Sepia Saturday – (S)No Shoveling

Sepia Saturday provides bloggers with an opportunity to share their history through the medium of photographs. Historical photographs of any age or kind become the launchpad for explorations of family history, local history and social history in fact or fiction, poetry or prose, words or further images.

Winter in central Texas has been even milder than usual. In February the temperature has already reached 85 degrees and many days have seen the upper 70s. The apple tree in our back yard (an Israeli variety) is full of buds and a couple have blossomed. One of my friends recently posted a screenshot on Facebook of her weather app showing a temp of 75 degrees and wrote: “January helps me survive August here.”

So true!

Anyway, I thought about posting our rare (but not sepia) pictures of the few times we have had measurable snow in the past 15 years, but as I looked through some of the older family pictures, I came across one that seemed perfect for this week’s prompt.

Here we have snow, houses in the background, window coverings, a short fence (or porch railing) partially hidden by snow, a post, warm hats and coats. Most important, though, are the people with snow shovels who are not shoveling. And a bystander – or in this case – a bysitter.

The photograph came from my Grandmother’s photo album and was probably taken in Weedsport, New York during the winter of 1940-41. The cute kids are the children of Fred and Carol Webber, my great aunt and uncle. (Fred being my Grandmother Abbie’s younger brother.)

Now take a break from your shoveling and warm yourself while visiting other Sepia Saturday bloggers.

 

 

 

 

 

Sepia Saturday – Six Shrinking Sisters

Sepia Saturday provides an opportunity for genealogy bloggers to share their family history through photographs.

Four pages of my Grandmother Abbie’s photo album are devoted to various configurations of family in photos taken on the same day. According to the back of one photo, the pictures were taken on Father’s Day (June 16), 1946 at First Baptist Church in Iowa City, Iowa.

This first picture is of my grandmother’s family of origin – 6 girls, 3 boys, and 2 parents.

Another picture was taken of just the six sisters, who have all lost their legs.

My grandmother seems to find this amusing.

Not so happy now that they have all nearly disappeared.

If another picture of the six sisters was taken that day, we might mistake it for a picture of the vine-covered church building.

Please visit other bloggers who participate in Sepia Saturday. It’s always interesting!

I’ve shared a bit about my grandmother, Abbie Elizabeth Webber, and her brother, Fred Myron Webber, previously. Feel free to click their tags and get to know them.

 

Family Recipe Friday – Chocolate X 2

Since this week has been devoted to the Fred and Carol Webber family, I’m sharing two recipes I received from their daughter Dee. I’ll get back to my Mom’s recipes next week.

Both recipes involve chocolate and the accompanying note says, “You can see that we are chocolate lovers.”

We share the chocolate gene!

The note also says that this first recipe was usually made by Ted as he was growing up.
I love this picture, by the way! Do you see the “So lovely” embroidered on Chris’s dress?

Dolores, Ted, Chris, Bea

FOOL-PROOF FUDGE

2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 squares chocolate
butter or margarine size of walnut
1 teaspoon vanilla – add after cooking

Boil 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla. Pour in buttered pan. Cool.

****  The second recipe is for chocolate cake and it comes with three names. A cake with three names must be a family favorite! If you missed the story about Fred Webber baking his first apple pie, you can read it here.

SWISS CHOCOLATE CAKE – LIBERTY STREET SPECIAL or FRED WEBBER’S SPECIAL

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 ounce chocolate – melted
2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup evaporated milk

Combine shortening, salt and vanilla; add sugar and cream until light. Add eggs, one at a time; add chocolate and blend well. Add flour and baking powder alternately with milk.

Put into two well-greased and floured round cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Frosting

1 3-ounce package cream cheese
4 tablespoons milk
dash salt
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 ounce melted chocolate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Soften cheese with milk; add salt; add sugar gradually; add chocolate and vanilla and beat until smooth. Put on cool cake.

****  I have company coming in a few days. Sounds like a good excuse to bake a chocolate cake….