My recipe box is a joyful possession. It holds memories of some very special people.

Here's a favorite from my mom's best friend- Ruth's Molasses Cookies. I use to make this recipe of soft cookies for my 104 year old grandpa.

Next, NB's recipe for One Egg Omelet. It was his own recipe that he could cook anytime when he was first learning to cook. It is complete with illustrations. No wonder he turned out to be a great cook.

And here's a whole sloo of recipes, nicely typed, that I got as a Christmas present from my friend and co-world traveling partner, Rebecca. Her recipes include Popeye's Special ( early vegetarian), Mule biscuits, and Biscochitos (5 doz.). I've lost track of her, but not all of our adventures together.

Ah, my ex-sister-in-law, she was the first to give me recipes for entertaining. It is for Cheese Balls.

Oh, yes, BBowden's recipe for Beer Batter and MARiver's Orange Humus. There's Aunt Ann's Angel Delight, how appropriate, she collected angels. Of course, I went through a whole period of collecting zucchini recipes. I ended up with a whole cookbook of zucchini recipes.

There's, my sister, Joyce's Lasagna. And then, there's my version of Spinach Lasagna I took from the Richard Simmon's show.

I saved the best for last, G'ma Koberg's Waffle recipe written out neatly in Big Fred's mom's handwriting. We have had waffles using this recipe many times and it has become a family tradition.

So, those are the highlights of my recipe box. I love the ones written out. I wish I had some from my own Grandma, but she usually told me the recipe which included directions like- a pinch of this or that. I guess all memories don't have to be written down, but I sure cherish the ones I have in my recipe box.

The weather and ailments were going to be off limits, but.. it's snowing out! It snowed last night and we woke up to needing the windshield scraper. I had to warm up the car to get the snow off. Visibility was poor and the roads were wet. At times this afternoon, it was coming down pretty heavily.

Gee, I haven't even taken the air-conditioner out of the upstairs bedroom window. I have two large ivy plants to bring in and the picnic table is still out on the patio. Luckily, BF has the snowplow in order incase we need to plow the driveway.

The forecast is for snow, blowing snow, rain and gusting winds, snow accumulations of 1-3 inches for the next few days. Let's see, at this rate we will have winter for eight months. How depressing! I wonder where I left my garden trowel?

Another great book- Sudden Country by Karen Fisher. This is a "can't put down" story of life on the Oregon trail. Wow- such ungodly hazards and stamina.

The main character, Lucy, leaves her comfortable home to go west following her second husband's dream. The story takes you back to her first husband and her joy of being in love. As she travels along the trail, it is taken for granted that she will do whatever needs to be done for her family with little regard for her personal well-being. The author does a terrific job of showing how Lucy loses her identity and faith as she faces the horrors of life going farther and farther into the unknown.

The story also follows the life of James McLaren as a trapper for the Hudson's Bay Company. His Nez Perce wife leaves him and his children die of smallpox. He is a driver and scout for the wagon train as it journeys west

Both main characters live in sorrow, loss of worth and loss of hope. The lives intertwine and the story leads one to believe that Lucy and James, who find each other and love, will live happily ever after.

This story is based on the times of Indian Wars, massacres, immigrants and Native Americans. The book was a finalist for the Pen/Faulkner Award. The New York Public Library named it ONE OF THE YEAR'S BOOKS TO REMEMBER. I agree! I really enjoyed reading it.