146
Robert H. Little
935 Middlefield Road
Palo Alto California 9430l-3395
August 15/89
Dear Friends:
My birthday party was a great joy to me. I was
born on Aug l4. My friend Betty saw an ad in the
P.A.Weekly. by a lady who was an expert Cook. I telephoned.
She agreed to come on Sunday Aug l3 and help with the dinner.
Every Saturday, a fisherman comes to the farmers market. He
has his own boat and catches salmon by trolling.
I bought a 6 1/2 lb. Salmon.
I decided to cook it in my much loved, convection oven.
To do this, I cut off some of the tail end and baked it in a
separate pan. It worked out beautifully.
We were all happy about the cook. She was gracious and
attractive. She made us a salad and brought some special
dressing that she had made.
For side dishes we had short grain brown rice. Asparagus
with okra. I had planned to also have a dish of frozen peas
frozen lima beans and frozen corn kernels. Kara, the cook,
thought we had enough without the extra vegetables.
Some of the guests wondered why I served the okra and
asparagus together. I like asparagus because it is the
first shoot out of the ground and will only grow in rich deep
soil. It has been considered healthful for centuries.
I like Okra because we are eating the actual seeds. Humans
are high on the food chain. Plants put the germs of new
life into the seeds, not into the leaves etc.
That is why I often cook the mixture of peas, corn, and lima
beans. (Fordhook are much better than baby limas.)
My guests were Julie and Lee. They built a big beautiful
home opposite my back fence. They have a wide and very deep
lot. Lee is a retired engineer. Julie loves gardening.
We share fruit and vegetables. Julie also makes wonderful
muffins and cookies, which she shares with me too. Over our
common fence.
Evelyn and Alfred live in Santa Clara. Old friends. Al was
a flight engineer. When he volunteered for the Air Force in
W.W.2 he had been working as an accountant. He told them
he was a mechanic.. In a test of several hundred volunteers
he was second highest. He learned to fly but because he had
a lazy eye, he was made a Flight Engineer. Al is a
perfectionist. If a plane was not in perfect shape, he
would not let it off the ground.
He flew over the hump in our efforts to help the Chinese.
Our army engineers built the Burma Road which was finally
intercepted by the enemy. Our Air Force countered by flying
help to China over the HIMALAYAS mountains. A dangerous
flight. It was called, "Flying over the HUMP."
A lot of flight crews were lost. They used to say that that
part of the mountain was paved with aluminum from so many
downed planes.
Finally Al volunteered for rescue service, very dangerous
flying, but this outfit saved many pilots who were lost in
the Burmese jungles. The area contained numerous head
hunters. The American army made friends with the head hunters. These
simple people became quite helpful. Al can tell you many
stories about his adventures. His five brothers also
volunteered for service. When the last one volunteered.
The Army said."We have enough of you fellows in service. Stay
home." Al's wife Evelyn, is a fine cook and puts on a
great spread. Evelyn is also a perfectionist. Her home is
spotless and elegant.
THELMA lives in Los Altos. She is a fine bridge player.
We have been to the same bridge parties for a long time.
She is a good organizer. Recently , she and and a friend,
invited forty ladies to a bridge party at Holiday Inn.
Ten tables of bridge takes a lot of planning.
She is treasurer for her condominium. In spite of being
such a good organizer, she has always been gracious. It
turned out that she and Evelyn both went to the same high
school in St.Joe Missouri. Officially it is St.Joseph, but
to the people in Missouri it was always St.Joe.
Some of the soil in Missouri has a lime stone base like
Lexinton Kentucky and Limerick Ireland, both places famous
for raising race horses. But , what is more important, is
that the people who live close to the land are also
healthier. A professor at a college there, when he looked
over a freshmen class could tell in which area of the State,
they were raised. Of course, some people can live in a
paradise and can still lead destructive lives.
Both Evelyn and Thelma, apparently come from lime stone area.
They both have long lived relatives. Evelyn's mother is in
her late nineties. Well fed people and animals tend to be
better natured.
Betty. They only made one like her. She does so many
things and does them with ELAN. She was raised in
Edgewater, New York. It is part of the Bronx but a separate
enclave on Long Island Sound.
The land was owned by a well to do farmer who lived in a big
home on a small hill and was called the CASTLE. He was a
God Fearing man and had summer camp meetings on his farm.
The people lived in tents on 25 foot spaces. People began
switching to small houses built with cinder blocks. If they
wanted more space, the tenant would add another story with
more cinder blocks. The neighbors helped. The people paid
no taxes , just the rent, which was modest. They had
their own fire brigade and police department. Volunteers.
Betty's father belonged to a group who patrolled every
evening or at night. If an older person was living alone, a
member of the group would visit them to check on their
welfare.
They had many get- togethers. Once a year there was a big
bash, when former residents came from all over.
Betty was very active but also a bookworm. If school got
boring, she would go home and read. She was very good at
math and very quick. She added greatly to the life of the
party. Julie is also a quick type. She and Betty had
animated conversations.
Betty has a few hens and five ducks and a drake. She feeds
them well. Never kills one. She once had a big black hen
called Constance. Over five years of age. Very vigorous
and a good layer. Her dog got jealous and killed it.
She has a big garden and fruit trees. She has many skills.
One could write a book.
All the guests liked Kara. After the party, she washed all
the dishes. What a blessing.
Regarding my survival customs. I boil the water for five
minutes even the spring water. In China, every one boils the
water. A billion Chinese cant be wrong. Gloria Swanson
boiled the water for five minutes, so I do the same.
I use ground raw peanuts and sun flower seeds. I have a
little grinder. I also use walnuts and almonds.
I have an electric flour mill. I sprinkle some uncooked
flour on my cereal. I used to bake l2 loaves of bread at a
time. Always whole grain hard wheat. Presently, I use it to
make a special Johnny Cake with raisins. Also some
wonderful pan cakes with raisins or dates and extra eggs.
Onions appear to taste as good as ever. I use a certain
amount of fresh garlic. I have a fine garlic press made in
Switzerland.
I am never without dates. I get them from Lee Andersons
Date company. Coachella Ca. The only place that raises
dates without using chemicals. Mr. Anderson is now l01
years of age. Comes to work every morning to open the mail
When my nephew ,Henry, visited the orchards a couple of years
ago, Lee appeared to nibble on dates all day. They are a
wonderful family. A great inspiration to me.
Some people think I lead a grim life because I avoid alcohol
and tobacco and junk food. I cheat a little on my diet but
not much. My great cause is conservation of the land and its
people. Win or lose, I believe I am fighting the right
battles.
So I thank my guests and Kara for a joyful time on my
birthday. It was a time of shared emotion. Everyone added
to the zest. Occasions like this must have been more common
before big governments took over. Again, I thank all of
you. I will long remember.
