Historical Cemetery Tour

Our local Historical society has had a cemetery tour for the last few years and Bob and I always try to go. This year he was working so he couldn't go, but I went and was glad I did.
The Historical Society researches people who have been buried in our local cemetery, and then gets people to dress up and tell their story, at their grave site.

It was a dreary day, but at least it wasn't pouring - just a sprinkle now and then.

The first story we heard was about a girl who died at 17 years.  The quilt on the table next to her has been donated to the museum along with a doll that was hers when she was young.

As we walked from one grave to another, they had signs like this, telling the meaning behind different symbols found on tombstones.

This was the story of a man who had a lot of loss in his life.  His sister died when he was young, his first child died at one and then his wife died in childbirth.  He remarried and was married for 40 years before his second wife died.  One of his sons who was probably in his 70's was in the tour with us, and he was very touched to hear his Dad's story told.  The Eagle plaque is something this man made for the bicentennial.

This was the story of a man who enlisted in the army at a young age - 16, and fought in WWII.  He returned home and raised a family here, and several are still living.  I found this one interesting because I actually took care of his wife about 20 years ago before she died.  He had passed away before I cared for her.

 I think these old stones are so interesting.

It's hard to read this on the photo, but this ladies name was Bethsheba.  She died in the early 1900's.

 This man was portraying someone who ran the first ferry across the Grand River which is near our house.  He started it with his 9 year old brother and ran it until there was a bridge built across it.

He had pictures of some of the boats that ran there and the ferry.

This lady told the story of the first grave in the cemetery.  It was a 1 year old boy, whose parents donated the land that the cemetery is on, so that there would be a place for his burial.

She also talked about the diseases that caused so many deaths in that time, and also the strange things that were standard medical procedures at the time.

I think it's beautiful to walk through a cemetery and see the old stones, and even more interesting to hear the stories that go with them.  I'm glad our Historical Society does the work to put this together and share it.

Friday Funny

Cooking Thursday

We had a chili cook off at work last week. The judges were our local police, ambulance and firemen.
There were 16 crockpots of chili, and they were anonymous.  Each judge got 2 marbles and could put them in cup in front of the chili.  They could put both in one cup or choose two that they liked.
The entries were varied - there was a venison chili, several white chicken chili, a chili dip, a pork chili, a steak chili...

Here's one of the tables of chili.

Here's a few of the first police and firemen, ready to start sampling.


I brought a big crockpot of chili too, and guess what?  I won!

Here's my chili, and the recipe for it.

Tailgate Chili
1 pound Italian sausage
1 pound stewing meat
1 pound beef roast, cut into cubes
1 15 ounce can chili beans in spicy sauce
1 15 ounce can dark kidney beans, drained
1 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained
1 15 ounce can black beans, drained
2 28 ounce cans petite diced tomatoes with juice
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
3 stalks celery, diced
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cubes, beef bouillon
1/2 bag Hormel bacon pieces
1 cup beer
2/3 cup black coffee
1/8th cup chili powder
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar

Brown sausage in large stock pot. When browned, stir in stewing meat and roast and brown. Drain off excess grease.
Stir in chili beans, tomatoes and tomato paste.
Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, bacon bits, bouillon beer and coffee. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugars. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 
After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste.  
I refrigerate it overnight, and then heat it again in the crock pot.
This isn't a recipe I'll make often, because it's not cheap to make, but if you want a big pot of chili that tastes great, this is a good one!