My First Time

Well H-e-l-l-o-o-o everybody!

Jon is off helpin ole Missus Burton paint her barn today. She's really too old to do itself anymore. Yes sirree bob, at ninety-six she's still as spry as a yellow tailed trail cat. Must be somethin to that ole sayin about workin hard all day keepin a person young. Leastwise it seems to have worked for Missus Burton. She's still out and about all day fixin fences and feedin Naugas... why there isn't much she doesn't still do. Course that don't mean there aren't a few things it wouldn't be wiser for someone else to do. Yepper, the sight of her on one of them ninety foot ladders slappin paint on the side of that barn of hers would be near enuf to terrify anyone. Barn's been there for a hundred years or so... probably new when she was just a baby... kept it up pretty well all these years but still... a thing that old tends to get a little rickety in places after a while. I imagin that Jon will be over there pretty soon agin to patch up a few holes and leaks and part of the roof on the south side.

Well anywho, that's why I'm sittin here writin this here blog thingee today. Jon tells me he really likes being able to connect with you folks this way... he's really sorry not to be able to do it today but... helpin neighbors comes first... leastwise that's how it is in these parts. Course some of them folks don't make it easy sometimes. Yeah... Billie Topper is as mean as they get... well he was in school anyways... always teasin and pullin on the girls hair... can't say the growed up version is any better. He just always seems to be gettin on the bad side of folks ifn you knows what I mean. Yeah... always seemed like he'd fallen off the turnip truck... some folks just never... well never you mind now. That's not what I intended to write about today anyways.

Yep, today I's gonna tell you all about the first time I ever cooked a Nauga by myself. Must've been when I was about ten years old. My Momma decided it was about time that I tried my hand at it. I'd been watchin her cook since I was in diapers... became real fond of bein in the kitchen with her even though I was reluctant at first to get my hands into the mix. But Momma... now she never thought that just watchin was good enough. She used to say that a body never larnt nothing by just watchin. She made me get right in there with her, mixin and kneadin and choppin and fixin... well you get the picture. Got to be pretty good with kitchen knives and all them other cookin utensils. Suppose it was only a matter of time before she decided I needed to try my hand at cookin a Nauga.

Well now Momma didn't just throw me at it. She helped set everthin up in the kitchen. Took out all the pots and pans I might need... set out the spices and flour and stuff... even put a selection of them utensils out on the counter for me to use. Even picked out a good size Nauga for me to cook. T'weren't as big as a grownup might have picked but it was still plenty big for a ten year old girl I tell you what. Had it in one of them dog crate things. You know, a cage that that you train your dog in whenst you first got it. Some come to see it as their house... really take to it... this Nauga wasn't havin none of that. It knew sumthin was up and just wanted out. Made quite the racket working away at the metal tryin to escape. Momma juts smiled... told me I'd do fine... then walked away and went out to the garden to do some weedin and to check on how things were growin.

Well I eyed that Nauga real good... tryin to stare it down don't you know. After a bit it seemed to settle down so I thought I'd take a chance and get it into the oven pan. I opened the crate door and got a real good grip on that Nauga. Managed to pick it up after a couple of tries or so. It wriggled around some in my arms but I figured the worst was past when I managed to get it into the pot. Only left it for a minute as I went around the table to get some stuff. Guess my mistake was forgettin to turn it over before I left it alone up there.

Yeah... you guessed it. As soon as I'd turned my back on it, that thing jumped out of the pan and made a break for it. It ran across the table, knockin pots and pans ever which way, spices and stuff explodin as that Nauga kicked 'em off the table and they hit the floor. I started chasin it of course. Couldn't very well let dinner get away like that. Momma said I was runnin and screamin and callin that Nauga all sorts of names. Seems she hadn't really gone to the garden after all... just wanted me to think so so that I'd have to rely on myself to get things done. Sneaky trick that... I'll have to remember to use it on somebody... and I think I know just who I'll... well anyway.

Momma came back into the kitchen after lettin me chase that Nauga for about fifteen minutes or so. Boy oh boy, that kitchen was quite the mess. Stuff layin all over the place. T'weren't a spot that wasn't covered in flour and spices... them pans were strewn all over the place... and that Nauga was hidin in between the refrigerator and the pantry resistin all my efforts to get it back out and into that pan. I imagin I must a looked a sight cause Momma just started laughin and laughin... thought she was gonna hurt herself she laughed so hard. Course she helped me get that Nauga back into its crate and then she helped me clean up the mess. Never did get around to cookin it. Momma said that was probably enough cookin lessons for one day. Took me out to a new fast place over by Biggsbee. I remember it was less than half a dollar for a burger, some fries, and a shake. Some sort of promotional, back in the day kinda thing. Made me feel all better... figured I'd get that Nauga the next time...

Wow... Jon is right. It sure is nice sharin this stuff with you folks. May have to trick... I mean get Jon into lettin me do this again some time. Guess that's it for now though. Thelma Lou