Country Cousin Happy Birthday America!...
The Fourth of July is almost here, but apparently summer is not, calendar or no. In the past week our furnace has been kicking in, even with the thermostat set below 50. So much for Global Warming! The ground is saturated, rivers are overflowing, and the rains do not stop. We've had a few summer days with air conditioning required, but not nearly enough for my taste.
June Dairy Month is all but over. The Dairy breakfasts drew huge crowds. Crept along in line for over half an hour at the Marinette County Breakfast on the Denowski farm before we found a place to park, and that was so far away we hopped on one of the many transport wagons to get back to the entry gate.
Once there, the event was as wonderful as always, with lots of great food, good displays, and fun activities for kids. A lot of very busy people put a great deal of time and effort into planning and carrying out that event.
WISCONSIN COURTESY
Waiting in line can be irritating, whether on foot or in a vehicle. At one point this conscientious Grandma felt obliged to give a small lecture on Marinette County courtesy to the grandkids.
Told them that we do not cut in line ahead of anyone. We do not honk horns. We are courteous and respectful. We give help when help is needed. If someone asks for directions, we tell them where to go.
Couldn't resist! Added that sometimes we tell people where to go even if they didn't ask for directions.
Hope the girls don't catch on to that one until they're much older!
SUMMER FUN
Weather may not be summer-like, but opportunities for summer fun abound in TIMESland, especially this week and next. Numerous business places have live music scheduled over the weekend and on the Tuesday, July 4th, and communities are planning gala celebrations.
The Village of Wausaukee has its celebration on Saturday, July 1, starting with an 8 a.m. Firecracker walk/run event, craft show at 10 a.m. parade at 1 p.m., fireworks at dusk, and food and fun throughout the day at Steve Stumbris Memorial Park on Fairgrounds Road. Music will be provided by "Fossil" from 2:30 to 6 p.m., and by "Daze 2 Nights" 7:30 to 11 p.m.
Crivitz celebrates on Tuesday, July 4, with downtown flea market, flag raising and "National Anthem" at 10:45 a.m. at the Village Hall and the traditional huge parade at 11 a.m. St. Mary church has its annual ice cream and pie social from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Starting at noon there will be music, food, drink and fun at Crivitz Community Veterans Park. "Brass Differential Band" will play from 6:15 p.m., and a huge fireworks display will start at 9:30 p.m.
The Lake Noquebay Ski Cats and Twin Bridge Water Ski teams both plan shows, food, fun and fireworks at their respective parks on Saturday, July 1. Ski Cat shows are generally held at Marinette County's Lake Noquebay Park on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the Twin Bridge Team performs at the Boat Landing Three Park on High Falls Flowage on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Mark your calendars for the City of Marinette's Logging and Heritage Festival on Friday, July 7, Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9. Too many events to list, but check it out!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA
Each year on July 4 the United States of America celebrates its birth as a free nation, honoring the day wording of the Declaration of Independence was finalized and approved without dissent. Actually, the Declaration itself had been approved two days earlier, on July 2, 1776 by the Continental Congress at Independence Hall in Philadelphia.
The Declaration was a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
On July 3, 1776, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail: "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America."
He was only slightly wrong. While not everyone in the 13 original colonies was in favor of Independence, on July 4, 1776 the document was adopted without dissent as "The unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America," and Independence Day is celebrated each year on the anniversary of that signing. (Note that "united" is not capitalized. That became part of our nation's name later.)
The Declaration reads:
"When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. " That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, " That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. " Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
"He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
"He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
"He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
"He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
"He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
"He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
"He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
"He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.
"He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.
"He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
"He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.
"He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
"For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
"For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
"For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
"For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:
"For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
"For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies
"For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
"For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
"He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
"He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
"He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
"He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
"He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
"In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
"Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
"We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. " And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
ACTS OF COURAGE
Signing that declaration took a great deal of courage. Not everyone in those days was in favor of Independence from Britain, and the signers knew full well that should the newly united States of America lose the war their lives and family fortunes would almost certainly be forfeit.
If Benjamin Franklin did actually say, "Gentlemen, now we must all hang together or we shall surely hang separately," he was being witty in the typical Franklin way, but was dead serious and absolutely correct. We who today enjoy the freedom and prosperity of America owe these brave men a deep debt of gratitude, and a prayer of thanks to our Creator for bringing them together on this Earth and this Continent at the right time to bring a new concept of government to the world. Let us never let go of the freedom they won for us!
COOKIN TIME
Fourth of July week is a time for gatherings of families and friends, for cookouts, picnics and bring a dish to share events. It's also time for fresh strawberries, which is always a reason to celebrate!
TASTY VEGETABLE SALAD
This recipe comes from Marinette County Master Gardener Mary Holley. The salad is easy to make, delicious to eat, and large enough to share. Needs to be made ahead so the flavors have a chance to blend and the veggies soften slightly. That makes it perfect take-along dish.
1 head cauliflower
1 head broccoli
1 cup celery, sliced diagonally
1 cup peas, fresh from the garden or frozen
1/2 pound bacon, fried crisp, drained and broken up
2 tablespoons diced onion
1 can sliced water chestnuts
Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/ cup sugar
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon finely chopped onion
Mix the dressing ingredients. Into your serving bowl, break the cauliflower and broccoli heads into somewhat small florets. (Discard the cores and any tough stems.) Add the other ingredients. Pour on the dressing. Toss together and chill for a few hours until chilled.
SRAWBERRY PRETZEL SALAD
2½ cups pretzels, crushed
3 tablespoons brown sugar
¾ cup butter, melted
6-ounce box strawberry jello
2 cups boiling water
6 ounce container of fresh strawberries, sliced, or 1 10 ounce package frozen strawberries
8 ounce package cream cheese
1 cup sugar
8 ounce container of cool whip, or real whipped cream, whipped
Slice strawberries and lightly sugar them so the juices can run. (There should be about three cups slices, and a tablespoon of sugar is enough). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter. Press into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 8 minutes and remove from oven. Let cool completely. Make the jello according to package directions and let it cool a bit, then mix in the strawberries. Refrigerate for an hour or so to let it thicken a little. Beat the cream cheese and sugar together until creamy. Fold in the cool whip or whipped cream. Spread the mixture over the top of the pretzel crust completely to the edges so the jello won't leak through. Pour the jello over the cream cheese layer and be sure it gets to all the edges. Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours (or even longer) before serving.
The Country Cousin
Thought for the week: Dear Lord, thank You for America. Thank You for allowing us to live in a land where we are free to enjoy the wonders You created for us, and the right to worship You in the manner we believe You prefer. (We in America also have the right to not worship You if that is our preference. We don't need to force our beliefs on others. Most of us are confident You will take care of that Yourself when the time comes. Most of us believe You want our love and obedience, but You do not need our help.)
(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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