From Shirley's Cottage

When I Win the Lottery

It was early on a Sunday morning, twenty years ago. The phone rang, and it was a beauty school student of mine. She was taking her state boards the following day. I thought she was calling because she was nervous and wanted some positive feed-back before heading to Springfield.
Our relationship was more than that of a teacher and student. She considered me a mentor, and kind of a mother that she never had.

She was married (not a good one) had two children, financial woes, and a troubled relationship with her divorced parents because of a traumatic childhood.
"I won the lottery!" she yelled. "" Seven million !" Twenty years ago that was a big one. It was given out over twenty year payments. There was no choice of a lump sum.)
"I called you first. I haven’t even called my dad."

I was stunned. If anyone deserved a break, it was her. Then I thought, of course she would call me. We were very close.

I thought her next sentence was going to be that she was going to share with me. Heck, I would be happy with anything in six figures.

The next sentence never came. She said when she found out she had won, she hoped no one else had those numbers. She didn’t want to share her millions with anyone.
In a matter of minutes here were two people affected by money: One who had millions, and one who didn’t.

She never did go to take her state board exam. We went our separate ways. I heard from her occasionally over the years. Enough to know her life didn’t change much, except materially.

This December is the 20th year, the last lottery check she will receive. Her folks are gone, and she is a grandmother. I don’t know if she invested her money. I hope so.
In today’s lottery, her winnings were just chicken feed. I would take it. You can feed a lot of chickens with seven mil.

I have thought many times about my reaction to that phone call. Happy for her, yes. But selfishly hoping I was on her money list. Not a hope I am proud of.

I have tried to win my own lottery. Sometimes I bought tickets every week, choosing my own numbers and letting the computer choose others. I never spent more than two bucks.
Once in a while I would buy the instant ones, feeling like a winner if I won a dollar. The most I ever "won" was ten dollars. How many tickets did I buy for that ten bucks?
For several years I didn’t buy any. We still kept saying, "When I win the lottery I am going to–". I’ve always said I am going to give most of it away. Just in case, be nice to me.

Supposedly it is all about thinking positively. Positive thinking has been around for a "million" years. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale became famous with his book, The Power of Positive Thinking." A new best-selling book along the same lines is a book called The Secret. Those authors made their millions by telling us to think positive.
The secret is to buy your ticket with your dollar, a smile, and a positive thought. It hasn’t worked so far, but I’ll keep trying. Smiling is better than frowning, no matter how rich you are.

I do have a few million dollar recipes. This one is a blue ribbon winner from Weight Watchers. Don’t tell and know one will know it is from WW. Just in time for those good apples from the orchard.

Apple Dumplings
you will need:
six sprayed muffins cups
2T firmly packed light brown sugar
1 ½ t cinnamon
1 t cornstarch
1 t real vanilla
6 McIntosh apples, peeled and cored
(can use Granny Smith for more tartness)
6 square egg roll wrappers
Combine all ingredients except apples
add apples. Toss to coat
Place one apple in center of each egg roll
Bring corners to top of apple and seal and fold the edges
Stand each dumpling in muffins cup and spray top with cooking spray
Bake at 375 about 20 minutes until golden
Serve warm with cool whip or ice cream
Enjoy without guilt!
Three points without ice cream.