C.Y. Bourgeois's Blog, page 9

Stipulations

There were a few stipulations, though, to Lois and Bill’s agreement about moving to Alaska. He had to get a job and find them a place to live. Neither of which had to be permanent, but they had to be able to pay their bills, and feed and clothe the family. He agreed.
She had one more stipulation, and this one was a doozy. He had to agree that she would give living in Alaska one year and if she couldn’t stand it for any reason, they would go back to Michigan.
He made a solemn vow to her that they would do just that if she didn’t like it there. But he knew she would. He was positive.  
Although he was over the moon at the prospect of realizing his dream, he couldn’t help but be worried about leaving her alone to take care of everything. Herding two kids, a dog and getting ready to move, lock stock, and barrel, once he found a job and a place to live would not be easy.
He did his best to hide it, but he wondered if she was strong enough to get through what he honestly thought would be a few weeks all alone, with all the added stress of moving. He worried because several months after I was born, my mom had what her doctor called a nervous breakdown.

Jonesing for Alaska

Bill had been jonesing to go to Alaska ever since he talked to some guys at work about it. He got a subscription to Alaska magazine and that only made his desire to go more powerful. 
According to the guys Alaska was desperate for workers and the pay was great. They said you could get a huge chunk of land, build a log cabin and live off the land while making money hand over fist.
Gosh, that sounded good to Bill, who having been drafted to fight in WWII at the young age of 18, and having returned from the European Theater four years later, was stuck working in a factory. He was making a living, but just that, with not much hope for a great financial future.
Maybe it was a result of having been to other countries, experiencing the hardships of war, the brotherhood, the adventure, but he craved that adrenaline rush, and let’s face it, working in a paper plate factory wasn’t much of a rush.
He also wanted to give his young family the life he’d always dreamed of, one of all the comforts without having to worry about every penny. A good living, a nice place to live, and all the adventure you could ever want. According to the guys at work, Alaska was the place to do just that.
I can only imagine the cajoling, sweet-talking, and promises he made in order to get Lois to agree. To get her to pack up and leave her family and friends. But somehow, he managed to get her to agree. He should follow his heart.  

Pray Hard

Letter 1, Dated: June 3, 1962, From: Fairbanks, Alaska (continued)  The road was rough but no worse than some at home but when dry it sure is dusty and crooked in places, never know what’s over the next hill or around the next curve.
You can’t imagine the scenery till you see it. Mountains covered with snow, lakes & rivers still with ice and snow on them. Tried to catch some of it in color. Hope I did.
Are going out to the Airport tomorrow and try to get a job so keep your fingers crossed. Construction hasn’t completely opened up yet, but will take anything right now.
Sure is lonesome here without you and the kids. Miss all of you very much.
Hope I can get a job soon, can sure build a beautiful log home up here and cheap too. That’s what we’ll have if things work out right. So, pray hard.
Tell everybody there Hi for me and keep their fingers crossed too.
Sorry I didn’t send many cards, but we were moving pretty fast and didn’t even think about it half the time.
Am going to try around here maybe a week and if nothing happens am heading for Anchorage.
Can’t think of much more to write about right now, because I kind of feel down in the dumps a little.
Will write more later.Love to all, Bill
P.S. Give the kids a big kiss and hug for me and tell Billy I’m trying to get that log cabin for all of us. Hoping to see all of  you soon.Love, Bill
Note: Alaska was everything he dreamed of, but not exactly what he expected. Dad and his buddies had driven the longest, hardest road they'd ever been on and arrived unscathed, but unbeknownst to him, he was in for another long, hard road.

The People are Swell at the Riviera Boatel

First letter from Dad, Dated: June 3, 1962, From: Fairbanks, Alaska
Dear Lois, Billy & Carla:
We finally made it to Fairbanks. Everything went fine except for a couple of times, Neil got a little P.O.’d. He even brought it up about dividing up our money again but it didn’t work. He had to borrow money from Jerry to finish the trip.
We arrived yesterday morning started out trying to find a job & place to stay. Are now staying at the Riviera Boatel. It sure is a nice place and the people are swell. They’re even trying to help us find a cabin or someplace where we can cook our own meals.
Also, they’re giving us names of people to see about jobs. Can’t do much on that score till Mon. The Wheel tells everybody he’s practically an engineer & an electronic expert. Don’t know who he’ s trying to fool, himself or somebody else.
The trip went good, and we had no trouble with the trucks. Gas was high but not as bad as some people think. In Canada the most we paid was, I think, 63 cents a gallon (5 qts to our 4 qts). My expenses totaled $124.43 and I got about 16 miles to the gallon. Neil got around 13 – 14 miles.
The Alcan Hiway (sic) isn’t too bad to drive on providing you don’t try to go over 50 mph. The first couple of days on it we had rain & drizzle. It took us 8 days for the trip but would tell anybody else to take longer. There sure is some beautiful scenery along the way, especially after you get past Dawson Creek. I took 3 rolls of b & w film. 1 roll of colored & started on the second, sure hope they turn out good. Tried to keep a record of the colored ones.
Didn’t see much game but did see a lack bear and 2 cubs along the road, couldn’t get a picture, not enough light. Also saw a moose that got hit by a pickup truck, lots of rabbits, gophers & ducks that’s about all.
***to be continued…
Note: The Boatel is still there. It's different now, but it's cool that my dad stayed there in 1962 and the people were swell! I'm sure they still are. :-) https://www.facebook.com/Boatelbar/

Monsters and Molasses Cookies

Since I was only two years old at the time, I don't actually remember the drive to Alaska. But I know, trust me, I just know we had homemade cookies to munch on during the long drive. I'm sure we had healthy stuff too, like carrot and celery sticks and apple slices, but cookies were Mom's thing, so we had ‘em.
   
One of my favorite cookies was (and still are) Mom’s Famous Molasses Cookies. They’re super easy to make, and are absolutely delicious straight from the oven…well, maybe give them a few minutes to cool down.

Memories of coming home from school to the smell of fresh cookies are too numerous to count, but we were always allowed to have 3 or 4 as our after-school snack before tackling our before-supper chores. (Kids actually did chores back then).

Thinking about chores brings to mind my addiction to the old afternoon soap opera featuring a bunch of supernatural characters, and specifically a vampire named Barnabas Collins, called Dark Shadows.

Now, I love a good scary show, but only if I don’t have to go outside in the dark afterward. By waiting until after the show a few times and getting the bejesus scared out of me by my brother, I learned the hard way to get my chores done before watching the show. You see, in Alaska during the winter, it gets dark very early, and if I waited until the show was over, in that mere 30 minutes, the dark had descended. And you know what comes out in the dark. Vampires, werewolves, and ghosts. And brothers.
    
Once my chores were done, I got my cookies and plopped my butt in front of the T.V. to watch the vampire Barnabas Collins, along with assorted ghosts, werewolves, witches and warlocks, terrorize the good people of the fictional town of Collinsport, Maine.

Mom’s Famous Molasses Cookies
3 cups sugar
2 cups vegetable shortening (or butter)
3 eggs
¾ cups molasses
6 ½ cups flour
3 tsp. each of ginger and cinnamon
1 ½ tsp. cloves
6 tsp. baking soda
Most important ingredient: Love (It keeps the monsters away.)

Mix dough, roll into cookie-sized balls, roll in sugar, and bake for 12 -15 minutes at 350 degrees.

ENJOY!!

Postcards From the Road

By the time Lois embarked on her journey to Alaska, Bill had already been gone for over three months. He sent two postcards while making the drive, both short and sweet, no mushy stuff.

To say he was excited to be on the road is an understatement. Going to Alaska was a long-time dream of his and he couldn't believe his luck that his wife would actually let him go. Obviously, he wasn't missing us too much at this point.

No Looking Back

In August of 1962, at the age of 28, an amazing woman named Lois Schoppe packed her two- and four-year old kids and their dog into her car and drove up the Alcan Highway. Then a potholed, rock strewn gravel road thousands of miles long, it wound through endless miles of desolate, lonely country. Her destination, Alaska and her husband Bill. There was no looking back.

Except for the one time her eyes were drawn to the rear-view mirror. There stood her dad, waving goodbye with tears running down his face. “What am I doing?” she thought. Then words from her husband’s last letter came into her mind. “…just waiting for you and the kids to get here. All my love and kisses. Your loving husband, Bill.” Wiping away her own tears, she straightened her back, and keeping her eyes on the rad ahead, stepped on the gas. 

Neither she nor her dad knew how long it would be before they saw each other again, but the one thing she did know was that she loved Bill with all her heart and soul and couldn’t wait to be with him, no matter where or how long it took to get there. 

It would, in fact, be over eleven years before she was able to return to lower Michigan and she could, at long last, do more than write letters to the family she missed so much.  

Recipes and Memories: Stuffed Manicotti Christmas

     Ahh, the Stuffed Manicotti recipe.  Mom wrote “Very Good” on this one.  She made it on several occasions, but I remember the first time she decided to make it.  It was on a long-ago Christmas Eve, and the whole family Mom wrote “Very Good” on this one.  She made it on several occasions, but I remember the first time she decided to make it.       The holidays are for sharingwith friends and family.  But, having moved to Alaska in 1962, we had no extended family with which to share, so we, like so many other Alaskans, adopted friends as our Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.  During the time of this story, we were particularly close with The Sears’s, the Ash family, the DeVoy’s, and the Holtom’s.  They were the sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins that we sorely missed.  Most especially during the holidays.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.   However, after a few confusing years of choosing at random which family would host the big ones: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July, the Mom’s got together and decided to make an informal rotating holiday schedule.       The Stuffed Manicotti Christmas happened one year when it was my family’s (Mom’s) turn to host, and she decided to change things up.  It was on a long-ago Christmas  Day that she dared to make something besides one of the old standbys; turkey, or ham, or even prime rib!         “What?” I almost-but-not-quite-yelled.  “No turkey?  No stuffing and mashed potatoes?  What’s this world coming to?”     Mom just smiled.  “Don’t worry.  It’ll be fine.”     And, guess what, she was right.  The manicottiwere a huge hit and, despite my dramatic protestations, Christmas dinner went off without so much as a hiccup!  Stuffed ManicottiSauce:
2 Tbls. Oil                                                                        1 tsp. garlic
1 32 oz. can tomato sauce                                          1 med. onion chopped
1 Tbls. Flour                                                                    1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. oregano                                                               1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sugar                                                                     ¼ tsp. pepper
2-1/2 C water                                                                 2 C chopped mushrooms


Stuffing:
1 lb. hamburger                                                             ½ C chopped onion
1 lb. Ricotta or Cottage Cheese                                 1tsp. basil
24 Manicotti shells                                                       1 C shredded mozzarella
1 pinch of Love


Brown garlic in oil, add tomato sauce, stir in med. onion, flour, seasonings, sugar, water, and mushrooms.  Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.  Brown hamburger and ½ C chopped onion.  Pour off fat and remove from heat.  Stir in Ricotta or Cottage cheese and basil.  Stuff shells with meat mixture, lay in a 9x13 pan, cover with sauce, cover and bake @ 400 degrees for 45 -50 minutes.  Top with mozzarella and replace cover until melted.
Enjoy!!

Stuffed Manicotti Christmas

     Ahh, the Stuffed Manicotti recipe.  Mom wrote “Very Good” on this one.  She made it on several occasions, but I remember the first time she decided to make it.  It was on a long-ago Christmas Eve, and the whole family Mom wrote “Very Good” on this one.  She made it on several occasions, but I remember the first time she decided to make it.       The holidays are for sharingwith friends and family.  But, having moved to Alaska in 1962, we had no extended family with which to share, so we, like so many other Alaskans, adopted friends as our Aunts, Uncles, and cousins.  During the time of this story, we were particularly close with The Sears’s, the Ash family, the DeVoy’s, and the Holtom’s.  They were the sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, and cousins that we sorely missed.  Most especially during the holidays.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays.   However, after a few confusing years of choosing at random which family would host the big ones: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and the Fourth of July, the Mom’s got together and decided to make an informal rotating holiday schedule.       The Stuffed Manicotti Christmas happened one year when it was my family’s (Mom’s) turn to host, and she decided to change things up.  It was on a long-ago Christmas  Day that she dared to make something besides one of the old standbys; turkey, or ham, or even prime rib!         “What?” I almost-but-not-quite-yelled.  “No turkey?  No stuffing and mashed potatoes?  What’s this world coming to?”     Mom just smiled.  “Don’t worry.  It’ll be fine.”     And, guess what, she was right.  The manicottiwere a huge hit and, despite my dramatic protestations, Christmas dinner went off without so much as a hiccup!  Stuffed ManicottiSauce:
2 Tbls. Oil                                                                        1 tsp. garlic
1 32 oz. can tomato sauce                                          1 med. onion chopped
1 Tbls. Flour                                                                    1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. oregano                                                               1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sugar                                                                     ¼ tsp. pepper
2-1/2 C water                                                                 2 C chopped mushrooms


Stuffing:
1 lb. hamburger                                                             ½ C chopped onion
1 lb. Ricotta or Cottage Cheese                                 1tsp. basil
24 Manicotti shells                                                       1 C shredded mozzarella
1 pinch of Love


Brown garlic in oil, add tomato sauce, stir in med. onion, flour, seasonings, sugar, water, and mushrooms.  Bring to a soft boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes.  Brown hamburger and ½ C chopped onion.  Pour off fat and remove from heat.  Stir in Ricotta or Cottage cheese and basil.  Stuff shells with meat mixture, lay in a 9x13 pan, cover with sauce, cover and bake @ 400 degrees for 45 -50 minutes.  Top with mozzarella and replace cover until melted.
Enjoy!!

Recipes and Memories: The Brown Recipe Box

I've decided to take my rambling blog in a new direction.  I hope you like it, and if you have a favorite recipe that brings back warm memories, please email it to me at cybourgeois.visions@yahoo.com and I'll include it in my blog.



Recipes and MemoriesAt our house, food was an extension of Mom’s love.  Especially her baking and most especially her cookies.  Friends used to ask for her recipes, then laughingly accuse her of leaving something out.  Their version just didn’t taste the same.  I can tell you honestly that the only ingredient left out was a pinch of Lois Schoppe’s love.  You could actually taste her love in her baked goods.  Our dad died on April 22, 2006 and our family was devastated.  I miss him every day.  But, we still had Mom.  We still had half of the heart of our family.  Then on December 8, 2014 the remaining half of our family’s heart stopped beating.     December 8 will forever be the day the Earth was ripped out from under me like a magician’s tablecloth.  The day my heart shattered into a million pieces.  The day my mom died and I will never again be anyone's little girl. It’s been a year-and-a-half now, and I still haven’t regained my footing or found all the pieces of my heart.  I miss Mom and Dad more with each passing day, each life event, and each milestone.  But, instead of indulging my famously (at least in my family) maudlin tendencies, I’ve decided to honor Dad, the first man I ever loved, my hero, the Pied Piper of children and animals, and Mom, she who gave me life, my confidant, my best friend, and the super-woman-glue who held our family together, by sharing some Schoppe family anecdotes along with recipes from Mom’s brown recipe box.The infamous brown recipe box.There’s a story here and I think it’s the perfect one with which to begin my blog.
The Brown Recipe BoxI arrived at Mom’s little house in Palmer, AK, where she had lived alone since Dad had moved into the Pioneer Home across the street.“Mom!  I’m here,” I yelled as I walked in the front door.  I took a deep breath and filled my sinuses with the smell-taste of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.  But they weren’t just any old chocolate chip cookies, they were mom’s locally famous Garbage Cookies.  Loaded with everything but the kitchen sink and tasty as hell, a total party in your mouth. “Be there in a minute,” a voice slipped around the corner of the hallway and settled in my ears.  It could have been either one of my sister’s, Lori, Melanie, or even my own, but it was Mom’s.  We’d always gotten a lot of laughs by fooling friends and family on the phone with our identical voices.  As a family of self-proclaimed comediennes, we cracked ourselves up.  Anyway, I grabbed warm, melty cookie and took a bite.  I closed my eyes and moaned.  “Mmmm.  “So good.”I opened my eyes just in time to see my mother, looking a bit frazzled, stepping around the wall and into the dining room/kitchen.  Her short fuzzy, white-gray hair stood on end and her big green eyes peered myopically past my right ear through her big round plastic framed glasses.  Mom was legally blind.  Due to the ravages of her years long battle with diabetes, her eyesight consisted of big blind spots in her middle vision.  She could see by using her peripheral vision, so when she looked a you, she seemed to be looking over your shoulder.  Dots of perspiration glimmered on her upper lip and her fingers twitched.       I quickly worked up enough saliva to swallow, and said, “what’s the matter?”  “I can’t find my brown recipe box,” she said, swiveling her head from side-to-side like she was looking for the unseen recipes thieves lurking somewhere in her house.  “Hmm,” was my thoughtful contribution.“Did Paul take it?” she said.I stopped chewing and blinked at her.  “No,” I said, trying unsuccessfully to quell the huffiness rising in my chest.  “Why would he take it without asking?”“I don’t know, but I can’t find it an anywhere,” she said, wringing her hands.  “It has all my family recipes in it.”  My huffiness vanished at the look on her face.“Don’t worry, I’ll find it,” I said.  “It’s probably still packed away in the crawl space,”I headed down the hall to her office, moved all the stuff in the closet, and pulled open the trap door in the floor.  As I monkeyed my way down the steep little ladder, I said.  “Remember, you are not allowed to climb down here.”“I know,” she said, smiling sweetly as my head disappeared under the floor.  “That’s why you’re doing it.”Thus commenced many years of me, my husband, sisters, and brothers-in-law being asked if we were sure we hadn’t “borrowed” her recipe box, professing our innocence, and then searching the crawl space in vain.  The brown recipe box was nowhere to be found.Six months after Mom died, we found the darned thing in a box marked (and actually containing) “Slide projector & Slides”.   We laughed so hard we cried.  Then we just cried because we found it too late.  But, I think she knows.
Lois’s Garbage Cookies2-1/2 C sugar                                      2-1/2 tsp. salt                                      2-1/2 C brown sugar                           2-1/2 tsp. baking powder2-1/2 C shortening or butter               2-1/2 tsp. baking soda2 Tbls. Vanilla                                      ½ C milk                                                           6 eggs                                                  5 C oatsAdd to taste, any or all of the following:  Coconut, chopped nuts, peanut butter, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, plain M&M’s, etc…  Oh, and don’t forget… 1pinch of Love.Mix everything together, preferably in a very large mixer, drop on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes, and above all...Enjoy!