Missing

from Shirley's Cottage


Missing
Deb, Jade, and I were doing our favorite summer thing: sitting on the pontoon and looking at the lake. We were sorry the rest of the family was not there, but it didn’t stop us from seizing the day.
The rain the week before had made the grass green again and brought out the flowers. This day there was only sunshine and beautiful blue skies. I wanted to pick my neighbor’s roses and make a bouquet. Of course I didn’t..
I love flowers in the house and wished I had some roses. The thought reminded me of my gramma’s roses.
"You know," I said. " There are some rose bushes at the end of the lake road that remind me of my Gramma’s roses. They are nowhere as big, but the flowers look the same."
Then I had to tell the story (again) about my Gramma’s two rose bushes. They were huge, like trees, reaching the upstairs bedroom windows.. Those bushes were full of flowers from top to bottom-pink ones in the backyard and red in the front.
My sister and I couldn’t pick them, though. There were more thorns than roses. When we went to Gramma’s, she would come out with thick gloves and big shears, and cut a beautiful bouquet for us to take home. Our whole house would have this great smell.
The bushes are long gone, but sometimes I think I can smell them. I sure miss those roses.
That got us to talking about the places and things we missed from Rockford.
What we missed most by all of us was our house on Charles Street. We would have moved it to the lake if it was possible. It was just a little bungalow with a great brick fireplace. It bore the wear and tear of raising a family, but we loved it. The walls could tell a story if they could talk. Sometimes I think they could. There was a time when four generations lived there. Yes. All at the same time. The circle of life was definitely part of that home.
On the lighter side, there were other things unique to our hometown.
I asked Jade what she missed most after our house. "Everything," she said. She is like her Aunt Tracy who likes the hustle and bustle of a big town. And malls everywhere.
Both Deb and Jade said they miss being able to go to Lino’s. It has been a family-owned restaurant for decades. There’s not pizza like it anywhere, and their special salad is second to . none.


If someone says, "I miss Lino’s pizza, you know sometime in the near future, someone will take a pizza run to Illinois.
Next on Deb’s list is Italian again, much like Lino’s. Maria’s, is a family owned restaurant. It’s been there so long that when I was born, my dad was delivering meat to Mama Maria. They still have the best steak and pasta you will ever eat. .
Fisher’s Potato Chips top the list. The best. We have never seen them anywhere else. You can buy the chips in big tubs. I would get them for graduation, showers, and Christmases. Last Christmas I forgot to get them, and you would have thunk I committed a crime.
Fishers is locally-owned and has been there for many, many years. My family gets tired of me telling of how when we were kids, we would walk from Lincoln Junior High School to the Fisher Factory. For a nickel, we would get a greasy lunch bag full of crushies (broken chips).
They miss their chips of today. I miss my crushies of yesterday.
In the long run, it may not be the food, the flowers, and the places we miss. Maybe there are times when we just miss-- those times.
When my gramma wasn’t pruning roses, she was most likely cooking. This recipe is for anyone who wants to add an authentic ethnic recipe to their files, Lithuanian style. She made everything from beet wine to beer soup to elephant ears. I’ll start with an easy one.first.
Farina Pudding (Manu Puddingas)
you will need:
1 cup cold cooked farina
3 cups scalded milk
2 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ t each salt and vanilla
½ cup white raisins
Pour scalded milk over farina.
Add the rest of the ingredients
Mix thoroughly
pour into buttered baking dish
Bake at 350 until pudding is firm, about 20 minutes
Enjoy your Lithuanian pudding.