I love it when all the Lechlers come together for a celebration of any kind. Everything is 'just all right' with them. They are happy to be with everyone and there is no friction or discord.(To make sure, however, I am steeping strawberries in Vodka to begin our long day and evening.)Maybe this will ease the way when we play Sequence and cards. Competition has been known to raise its bobble head every once in a while. That does not keep us from bringing out the boxes and boxes of games. We are always on the look out for board games of every sort. While people swim and play tennis and get sweaty or wet or both, we get hot and bothered over Sequence, a game we learned to play on the Alaskan cruise. Euchre (funny spelling, seems to me) is high on the list for many of us as well. I like all card games for sure, like Canasta and Bridge (although I do not like cut throat Bridge.) Every time a relative finds an exciting game, it is included in the fun. There is something for everyone, but high on the list is the food. We start the 4th this year around 11:00 because there is a long drive for those who must work the next day, so at 11:00 we have our first meal. At around 6:00 we have the closing meal. We used to get to the fire works some way, but the crowds are so big and the traffic is so awful, we miss it now days. We can hear it booming around us and the six dogs (some are visitors) go wild, but that is the extent of the fire works for us.
This year I am in charge of the meat, the wine, snacks and starters. I can't resist adding a few other dishes, but it is a relief to not have to do it all. Beth is bringing the corn on the cob, like four dozen or so ears. Corn on the cob and July make me think of the days at the Spook House--our summer place on the river. Andy worked at Battelle Memorial Institute and there was a man who grew great fields of corn. He'd allow Andy to fill our station wagon with corn and I mean fill it. My mom would have great pots of boiling water going out doors at the Spook House, waiting for our arrival. We had shuckers, destringers, boilers, cut off the cob-ers, baggers and coolers. It took all day. For the evening meal we would have sliced tomatoes, corn on the cob, and watermelon. We also had tons of tasty corn in the freezer for the winter to come. I miss those days and most of all, I miss my mother. Showing you a picture of the Spook House pleases me.
One tale makes me think of another: Joe and Glenda and their three girls would come to the Spook House at cherry picking time. We would grab big buckets and off we would go to the cherry orchard where we turned greedy, trying not to leave a single cherry for any other cherry poachers. Great low tables would be covered with newspaper back at the house and the pitting would begin... no child was spared. They knew their duty and for that day it would be pitting cherries.
I'd love to read about some of your favorite things to eat on this special day for our nation. Email me and I will post your recipes: dorislechler@aol.com
Picturing the Spook House opened up more memories. My former students reminded me that we camped out at the Spook House one week end. (One student ate so much he threw up going from one room to the next. Suddenly everyone was asleep, but me. I gagged all the way through clean up.) The next day it rained a little so we all walked down to the bar known affectionately as the Colonial Inn. We danced, played pool, and ate hand cut French fries. In this day and age we would have been in trouble, but luckily we had a preacher with us and he enjoyed the entire caper as well.
