CHAPTER 6, PAGE 19

 The Ohio Buckeye Tree

 

You May be from Ohio (pronounced O-hi-uh) if:

You think all Pro football teams are supposed to wear orange!

You know all the 4 seasons: Winter, Still Winter, almost Winter and Construction.

You live less than 30 miles from some college or university.

You know what a buckeye really is, and have a recipe for candy ones.

"Toward the lake" means "north" and "toward the river" means south."

You know if other Ohioians are from southern or Northern Ohio as soon as they open their mouths.

You can spell words like Cuyahoga, Olentangy, Bellefontaine, Tuscarawas, Wapakoneta and you know which letter is doubled in Cincinnati.

"Vacation" means spending a day at Cedar Point.

You measure distance in minutes.

You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

You know what should be knee-high by the Fourth of July.

You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"

You carry jumper cables in your car.

You know what 'pop' is.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

 Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightgown.

The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page but requires 6 pages for sports.

Good Morning !

Just in case you didn’t know THE CORN is supposed to be knee high by the 4th of July. I was born raised and stayed in the same Ohio city all my life. I don’t like the winters very well, but the rest of time is pretty decent here.

Now my children have scattered a bit, as only one still lives in our hometown. There are two out of state, and the other 4 are still in Ohio, just not in our hometown.

There is still much in my state that I’ve never seen. Sometime I’d like to visit each county, just to say I’ve done it. With the cost of gasoline though, that may be doubtful. I have one tank a week in the budget and that gets me back and forth to work and that’s about it.

Here is a recipe for Buckeye candy in case you’re interested. Ohio is called the Buckeye State for the Buckeye trees which grow here. These peanut butter and chocolate candies look just like the nuts from that tress--hence the name! CANDY:

1 stick softened butter OR margarine

1 3/4 cups (1 18-ounce jar) creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

 About 1pound confectioners' sugar

CHOCOLATE COATING:

1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Cream butter, peanut butter and vanilla together adding confectioners' sugar until proper consistency is reached. Roll candy into 1-inch balls and place on wax paper-lined cookie sheet. Melt chips and shortening together in top of double boiler. Keep chocolate mixture in double boiler over low heat while you dip each candy. Using a toothpick, dip each ball covering about three-fourths of candy (Peanut butter needs to show for an authentic buckeye). Return candy to sheet to cool. Yield: 8 dozen buckeyes.

They are good !

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

I know God won't give me anything I can't handle. I just wish He didn't trust me so much.

Mother Teresa

I hope your day is blessed with a few smiles and lots of sunshine to warm your heart

MA