Little Red Wagon
Little Red Wagon
Every kid of that generation
owned one.
Little red wagon
“Radio Flyer.”
Made of sturdy metal
great for hauling:
rocks
cats
toys
kids.
You don’t see those
flyers much anymore.
Today’s wagons are plastic,
soft edges, soothing colors.
They don’t make kids or wagons
the way they used to.
Quotable
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Jorge Luis Borges
4-Ingredient Simple Pizza
So I like having simple meals. The fact that this one is a quick four-ingredient recipe makes it ideal. This is a Friday night staple in our house. Mine is low carb, but yours doesn’t have to be if that’s not your thing. It starts with a tortilla or flatbread, marinara or spaghetti sauce from a jar, shredded cheese, and those sliced pepperonis in the lunchmeat section of the store. Beyond that, toppings are cook’s choice.
Simple Pizza
Serves 1
–1 low carb tortilla or flatbread (I use Aldi’s store brand Fit and Active original flatbread)
–2 – 3 tablespoons of marinara or spaghetti sauce
–12 slices of pepperoni
–1/3 cup of pizza cheese (I use this wonderful cheese originating in St. Louis called “provel.” Amazing stuff!)
–a little olive oil for the flatbread
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Apply a thin coating of oil to both sides of the flatbread, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or aluminum foil, and bake in the oven for 5 – 7 minutes until slightly brown and a little crispy. Spread marinara on flatbread to the edges and layer pepperoni slices on top. Sprinkle cheese over that and slip back into the oven for 8 – 10 minutes until the cheese starts to brown. Enjoy!
Notes: You can use regular flatbread or a tortilla for a base. For a softer crust, skip baking the flatbread alone and go right to putting on the toppings and baking the pizza. I sometimes put mushrooms and onions on the pizza. If sliced thin, they’ll cook or you can briefly microwave them to soften before layering on the pizza. Pre-cooked sausage is also good on these.
Old-timers
When I was a kid, I heard a lot about old-timers. The old-timers say never plant garden before May 15. The old-timers say lard makes the best pie crust. The old-timers say a bargain isn’t a bargain unless you need it. . . .
I’d see them everywhere, these old-timers. Farm supply stores. The old mercantile with the floors that creaked. County fairs and festivals. A bench in the shade on Main Street. They were our sages. Weathered. Seasoned. These men and women connected us to wisdom from another day. Sound, practical, downright stubborn advice in the face of everything modern.
I remember being in awe of these folks, particularly when they took a moment to notice me. Sometimes a pat on the head. Other times a simple “You must be Gary and Ann’s girl.”
Old-timer sightings are rare these days. Like passenger pigeon rare. Why is that? Underappreciated? Micro-managed from well-meaning family members or the “it’s for your own good” crowd? Less welcome in the market place?
What does that say to our children and grandchildren? I realize kids are busy these days, with schedules rivaling a CEO, but it seems to me we’re losing something valuable. Old skills, practical solutions. Tried and true remedies. Connection to those who have gone before us.
I propose we do something different. Try talking to the voices of experience. Ask a simple question. Start with relatives and neighbors. Folks from church. Plenty of gold to be mined there.
God willing, we’ll be old-timers someday.
Do you have a special old-timer story to share? Leave me a comment.
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