MAKING YEAST DONUTS

One of my favorite things to make (or for my mom to make) was yeast donuts.  It was such a delicious treat.  My mom did not make these often, but when she did we thoroughly enjoyed them.

Yeast donuts are a bit different and more involved to make than cake donuts.  It takes quite a bit more time as the dough has to rise, then rise again after cutting out the donuts.  I loved helping cut out donuts.  I loved taking out the little holes that would come from each cut.  Some of those we put back into the dough to roll again for more donuts, but we got to save some to fry and make donut holes.

It seems that donut making came on a Saturday.  I guess my mom had more time on Saturdays to bake or make special treats.  One of the funny things I remember is that it seemed a certain song would be on the radio each time we made donuts.  My mom listened to a radio station out of Muleshoe, TX, called KMUL ( pronounced K MULE).  She listened to that station so that she could get updates on local news and people. Anyway, the song that would come on while making donuts was a song called "Big Bad John".

After cutting out the donuts and letting them rise, we would fry them in a deep fryer.  Then after they were fried and cooled a bit, we would glaze them.  We made a glaze from powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.  We took a fork, put it through the hole, dipped the donut in the glaze, then placed the fork on the edge of the bowl so that the handle of the fork was on the table.  This let the glaze drip from the donut back into the bowl.  Then came the fun part of eating them.  SOOOOO Delicious!

One time when we made donuts, I got heartburn, but I didn't know what was my problem.  I would get this hurting/burning sensation in my chest.  I thought I was just hungry.  So I would fix my problem by eating another donut.  That did the trick, but only temporarily.  So back to the donut stash to eat another, with the same results.  Finally, my mom began to question me. I was probably eating way too many donuts, and my intake had to be curtailed.  My mom figured out I was experiencing heartburn.  She gave me some Tums, which stopped my heartburn. That was the beginning of my heartburn woes. I  have had heartburn issues ever since that day.  Sad to say that such a delicious treat started my ailment.  Oh well. I still eat yeast donuts and love them.

DOGS ON THE EMBRY FARM

What is a farm without a dog, right?  Growing up, I do not remember a time that we did not have a dog and several cats.  Dogs were not only pets, but they helped keep the mice under control, killed snakes, ran off skunks and other pests, and were a fantastic warning system.  They barked to let us know if there were visitors or strangers coming onto the property.  As a kid, I doubt if  I ever thought of the "usefulness" of our dogs.  They were simply pets that I enjoyed having around. They were good companions and an ear for when things went wrong.  They never tired or complained about listening to one's problems.

I had to evoke the memory of my oldest brother, Eldon, to help me remember some of the dogs we had.  I remember most of them, but some I do not recall having at all.  In fact, I will  just copy over what he wrote to me.  If we happen to have the same memories, I will not repeat those stories.

Queenie.   I thought my mom and dad had a dog by this name.  Eldon said the name sounded familiar. He did not remember consciously, but his subconscious remembered. This dog would have been one they had before I was born.

Spot-- I do not remember this dog at all.
From Eldon's memories  Spot was a dog that mama and daddy had when they first moved here in 1954. He was white with black spots. I just barely remember this dog. He was probably a little over knee high. I do not know what kind of dog he was. I do not know what happened to him. 

Ringie - a rat terrier.  Ringie was a tan color with a white ring around his neck.  This is why we called him Ringie.  He was a good watch dog.  When Ringie ate his food, we all knew to leave him alone. He would bite if you bothered him while he was eating.  One time a little Mexican boy came down to our house.  He was teasing Ringie and was bitten on the face.  
From Eldon's memories  This dog was shot one Sunday afternoon. We took him to the vet. He could not be saved. He was put to sleep. We had him 2 or 3 years. Daddy got him at the gin. He really liked catching mice..

Whiskers - mutt  Whiskers was the dog I remember the best as a kid.  We had him for 10 years.  He was black with a white chin. That is why we called him Whiskers.  He was one of the best dogs we ever had.  He was smart and went with us kids everywhere.  He was an excellent guard dog. I do not recall him ever trying to bite us or anyone else.  In fact, my dad would often tell others that drove into our yard, "Don't worry.  He won't bite you."  I know most did not believe my dad because Whiskers sounded very vicious.
Whiskers did not like fireworks.  On the 4th of July, we had to put him in the garage or he would run off and not come back for a day or two.  I can remember Whiskers shaking when the fireworks went off.
He was a great mouser.  He would chase rabbits and kill those as well.
Whiskers went with us everywhere.  He would jump into the back of our pick up truck and go to the field with us when we hoed crops or changed water.  Sometimes if we took off before he jumped in the pick up truck bed, he would run the entire way, up to 2 miles.  He would never follow us when we went into town. I do not know how he knew whether we were going to the field or to town.
Whiskers learned to get into the garage by himself.  We did not have a garage door opener back then. You had to manually get out and go lift up the door.  We had a rope on the handle of the door. Whiskers learned to grab the rope by his teeth and pull and get the door up enough that he could get inside.
One time Whiskers went to the field and the renter of our farm was plowing the crops with a plow called a rotary hoe.  Somehow Whiskers got in the way and was run over by the plow.  He ran all the way home which was 2 miles.  I went out in the garage and started to pet him. I was patting him on the back, and he began to yelp loudly.  Later on we found out what happened.  He was sore for quite a while but fully recovered.
I remember one time when we were hoeing cotton, Whiskers was with us; and he went down a turn row where we had hauled off a dead pig.  Whiskers wallowed all over that dead carcass and smelled just awful for days and days.  I totally stayed away from Whiskers until that smell was completely gone.  
Eldon's memories: Daddy got this dog at the gin probably in 1963 or 1964. Weldon named him whiskers. He got in a coyote trap and nearly lost one of his hind legs. He walked on 3 legs afterward. Billy Sides ran over him in the fall of 1974. Whiskers was almost blind and deaf, which is the reason he was run over. Billy Sides felt bad about running over him. 

Bear  - We got this dog when he was a puppy.  I have no idea what kind of dog he was.  We did not keep him long.  He was not a very smart dog.  One Sunday while we were gone to church, he killed several chickens.  You cannot generally cure a dog who kills chickens.  So we got rid of him.
Eldon's memories -  I think we had this dog for a very brief time when I was in High School. He was very dumb.

King - German Shepherd   This dog was white.  I know he had been close to a fire at some point in his life.  He was afraid of any type of fire.  When we would burn trash, he would run to the opposite side of the house.  
From Eldon: Daddy and I got this dog at the animal shelter in Clovis. I cannot remember what happened to him. We did not have this dog long.

Cinnamon - Chow I don't remember much about this dog.  The dogs listed from this point on, are dogs that were on the Embry Farm, but after I left home.  I do think Eldon is correct in that he did run over this dog accidentally.
From Eldon:    I do not remember much about this dog. I think he was run over by me.  

Rusty - Chow - No memories other than the name. Similar dog to Cinnamon.
Eldon:      This is another chow dog we had. I backed over him and killed him going to the watermelon patch in September 1994..

Herman  - Blue Heeler  Very vague memory of this dog. Obviously I was still at home since Eldon has him as being there in 1977.    
Eldon:  Daddy and I got this dog in Clovis in May 1977. He was dumb. I ran over him in August 1977 a few months after we got him.

Teddy Bear - German Shepherd.  Absolutely no memory of this dog.  
Eldon:    Daddy and I got this dog in May of 1980 at a man’s house over on West Grand Street in Clovis. We was a fraidy cat. He was scared of the thunder. He ran off a few times but came back. I think we took him to the animal shelter in Clovis because he was dumb and scared of everything.

Ruby - mutt   This was the dog that my kids probably remember well and liked.  He seemed to be a good dog and was especially good with kids.    
Eldon:   Weldon brought us this dog from Vashti Fowler. She lived by herself over by Oklahoma Lane crossroads. The dog came to Vashti’s house. She thought he was a girl dog and called him Ruby. Vashti did not want to keep Ruby so Weldon brought the dog to us. The time was probably 1985- 1987. I always called him Ruby. In November 1995 when daddy was in the rest home in Clovis, one of the Mexicans ,Chino, driving the tractor cotton stripper ran over him when leaving in his car. He denied running over him, but I could tell by looking at him that he was the one who ran over him. He had a guilty look on his face. Frank Galvan lied for him.

Schnauzer - a schnauzer   I always liked this dog.  He was smart and Mema was able to train him to do several tricks.
From Eldon: Mama got this dog I think in Clovis. The woman who had him probably had been mean to him by beating him with newspapers. One could not raise his hand without him cowing to the ground bracing to be hit. He got much better later, but never fully recovered from his ill treatment. Mama got his dog in April 1997. In March of 2008 when daddy was in the rest home in Farwell he got sick, and started vomiting and would not eat. Mama took him to the vet in Muleshoe. It was too late for him. I think the disease was something called Porvo. The vet put him to sleep. Mama felt bad that she had not taken schnauzer to the vet when she first noticed him feeling bad. Schnauzer was terrified by lightning and thunder. He would often yelp loudly when the thunder cracked. I think he could tell a few seconds before lightning struck close by. He could feel a sensation in his body just before lightning would strike.  

Tuffy - Schnauzer   This dog is the present dog on the Embry Farm.  He is a dog that all my grandkids love.  When they have been at Mema's house all want to go see and pet Tuffy.  He is the only dog that I have ever seen be let in the house.  This is because Tuffy has become Eldon's dog. He was a great comfort and companion to Eldon after Papa passed away.  He goes everywhere with Eldon.  He has a different bark for everything he wants---to go for a drive, to let you know someone is there in the yard or coming down the road, to get in, to get something to eat, etc.  I remember when Tuffy was a puppy you could barely walk because he was always trying to chew the toes on your feet.
Eldon:  Mama and daddy got Tuffy in Lubbock in June 2008 when daddy went to the VA. Mama picked him out of the litter because he was the only one that was moving around. The other puppies were sleeping, but not Tuffy. He was a very hyper puppy which has been very characteristic of him all of his life. He is not as hyper as he used to be. Tuffy is on his 3^rd life. On May 8^th 2010 which was on a Saturday I was putting new chemical allocators in my chemical boxes on my planter. I threw the old ones on the ground. Tuffy ate the rubber off of them. There was Temik residue in the rubber. I took him to the vet late Saturday afternoon located on MLK and West 7^th St. in Clovis. He survived the weekend. Daddy and I drove from BSA in Amarillo Monday afternoon May 10th to get him. I think what really saved him was mama gave Tuffy some milk to drink which made him vomit and purge out some of the poison or he would have died. May 10th was when Mama had her back surgery in Amarillo at BSA hospital. In just 4 months almost to the day Daddy died. The vet’s office on West 7^th is only about a mile and half from the cemetery. The pet care where Tuffy gets his haircut is located almost across the street from the vet’s office. I take Tuffy from Pet Care and go to the cemetery where Tuffy can use the bathroom. He usually needs to go badly when we go to the cemetery. In February 2013 Tuffy had  FCE hit him. I took him to the vet in Muelshoe after 10:30pm. He was x-rayed- no scratches or broken bones. He was treated for poisoning and antifreeze poisoning. He was paralyzed on his left side. He stayed at the vet in Muleshoe for a week. We took him to a vetinary hospital in LBB. In 2 weeks he could barely walk and had no bladder or bowel control. In 2 days after he came home he could walk and had full bladder and bowel control. About 3 weeks ago he had an allergy shot. He has been doing good since.

I have never had a dog since I left home and got married.  There are those who prefer to not to have pets, and that is fine.  I am just glad I had the opportunity to have dogs as pets growing up.  There is nothing so fun and neat as having a good dog.

CHRISTMAS PAST

In thinking of other childhood memories, I began to think about holidays, and of course, Christmas came to mind.

Christmas was a very exciting holiday because we knew we would get Christmas presents, and especially those that would come from Santa Claus.  Decorating the tree, putting up other Christmas decorations,  making Christmas candy, making and icing cookies, and other goodies was so fun.  We loved putting up the colorful lights, though we only had one string that went on the outside of our front door.  We did have a string of lights to go on the tree. The lights were the big lights, none of these small blinking white or colored lights of today.


We had several different types of trees through the years.  We had real fresh trees, green artificial, and for several years an aluminum tree.



For stockings, we just put up an old sock of my dad's.  In the stocking we usually got an apple, orange, nuts, and candy.

Some of the toys I got from Santa are pictured below.  Some of the pictures are just similar to what I had, but some are the exact thing, which I will designate as such.


Kissy Doll - Exact.   If you pulled both arms of the doll together, the lips on the doll would make a kissing motion, and there was a "pop" for the kissing sound.  My mom still has this doll.  She kept it for all these years.
                                                         


    Doll crib- Similar.  Mine was pink. The side of the crib
    would actually go up and down.  A piece of hard  board was the bottom of                                             the bed. There was no mattress. You had to use a blanket for                                                                   a mattress.

My doll buggy was very similar, but of course mine was pink.
One year I got a metal toy washer.  You could put water in the washer tub and the clothes would actually wash.  There was a tube that was used to drain the water into a sink or bathtub. Another gift received was an ironing board and iron..  The iron was electric and actually got hot.  Maybe toys were more dangerous back then.

(The washer pictured is similar.  Mine was pink also.  The iron and ironing board were pretty much exact) Also pink.  I seemed to have liked the color pink or "Santa" did.  

I had these exact dishes and this exact dish cabinet.  I am pretty sure my girls remember these.  I may still have one or 2 in my toy box for the grandkids to play with.  My girls got to play with the dish cabinet for sure.

There were many other presents from Santa over the years.  I had other dolls, doll clothes, dishes, a bike, clothes, jewelry, etc.  The ones shown here were some of my favorite.