Menu

Skip to content
  • About Big Food etc.|
  • Big Recipes|
  • Jiffy Soup Recipes|
  • Holiday Hot Drinks|
  • Bad Weather|
  • Books of the Months|
  • Big Dogs Jawin’|
  • Miss Missy’s School|
  • Marica’s Other Places|
  • Contact Big Food etc.|

Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life

in rural Mississippi

 echo
You are here: Home / 2022 / December / 25 / I’m Dreaming…

I’m Dreaming…

Published on December 25, 2022 by Marica

of a White Christmas…

Snow on Farther Along Farm–thankfully not this year!

As far as I’m concerned, white Christmases can stay in Vermont, but I want you to have that tune in your head as I tell the story of little Israel Baline, and the man he came to be. Israel was born in Temun, Russia in 1888. His family was Jewish and lived in “perpetual terror” of the anti-Semitic Cossacks “who would swoop down on the town without warning to create havoc, devastation and death.” When little Israel was but four years old, he and his seven older siblings and their parents hid under blankets in the woods to escape a Cossack raid. Shortly thereafter his parents made the decision to leave Russia and come to America.

Israel was eight when his father died; he started selling newspapers on the streets of New York to help with the family finances. He was a normal kid with one special interest, “an inheritance from his father: singing.” Rather than chanting religious tracts though, Israel enjoyed singing the “sentimental ballads” of the 1890’s. At age 14 he quit school and ran away from home. He made do by singing for pocket change in the streets and saloons. He had a daily income of about 50 cents. At 18 he got a permanent job at a popular cafe as a singing waiter, parody songwriter, and janitor–for which he was paid one dollar per day. His first original song was published a year later and earned a royalty of thirty-seven cents. Four years later, in 1911 at the age of 23, Israel—who by now had changed his name—had his first big hit, “Alexander’s Ragtime Band.”

Israel’s story—and there’s more of it to tell!—is from Great Men of American Popular Song, Revised and Enlarged Edition (1972). This book is a tool, a reference book of biographies and works of over 30 composers and lyricists. A passing familiarity with its material gives one a decided advantage in trivia games. But it’s much more than that. The “biographies were used as a framework in which to portray the evolution and growth of the American popular songs” as “products and voices of their times.” Hence, the revised edition includes the voices of Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan in their times.

Even if one isn’t knowledgeable about music—I couldn’t tell a syncopation from a sycophant—this is the sort of book I love to sit down and wander through. No matter the topic—music, art, literature, sports—in such books the stroll reminds me that history is about more than when-where-what. History is about people. I am not an expert, but I think this is especially true of American history. After all, where but in America could little Israel Baline have become Irving Berlin, the man who “touched so many bases in the song and entertainment business” and made such a fortune?

Speaking of fortunes, in 1938 Berlin wrote and composed “God Bless America.” The “popularity and importance” of the song rose throughout the war years and continued long after. In the early ‘50’s Americans voted it “the most famous patriotic song” second only to our National Anthem. In 1955 President Eisenhower presented Berlin a Congressional gold medal recognizing the importance of “God Bless America” to the war effort. It was a real money-maker for the boy who’d once hidden from the Cossacks! However, “refusing to capitalize on his patriotism, Berlin from the very beginning assigned all the earnings… to the Boy and Girl Scouts.”

When Great Men of American Popular Song book was published (1972), Berlin was still alive. The final paragraph of the entry on him recounts his 80th birthday celebration on “The Ed Sullivan Show” during which President Johnson said, “America is richer for his presence. God bless Berlin.” The 1968 program “was a way of expressing gratitude to a man who has written over eight hundred songs, the scores for nineteen Broadway musicals … but more especially to a man whose patriotic songs … earn him the honor of being designated as America’s musical laureate.”

And thanks to Israel for writing “White Christmas,” too!

Great Men of American Popular Song Revised and Enlarged Edition. David Ewen. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1972.

[NOTE: A version of this post first appeared in my local weekly paper, January 2, 2013. And yes. The editor did apologize to me.]

Share far & wide!

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in Christmas, Crappy Old Books | Tagged American Culture, American history, culture, Irving Berlin, music

Post navigation

← Merry Christmas! Christmas Hope →

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Preview Miss Missy's School Book I: A Pack of Farm Dogs Starts a School
Visit Miss Missy's School

to discover all sorts of free Family Reading Stories about Missy and her pack--including Tiger the cat.

5-STAR REVIEW: I fell in love with this pack of dogs and their people ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"I bought the book for my grandson’s 8th birthday. It’s my habit to read books before I gift them and fell in love with this pack of dogs and their people. My grandson was impressed by the dogs' kindness and consideration of other animals...."

5-star Amazon review

Tip Jar

Hardcover and Paperback

Preview Miss Missy's School

Support your local, independent bookstore. Order from IndieBound.

Order online at

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Target

*Hardcover printed on 70lb. paper-- very nice!

Big Food

Watermelon sorbet
Cookies!
Bacon wrapped quail
Chicken on the grill
Chicken noodle soup
Homemade sausage

Let’s be sociable!

Would love to hear from you-- for real. I just don't do social media but feel free to use the Contact button (above) to get in touch.

Follow along via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to Bigfoodetc. and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Big Garden

Ripen!
Black eyes
Barrow of sweet potatoes
Radishes
Preserved cukes
Shrubbery

I really like Old Books

Visit the The Old Books Blog

where people besides just me talk about books, authors, illustrators, book making, collecting, &c.

Let’s chat about

(510) recipes (145) art (97) The South (83) travels (66) words (49) drudgery (44) drink recipes (37) deer (34) manners (31) The Virus (27) math (25) religion (23) squash (22) reading (20) education (18) rednecks (17) stroganoff (16) Dad (14) 2013/14 soup contest (13) corn (13) rain (12) melons (12) How America Eats (11) beef (10) sports (10) blogs I follow (9) dewberries (9) quotations (8) values (8) The Farm Circle (7) happiness (7) pasta (7) astronomy (6) Hume (6) constitution (6) gifts (5) shooting (5) war and peace (5) textbooks (5) Franklin (5) sandwich (4) oregano (4) Jesse Prinz (4) casseroles (4) PWS (4) kitchen (3) catfish (3) celery (3) house guests (3) frogs (3) sheriff (3) popular (3) Kipling (3) publishing (3) American history (2) games (2) jalapenos (2) election (2) knives (2) supermoon (2) courthouse (2) Roman (2) what the hell happened to us? (2) SueK (2) great books (2) volunteers (2) flashlights (2) prairie voles (2) architecture (2) peasant food (2) bad weather (2) leftover turkey gumbo (2) Andrew Lang (1) hummingbirds (1) hearth (1) anonymous (1) illustrations (1) McKenna (1) duck (1) honor (1) presidents (1) fables (1) capitalism (1) industry (1) condo (1) Fools (1) laundry (1) survey (1) young people these days (1) bill of rights (1) flat top (1) von Mises (1) hornbook (1) property (1) best sellers (1) real life (1) figs (1) watershed (1) Dante (1) spaghetti (1) NYC (1) Will Rogers (1) Musk (1) law (1) durant (1) famous men (1) up north (1) feedback (1) fish chowder (1) Weekly Whale (1) Aesop's Fables (1) pie crust (1) Chrismas (1) syllabub (1) holiday baking (1) Deep South Phil Neuro (1) readng (1) Locke (385) America (137) poetry (96) life and death (81) spring (62) liberty (49) classics (44) weather (37) civility (34) Saturday/Sunday supper (30) BBQ (27) FBacon (25) calendar (23) pickles (21) cooking (19) slow cooker (18) civilization (17) Charles & Mary Lamb (16) economics (14) Churchland (13) lettuce (13) supper (12) pride (12) a different kind of kid's book (11) declaration (10) dressing (10) flowers (9) charity (9) sheer stupidity (8) spinach (8) czech baking (7) slaw (7) apples (7) DORD (6) farmhand (6) free speech (6) American Culture (5) salsa (5) bball (5) creeds (5) diagraming (5) Horizon (4) lucky (4) luck (4) physics (4) great confusion on Earth (4) Pittsburgh (3) chicago (3) rutabagas (3) space (3) pond (3) church (3) books shelves (3) The Jungle Book (3) Grateful Dead (3) low concept (2) bugs (2) fire ants (2) pinterest (2) Mike (2) moon (2) grace (2) halloween (2) kids these days (2) forecasting (2) sauces (2) school (2) food truck (2) Bradford (2) virtue (2) researches (2) ancient roman (2) Charlie Brown (2) Miss Manners (1) shoestrings (1) Revere (1) Wodehouse (1) rabbits (1) pickle (1) furniture of the universe (1) redneck (1) tavel (1) earthquakes (1) sage (1) invention (1) italy (1) Future (1) hydrangea (1) humanities (1) Europe (1) study finds (1) kabobs (1) TSDelta (1) blessings (1) Jefferson (1) tukey (1) Iliad (1) geometry (1) nachos (1) WD40 (1) Burke (1) social media (1) chickpeas (1) Vancouver (1) Americ (1) Aberdeen (1) farmers (1) The Center (1) rye bread (1) johnny cakes (1) James Dean (1) talking cats (1) dessert recipes (1) Christmas bread (1) wassail bowl (1) kid art (1) academics (1) the blog (1) Rousseau (373) culture (119) winter (95) Rocky (80) soup (60) America--what's left of it (48) statistics (42) cookbooks (37) SEC (34) peppers (30) tailgate (27) C.S. Lewis (25) fishing (23) etiquette (21) Greek (19) cucumbers (18) Star Trek (16) experts (16) 2016 Dinner Party (14) idiocy (13) desserts (13) Big Food Favorites (12) New Orleans (11) Who? (11) language (10) grievances (10) apartment (9) Mexican (9) April (8) favorites (8) book cleaning (7) funny story (7) western civ (7) tropical storm Barry? (6) snakes (6) George Washington (5) christmas tour '14 (5) growth (5) chemistry (5) asparagus (5) friends (5) animal stories (4) beets (4) waffles (4) birthdays (4) hip crip (4) Chef Louis P. De Gouy (3) baked (3) libertarian (3) adversity (3) pro-America (3) APA (3) pests (3) classic (3) leeks (3) American cooking (2) big egg (2) smokin' (2) artichokes (2) mushrooms (2) squirrels (2) wedding (2) food coma (2) moving (2) pottery (2) peanuts (2) smoking (2) teaching (2) curry (2) Bible (2) Memorial Day (2) small towns (2) middle grade (1) Olympics (1) ice cream (1) Sam Adams (1) yams (1) Sadie (1) current events (1) mermaids (1) Patriots' Day (1) customer service (1) LA (1) Tex-Mex (1) commerce (1) the NEW SOUTH (1) Notre Dame (1) lady bugs (1) ham radio (1) WTVA (1) mystery (1) Hamilton (1) sliderule (1) goose (1) love (1) MWO (1) MSU (1) sedum (1) field guides (1) vegetable (1) Ireland (1) rock & roll (1) cooksbooks (1) reference (1) Nixon (1) gardenia (1) autumn (1) stuffing (1) Pie Brunch (1) Middle Atlantic (1) Mendocino (1) city mouse and country mouse (1) port (1) torte (1) glugg (1) Walter Andersone (1) burgoo (1) venison (1) Milton (340) history (107) silliness (94) chicken (73) football (58) country mice (46) fall (42) football food (37) birds (34) tiger (30) snow (27) children's books (25) Miss Em (23) english history (20) new stuff (19) dogs (18) sheep (16) zucchini (15) city (14) drudgework (13) TJ (13) dyed&co. (12) cotton (11) shrimp (11) gov't (10) watermelon (10) top ten (9) pizza (9) Christmas (8) retail (8) garden (7) what the hell-- Kant (7) Latin (7) tip jar (6) energy (6) decorating (5) new label:FU (5) nutrition (5) computer (5) solar panel (5) Cato Letters (4) critters (4) radish (4) nola (4) Valentines (4) epic (4) cider (3) SuperTalk (3) groundhog day (3) Judism (3) nature (3) style (3) quotes (3) Homer (3) marketing (3) bread machine (2) dates (2) rosemary (2) dip (2) steak (2) soup & stew (2) baby bunny (2) Kant (2) patriotism (2) daffodils (2) deer meat (2) cold supper (2) WWI (2) Christmas tree (2) power station (2) fairy-stories (2) czech cooking (2) young adult (1) tractor (1) Hobbes (1) Sufka (1) democracy (1) babyshowers (1) sunflowers (1) tamles (1) THE COAST (1) trevel (1) Gould (1) dumbass (1) town (1) Dep’t of Redundancy Dep’t (1) grapes (1) bologna (1) Dorian (1) Britian (1) BigAg (1) diversion (1) Trade Day (1) stu (1) WVa (1) microwave (1) cassette player (1) normal (1) imagination (1) Angels (1) fads (1) founding fathers (1) Pasteur (1) canada (1) history ancient (1) rock (1) onion (1) English muffin (1) Wadsworth (1) candy (1) on sale (1) fun and educational (1) pork roast (1) gift of reading (1) Gluhwein (1) popcorn (1) christianity (1) peepers (1) plays (217) old stuff (107) GDR (94) guns (73) grammar (57) hurricanes (46) summer (41) music (36) salad (33) TSUN (30) appetizers (27) hot drinks (24) The Girls (23) family reading (20) meal planning (19) homeschool (18) Coffee (16) Oxford (15) eggs (14) recipe (13) courage (13) electricity (12) lost summer (11) Christmas tour (11) historiography (10) tea (10) 1-handed (9) heirloom (9) New England (8) maps (8) talking animals (7) greens (7) beavers (7) Screwtape (6) the delta (6) Plants (5) tomatillos (5) quiche (5) late summer (5) WWII (5) Tolkien (4) chili (4) weeds (4) geese (4) John Wayne (4) Toynbee (4) free preview (3) limas (3) Chalmers et al. (3) ice (3) Robert's Rules (3) pork chops (3) still summer (3) 2020 (3) instagram (3) Western Culture (2) Trace (2) NASCAR (2) clay pot (2) May (2) oysters (2) play (2) Aggie (2) empty nest (2) stars (2) civics (2) google (2) baseball (2) book (2) self sufficient (2) Phen (2) pancakes (2) childrensbooks (1) Dick (1) companion planting (1) Matt Welch (1) caesar (1) www (1) goats (1) no fear here (1) 2016 (1) wonder (1) game theory (1) students (1) the smart ones in the room (1) free will (1) daisies (1) oriental (1) encyclopdia (1) fitbit (1) Bede (1) duty (1) bush hog (1) New Years (1) 2021 (1) Trigger & Nutsy (1) book making (1) shakshuka (1) The Bleat (1) printer (1) Johnson (1) vocabulary (1) claiborne (1) LOTR (1) rembrandt (1) Russell (1) roasted (1) The Gold Cook Book (1) Being a Boy (1) roast (1) Caroline Cooper (1) wordpress (1) dumplings (1) Please buy my book! (1) Irving Berlin (1) 1960s (1) fall in love (1) failure (212) TWiP (106) Miss Missy's School (93) US Gov't (72) freedom (56) bread (46) homemaking (41) sausage (36) tornadoes (32) conversations (28) science (26) cake (24) philosophy (22) Thanksgiving (20) breakfast (19) tie dye (18) poets (16) Memphis (15) Frug (14) turkey (13) shopping (13) Old Books Blog (12) gilbert (11) Suzy (11) Charles Dudley Warner (10) Bebe (9) bacon (9) revised history (8) books bygone (8) songs (8) kid blog (7) Jackson (7) onions (7) As someone once said (6) cookies (6) brunch (5) tobacco (5) guy food (5) ethics (5) bookstores (5) new camera (4) G. Washington (4) wildflowers (4) scotus (4) Russia (4) dyedandco (4) talking animal stories (3) extension office (3) melon (3) Amazon (3) citizenship (3) Animals (3) Klosterneuburg (3) mockingbirds (3) reviews (2) fruitcake (2) Mom (2) soil (2) NRO (2) Paine (2) crafts (2) taxes (2) Hungary (2) natural history (2) perspective (2) chow mein (2) fishing Texas (2) history poetry (2) baking (2) RadarScope (2) technology (2) fancy night (2) cocoa (1) cows (1) pastry (1) botanical interests (1) settled science (1) yardsales (1) festival (1) MLK (1) x-files (1) Bulwer (1) USSR (1) day lilies (1) evolution (1) azaleas (1) Shenandoah (1) Asian (1) world wide web (1) Boston (1) Rubaiyat (1) Max (1) auth (1) Abigail Adams (1) goldfinch (1) Renoir (1) sunshine (1) Jerusalem (1) ancient history (1) electronics (1) jiffy soups (1) Montaigne (1) seafood (1) Buncombe (1) casserole (1) photosynthesis (1) Seattle (1) Utopia (1) creed (1) newspapers (1) grapple (1) Twain (1) white bread (1) arts & crafts (1) Clyde (1) cultural history (1) children's book (1) chapter books (207) life (103) children (91) AoSHQ (69) blog (55) writing (45) mississippi (40) potatoes (36) tomatoes (31) sweet potatoes (28) family traditions (26) seeds (24) Aristotle (22) cabbage (20) JCPenney (18) hunting (17) work (16) vegan (15) Jack (14) Clementine Paddleford (13) city mice (12) Cincinnati (12) Israel (11) traditions (10) neuroscience (10) movies (9) crockpot (9) James Whitcomb Riley (8) westerns (8) war (7) rice (7) grandma moses (7) eggnog (7) kidlit (6) Martin Luther (6) corned beef (5) basil (5) pork (5) crepes (5) dining room (5) vultures (4) photos (4) wine (4) fire (4) graphics (4) #DSPNIII (4) short stories (3) zinnias (3) mac & cheese (3) metabooks (3) shorthand (3) heron (3) hidden pasture (3) bread pudding (3) Mobile (2) remodel (2) coyotes (2) marriage (2) biscuits (2) Thomas More (2) familiy (2) reader (2) Miss M (2) noodles (2) Floods (2) roses (2) proofreading (2) fish (2) sermons (2) organized (2) Italian (2) meat (2) blogging (1) stickin' with the pig (1) X-Phi (1) medicine (1) brownies (1) linguistics (1) horses (1) Star Wars (1) hippies (1) fashion (1) neurobiology (1) squah (1) cheese (1) ironing (1) Virgil (1) HI (1) punctuation (1) King of the Hill (1) sherlock (1) Laura (1) Getz (1) gnocchi (1) powerbank (1) Degas (1) neighbors (1) Old City (1) puzzles (1) radar (1) hard times (1) old things & ways (1) SSPP (1) solar system (1) fried food (1) menu (1) girl scouts (1) the founding (1) sponge cake (1) advertising (1) cocoa sauce (1) dill (1) Craig Claiborne (1) mocha (1) farm animals (1) Corvid Kids (1) John Locke poet (1) In Fairyland (164) family (100) Missy (90) humor (69) literature (53) Mississippi politics (44) independence (40) QotD (36) Texas (31) biology (28) travel (26) heritage (24) burgers (22) country (20) okra (18) pumpkin (17) grilling (16) politics (15) leftovers (14) readers become learners (13) Shakespeare (12) logic (12) biography (11) first amendment free speech (10) faith (10) authors (9) respect (9) civil war (8) peas (8) sauce (7) gumbo (7) gov (7) local news (6) High Water (6) California (6) irises (5) September 11 (5) England (5) stories (5) virus (5) USPS (4) fun (4) sewing (4) tamales (4) television (4) walk about (3) patriots (3) armadillos (3) dictionary (3) jello (3) stupidity (3) The J-Man (3) clouds (3) corn bread (3) specialty (2) garden14 (2) other thoughts (2) seed storage (2) toad (2) knowledge (2) bunny (2) bluebirds (2) mother nature (2) oven meal (2) growing old (2) censorship (2) diet (2) tips (2) imbicile (2) cats (2) thomas Jefferson (2) chestnuts (2) winter food (1) HeeHaw (1) YAL (1) espn (1) decartes (1) me (1) witches (1) speaking (1) stream (1) muscadines (1) feminism (1) tea cart (1) dips (1) dickens (1) bachelor buttons (1) US (1) prigs (1) fantasy (1) These United States (1) Rakuten (1) heroes (1) donkey (1) power bank (1) Cezanne (1) 4WD (1) brun (1) truck (1) storage (1) budgeting (1) essay (1) lightening rod (1) perception (1) pears (1) homemade (1) chustnuts (1) Veteran's Day (1) boiled dinner (1) dust jackets (1) utensils (1) chicken wings (1) free preciew (1) chocolate (1) paintings (1) Doctor Who (1) sugo di spuntature (1) Hillsdale (161) books (98) farm (89) preparedness (68) artists (50) The Farm (44) pie (38) poem (35) beans (31) american (27) behavior (26) snow & ice (24) rant (22) blackeyes (20) library (18) rights (17) dinner party (16) The Gulf (14) carrots (13) broccoli (13) ham (12) this week (12) wings (11) turkeys (10) shame (10) CS Lewis (9) ribs (9) food (8) county (8) pages past (7) metaphysics (7) fiction (7) stew (6) herbs (6) Lincoln (6) meatloaf (5) epistemology (5) grits (5) sky (5) writers (5) lentils (4) dictionaries (4) diy (4) snaps (4) idiot (4) Easter brunch (3) trees (3) organic (3) bread & circuses (3) July (3) poems (3) blueberries (3) TWi (3) fairytales (3) sandwiches (2) Thad (2) CB radio (2) Waffle House (2) Earth Day (2) quail (2) Washington (2) 2A (2) birthday (2) photography (2) cheesecake (2) Bubba (2) Atlas (2) drama (2) creole (2) Easter (2) begging (2) old books (2) homeschool reading (1) dragonflies (1) goin' to town (1) lists (1) for the babies (1) turtles (1) Robert Burns (1) modesty (1) Hesiod (1) MAFES (1) Jango (1) geography (1) pot pie (1) champagne (1) heat index (1) pedigogy (1) NatGeo (1) DGR (1) Hemingway (1) Amer (1) ornaments (1) ebooks (1) garlic (1) data (1) book collecting (1) Gab (1) Ulysses (1) roasting (1) money saving (1) Victor Hugo (1) blue bonnets (1) justice (1) Dulles (1) somking (1) New Classic Recipe (1) cowardice (1) hash (1) Moby Dick (1) Aesop (1) Budapest (1) Bull Cook (1) spiced punch (1) printing (1) comfort food (1) homecooking (1) genteelism

Big Life

Jerusalem market
On the road again…
Some physics
Fortress in Hungary
Blood moon
All dressed up
Storm’s comin’
A crappy old book
Spread for country mice

Windy: See for yourself!

It's interactive! See for yourself.

Big!

Wash day
Volunteer zinnias
Homemade cold tomato soup
Farm pals
Big Life
Centerpiece by Tony

Popular Recent Posts

  • Insulting is such a favorite human pastime
  • Some days
  • Recipe (#4): Recipe: Bob’s Red Mill Basic Italian Polenta
  • "For every observable property"
  • Speaking of math
  • The Crossed-Winds Rules
  • Recipe: Homemade Pennsylvania Dutch Sausage
  • A Journey to Milton | What I Learned Today
  • What does history mean to you?
  • Recipe: Prize Winning Bread and Butter Pickles

Back to the top

Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life

Archives

  • 2023 (103)
  • 2022 (482)
  • 2021 (625)
  • 2020 (1206)
  • 2019 (668)
  • 2018 (230)
  • 2017 (197)
  • 2016 (493)
  • 2015 (726)
  • 2014 (373)
  • 2013 (881)
  • 2012 (878)
  • 2011 (182)
All-Time Top 10 Recipes
  • Bob’s Red Mill Basic Italian Polenta
  • Homemade Pennsylvania Dutch Sausage
  • Jesse Jackson’s Sweet Potato Pie
  • The Frugal Gourmet’s French Onion Soup
  • Taco Peppers in Electric Skillet
  • Creative Cooking Sausage Lyonnaise with French Mustard
  • Better Homes & Garden Dill Pickles and Kosher Variations
  • Little Joe’s Meatballs and Spaghetti Sauce
  • Blue Bonnet Café Meatloaf
  • Randy’s Clay Pot Roasted Chicken with Leeks and Apples

Thank you!

Thank you very much for scrolling down this far! We very much appreciate your interest in bigfoodetc.com. Tell your friends.

Have a nice day. Say "Hey" to your mama & them,

~~ Marica & the gang at bigfoodetc.com

Back to the top of

Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life

All-Time Top 10 (non-recipe) Posts
  • A Cross with No Church
  • Crockett’s Victory Garden: Who is Jim Crockett?
  • The Crossed-Winds Rules
  • Call 662-xxx-xxxx
  • Tennessee sweet potato pumpkin…
  • How to make real corned venison, antelope, moose, bear, and beef
  • Have yourself a cup of tea! Throw a tea party! Tea recipes for 1-40
  • WAKE UP, AMERICA!
  • Marica Cooks Monday | Saturday Morning Preparations
  • “So Long till Next Year”

Books of the Months: Bacon’s Essays

  • Why Bacon’s Essays?
  • Your Morning Bacon: 3 Slices
  • Morning Bacon: Just one slice, I’ve got to eat & run
  • Morning Bacon
  • Morning Bacon: A plateful
  • Bacon!
  • Some Bacon for Friday the 13th
  • “Of Marriage and Single Life”
  • Who is Lord Bacon? (Abridged)
  • “Of Custom and Education”
  • “Of Nature in Men”
  • “Of Adversity”
  • “Of Negotiating”
  • “Of Cunning”
  • Of Studies
  • “Of Discourse”
  • The next age
  • Who was Francis Bacon? (Seriously)
  • Who is Fra Bacon?

Books of the months: Anniversaries and Holidays

  • Why Anniversaries and Holidays?
  • Happy Birthday, President Houston!
  • How Ignernt Am I?
  • Ring Ring … Ring Ring
  • Service to Country
  • Imagine it gone
  • 250 Years Ago Today
  • Amerigo! Amerigo!
  • Every Seventh Notch
  • “The Ides of March have come”
  • Sweet
  • Top of the mornin’ to ya!
  • Give me Liberty
  • Sun & Moon
  • St. Gabriel
  • July & August
  • Chapter 15
  • Lady Day
  • The WWW has failed me, yet again
  • Two Roads
  • Chronicles of America
  • “The Revolt of Islam”
  • Things we missed
  • Cogito, dude.

Books of the Months: Science in Your Own Backyard

  • Crappy Old Book of the Month: (late) May Edition
  • Talk about Back Yard Science! Wooo Boy!
  • WARNING!! or not: Science in Your Own Back Yard
  • The Tools of Science, ca. 1958
  • Do NOT Try This with Fire Ants!
  • Science in Your Own Back Yard: The End
  • “The purpose of this book” is simple

Books of the Months: Horizon: A Magazine of the Arts

  • Sorry Indeed
  • Well, this is outrageous!
  • Crappy Old Books of November: Look to the Past’s Horizon
  • Mermaids
  • At random
  • Sampling 1961
  • Nice boots you got there, hippie
  • This week’s Horizon

Books of the Months: Currier & Ives

  • “The Battle of Jonesboro Georgia Sept. 1st 1864”
  • New York? Cotton? Country Life? Mississippi?
  • Seen in West Point, Mississippi
  • The Great Bartholdi Statue
  • How dear to this heart are the scenes of my childhood
  • A Cotton Plantation on the Mississippi
  • “The Great Victory in the Shenandoah Valley”
  • “The Battle of Chickamauga, Geo.”
  • Add to Basket
  • Reviews
  • Life in the Country: “The Morning Ride” | Alt. Title: The Unbearable Lightness of the Horse & Buggy Older Model Taurus Edition
  • “Rounding the Bend” on the Mississippi
  • Still Burning
  • “Battle of Corinth, Miss., Oct. 4, 1862”

Books of the Months: American Voices

  • “Scheming”: What a Great Word!
  • Not too good
  • An Audience
  • Fair enough?
  • The Benefit of Law
  • “Who are these people…?”
  • Quite Simply,
  • American Voices
  • “A Future American History Reviewed”

Back to the top of

Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life

Copyright © 2023 Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life.

Powered by WordPress and Cakifo.

© Marica C. Bernstein and Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life (Big Food etc.), 2011-2023. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without written permission from Marica C. Bernstein is prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full credit is given to Marica C. Bernstein and Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life (Big Food etc.) with specific direction to the original content.

This web site quotes previously published works. The authors of Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life (Big Food etc.) make reasonable effort to include proper citation for all quotes, including those whose copyright has expired. Citation errors or omissions are unintentional. Please contact the site administrator if citation correction is needed.

{"id":null,"mode":"button","open_style":"in_modal","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":1000,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Whats-happening-copy-4-1.jpg","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"All current contributions go toward redesigning the cover, and publishing an eBook of Miss Missy's School.","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Tip!","payment_request_label":"Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life","form_subtitle":"All contributions go toward cover redesign and eBook publication of Miss Missy's School: Book I A Pack of Farm Dogs Starts a School","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for your help and encouragement!","payment_confirmation_title":"Big Food, Big Garden, Big Life","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
{"date_format":"F j, Y","time_format":"g:i a","wordpress_permalink_only":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/2022\/12\/25\/im-dreaming-2\/","all_default_visual_states":"inherit","modal_visual_state":false,"user_is_logged_in":false,"stripe_api_key":"pk_live_51H1In9KDLfKHlvGgsliZe4efNchBVkhUvpkfy3DJTf5J6Kumgyzt5CgC0gY8E4J6dsAemyUcNLRf68pdCdkj8ZWn0021C5X4gj","stripe_account_country_code":"US","setup_link":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-admin\/admin.php?page=tip-jar-wp&mpwpadmin1=welcome&mpwpadmin_lightbox=do_wizard_health_check","close_button_url":"https:\/\/www.bigfoodetc.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/closebtn.png"}
%d bloggers like this: