Make the most of a fowl proposition

By Wendell Fowler

Given a gracious turkey sacrificed its existence for your eating enjoyment, you might as well get the biggest bang for your holiday buck. In 1621, religious-separatist Pilgrims held a three-day expression of thanksgiving, celebration, praise and prayer to rejoice for their bountiful harvest and safe passage. Ergo, the nation’s first Thanksgiving Woodstock. [ad#single-post] Alas, gobbling too much may lead to arterial “fowl” play and bountiful corpulence. If you’re currently moved with the urge to purge and scrape groovy gravy, stuffing, sugary pumpkin pie and plastic Cool Whip from your arteries, consider these suggestions. Of course you can always drop off appropriately packaged leftovers at a homeless center or church whose congregation supports the downtrodden. Be sure however, to refrigerate everything within two hours of setting it out or you’ll ruin the moment by giving everyone the unexpected gift of the Turkey Trots. For my part, I’m profoundly grateful for my southside readers, their positive support and this generous podium to share sometimes astonishing health information hot off the griddle from scientific medical bastions around the globe. In this current age of unbridled, over-priced health care, nutritional awareness puts you in command of your health destiny. As I’ve pontificated repeatedly; eat fresh, eat pure and eat local and your temple will prosper. Soups: Add 2 cups of chopped leftover turkey, a variety of chopped, fresh vegetables and 1 cup of cooked brown rice or whole wheat noodles to 3 cans fat-free, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth. Boxed versions of stock do not contain cancerous BPA that lines tin cans. Salads: Add leftover skinless turkey to a mix of arugula and spinach, sliced mushrooms, cranberries, shredded carrots, sliced red onions and a sprinkling of heart-healthy walnuts. Toss the green elixir with low fat or fat-free fruity dressing or vinaigrette. Stock: After eviscerating the bird, take the bones, pan drippings and bits; boil them in water for an hour with celery, onions, carrots, dry white wine, chopped apples and sage to make a magnificent stock. Refrigerate the stock overnight. In the morning, skim off the gelatinous fat.

At Play Calendar for the week of 11.25.09

By Submission For The Southside Times

Circle of Lights • It is hard to miss the festive décor on Monument Circle, including 52 larger-than-life sailors, soldiers and peppermint sticks. The Circle of Lights centerpiece will be illuminated for the 47th time Nov. 27. The display includes 4,784 lights on 52 garland strands. | When: Nov. 27-Jan. 8 | Where: Monument Circle, downtown Indianapolis. Photos with Santa  • Santa has arrived at the Greenwood Park Mall and is ready for a holiday season filled with visits, photos and laughter. | When: Now through Dec. 24, times vary | Where: Greenwood Park Mall event area near Johnny Rockets. [ad#single-post] Christmas at the Zoo • Christmas at the Zoo and Woodland Wonderland has become a holiday favorite for children and adults alike. The display includes millions of Christmas lights and a new nature holiday display you have to see to believe! | When: Dec. 4-30, from 5-9 p.m., closed for Christmas Eve and Day. | Where: The Indianapolis Zoo | Cost: Zoo members are admitted free, and non-member tickets are $8.50 for adults and $6.50 for seniors 62+ and children 2-12. Children 1 and under are free, and parking is $5. | Info: Visit indianapoliszoo.com. ISO Yuletide Celebration • Join host Maureen McGovern and director Jack Everly as they spread the sounds of the season along with guests Tony Hoard and Rockin’ Rory, as seen on America’s Got Talent. | When: Dec. 4-29, times vary. | Where: Hilbert Circle Theatre | Cost: $17-$64. Breakfast with Santa • Simon Kidgits Club offers shoppers the chance to have breakfast with the jolly man himself. | When: Dec. 5, 8-10 a.m. | Where: Greenwood Park Mall food court. Greenwood Community Band Christmas Concert • Please bring a donation of a canned good item for the Salvation Army Samaritan Services Food Pantry. Guest performers will be the Circle City Ringers, an auditioned, community-based handbell ensemble from Indianapolis. | When: Dec. 6 at 5 p.m. | Where: Greenwood High School Auditorium, 615 W. Smith Valley Rd. | Cost: Free. Jolly Days Winter Wonderland • Take a ride down the ever-popular Yule Slide and discover the Winter Wonderland Snow Castle. Santa will also be making appearances alongside Jingles the Jolly Bear throughout the season. | When: Nov.27-Jan. 10. | Where: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis | Cost: $9.50-$14.50 | Info: Visit childrensmuseum.org. FCA Luncheon with the Pros • The Fellowship of Christian Athletes will welcome Colts players Jeff Saturday, Freddy Keiaho and Jerraud Powers. | When: Dec. 1, 12 p.m.-1:15 p.m. | Where: The Gathering Place, 1495 W. Main St., Greenwood | Cost: $35 per person, $250 for table of eight | Info: Visit www.thegponline.org or call 884-0531. Tunes and Tapas • A holiday concert, featuring Matinee Musicale Chorale, Franklin College String Players and the Greenwood Presbyterian Choir, will be held to benefit St. Thomas Clinic. The concert will include religious and secular musical selections, to be followed by a supper reception featuring appetizers and finger foods. | When: Dec. 13 at 5 p.m. | Where: Greenwood Presbyterian Church, 102 W. Main St., Greenwood | Info: A freewill offering will be taken to support the work of the clinic, serving uninsured residents of Johnson County. Call 535-8985 for more information. Book Signing • Local author Joyce Long will sign copies of her book and Bible study, Real Mothers, which she wrote when both of her children were teenagers. “The struggles we were having when our kids began pushing the limits led me to search God’s Word for examples of how biblical mothers parented their children,” said Long. Real Mothers features eight mothers from the Bible including Eve, Sarah, Rebekah, Jochebed, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary and Salome. | When: Dec. 5, 11 a.m.-noon | Where: Revelations Christian Bookstore, 209 E. High St., Mooresville | Info: The book sells for $10. Visit www.joycelongauthor.com or e-mail joyce.e.long@gmail.com for more information. American Legion Breakfast • Enjoy eggs cooked to order, biscuits and sausage gravy, bacon and tater tots and support Clothe-A-Child and the American Legacy Scholarship. Coffee, milk and juice are included. | When: Saturday, Nov. 28, 7:30-10:30 a.m. | Where: Greenwood American Legion Post 252, 334 U.S. 31 S. | Cost: $5 per plate | Info: Call 881-1752. Book Sale • The Community Hospital East Auxiliary will sponsor a book sale by Books are Fun to benefit hospital programs/services. Quality books and gifts will be available at a savings of up to 70 percent off the retail price. | When: Dec. 3-4, 7 a.m.-4 p.m. | Where: Community Hospital East, in the breezeway near the main lobby | Info: Payment by cash, check, major credit card or payroll deduction. Let’s Talk Cholesterol • A Clarian Health Pharmacist will discuss high cholesterol, what LDL and HDL mean, when is it appropriate to consider taking medication, what medications are available, and which ones work better. | When: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 1-2 p.m. Stewart’s Indiana Flea Market • When: Nov. 27–29, times vary | Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds, Ag/Hort Building, Northwest Pavilion and Pioneer Our Land Pavilion | Cost: Admission is free | Info: Visit www.stewartpromotions.com. Swap Meet & Car Sale • When: Nov. 29, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. | Where: Indiana State Fairgrounds, West Pavilion and South Pavilion | Cost: $6; children 12 and younger free. Christmas Bazaar • Lots of Crafts, Christmas items and a bake sale. | When: Friday, Dec. 4, 9 a.m.-noon | Where: Crestwood Village South, 8810 Madison Ave. | Cost: Admission is free. Homeschool Spelling Bee • The event will be divided according to age group: ages 8-11 and 12-16. There will be both a written and oral section. | When: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 1-4 p.m. | Where: Greenwood Public Library, 310 S. Meridian | Info: Call 881-1953. Register online at www.greenwoodlibrary.us. BG Town Hall Meeting • Come and meet your council person. | When: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 7 p.m. | Where: Elton H. Geshwiler Senior Center, 602 Main St., Beech Grove.

Determine the problem and heal it

By Carol Michel

It happens in every garden. One day the plants all look healthy, green and lush, and the butterflies and bees seem to float from bloom to bloom. It’s your virtual paradise. Then the next day, one of the plants is wilting, another plant looks half-eaten, and Japanese beetles are feasting on leaves everywhere. The garden has become your worst nightmare. At this point, you may be ready to give up on the plants or worse, be ready to soak the whole garden in some nasty poison concoction found in the back of the shed that you hope will fix it all, whatever it is. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Now when you see plants that don’t look right or look like they are being eaten alive, you can reach for the newly published book, What’s Wrong With My Plant? (And How Do I Fix It): [ad#single-post] A Visual Guide to Easy Diagnosis and Organic Remedies, by David Deardorff and Kathryn Wadsworth (Timber Press) to help you figure out your plant problems and safely solve them. This new book provides an easy-to-follow, comprehensive, three-part guide to help gardeners of any experience level diagnose their plant’s problem, confirm the diagnosis and prescribe the cure. In Part 1, the authors walk you through a series of questions with accompanying diagrams to help determine the problem. Each answer directs you to another question until you arrive at a diagnosis. Once you have a diagnosis, you can then go to Part 2, which provides information on organic solutions and remedies for each type of problem. Then Part 3 has photographs of various plants with problems to help you confirm the diagnosis. This is a welcome reference book for any gardener, one to keep front and center on your bookcase so that when problems show up in your garden, you’ll be able to avoid your worst plant nightmares and continue to have a garden you can enjoy as your own paradise.

Southside soldier home from Iraq for Thanksgiving

By Mike Alexander

[caption id="attachment_4666" align="alignleft" width="460" caption=" Sgt. Caras at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, where daytime temperatures soar to 130-plus degrees. Submitted photo"][/caption] Indiana National Guard Sgt. Matthew A. Caras of Greenwood spent last Thanksgiving fighting in Iraq. [ad#single-post] This Thanksgiving, he is home and looking forward to sharing turkey and traditional foods with family and friends. “You really appreciate what we have here when you’ve been somewhere like Iraq,” said the 2003 graduate of Franklin Central High School. He and wife Dorie now live in Greenwood. They will spend the Thursday holiday with his mother, Janet Caras of Franklin Township, and Dorie’s parents, Steve and Dorella Powell of Center Grove. Actually, Caras was in the neighboring country of Kuwait last Thanksgiving Day for a brief rest and relaxation period. Since it was 10 p.m. and the military turkey feasts had come and gone, the former Franklin Township resident found himself seated on an outside picnic table eating a steak sub sandwich at Charlie’s steakhouse. (Iraq is eight hours ahead of Indiana time, which meant it was 2 p.m. here, a time when most dinners are served.) But the convoy security soldier didn’t care that it was late and that he wasn’t eating turkey. He was glad to have a little respite from the intense grind of keeping a close eye out for heavily armed insurgents and roadside bombs in seeing a convoy of supplies safely through to destination. Caras and his military buddies have endured bomb blasts and shots, but luckily suffered no major injuries during the year Caras was there. His job was to man the machine gun atop the armored Humvee vehicle. Convoys move ever slowly so as not to overlook a roadside bomb or insurgent gunfire, particularly at overpasses and underpasses. The slow speed also prevents rollovers of the top-heavy vehicles on the steamy paved roads. A convoy trip could take any where from two to 30 hours. A guardsman’s concentration can never be sidetracked. Lives depend upon his diligence. “If anyone over there says he is not afraid, they’re lying,” he said. “The going can be tense. Every situation has to be treated as dangerous. That’s how we made it back.” Once, he and fellow Indiana Guardsmen escorted more than 30 semi-tractor trailer trucks at a snail’s pace safely to destination. Tall and lanky, the 25-year-old Caras wears a 60-pound bullet-proof vest and carries 40 pounds of gear in searing Iraqui heat, which reaches as high as 130-plus degrees during midday. His M-4 carbine rifle is always with him, even when going to the restroom on base. He also carried a medic bag in case any of his buddies are shot or injured. Caras attended Butler University for a short time, but his best friend, already on active duty with the Indiana National Guard, got him interested in joining in 2004. “It just seemed to be the right thing to do at the time,” he said. He was involved in an annual two-week training in August 2007 at Camp Atterbury in southern Johnson County when he was told his unit was going to Iraq. Yet he could not tell his fiancée for nearly three weeks until he was about to leave. His unit mustered at the RCA Dome in Downtown Indianapolis on Jan. 2, 2008, before flying to Fort Stewart, Ga., for two more months of training in doing convoy security. They learned how to conduct searches of pedestrians and vehicles at intricate control points, knowing that suicide bombers could be anywhere. He and Dorie had to squeeze in their already planned Nov. 24 wedding in 2007 before Caras left for duty Dec. 10. That left them eight days for a honeymoon trip and eight days at home before Caras headed to Camp Atterbury for additional training. After a year’s deployment, Caras came home in December of last year. “I was happy over there (Iraq). I felt like I was doing a good thing,” he said. Having access to e-mail on the Internet kept him in contact with wife and family . . . when he had time. Frequently, he would receive care packages from home, most of which came from his mother. Drink mix that could be stirred with cold water was a favorite treat from home. The trailer in which he lived had a refrigerator, considered a luxury in the desert. This Thanksgiving Day, Caras will bypass the steak sub and feast on a golden brown turkey and all of the traditional foods with wife Dorie and family members. “The wonderful part of Thanksgiving,” he said, “is being with family. They are always there for you.” Caras’ sister, Sarah Phillips of Franklin Township, recently had twin boys, making Caras an uncle for the first time. During a silent moment, Caras said he will pray for the safety of cousin Chris Westrom, who is spending his first Thanksgiving Day in Iraq. Caras said his time in the military has taught him to grow up. “I have a new outlook on life and appreciate what we have here in America.” As for Thanksgiving next year, Caras shrugs his shoulders. “Hopefully, I’ll be home. But I will go wherever my country tells me to go.” Recently, he signed up for another six years in the Guard.

A Thanksgiving Remix

By Sara Gentry

Rather than sticking with the old stand-bys, some families choose to make their own traditions, noshing on Chinese food or pizza on what most of America affectionately calls "Turkey Day." If you're ready for something new but hesitant to abandon traditional ingredients, try these reworked and revamped Thanksgiving selections. Turkey Meatloaf [ad#single-post] • 2 tablespoons butter • 1/4 cup chopped onion • 1/2 cup chopped celery, with leaves • 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped • 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs • 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese • 2 eggs • 1/4 cup milk • 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning • 1-1/2 pounds ground turkey 1 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch loaf pan. 2 Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion, celery, and apple until the onion is translucent and the apple is softened — 5 to 8 minutes. Let the mixture cool. 3 In a bowl, mix the cooked apple mixture with the bread crumbs, Romano cheese, eggs, milk, and poultry seasoning until well combined, and lightly stir in the ground turkey. Do not over-mix, or the meatloaf will be tough. 4 Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven until the loaf is cooked through to the center, about 45 minutes. Serves 6 • Allrecipes.com Pumpkin Swirl Brownies • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for pan • 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking powder • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1 3/4 cups sugar • 4 large eggs • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract • 1 1/4 cups solid-pack pumpkin • 1/4 cup vegetable oil • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg • 1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts or other nuts 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan or dish. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; butter lining. 2 Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. 3 Whisk together flour, baking powder, cayenne and salt in a large bowl; set aside. Put sugar, eggs, and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat until fluffy and well combined, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in flour mixture. 4 Divide batter between two medium bowls (about 2 cups per bowl). Stir chocolate mixture into one bowl. In other bowl, stir in pumpkin, oil, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Transfer half of chocolate batter to prepared pan smoothing top with a rubber spatula. Top with half of pumpkin batter. Repeat to make one more chocolate layer and one more pumpkin layer. Work quickly so batters don’t set. 5 With a small spatula or a table knife, gently swirl the two batters to create a marbled effect. Sprinkle with nuts. 6 Bake until set, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack. Serves 16 • Marthastewart.com

Make sure to see Columbus, Ind., before you die — it’s easier that way

By Mike Redmond

Imagine my delight when I opened the computer and saw a story that said one of the places you have to visit before you die is Columbus, Ind., one of my hometowns. Yes, I mean to make it plural. You see, I’ve never gone by the rule that says you’re limited to one hometown and one only. I’m proud of all the places I’ve lived, and love each one for different reasons — Peru, Ind., because I was born there; LaGrange County, because it’s where my family has such deep roots, and where I grew up; Indianapolis, where I’ve lived longer than anywhere else… And Columbus because it’s where my career really began, and because it’s such a wonderful, interesting town, as noted by the people who chose it as a place you have to see before you go on to that Big Travel Agency In The Sky. [ad#single-post] “For a small city, Columbus is a major repository of modern architecture, with works by luminaries like Eero Saarinen, Cesar Pelli and Richard Meier,” they wrote. “This destination says design from the get go — you enter the city over a futuristic quadripod bridge. The Visitors’ Center dazzles with work by famed glass artist Dale Chihuly, while Eliel Saarinen’s 1942 First Christian Church (its rectangular windows and brick tower glow like corn in the sun) faces I.M. Pei’s Cleo Rogers Memorial Library (a brick pavilion with long deep recessed windows). In between, Henry Moore’s whimsical massive sculpture, Large Arch, is his tribute to Stonehenge.” Now, I always knew it was a cool place to visit. The five years I lived there, I was forever exhorting friends and family to come see this amazing place, and even now, more than 25 years after I left, Columbus still tops the list of Indiana places I’d want to live if I suddenly had to leave Indianapolis because of a parole violation or something. And look at the company it keeps on that “See ‘Em Before You Die” list: New Orleans, Times Square, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone Park, the Monterey Peninsula, Cape Cod National Seashore, the Las Vegas Strip, Mesa Verde National Park and Charleston, S.C. All in all, the article was a splendid recommendation for a place I love, except for one thing: The picture with it wasn’t of Columbus. It was downtown Indianapolis. Oops. This is precisely the sort of thing that makes me think that most of today’s bigtime media, online and off, has decided that relevance is relative — that it’s OK to be correct, but let’s not go overboard. It’s more important to use that energy scrabbling for every last dime we can find. Oh, and don’t think this is restricted to the nationals, either. It wasn’t that long ago that I read in my morning paper that Indiana has 86 counties. Close. Very close. They only missed it by six. Oh well. You should still go visit Columbus. Really. The architectural tour is a delight, the people are friendly, and some of my best memories live there. I’m sure they would all enjoy some company. So, yes, the travel people are right. You really SHOULD see it. And yes, it should probably be before you die. Something tells me it’ll be much easier that way.

I’m thankful for no jerks Thursday

By Kevin Kane

Now that I’m working as an editor, I’ve read more “What I’m thankful for” columns this week than I’ve ever wanted. I was originally thinking of doing one myself, but I’m so sick of these now that I don’t think I can have any more without getting physically sick. It’s much like the way I’ll actually feel Thanksgiving afternoon. But I got to thinking, does anyone even want to read one of those? Do people really want to read the clichéd, cheesy details of everything going great in someone’s life and their consequential gratitude? Honestly, I don’t — that is, unless it’s something really different. Well, I may have something different. Over the past few weeks, I’ve experienced a few all-out jerks, and honestly, I’m thankful I won’t be around them on Thanksgiving. [ad#single-post] A few weeks ago, I spoke with a rather wealthy young woman at a fundraiser. She remained polite throughout our lengthy conversation, but she did so while repeatedly offending me. As I’ve mentioned multiple times, my girlfriend and I have been together for over five years. Our relationship is real; it isn’t a fling. We have opposite personalities — she’s a major extrovert while I’m an introvert — but it works. But, if you were to ask this lady, I’ve been wasting my time in a relationship that’s going nowhere. My girlfriend and I had only met her three minutes prior, but I guess that’s all it takes to know if it’s destined to last. Screw the five-plus years we’ve been together. Forget that Jess and I have been a couple longer than she and her husband. We’re “too young.” Therefore, it could never last. “I’m not talking about you necessarily,” she’d say as she used specific details I provided her. People my age, she said, are unable to differentiate love from infatuation. Clearly, merely infatuated people, like myself, stick with their significant others while going to opposite universities, driving up each weekend to see them and essentially missing a large chunk of the college experience. While she clearly knows me better than I do myself, I, on the other hand, know next to nothing about her, because she wouldn’t stop talking and cutting me off, but also because she played things pretty close to the cocktail dress. Just trying to make conversation, I asked her where she lived. She gave me the city. “I know,” I said. “I meant where.” Again, I just got the city, as if I was going to stalk her. Once again trying to make conversation, I asked how many fundraisers she attends a year, and I got, “Uh, try a week.” That’s about the time when I left the table. But another incident actually had me sticking around. I was about to leave a fast-food restaurant the other day when a guy came in holding a tattered American flag — the one he took from outside minutes earlier. “This ought to be good,” I thought, so I stuck around and eavesdropped, pretending to read the paper. “Are there any Americans that work here?” he yelled, adding to the two kids next to him that “all of the illegals” working there had taken their jobs. Once the store manager declined the man’s offer to repair the flag for a fee, he threw a tantrum, accusing the U.S. Marine-turned-restaurant manager of ignoring the law and only hiring illegal aliens. Because the customer’s always right, the guy had to play it cool, but no matter how you feel about immigration, the flag thief was clearly a jerk. Of all the things I could go on about being thankful for, somewhere on the list is that, at least for Thanksgiving, I won’t be surrounded by jerks. And that’s a real, from-the-heart column of gratitude. Of course, the jerk-free experience, like Cinderella’s ball, will end at midnight on Nov. 27, because in order to survive Black Friday, you almost have to be a jerk.

Top Ten Black Friday shopping tips

By Torry Stiles

10. Helmet, shin guards and mouthpiece ... not presents for your son, but what you wear to Kohl’s. 9. Take advantage of the newspaper ads. Use them to start a fire and relax at home with some hot chocolate. 8. Adult diapers make the wait easier for all. 7. Shopping online saves you gas and time and lets you spend more time on Facebook. 6. Try shopping in the less crowded stores. This year, give everyone fish food and new windshield wipers. 5. Don’t forget to drop something in the kettle on the way past. The shopping gods frown on stingy people. 4. Save money by picking up the free ornaments they hang on the trees inside the mall. 3. If all else fails, liquor is always welcome ... or a handy alternative to going shopping in the first place. 2. It’s not how much you spent that’s important, but how much you spent on me. 1. Knocking down the old lady with the walker might just distract the rest of ‘em long enough to snag that new video game.

‘That time of year’ makes me groan

By Sherri Coner-Eastburn

Oh for heaven’s sake. It’s that time of year again. It’s just a matter of time before some Christmas tree earring-wearing elf invites me to a holiday pitch-in dinner. A fate, by the way, that instantly makes me feel like a moron. “Bring your favorite appetizer,” the kitchen-loving elf will say cheerfully. OK, well that means I’ll dump some chips in a bowl and grab a tub of onion dip. [ad#single-post] That’s not truly my favorite appetizer. But if my life depends on getting to the pitch-in with some kind of food item, I will definitely lie and say that I love chips and dip more than anything. Why? Because it happens to be the only appetizer I know how to make. Worse than the pitch-in dinner will be some kind of office party. “Whip up a batch of your favorite cookies to share with everyone,” someone will smile, completely unaware that they’ve now sent me right into a full-blown anxiety attack. The truth is that the only thing I’ll whip up will be a way to open the package of Oreos without crunching the first two rows. By the way, speaking of cookies, I’ve never baked a batch of anything in my life that didn’t have to be scraped off the baking sheet with a putty knife. Yesterday, someone who obviously doesn’t know me very well at all asked how I bake my Thanksgiving Day turkey. What? I order my bird. By the time he and I meet, he’s toasty warm, wrapped in plastic and snuggled deep in a box that fits him perfectly. I never even attempt to learn how to turn on my oven. Tom Turkey arrives, magically ready for serving. “What’s your favorite holiday recipe?” someone asked the other day. Good grief, I don’t have an answer this year. I didn’t have an answer last year either. I know nothing about kitchen equipment. I use my blender strictly for margaritas. I used a rolling pin once in my life — but it wasn’t for dough, it was to threaten one of my many ex-husbands. And I wouldn’t know a double boiler if someone smacked me in the face with one. Yep, it’s that time of year again. Time to stock up. Maybe I’ll splurge a little bit and buy nachos and cheese this time for my favorite appetizer.

Readers’ Views

By Submission For The Southside Times

Editor, I heard recently that the Beech Grove Public Library will be laying off their children’s librarian and discontinuing the position. As someone who grew up going to that library and who was inspired to become a children’s librarian after working there, I find this decision disturbing. I know the library has been struggling financially, but surely there were better options than removing the only position dedicated to serving children. In a time when many libraries have adopted early literacy as a primary objective, the Beech Grove library has decided that providing quality service to children is less important than other services (like the Dining Car Café, for example). I am stunned that the library sees no need to have someone who is solely dedicated to serving children and their parents and has also been educated and trained to work directly with them. It is a sad day when a library purposely chooses other services over the children of the community. I hope the people of Beech Grove realize what they are losing. William D. Smither Indianapolis