An old clock and some memories

Top left, the clock which was headed for the trash. Top right, working on placing the images. Bottom picture, A glimpse at Times Past proudly sits on my mantle along with one of my many antique cameras. Photo by Megan P. 

A few weeks ago I took an old clock that was about to be thrown away and decided that I could make something creative with it.
Now, I know you may be thinking how strange is she, but trust me, it turned out better than even I could imagine.
For weeks I would look at that old clock lying on the kitchen table, or in my house the “catch-all”. What could I do to turn an ordinary old clock into something I would actually display?
My mom, Sheila, actually put me on the right path. She said, “What about the Times Past that you type in the paper?”
GENIUS! Get it? Times Past, a clock... Anyways. So I grabbed the screwdriver and began to take the clock apart.
I grabbed some papers I had around the house and cut out page 5 and begin to figure out just how I was going to make it work.
Once I had the background figured out, I knew that I wanted to make this special and I knew exactly what else I wanted to place on the clock.
Growing up my grandfather, better known as Rabbit Tipton, loved reading the newspaper. He would read all the local papers from surrounding counties and I don’t think he ever missed an issue of the Lexington paper.
Poppy, as I called him, would save the papers he collected over the week and place them in his old army chest in “the cat house” (an old building he had out back where the cats would sleep in the winter time). When we would go visit them on the weekends he would tell me to go read this article from the paper, or “there’s a good one in there this week”.
I loved to go up and rummage around in that old army chest. Stories and articles and the comics of course. As I got older he began saving me newspapers he thought would mean something to me. I still have a lot of those papers stored at my house, and when I begin to miss my Poppy, I go through them and read a few articles that I remember him pointing out.
But anyways, back to the clock. So, since my Poppy first lead me down the path to my love for the newspaper, I decided I would make my ‘Times Past’ in memory of him and that’s just exactly what I did. I had some copies of old pictures of him, his military picture and one of him with an old car while on the military base. I cut them out and added them to the clock.
And, since you never saw Rabbit with Mary, I had to add my Granny and her sisters on there as well.
My clock now sits on my mantle at home and is a reminder of “Times Past”. When I look at it, I am reminded of a saying  I came across a few years ago and it makes me love my family and my memories even more.

Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. “Be still” they say. “Watch and listen. You are the result of the LOVE of THOUSANDS.”

Have I been a kind person today?

As January rolls to an end ,many of us are questioning our dedication to fulfill those New Year’s resolutions we made just a few short weeks ago. Have you been sticking to your diet? Saving your money like you promised yourself you would?I didn’t make any resolutions this year, instead, I made goals for myself. My first goal was to be kind. Now, many of you may find this to be silly and just quit reading this article, and that’s fine, but take a moment to think back and ask yourself “am I a kind person?”A few weeks ago I was in the kitchen putting food up for lunch the next day. I was banging dishes around and mumbling under my breath, when my mother, who was staying with us over the holiday’s, looked at me and told me that if I couldn’t do something with a kind heart then I shouldn’t do it at all. WHAT? I was tired, had been up since 4 a.m. doing the laundry and picking up the house. I had worked all day then went and sat through a two hour meeting and had just got home. I was in no mood to hear about how unkind I was while cleaning the kitchen. The more I thought about it, the more I realized how right my mom was. I wasn’t doing those things with a kind heart. In fact, I sometimes get so angry at being the only person who cleans and does the laundry, I feel as though I’m the only person who knows how to put a new bag in the empty trash can. But do I have to be hateful? No. Of course not. So I asked myself what was causing this unkindness within me?Kindness is defined as being a behavior marked by ethical characteristics, a pleasant disposition, and concern for others. Kindness is known as a virtue and is often seen as helping someone in need in return for nothing. When was the last time I had enjoyed being a kindhearted person?The more I thought about my mom’s words, the more I realized that I was beginning to lose my ability to be kind. I deal with people on a daily basis. Some of those individuals are nice and very helpful, others snub their noses and treat me with disdain because of my job. That’s right, my job. My job does not define me as an individual. My job is just that, my job. It is a paid position of regular employment. It is not who I am when I’m off the clock, but that disdain was leaking into my soul and I wasn’t letting it go. I was letting others attitudes towards my occupation cloud my attitude while at home with my loved ones. So I promised myself then and there that no matter what, I would show kindness to those around me. And I must say, so far so good. Each day I find a Bible verse or a quote to use as motivation to help remind me to have a kind heart. On my desktop at work the word KIND is my background. It’s a reminder that no matter what I am facing or how I am feeling, I must have kindness within me. I’ll end with my verse for today and maybe you’ll take a moment to reflect and ask yourself the same questions I did. Have I been kind to someone lately? “She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.” - Proverbs 31:26 KJV

It's been a busy week in Powell County

These past months I’ve had the opportunity to participate in so many of your local events and activities, and I have enjoyed every one of those moments. I’ve had to step out of my comfort zone and despite those few who give me the cold shoulder (hazards of the job), I have met many wonderful individuals.
This week I watched middle school and high school students host a mock debate. Both teams done an amazing job representing both parties.
Judge Sarah Combs was the guest speaker and her words left not only the future generations with much to contemplate, but the adults in the room as well. She encouraged them to always vote no matter what, but to “demand much of the people who present themselves for your vote”.
Judge Combs also quoted President John F. Kennedy’s Trade Mart speech that he had in his coat pocket on the day he was assassinated in November 1963. Even though the election will be over by the time this reaches you, take a moment and let these words sink in.
“We, in this country, in this generation, are – by destiny rather than by choice – the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of “peace on earth, good will toward men.” That must always underline our strength. For as was written long ago: “except the Lord keep the city, the watchmen waketh but in vain.”

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I spent part of Saturday morning walking around the Red River Museum. So much of your history lies within those old brick walls, it was hard to take it all in.
 I enjoyed meeting with the craftsmen and watching as they demonstrated skills that have long since been pushed away. We rely so much on modern technology and having things right at our fingertips that we easily forget that once those “skills” were just part of everyday life.
Inside the Depot that is located on the property there are photos with names covering the walls. After typing the Times Past for years and wondering what those individuals in the articles were like, I was able to finally put faces with the names I type. Their memory lives on thanks to those who take the time to preserve your history.

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I was contacted a few weeks ago by Mrs. Martin who teaches social studies at Powell County Middle School. She told about how several students in her class took it upon themselves to learn more about the mysterious woman who has plagued Egyptologists for centuries.
Monday morning I met with those six seventh graders and congratulated them on such an amazing deed. Make sure to read their story on A-1. Way to go guys. Each of you have done an amazing job.

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As most of you already know, Stanton Elementary scored a distinguished in state testing last year. To celebrate the accomplishment the classes took to dancing in the street Monday afternoon. From the YMCA to the electric slide, the afternoon was filled with music and dancing.
I enjoyed standing on the sidelines laughing along with the kids. I must say though, I must be getting old because some of those dances I have never even heard of. I could have rocked the electric slide though!

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My father, Johnny Brooks.

My grandfather, James Rabbit Tipton.

Friday is Veterans Day, a day set aside to honor those persons who have served, or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces.
I am honored and humbled to have had numerous family members to serve - my grandfather, great uncles, uncles, and cousins. All Veterans, family or not, deserve our respect and our gratitude, and so I take this moment to thank you for your service.

How did we become so insecure?

I always wanted to learn to play the guitar. Singing I got down pat!

Growing up I was always told that I could do anything I set my mind to. I had wonderful parents who encouraged my siblings and I to reach beyond the expectations and face our dreams head first.

Personally, I wanted to be everything. A truck driver so that I could see the country, an archeologist because history fascinates me, a Hospice nurse because the one who came into our lives when my father was dying from cancer was a God send. A social worker to be a beacon in some child’s life, and a teacher to encourage children that you never stop learning.

My personal favorite however, the announcer at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Now go ahead and laugh, I do, but when I was little we would watch the Opry on TV and I would tell my Daddy that I was going to be standing on that stage one of these days. I would announce the latest country stars and sometimes even get to sing on the stage, maybe even with Loretta Lynn!

What happened to going out and chasing those dreams? Why did I stop dreaming I could do more and be more?

We are encouraged since birth by our parents and those who surround us to be the best that we can be. They drill it into our minds that we can do anything possible, but some how, doubt creeps into our lives and we begin to other think and criticize ourselves.

Why?

Why have we become our own worst enemy? Who brought that spark of doubt into our lives and made us believe that nothing is possible?

Are we to work meaningless jobs because we are afraid to go out and pursue the one career that we know we would enjoy doing?  Because we are different than others in looks, race, height, weight,  we can’t accomplish unimaginable things?

I’ve believed that about myself for years now, and as I’ve gotten older, those insecurities have brought me nothing but regret.

I should have become an archeologist who discovered a long lost piece of history. A nurse who was the pillar when a family lost a precious loved one. The social worker, who helped a child and let them know that someone cared. The teacher who brought joy and laughter into learning and encouraged children to follow their dreams.

 I battle my insecurities on a daily basis, but I’m learning how to push away some of that doubt. Maybe one of these days, I’ll be able to accomplish the impossible without the insecurities and the fear of doubt holding me back.

As for being that announcer at the Grand Ol’ Opry… A few years ago my husband Tim and I visited the Rhyman Auditorium and I held back from the tour. I stood on an old piece of the original Opry stage and with head held high (and in an extremely quiet voice) I said, “Welcome to the Grand Ol’ Opry… let ‘er go boys……”

The Southern Hummingbird Cake... a smart and delicious choice!

While going through some online cooking sites, I came across the recipe for a Southern Hummingbird Cake. My first thought was that this cake was going to be extremely sweet. I’m not much on cakes or extremely sweet desserts, but this one peaked my interest and I decided to bake one to see exactly what this cake tasted like. I was not disappointed.

Gathering the ingredients wasn’t too hard for me, I mean I had almost all of the ingredients in the pantry already. Except for crushed pineapples. Now, I wasn’t going to go out and make a special trip for one item, and I had chunked pineapples in the pantry and improvised and just chopped up the pineapples chunks. It works for me.

As most cake batters do, this one calls for vegetable oil. If you’ve ever had any type of dessert that I’ve made, it doesn’t contain vegetable oil. I use apple sauce for a substitute. Just use the same amount of apple sauce as it calls for oil. Works great and gives your cakes an additional flavor and helps in keeping the cakes moist.

I topped my hummingbird cake with homemade cream cheese frosting and added pecans to the top. I'm not the best cake icer, and having a husband rushing you because they want to try it doesn't help.

Another side note before baking this cake, make sure that you have a large mixing bowl. I don’t bake often, and my Bybee bowl generally works for anything I make, but this recipe calls for you to mix your wet ingredients into the dry. I found out that a large mixing bowl would work much better and make it easier on you than trying to mix the batter in a normal size bowl and keeping the batter from spilling over the edges. Luckily I managed to make it all fit without any spills.

The recipe I found called for the batter to be divided into three small round baking pans to make a three tiered cake. The non-baker here doesn’t own round baking pans, but I do happen to own something that most people over look now days, a bunt pan! I probably use mine more than most, seeming as it’s one of the few baking utensils I own. Just spray a little baking spray, or butter the bunt pan up, dust a little flour and you are good to go.

This was one of the best cakes that I’ve had in a long time. It was moist and had a wonderful flavor, and the homemade cream cheese frosting just added that extra zip that all desserts need. Not to mention the house smelled wonderful while baking.

However, this would be a recipe to dig out for special occasions; reunions, holidays, birthdays. It is extremely rich, but delicious. Don’t just take my word for it though, make one for yourself and you will understand. I hope you enjoy this cake as well as my household, and a friend I shared the cake with. This will be my new go to cake recipe. Enjoy!

Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Luckily I had all the ingredients on hand. Like I mentioned in the article, I improvised with the chunked pineapples and substituted the oil for apple sauce. I used fresh eggs I get from my sister and they were so pretty I hated to crack them open, but for the sake of the cake, I did.

Southern Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 eggs

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 (8-ounces) can crushed pineapple, undrained

3 (about 2cups) ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup roasted pecans, finely chopped

Cream Cheese frosting

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare three 9-inch cake pans by spraying with baking spray or buttering and lightly flouring.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda
a, baking powder, salt and ground cinnamon in a large bowl. Set aside.

Cream together the eggs, oil, vanilla extract, pineapple, mashed bananas, and finely chopped pecans in another large bowl. Stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Evenly divide the batter between the three prepared pans and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Turn cakes onto wire rack and allow to cool completely before frosting with cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

½ cup butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese

4 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Beat softened butter and cream cheese until well blended.

Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat until creamy.

Note: Since I baked my cake in a bunt pan, I let it bake for 45 minutes and checked it. Make sure you compensate for the type of pan you are using.

This recipe makes a thick rich batter. I wasn't sure it was all going to fit in my trusty old bunt pan.

The Sweet Smell of Summer

  Growing up my family had a different definition of summer vacation. We didn't travel, never went to the beach or spent the weekend in Tennessee. My first time traveling out of state was on my Senior Trip and last summer was my first time seeing the ocean. 
  Now a lot of people would think that our summers were just horrible and boring. Not going on vacation? Me on the other hand, I'm glad we spent our summers at home and with our family. 
  Young or old, usually everyone in the family spent most of the summer either in the garden or in the kitchen. You were either picking, stringing, snapping or shucking outside, or pickling, peeling and canning on the inside.
  My favorite was always stringing the green beans and I still enjoy it to this day. Just not with as much enthusiasm as I use to have.
  But out of all of that, my favorite part of summer was walking into my Granny Mary's house and smelling cinnamon. You see, the smell of cinnamon meant that she was baking bread, and not just any bread, Zucchini bread. 
  Mmm! That smell meant that either she had already baked the bread and was sitting it out to cool, or it was in the oven just waiting on us grandkids to get a warm slice.
  Sometimes Granny would let us help her in the kitchen. Maybe grate the zucchini or break up the walnuts that she put in her bread. Most times we made too big of a mess and she would shoo us out to the front porch. 
  That was fine with me. From the porch you could look in and see those two beautiful brown loves of perfection cooling on the counter top. That first bite of warm zucchini bread was pure love, and to wash it down with a cold glass of milk was just perfection!
  Now that my Granny Mary has passed on, I make sure to bake a few loaves of Zucchini bread every summer. I've changed the recipe a bit over the years, but every once in a while, I'll make it using her recipe and it brings back all those childhood memories of summer that can't be brought back. Those memories are better than any vacation I could have ever taken.
  Usually, if my husband leaves any left, I share the bread with family and friends. You see, to me, I'm not only sharing a part of my childhood with you, I'm sharing a slice of love, just like Granny Mary.

Ingredients all laid out and ready to go! 

Meg's Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

3 tsp vanilla

1 c. applesauce

2 1/2 c. sugar

3 c. flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)

1/2 c. dried cranberries or raisins

2 c. grated zucchini

In a large bowl beat together eggs, vanilla, applesauce, sugar and cinnamon until combined. In a separate bowl mix your dry ingredients together; flour, salt, soda, baking powder. Stir in zucchini, nuts and cranberries into the wet mixture and gradually stir in your dry ingredients until combined. Bake at 350º for 1 hour in greased loaf pan, or until a tooth pick comes out clean. Let cool. Makes two loaves.

Fresh baked loaves of Zucchini bread I made last night. Delicious!

Learning through loss

Back last summer I learned that my biological father, Johnny was diagnosed with lung cancer. This was such a shock to me. My dad Kenneth, who raised me since birth, passed away from lung cancer in 2002 and learning that Johnny had cancer as well nearly broke me down. 

I didn't know what to say, what to do. Here was this man who is a part of me, and we didn't really know each other.
So for a few weeks I'd randomly go out and sit on the back porch with him and we'd talk. Well, he'd talk and I would sit and listen. How sad that a daughter doesn't know her father.

I learned that when he was growing up, that he lived in a house just down the road from the first house Timmy and I lived in when we got married. That my love of the dirt track comes from him since he use to race. I realized that we smile and laugh alike, and that deep down, I truly did love him.

Johnny is on the far right. This was taken during his dirt track racing days. Notice the guy on the left holding the checkered flag? 

I tried to fight that part of me for a long time. Here is this man who calls just a few months after my daddy passed away to tell me that he was my father. To a 17 year old this is heart breaking and unacceptable. I didn't want to know him. Why would I? After all of these years here is this stranger who comes into my life and wants to be a part of it. How is that acceptable? 

But now, that he's passed away, I'm ashamed of the way I treated him. I shunned him because I didn't want to accept him, and when I was able to accept the fact that he was my father and that no matter what I wanted or thought, that he would always be my father, it was too late. 

Two weeks before he passed away of a heart attack, I gave him a letter. I wish I had that letter here to share with you, but his wife Betty has it. But I started the letter off something like this - 

Dear Johnny - or dad,

I'm not really sure what I should call you. I get so confused. . .

I told him that I had said things that I regretted. That my biggest regret was not getting to know him, my family, my brothers and sisters. I told him about myself. How I love old movies and that I had always felt that a part of me was missing and that spot was filled when I found out about my older brother who shares the same birthday as me. I told him about my life growing up; how I never needed anything and that my dad was my world.

But then I opened up a part of my heart and soul and told him how I felt about him. I told him that no matter, I had always loved him, I just fought that love. I felt as though I was cheating my dad by loving him as well, but that I had realized that there was enough love in me to share with him as well. That I had stood by my dads side while he fought his battle with cancer and that I would stand by his side as well. That if he feel, I'd be there to pick him up no matter what. 

When I handed him that note, I hugged him, kissed him on the cheek and told him to "read this after I leave. I can't say out loud what I can put into words. I love you." Then I got in the car and left. 

A few weeks later I received a voice mail and all it said was, "Megan, its your sister Penny. Please call me back." I knew. And I lost it.  I had lost a part of me that I never really got a chance to know. I lost so much, yet gained so much in the end.

I gained the love of a sister (Penny). Someone that I can call and talk to about him if I need to. I gained a family that helped me get through the loss. Brothers and sisters whom I barely knew, aunts, uncles and cousins who accepted me into their family. I gained love at the same time that I lost a chunk of myself. Do you understand what I mean? It so hard to put into words. 

Johnny with me at my High School graduation.

But he was there at things that my dad wasn't able to be at. He was at my high school graduation, at my proms and even though I tried to fight it, he was there if I needed him. Since he's passed, my mom has told me a lot of things that I needed to know. About why he wasn't a part of my life growing up and why she made the decisions she made. Even though I didn't understand when I first found out, I understand her choices now, and I don't regret one minute of my life so far.

Why should we regret the life we've lived when we can't go back and change the past? All we can do is learn from our mistakes and use them as a foundation for a better, stronger, smarter future. 

This August will be a year since he's been gone. This November will be 11 years since my dad Kenneth passed away. It's so hard to accept, but all I know is that through God, all things are possible. I believe Johnny loved me for me no matter what. And in all honesty, I love him too.