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Show Page A4 lElif llimrg-3nhfpmfrf- Thursday, January 4, 2001 nt OURTOWNhave Community CoMMENrs abetter new year by Sam Taylor I)a and Wdda Irish and other members of the Liard of the Grand County Historical Society A fe years ago they undertook an almost impossible task of raining enough money to resvure the historic Dewev Bridge Without that restoration, the bridge would have taken itself out of existence in a few years They managed to raise the money, and the job was done That muih photographed structure will be around for a long time Now, they are taking on another restoration challenge They are asking the Grand County Council to apply to have the John Shafer home (also known as the Koy Holyoak home placed on the national historic register That home, located just off 400 hast Street near Crand County High School, has been abandoned for years It is, however, alsiut the only adobe structure left in Moab Such buildings were commonplace in the communitys rememU-r- , as a small child, helping hph early duys Moore mix and sun dry adola- bruks for a home he never finished on 2nd East The Council is considering the request One member is looking into financial obligations the county might have if the historic designation is approved, even though Dale and Wilda say that their group intends to raise in excess of $100,000 to do the restoration work. Another council memlier says there is no way the old home can In restored at the estimate the Irishes quoted BI-b- n i 1 - So w hat If Grand County taxpayers have to put a little money into preserving some of Grand Countys important history, that is money well sant in my way of thinking. - "ft It is interesting, after more than a month of wondering who won the election in Florida, to watch the new Hush administration put together a team of cabinet officers So far, now that the U. S. Supreme Court has told - us who the new president will be, I am quite impressed with the selections The designation by Bush of Dick Cheney as his running mate gave me the only enthusiasm I had during the blah national campaign. I believe that Colin Powell has demonstrated in his brilliant career the arts of diplomacy and lorce needed for a secretary of state. Other picks have impressed me also This week, the selection of former Democratic congressman and current commerce secretary Norman Mineta of California as secretary of transportation was an excellent choice. During a eriod of time when I served as chairman of the Utah Transportation Commission, I had several occasions to deal personally w ith Mr. Mineta, since he was then chairman of the IJ. S. House of Representatives committee on transportation. He was tough, and told it like it was Hut he was realistic and he listened. He was instrumental in helping Utah finish its Interstate Highway system, which at that time still had a lot of gaps I don't watch Colorado politics very closely, so I hadnt heard of the woman named to be the next secretary of interior. Since her nomination, though, which will probably be challenged in confirmation hearings, I have liked what I have read. Having survived eight years of Bruce Babbitt in that job, almost anyone would be an improvement I am relieved, since the Florida election aftermath, see to things moving along in Washington. The union will continue. The Electoral College, which gives some protection to states with small populations, will probably survive. The business of the nation will proceed. Watching a congress split down the middle politically will be interesting. There may even be some relief in congressional deadlock. That would really be a breakthrough. Idle Thoughts from Mt. Waas by Ollie Harris Romantical Many Trails by Adrien F. Taylor the family. Aunt Margaret dictated it to me while come in for a fair share of ribbing on occasion for the condition of some of the recipes in my overstufTed rcis Isix Truth be known, the most important recqies reside in the lid of the box Some of them go back many years, and smre some family members have asked for I copies, thought thia post holiday time would tie a good time to share. A bit more giving at the end of the season of giving, as it were. Tins first recipe is for Green Rice. It came from Sams side of the family, through his aunt, Louise Watts. Aunt iouise hosted Christmas Eve dinner for many years when our children were small. Her menu was ham, green rice, jello salad, relishes and rolls. So that is often the Christmas Eve menu for us today, although we waited until New Years Day this year. 1 in college, and I was its almost illegible today! CHRISTMAS WREATH pkg yeast; 14 cup lukewarm water; 12 cup scald, d milk; 14 cup butter; 14 cup sugar; 12 tsp. salt; 3 to 2 cup flour; 2 eggs, beaten; 12 cup corn meal; 14 cup chopped candied red cherries; 14 cup chopped candied green cherries; 14 cup chopped nuts; 14 cup moist mincemeat. Soften yeast in lukewarm water. Pour scalded milk over butter, sugar and salt; stir until butter melts and cool to lukewarm. Stir in 12 cup flour and beaten eggs. Add softened yeast and corn meal. Stir in enough more flour to make a soft dough. Turn out on lightly floured board. Knead until satiny (10-1- 5 minutes). Place the dough into a greased bowl and brush lightly with melted shortening. Cover and let rise in a warm place until dough is double in size (about one hour). Punch dough down. Cover and let rest about ten minutes on a lightly floured board. Knead in cherries, nuts and mincemeat, along with enough flour to make the dough balls and roll in oil easy to handle. Pinch off butter, alternating balls in a greased ring mold. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Bake at 350 25-3- 0 minutes. When cool, brush with a thin powdered sugar glaze. Decorate with red and green cherries, and whole 1 3-- 1 GREEN RICE grated cheese; 1 green bunch parsley, cut up fine; 1 cup 2 cups cooked rice; 2 cups pepper, chopad, 1 chopped onion; 13 cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs, well beaten; cup milk, 1 tap. Salt But some grated cheese to the side to sprinkle on top Combine all other ingredients, then sprinkle the cheese on top and bake 45 minutes in a 350 oven. This goes nicely in a rectangular pan, or round pyrex bowl. For Christmas, a garnish of red bell pepper on top, or dish. chopMd into the mix makes a festive-lookinThis second recipe comes from my mothers side of g nuts. Brick Bats and Bouquets and adults and children alike made masks to wear (at right). The music, decorations and portraits also added to the fun. Brick bats to the Grand County Council for not rotating the chairmanship. Diversity in leadership is healthy for any governing body ent ) (UPS) Entered as Second class Matter at the Post Office at Moab, Utah under the Act of March 3, 1897. Second class postage paid at Moab, Utah 84532. Official City and County Newspaper. Publ'shed each Thursday at: 35 East Center Street, Moab, Grand County, Utah 84532 6309-2000- ail Postmaster: Send changes of address: edltor6moabtlmes.com address to: The P.0. Box 129, Moab, Times-lndepende- or FAX 435-259-75- Member UT 84532 435-259-77- NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION and UTAH PRESS ASSOCIATION Samuel J. and Adrien F. Taylor, Publishers SenaT. Flanders, Editor Tom Taylor Zane Taylor Ron Flanders Franklin Seal Lisa Church Mary Wright Sadie Warner Dorothy Anderson V 1 Circulation Manager, T--l Maps Press. Production Manager Systems Manager News Writer News Writer Advertising Representative Real Estate Weekly, Design Mail Room Supervisor Jose Churampi, Stan Zook... her tiny waist. I looked long at the picture. It gave added spice to my plans for a romantical evening which, as things turned cut, was really quite romantic. Writers on the Range by Louise Wagenknecht s urtrs-3Inbepmb- grees below zero. Here is my romantical notion. I thought that when I went to see Barbara after work last Friday night, I would invite her to go with me for a walk in the cold were married. Her parents in that photograph are younger than we are now. Her mother was a beautiful woman with a full head of black hair. Her dad exudes vigor and good humor. Barbara is standing on the left with one of the little kids in front of her. She is wearing a full, 1950s --era skirt with a sculpted leather belt around Our Lady of the New West Bouquets to the Moab Arts and Recreation Center for its outstanding New Year's Eve celebration. Party-goerenjoyed good food donated by numerous XEhc romantical." OK, heres the set up. Barbara has been gone for a few weeks. She has been in Colorado assisting her aged and failing parents until Grandmother Lee can get back on her feet. Mother and Father Lee still live on the old place, the place where they lived when Barbara and I were married. We were married in late December. The small old house is now a storage shed and Barbaras parents are living comfortably in a trailer next door. Barbara was one of the older children in a large family. My circumstances were almost identical. There was no place for us to carry on our courtship away from giggling little brothers and sisters. Even the kitchen was inadequate because, though we had no interest in retiring for the night, others wanted the lights turned out so that they could get some sleep. We conducted our courtship outside in the icy December darkness. I do not know how cold it was as we walked the lanes in the dark, or as we sat on the steps of the little schoolhouse. I know that it was very cold, though. On the night of our wedding reception, held the first part of January, the temperature plunged to 43 de- December darkness. I envisioned that we would walk and quietly reminisce a bit. It would be a good time to reflect on what has transpired since we walked the lane 38 years ago. We could speak of our children and grandchildren. We could hold hands even though they were about to freeze. We could speak tender things to each other. It worked out about as I had hoped it would. It was appropriately cold outside, with a brisk breeze coming out of the northwest. It was still not as cold as it was when we were young. But, I suppose it all balances out because the passion in us is not as hot, either. And, we didnt stay out until all hours of the night. When we got back into the house the old folks had gone to bed. We went into their room to tell them goodnight. Mother Lee didn't pull the covers up over her mouth so that I couldn't see her laughing as she had done 38 years ago when I stood by their bed asking them if it was alright for me to marry Barbara. Barbara and I had been sitting at the kitchen table cleaning beans as I tried to muster courage enough to go in and talk to them. Last Friday night, after we had eaten dinner which they had kept waiting for me, they brought out an old photograph that I had never seen. It was a photograph of Barbaras family, taken three or four years before we High Country News Accolades and Admonishment with regard to issues in our community community members, I thought I would do something romantical. Yes, I know that the word is, romantic, but its risky to be too bold about such things. If you tell your buddies that you are going to do something romantic they will roll their eyes and laugh at you. Doing something romantic implies that you have some ulterior motive. On the other hand, romantical has the sound of whimsy, it leaves wiggle-rooIf things dont pan out, you always can laugh it off. After all, you were only shooting for Kelly Ericson, Bobbie Domenick, Jed Taylor Backshop Ken Davey, Came Mossien News Writers Layne Miller Regional Correspondent Green River Correspondent Betty Bailey Ron Drake Castle Valley columnist Ron George Coljnnist Oliver Harris Columnist Distribution She stands on the bottom shelf, her dark face serene, her feet resting on a crescent moon. Her eyes are downcast beneath her green mantle, her hands folded in prayer at the breast of her loose red gown. Over her right shoulder peeks the Mexican flag, its eagle forever grasping a serpent. On her left hand, roses cascade, yellow, red and pink. She is a decal, pasted on the surface of a glass novena candle, nine inches tall. She is the Virgin of Guadalupe, Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. I pass her every week in the aisle of a supermarket in Salmon, Idaho. What's a nice girl like you," I ask her, "doing in a place like this?" When we came to Idaho 11 years ago, the ingredients for the foods we had loved in New Mexico - tamales with blue corn meal, chorrizo, posole, sopaipillas, flan, chile rellenos were almost unobtainable. We made frantic phone calls. Nobody here knows what jicama is! Send chiles!" Now the chiles are here, along with sacks of masa harina and jars of nopalitos. Above the Virgins crowned head are cans of leche condensada azucarada, bags of arroz, cans of fruit juices, packaged drink mixes of flavored rice flour and cornstarch, pastel cookies and small round pastries, all labeled in Spanish, and all saying home" to someone. There is even jicama in the produce section. Lemhi Countys Hispanic population has doubled in the past ten years. Many of the faces of the men driving tractors and feeding cattle and moving irrigation pipe and digging ditches for telephone lines are brown. Their features are those of ancient carvings in the Valley of Mexico, or Yucatan. Under the John Deere feed cape, the faces are which is to say Indian. When Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe appeared near Mexico City in 1531 to a Catholic Indian convert named Juan Diego, she called herself the Virgin Mary, but she spoke to him in Nahuatl, his native tongue. She appeared on Tepeyac Hill, at the site of a temple, destroyed by the Spanish, once dedicated to Coatlicue, the Mexica (Aztec) goddess of earth and fertility. Identified with the moon, Coatlicue had a serpents head, a necklace of human hearts, and a skirt of snakes, writhing above her taloned feet. Her worshipers called her Honan tzin, Our Mother. In one of her minor aspects, she was the patroness of florists. To prove her identity to doubting church officials, the Virgin caused roses to bloom out of season, and ordered Juan to carry them in his mantle to the bishop in his palace. When Juan spilled the roses out in front of him, the Virgins image was seen to be imprinted on the cloth. Tbday the mantle is enshrined in a great church at Tepayac. Before the Virgin appeared to Juan Diego, Catholic converts in Mexico were few. Afterwards, Indians by the millions came to be baptized, welcoming an old friend in a new guise. Sometimes I hear Anglos complain about the brown faces in the valley, and about their children, who attend local schools. But their neighbors keep hiring more of them, as ranch operations expand and consolidate under the pressures of low commodity prices. The economic base of this remote dry land is changing. I stop by a on the way out of town, to gas up the pickup. Inside the little store are homemade tortillas and tamales and salsa. Beside them in the refrigerators are brightly colored soft drinks labeled in Spanish. A sign in Spanish in the window offers international telephone calling cards. mini-ma- Dark-skinne- d, rt weather-beate- n men stop to buy food and gas, mingling with the tourists, the Anglo cowboys, and the high school kids buying burritos for lunch. TTie men speak Spanish with each other and with the proprietor, much too fast for me to follow. Behind the counter, children play, speaking both languages easily. I pick up a package of tortillas and a copy of the local newspaper, reading it as I wait in line. In its pages, the owners of the gentle voices around me are invisible, unmenticned, Like the shy woman who makes the tortillas. But the laughing children behind the counter will vote in Idaho someday. Ey 2025, Hispanics most of Mexican descent will be 11 percent of Idahos population, and 30 percent of the Wests as a whole. A world that began with the Mexican War is ending, and I have seen a symbol erf that change, standing humbly on a supermarkets boUom shelf. Louim Wagenknecht it a contributor to Writerw on the Range, a eervice of High Country Newt (www.hcn.org). She lioet in Leadore, Idaho. |