Country-style Venison

This is my mother’s recipe for country-style venison, and people have eaten it and thought it was beef. Mother was born and grew up in Watauga County, NC in the Appalachian Mountains. In my first novel, Cleared for Planting, I have Emma preparing venison this way.
                                                                       

(Photo by Ken Christison)

Place frozen pieces of venison in a bowl of water with lemon juice. Vinegar also works, but my family prefers the lemon or lime juice, and fresh is better than reconstituted, although the reconstituted will work. This will remove the wild taste. Put in the refrigerator for at least four hours, and it can be overnight. Rinse and place in fresh lemon water and set back in the refrigerator until it is completely thawed and soft. It is best when soaked for 8-12 hours. Rinse thoroughly. Use a washable cutting board (placing it on a folded towel will tone down the noise). You can sprinkle a little white meat tenderizer on both sides of each piece of meat and omit the salt, but we never do this. Beat in one direction and then the other with a meat mallet or the edge of a saucer that will not chip easily (I find the saucer works much better), until the meat thins some and tiny holes begin to appear.  Place in a skillet with heated oil and brown on both sides. Add water and steam turning at least once for over an hour or until fork tender. You may need to add more water along. Remove meat. Stir in flour to make gravy using either milk or water, whichever you prefer. I do this without measuring, but you can find a gravy recipe if needed. Your gravy won’t lump as much if your stock is not too hot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place meat back into the gravy and simmer until ready to serve.

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Old Dan Tucker

Do you remember the folk song, Old Dan Tucker? Did you know he was a real man? Although Dan Emmett is credited with writing the song in 1893 for a traveling show, some people in Randolph County, North Carolina, believe the song has been around much longer. For generations they have heard that Dan Tucker lived most of his life in their area.

Dan Tucker was born in London in 1714. When he was six years old, his parents came to the American colonies and settled in Bath, North Carolina.

A building still remaining in Bath

Old Dan Tucker began early in life
To play the banjo and the fife.
He'd play the boys and girls to sleep,
Then into his own bunk he'd creep.

At twenty-six, he met and married Margaret DeVane, an attractive lady of French descent who lived in Bath. He and his new wife decided to move west. They settled in what would later become the Spero community, just north of today's Asheboro, North Carolina.

Old Dan Tucker would come to town
Swingin' the ladies all around,
First to the right and then to the left,
And then to the one he loved best.

Dan build them a log cabin in a wooded area near a clear spring. The nearest neighbor lived over three miles away, and the nearest store was about a hundred miles.

Old Dan Tucker climbed a tree,
His closest neighbor for to see.
The limb did break, and Dan did fall;
Never got to see his neighbor at all.

Dan planted a garden, hunted, fished, and trapped. About once a year he would take his furs into Johnstonville, a hundred miles away and get supplies.

I came to town the other night
To hear the noise and see the sights.
The watchman was runnin' all around
Cryin' "Old Dan Tucker's comin' to town."


Old Dan Tucker came to town
Ridin' a goat and leadin' a hound.
The hound gave a bark; the goat gave a jump.
And Old Dan Tucker was left straddlin' a stump.

Old Dan Tucker went to the mill
To get some meal to put in his swill.
The miller swore by the blade of his knife
He'd never seen such a man in his life.

Over the years others came to the area, and cabins began to dot the rolling countryside. Dan's neighbors liked him. He had the reputation of being honest, thrifty, caring, and holding a good sense of humor.

Old Dan Tucker never did fall out   

With any of his neighbors all about.
You could really call the man genteel,
Fo he always gave the fairest deal.

When Margaret died before Dan, he lived alone. Over the years, he became more eccentric. His neighbors began to joke about him and sung exaggerated songs to be funny.

Get out of the way, Old Dan Tucker.
You came too late to get your supper.
Get out of the way, Old Dan Tucker.
You came too late to get your supper.

When Dan was a hundred years old, he stepped on a sharp rock while plowing his field barefooted. It embedded in the flesh, so he sat down and cut it out with his pocketknife and continued plowing. His foot became infected, and he died from lockjaw.

Old Dan Tucker was a fine old man,
Washed his face in a frying pan,
Combed his hair with a wagon wheel,
And died with a toothache in his heel.

At the wake, his neighbors remembered Dan with food, stories, and songs. He would have enjoyed it immensely. 

History is still not clear on what is fact and what is fiction about Old Dan Tucker. But people in the community, which took in the land that used to be Dan's, say that on crisp winter days and on moonlight summer nights they can hear someone whistling through the forests. Could it be the legend, Old Dan Tucker?

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National Pharmacist Day

Can you imagine working in a job that allows no room for human mistakes or error? Today is National Pharmacist Day, and we probably take our pharmacist for granted. Yet, he or she fills those prescriptions we need and is an important part of keeping us as healthy as possible.

The profession is an old one. The term has been used since the 16th century, although "apothecary" was also often used in earlier times. The first known collection of medicinal substances dates back to the 6th century B.C. There's even a stone sign with a tripod, mortar, and pestle at Ephesus, a  city that dates back to 400 B.C. and located in what is now Turkey.

Today, it often takes four years beyond a bachelor's degree to become a pharmacist. Let's make sure it's not a thankless job. If you see a pharmacist today, be sure to say a "thank you.".

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Musical Abilities

In earlier times, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries, all cultured young women were expected to have a musical talent. The most common was playing an instrument, especially one with a keyboard, or singing. However, others, such as playing a harp, were also appreciated.

In my historical novels, Ivy is probably the best example of this. Here is an excerpt from Sown in Dark Soil where Leah and Ivy moved to the Appalachians from a plantation:

            “Why don’t you get out your fiddle, Luke,” Granny Em said. “I got a hankering for some music.”

            “Do you play, Luke?” Leah asked.

            “I try.”

            “He’s right good, if you ask me.”

            He surprised her by how well he played. He played some melancholic tunes to start with but then switched to some toe-tapping songs.

            “Help me sing, girls,” Granny Em said.

            “Ivy’s the one with the pretty voice,” Leah told her. “I love music, but singing isn’t one of my talents. Our music teacher once told me the only way I would stay on key is if I sat on one used for the door.”

Luke and Granny Em both smiled.

            “I’m not asking for a performance, Leah. My voice’s not pretty, either. Just join in.” Granny Em began singing “Pop Goes the Weasel” in an exuberant voice. Leah joined in and so did Patsy.

In isolated regions, like the Appalachians, music became even more important. It wasn't necessary that a musician be really good to be appreciated, because most everyone enjoyed this kind of entertainment. Here is another scene from Sown in Dark Soil:

            Luke came up to Leah and whispered, “The musicians want to play one more song and they want us to dance. Is that all right with you?”

            “Yes, that’s fine.” She would like to dance with Luke, since they’d never done so.

            They played “Barbara Allen,” an old ballad the settlers had brought with them from Scotland or England so long ago it would be hard to trace its exact origin. A young woman began to sing it in a clear, sweet voice, a folk voice from the ages, one which spoke of clans, family, and heritage.

            Luke took her in his arms and they waltzed to the music. She followed him as if she’d become his extension.

            Ivy had been the dancer in the family, but Leah had gone to many balls and cotillions. She’d never lacked for dance partners, but she had never danced like this. It felt as if she and Luke were bound together by invisible cords, and when one moved the other followed in perfect precision and harmony. All the while, they never took their eyes from each other.

            Leah felt Luke’s respect, admiration, and love wrap around her. Those were the unseen cords binding them. She prayed it would always be so.

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Knowing God's Will

I think from time to time most Christians struggle with knowing God's will for their lives. The largest part of His will for all of us is found in His Word. Bible study and prayer are crucial. The Holy Spirit, who comes to reside in us at the time we accept Christ as our Savior, will also lead and guide us. If we maintain the close personal relationship with our Lord that He wants, we will also begin to know the mind of God, so we can make the right choices. For those gray areas that don't fit into any of this, A. W. Tozer gives some thought-provoking advice:

"On the surface, it might appear more spiritual to seek God's leading than just to go ahead and do the obvious thing but it isn't. If God gives you a watch, are you honoring Him more by asking Him what time it is or by simply consulting the watch? If God gives a sailor a compass, does the sailor please God more by kneeling in a frenzy of prayer to persuade God to show him which way I go, or should he just steer according to the compass?

Except for those things that are specifically commanded or forbidden in the Scriptures, it is God's will that we be free to exercise our own intelligent choice.... In almost everything that touches our everyday life on earth, God is pleased when we are pleased. He wills that we be as free as birds to soar and sing our Maker's praise without anxiety. God's choice for us may not be only one but rather any one of a score of possible choices. The man or woman who is wholly and joyously surrendered to Christ can't make a wrong choice..." (A. W. Tozer, "Four Ways to Find the Will of God." HIS magazine, May 1969).

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When Winter Is Past

After some deliberation, I've decided to give self-publishing a try. I still plan to stay with my current publisher, for we're still working on the Appalachian Roots Series. Uprooted by War, the third book set during the Civil War, is with the editor now. The one that I'm self- publishing, When Winter Is Past, is a stand-alone and not part of a series. I'm using it as an experiment. I'll go through the process, see what happens, and then determine if I want to self-publish any more or not. This will enable me to bring out my books faster.

When Winter Is Past is set in Pennsylvania in 1739. Stanton Klein’s father had given up on life after his wife died and left Stanton orphaned to live with his grandparents. Stanton decides he'll never love like that. He and his first wife had fared well together, but she’d died in childbirth. Now he’s decided to find another woman to marry. After all, a farmer needs a wife and sons. However, with the changes come important lessons and dangers that Stanton never imagined.

Beth Evans has taken care of her father, since he fell from a barn roof and can no longer walk. People, like Fiona, have always made fun of her, because she has a limp. When Stanton befriends her, she’s wary but also intrigued. Her father encourages her to give Stanton a chance, but how can she be sure this is what’s best?

As with my other books, all profits will go to a scholarship fund for missionary children. When Winter Is Past is shorter than the others I've written -- about 64,000 words, while the others I've published are about 89,000 words. However, the story is special to me. My beta readers loved it, so I'm excited to be publishing. I should have a cover to reveal soon. I'm using the picture above with the window. What do you think?

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Uses for Toothpaste

Toothpaste can actually be used for much more than brushing teeth. I was first introduced to this fact by the technician who does my vehicle's bodywork. He told me to use toothpaste to clean black marks from my car bumpers that washing doesn't remove. Toothpaste is one of the best non-abrasive cleaners. It works for other things too. Use it to -

Brush fingernails for a thorough cleaning
Restore most types of tarnished jewelry
Scrub the insides of goggles and clean glasses to help prevent fogging
Reduce glass rings on wooden furniture
Remove stains on the sides of tennis shoe soles
Wear a dot on a pimple or insect bite overnight to make them start to vanish
Use a tiny bit on a slightly damp washcloth to clean heavily soiled electronic screens. Rub with a clean, damp cloth to remove and then dry.
Apply to stained clothes and let set 24 hours or more before washing

With the new year here, maybe you can use these tips to make your world a little cleaner and brighter. At least, your cleaning chores should be simpler.

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