MS bordering Meridian. We are facing balancing the traditions of the past with moves into the future. Our Hospitality was the perfect example of this balance. We had an old-fashion hospitality before a ball even with all the similarities of days long gone; but, it was different. Like I have said several times before the days of the Shriner being the “drunk-mason” is over. I remember all too well of attending a Shrine Club meeting and seeing several men obviously inebriated past the point of reason. I have also talked to others that had the same experience. It took a lot of convincing to get me to return to our club and participate and it was the statement of no more “drunkenness” that got me involved. At this hospitality there was a bar but no one was drunk or unruly; I guess some of us are just too sweet to drink alcohol anymore. We did laugh a lot and have a good time which made people remark that we needed to have more of these Shriner occasions.

The Potentate’s Ball was likewise enjoyable; nobles in tuxedos and ladies in lovely outfits. There were introductions, presentations, dinner and dancing with all the traditional trappings of a Hamasa Potentate event. No one was drunk and everyone was glowing with happiness, especially since our entertainment was a Shriners Hospital patient, Justin Shows, another one of our success stories. We still enjoy our traditions but our hospitals and Shrine children are more the primary focus. In my conversations with other nobles, topics such as traveling to Cincinnati and Shreveport with children and the upcoming fishing rodeo at the Noxubee refuge on May 22nd were discussed. We have to remember that our fraternity was founded on fun and philanthropy.

Next year we should have our ball in a new building. You will not want to miss this historic event. I have visited several Shrine Clubs all throughout the Hamasa territory and I have found ladies and nobles of the highest quality that care for our cause and very pleasant to socialize with and enjoy their fellowship. The days of the “drunk-mason” are gone and our clubs are family orientated now, so feel free to invite your friends. If you really want to experience a true Hamasa Shriners event, come to our fishing rodeo on May 22nd. We are doing everything we can to maintain those good traditions from the past as well adapt to the future.

There are opportunities for everyone to get involved. Not only the fun-filled fishing rodeo on May 22nd, but a historic statewide ceremonial on June 5th at the Wahabi Temple in Jackson were all three Shrine Centers in Mississippi will join together for a major Shrine event. Then on June 15th Hamasa will meet at the Starkville Shrine Club for a stated meeting which will include the gun drawing. Being a Shriner is still a high honor and actually seeing what we do for the children of the world will make you proud to be involved. If you are presently involved, be sure to invite someone to join us and if you haven’t worn your fez lately, gather up your better half and join us for fun and philanthropy, we are winning together.