Country Cousin

He is Risen!

Lent is over. Easter has come and gone, and Spring appears to be really here! Thank you, Lord, for all the gifts you shower upon us.

Literally, shower upon us.

TIMESLand had its first thunderstorm of the season with lots of rain in the wee hours of Tuesday morning. By daylight the skies had cleared, the sun was shining, and the grass was literally greener than it had been the day before. We were treated to an incredibly beautiful Spring day on Tuesday.

Now, Wednesday morning, the temperature has fallen and clouds are building. Those clouds are expected to bring rain for most of the coming week, but there are no freezing nights in the forecasts and predictions are for continued mild daytime temperatures.

GIFTS FROM THE SKY

Even lightning pours gifts into the Earth, as each bolt of lightning frees nitrogen from the atmosphere and helps get it back into the ground to turn the grass green and make the flowers (and everything else) grow.

According to Steven A. Ackerman and Jonathan Martin of the UW-Madison Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, lightning does add nitrogen to the soil, but not directly, and microorganisms in the soil do the vast majority of nitrogen fixation. Tell that to the grass in our yard that turned green overnight after the thunder boomed and lightning zapped through the sky.

In an online article, Ackerman and Martin explain that when lightning strikes, it weakens that nitrogen, making it easier to mix with oxygen. When nitrogen and oxygen mix, they make a chemical called nitrate. The grass (and other plants) absorb the nitrate, which helps make more chlorophyll. That's what makes grass greener.

The article explains that the atmosphere's composition is 78 percent nitrogen, but the nitrogen in the air is not available to our bodies. The two atoms in the airborne nitrogen molecule are held together very tightly. For our bodies to process that nitrogen, the two atoms must separated.

Our bodies need proteins that contain nitrogen. The way our bodies normally get nitrogen is by eating plants or animals that eat plants.

Plants absorb nitrates in the soil and when we eat plants, we get the nitrogen in a form that our bodies can use. Plants also cannot make use of the nitrogen in the atmosphere so fertilizer is one way to add nitrogen to the soil.

Lightning is another natural way. Nitrogen in the atmosphere can be transformed into a plant-usable form, a process called nitrogen fixation, by lightning.

Each bolt of lightning carries electrical energy that is powerful enough to break the strong bonds of the nitrogen molecule in the atmosphere. Once split, the nitrogen atoms quickly bond to oxygen in the atmosphere, forming nitrogen dioxide.

Along with the lightning in the cloud are cloud droplets and raindrops. Nitrogen dioxide dissolves in water, creating nitric acid, which forms nitrates. The nitrates fall to the ground in raindrops and seep into the soil in a form that can be absorbed by plants.

PUPPY LOVE

The son's dog, an Irish wolfhound, is just nine months old and already a friendly giant who thinks he's a lap dog. Tries to push those he loves over so he can sit on them.

On Easter Sunday, he managed to push the 6-year-old great-granddaughter down and then promptly sit on her.

Amazingly, she wasn't upset. Just about everyone else was, though, and rushed to rescue her. Everyone but her Dad, who shares the family penchant for off-the-wall humor. He made sure the little one was being taken care of, and then remarked to the world in general, "Look at that! He's baby sitting!"

IDEA FOR NEXT YEAR

Came across this idea for growing your own Easter grass. It's too late for this year, but am going to pass it along now in case I forget next year. Maybe somebody will remind me because I always forget to start projects on time.

Two weeks or more before Easter next year, line a pretty Easter basket with a clear plastic bag. Fill it about 2/3 full of potting soil or a soil and vermiculite mix. Sprinkle generously with rye grass seeds and slightly rough up the surface. Get the seeds at the feed mill or shopping center. Do whatever you want with the leftovers, which could include scattering them on bare spots near the edge of the lawn.

Water the basket and set it aside in a sunny spot to let the grass grow. They say it takes seven to ten days for a healthy crop. If you plant too early you may have to cut the grass before the big day, but that's okay too. Sure would be pretty with a few blooming miniature crocus and hyacinths set in.

EXPERT GUIDANCE

According to a "Yahoo" national news correspondent, "It's time to unplug the sanitizing robots and put away the bottles of Clorox that seem to line the entrances to every school, restaurant and supermarket wanting to advertise its safety protocols."

The Yahoo story says while such protocols may be reassuring to an anxious populace, they are not necessary, according to a revised guidance issued on Monday, April 5 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low," the new CDC guidance says, estimating that the chance of contracting the coronavirus through surface transmission is lower than 1 in 10,000. The coronavirus is spread almost exclusively by airborne and aerosolized particles, as scientists have known for months.

Despite scientists' growing certitude about how the pathogen is transmitted, many establishments have continued to insist on strict sanitization protocols.

In some school districts, for example, classrooms close a full day each week for full-day "deep cleaning." That apparently is now considered an unnecessary use of time and resources.

"If we took half the effort that's being given to disinfection, and we put it on ventilation, that will be huge," University of Colorado atmospheric chemist Jose-Luis Jimenez told the scientific publication Nature for an article published last month.

The article says scientists' changing understanding of the virus has made it difficult for public health experts and elected officials to offer the public consistent advice.

For example, when the pandemic began, Americans were told that face masks were not necessary. That guidance was later amended, after it became clear that masks kept a sick person from spreading the disease. Still later, scientists acknowledged that masks also protected the wearer, the article says. They continue to recommend that people keep wearing masks.

In any case, now it's okay that even the experts have been sometimes confused over what they should tell people to do. Find it refreshing that once in a while they are even willing to admit they were wrong.

Former President Donald Trump was harshly criticized by mainstream media and left-leaning "experts" for daring to suggest that sometimes they might be wrong, and for offering ideas that he felt should be considered.

Turns out he was right.

But some of us knew that all along, just by using common sense and recalling similar events in the past.

ON THE SOAP BOX

UNMASKED!

Hope the hand picked experts are open-minded enough to eventually change their minds on masking, and willing to look at the drawbacks versus what they perceive as the benefits.

The emotional damage caused by isolation and masking has already been proven.

Physically, breathing in your own exhaust can't be good for anybody!

That said, the statewide mask mandate is over, at least for now, although some government offices and some businesses continue to enforce their own masking requirements. That's their privilege, and for the most part, we don't need to go there unless we want to.

It's been fun to see smiling faces again, to watch folks enjoying life and enjoying each other instead of giving up their lives to keep from getting sick.

Watched what appeared to be a whole class of Peshtigo students smile its way across the Peshtigo River Bridge Tuesday morning without a mask in sight.

The CDC "experts" who have repeatedly changed their advice since the start of the pandemic a year ago, continue to recommend wearing masks, even after everyone is vaccinated.

When will it end?

STILL ON THE SOAP BOX

WHOLE DIFFERENT SUBJECT

Why is it that if a white police officer shoots a black suspect, it's blamed on prejudice, but if a black police officer shoots a white suspect, it's not?

And why is it that if a black man shoots a white person who's attacking him, it's self defense, but if a white person shoots a black person doing the same thing, it's treated as a hate crime?

And why is the mainstream media now suddenly pushing the rhetoric that there's widespread prejudice in America against Asian Americans?

Does it suit the purposes of far left wing politicians to stir up more and more animosities and racial discord between citizens of this nation?

COOKIN' TIME

Easter is over, Lent is over, and summer cookout season is almost here. Won't be long before asparagus pops up, and rhubarb is ready for harvest. Meanwhile, if you're fortunate enough to have a surplus of ham and hard boiled eggs left over, there are some really great things you can do with them besides make egg salad sandwiches or deviled eggs. It's warm enough to enjoy being outside, but still mostly cool enough to turn on the oven without turning on the air conditioner. If you don't have any leftovers to use up but want to try these recipes anyway, boil some eggs and/or buy some fully cooked ham at the deli counter.

HAM AND VEGGIE CASSEROLE

This is pretty much a meal all by itself. Just add dinner rolls and a dessert. Pop the dinner rolls into the oven to warm them while the casserole finishes baking.

1 package (16 ounces) frozen broccoli florets

1 package (16 ounces) frozen cauliflower

2 teaspoons plus 2 tablespoons butter, divided

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) fully cooked ham, cubed

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish generously with buttery flavored spray and set aside. Cook the broccoli and cauliflower according to package directions and drain. Meanwhile, in a small skillet melt the two teaspoons butter. Add the seasoned bread crumbs and then cook and stir over medium heat until they are lightly roasted, about two to three minutes. Remove from heat. In a large saucepan, melt the remaining butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth, then whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil while stirring constantly and then cook and stir until thickened, maybe another minute or two. Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses until blended. (Add a dash or two of cayenne pepper if you family likes it hot.) Stir in ham, black pepper and vegetables, and transfer the whole thing to the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with toasted crumbs and bake, uncovered, until crumbs are browned to your liking, probably 10 to 15 minutes.

HAM BISCUITS

How about these for an easy breakfast to eat on the run, enjoy with butter and jam on the deck, or munch with bowl of applesauce while watching TV in the evening? Recipe makes about 10 biscuits.

1 cup cubed fully cooked ham

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon ground mustard

3 tablespoons butter or shortening

1 teaspoon minced chives

6 tablespoons buttermilk

1 tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a food processor grind the ham and set it aside. In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, onion and garlic powders and mustard. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Fold in the ham and chives, and then add buttermilk and stir until the dough sticks together. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently 10 to 12 times. Roll out to a uniform half-inch thickness and cut with a floured 2 1/2-inch biscuit cuter. Place in a large, greased cast iron skillet and bake about 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

GOLDENROD TOAST

This old recipe is the first one our Home Economics teacher made us learn when I was in 7th grade, and we had to arrange everything artfully on the plate. She made us eat it, too, so of course we had to complain, but it's really, really good and something on toast with cream sauce poured generously over it is a breakfast staple in our family. In our case, though, it was called white gravy, and started with Mom and Grandma long before Home Ec class. The family had cows and chickens of their own, so this breakfast was almost free. Be sure to choose good bread, because that's what turns this type of breakfast into something really great. The recipe looks long, but it's really, really easy.

1 hard boiled egg per serving

1 slice toasted bread per serving

Butter for toast

Cream Sauce:

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more

Optional: Small pinch freshly grated nutmeg or ground cayenne pepper in the sauce, and/or paprika to sprinkle on

Peel as many eggs as you want. Cut them in half long ways and pop the yolks out into a separate small bowl. Set the whites aside. Have the bread ready for toasting, and some pretty small plates to serve it on. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes, but do not let it brown. Using a fork or whisk, stir in the milk and bring just to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking or stirring often, until the sauce has thickened to a creamy, gravy-like consistency and no longer tastes of raw flour, 6 to 8 minutes for a single batch, 10 to 12 minutes for a double batch. Remove from the heat and whisk or stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg or cayenne if you're using them. If not using it right away, transfer to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface to keep a skin from forming. Plan to use the sauce within 30 minutes because it thickens if it's left to sit for too long. If that should happen, add a little warm milk and whisk well to thin it. To assemble, toast the bread and butter it. Put one slice of buttered toast on each serving plate. Cut the egg whites into slices the long way and arrange the slices pinwheel style, one whole egg white for each piece of toast, shaped like petals on a flower, with the center of the toast for the center of the flower. If the slices won't fit on the toast, cut them so they do and put the spare pieces in the center of our flower. Pour cream sauce generously over this, and then crumble one of the hard boiled egg yolks into the center of each piece of toast.

PEA SALAD

This is too easy for a real recipe. Just rinse and drain a small bag of frozen tiny peas, or steam them for about three minutes and then rinse, drain and cool. Add a small jar of diced pimento, drained, and a chopped onion. Add chopped hard boiled eggs to taste, along with mayo, salt and pepper to taste. Great side dish with grilled, broasted or rotisserie chicken, ham salad sandwiches, or grilled burgers.

The Country Cousin

Thought for the week: Forgive me, Lord. Once again I have made Easter more about the celebration with family and friends than about You and the suffering You went through so we can all celebrate in Heaven when our time comes. Please help me, help all of us, focus our lives in the right direction, not only now at the end of the Easter, but all through the year. Amen.

(This column is written by Shirley Prudhomme of Crivitz. Views expressed are her own and are in no way intended to be an official statement of the opinions of Peshtigo Times editors and publishers. She may be contacted by phone at 715-291-9002 or by e-mail to shirleyprudhommechickadee@yahoo.com.)

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