Baby, it’s cold outside!

After giving us mostly wonderfully moderate weather since the start of 2023, with temperatures hovering around the mid-30s, Old Man Winter came on with a vengeance on Monday, Jan. 30. Some folks in the northern reaches of TIMESLand recorded temperatures as low as 23 degrees below zero Monday morning! It was nine below here in Peshtigo, according to the trusty thermometer in my car.

If that old groundhog had poked his head out then, he’d probably curl up and go back to sleep for another few months, shadow or not. 

Miserable as those sub-zero temperatures were, it must make the weather forecasters feel good about themselves to have their predictions prove so accurate. At least a week ahead of time they told us this arctic weather was coming, and they were right, practically down to the minute.

Didn’t make the cold feel less frigid to have a dear relative in Florida tell us they were basking in 84-degree sunshine!

Now Old Man Winter seems to be relenting, at least a bit, and by Monday night he was gently blowing in weather that is at least above zero. Luckily, there weren’t any severe winds with the far below zero readings, and the brilliant sunshine at least made the day feel warmer.

Now they’re predicting temperatures in the mid 30s again by next week. And guess what? Rain. Maybe the extreme cold is better than winter rain!

WINTER FUN
The extreme cold at least froze the ice everywhere to greater depths, which is a good preparation for all the winter festivals coming up, like ice races, ice fishing contests, and Da Yooper Plunge. Check the ads and bulletin boards for something un to do near you.
Snowmobile and ATV trails should be solidly frozen over now, including through swamps, so the wonderful volunteers keeping them groomed should feel less frustrated.

HALFWAY THERE
On Thursday, Feb. 2, we celebrate the halfway point between the winter solstice on Dec. 21 and the spring equinox on March 21. Winter is half over, and summer is on its way.

If we were living a couple of centuries ago, on Saturday, Feb. 2, we would be celebrating Candlemas Day, the final day of the Christmas season in the Christian Church, the day candles were blessed for the coming year. Traditionally, Candlemas was observed as the anniversary of the day the Baby Jesus was formally presented at the Temple in Jerusalem.

Just as Groundhog Day is tied to weather predictions today, so was Candlemas Day in centuries past. So maybe there is a grain of truth in the belief that a sunny Groundhog Day means a late spring. But there seem to be no statistics to prove it.

One true old saying is that a farmer on Candlemas Day should have used no more than half his winter supply of forage. Makes sense, because winter is exactly half over on that date, and if the feed is more than half gone his cattle could be hungry before spring.

ST. BLAISE BLESSING
Feb. 3, is the day the Catholic Church has set aside to honor St. Blaise, a physician, bishop and martyr in the early Christian church. He is venerated as a physician who cured and even performed miracle cures. On this day, many Roman Catholic congregations have a Blessing of Throats, in which a priest holds two crossed candles over the heads of the faithful or touches their throats with the candles while reciting a special prayer: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Most parishes bless throats at weekend Masses nearest the feast day, or at least they used to.

ON THE SOAP BOX
AUTO ANNIVERSARY
Jan. 29, 1886, is a day that changed the travel habits of the world and made city streets a lot cleaner by eliminating the “exhaust” from horse-drawn vehicles. And no government mandates made him do it. Just good old human ingenuity.

On that day, Karl Benz, a German mechanical engineer, received the first patent for a gas-fueled car. His first vehicle was a 3-wheeler called the Motorwagen. In 1893 he added a fourth wheel, and that turned out to be the vehicle that changed history. It was the first practical automobile powered by an internal combustion engine.

Today the activists are trying to do away with gas powered automobiles, but the problem is so far they have nothing really practical to replace it with. Even electricity has to come from somewhere, and the batteries required will cause major disposal nightmares.

Just read that there’s a promising new hydrogen fuel technology coming out.

If we give free enterprise a chance, if there is a need for new products someone will come along to produce it.

We just need to get the government out of the way and let creative humans do the wonderful things that can be done when inventions aren’t hampered by a mess of nanny government red tape.

STILL ON THE SOAP BOX
LET THEM BE GIRLS AND BOYS
Surely hope young people, girls and boys, will start asserting their individuality again. We need young rebels to push back against this “woke” notion that there’s no difference between girls and boys.

Despite all the push today toward unisex, some of the teenage girls I know still love to dress in frilly clothes and look - and act - like the lovely young ladies they are.

And some, perhaps most, of the boys still like to flex their muscles, dress like men, open car doors, carry packages and do the heavy labor.
Toddler boys still generally prefer to play with cars and toy guns, while the little girls like dressing up, and playing with dolls, tea sets and other “girlie” things.

Isn’t it wonderful?

CURE FATIGUE
Lots of us suffer from fatigue, winter or summer, especially as we get older. We can get physical fatigue from doing hard labor, or engaging in extremely active sports. We can get mental fatigue from prolonged stress, or needing to focus too long on had mental chores - maybe like doing those income taxes, or locating the documents you need so someone else can do them.

Read recently that one way to beat off brain fatigue is to take a brief break from the paperwork and give your noggin some added oxygen.

Do some deep breathing exercises, roll your head clockwise and counter-clockwise several times to loosen up the neck muscles, work your shoulders up, down and around, and do some windmill exercises with your arms.

And then brush your hair somewhat vigorously, to bring added oxygen to our head and help clear out some of the waste material gathered there.

BALANCED DIET
According to an article in The Epoch Times, ancient Chinese scholars thousands of years ago wrote a medical book called “Huangdi Neijing,” which translates to “The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine.” They advised eating a balanced diet that included five grains, which called the main sources for growth, five fruits as complimentary to them, five “livestock” for energy, and five vegetables for supplement.”
Back when, our wonderful old family doctor also advised eating a healthy and varied diet. Because of our family tendency to allergies, he said we should never eat the same foods two days in a row. For example, if we eat wheat today, don’t have any tomorrow. Maybe have oats instead. Ditto for dairy products.

LISTEN TO THE EXPERTS?
Remember a couple of decades ago when medical “experts” were telling us that coffee would kill us, and we should avoid it at all costs?

Am proud and happy to report that my family and I ignored that advice back then, and we’ve been proven right. Studies a few years ago started showing that folks who drink two to three cups of coffee a day enjoy longer and healthier lives, partly due to the antioxidants in that wonderful rejuvenating beverage.

Of course, coffee, like everything else, should be enjoyed in moderation. A  friend who consulted physicians at the famed Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. was told years ago, when anti-coffee was still a fad, that if coffee didn’t bother her digestion or keep her awake at night, enjoy! If it started to bother her, then quit.

Good advice then, and good advice today, except that other factors can enter into it.

Long, long ago I began having gall bladder attacks after holiday meals. Was blaming it on turkey. Then, happened to drink coffee from one of those large aluminum percolator pots at an event where I ate nothing, and got the same type of attack - twisting sword sensation through the side. Realized that at home for large holiday meals we brewed our coffee in the same type of pot.

Since then, have avoided drinking coffee made in aluminum utensils, and never had another gall bladder attack.

Our family has many milk allergies, so was extremely interested in a news report about a family that almost institutionalized a child due to what turned out to be a severe milk/dairy allergy.

The youngster was totally unmanageable, given to violent temper tantrums, and getting large enough to be dangerous. Doctors were advising the parents to send him to live in a suitable institution for his own good and the safety of his brothers and sisters. Finally they gave in and made the appointment.

As a farewell before he was due to leave, they went on a family camping trip. The weather was hot, the ice gave out, and all the milk they had along soured.

Almost miraculously, after two days the youngster’s behavior became normal. The parents were amazed. They put off the institution and made appointments instead with some doctors who did some new tests and discovered that dairy products made the boy’s brain swell, which brought on the violent reactions.

A couple of years later, when the article was written, the youngster was avoiding dairy products, living at home, attending regular classes in school and generally doing well.

Back when Dr. Lee was still practicing medicine in Wausaukee she told about a girl who had been institutionalized for irrational behavior. When she was home for a visit her Mom brought her in because of the flu, and Dr. Lee correctly diagnosed Lyme disease as the cause of not only her physical ailments, but the mental problems as well. After treatment she was able to again live a normal life at home.

Recently read about a brain disease, adult hydrocephalus, that mimics the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Senior Dementia, but is in fact caused by extra spinal fluid in the brain. According to the article, misdiagnosis is common. It’s a good idea to ask for the tests specifically.

Moral of these stories is, don’t settle for the first answer to health problems. It isn’t always that obvious! Push your doctor to look farther into the causes of lingering health problems, and do some research on your own to find possible answers that should be checked out.

CARPET STAINS
With the bitter cold outside, some of us are focusing on getting some housework done indoors, including cleaning the carpets. Here’s a cleaning hack to try if you encounter a stain that simply will not come out no matter what you do, for example a nail polish spill.

First, wet the stain with cold water and spritz it with around 20 pumps of hairspray, then splash the area with three to five splashes of rubbing alcohol.
Next, use a small scrub brush to scrub the stain for approximately a minute. While you are scrubbing, keep pouring cold water on the stain, blotting it up with a sponge or cloth as you go. Repeat the process until the stain is no longer visible, or until you give up, whichever comes first.

COOKIN’ TIME
AMISH APPLE SCRAPPLE
With the price of eggs still somewhere up above the moon, most of us are looking for breakfast alternatives. Here’s one that makes some really fine eating. Also, if you’re trying to go the food allergy route and this isn’t a wheat flour day, simply skip flouring the scrapple slices before you fry them, or sprinkle the slices with cornmeal instead of flour before frying.
3/4 pound bulk pork sausage
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup diced apple, unpeeled
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water, divided
3/4 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Maple syrup
In a large skillet, cook sausage and onion over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink and onion is tender. Remove from skillet; set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Add 2 tablespoons butter, apple, thyme, sage and pepper to drippings; cook over low heat until apple is tender, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in sausage mixture. Set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Combine cornmeal, salt and remaining water; slowly pour into boiling water, stirring constantly. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in sausage mixture. Pour into a greased 8x4-in. loaf pan. Refrigerate, covered, for 8 hours or overnight. Slice 1/2 in. thick. Sprinkle flour over both sides of each slice. In a large skillet, heat remaining butter over medium heat. Add slices; cook until both sides are browned. Serve with syrup.

FILLED FRENCH PANCAKES
Makes 10-12 pancakes.
3/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups milk
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
Filling:
1 pound container creamed cottage cheese
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup heavy cream
salt
dash or two of nutmeg
Mix batter ingredients together. Fry thin pancakes quickly in butter and set aside.  Mash cottage cheese with a fork and mix with the remaining filling ingredients, reserving some cream for topping. Fill each pancake across the diameter, fold together and place into a 9” by 13” pan greased with butter. Pour cream over and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

OATMEAL DATE BARS
Remember when dates were so, so popular? Now it seems nobody uses them. This good old recipe is made with oatmeal, so go ahead and pretend it’s a breakfast bar.
Filling:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1/2 pound dates
1/4 teaspoon salt
Put all together in saucepan and cook until thick.
Crust:
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups oatmeal
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Mix everything together and knead like dough. Spread half in a buttered 8”x12” cake pan. Spread on cooked date mixture, then sprinkle on the remaining oatmeal mixture. Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Thought for the Week: Thank You Lord, for warm hearts and warm hearths, for friends to call on when we’re down, and to help us up when we’ve fallen, and for strangers who stop on a miserable cold night to help a fellow traveler get home safely. Help us know all You do for us, and to carry out the little You ask in return. Amen.
        The Country Cousin

(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 715-927-5034 or by e-mail at shirleyprudhommechickadee@yahoo.com.)