Monthly Archives: December 2010

True Grit

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The last time Lisa and I went to a movie, someone cut a wire and set off the fire alarm. We managed to see the rest of the movie and were given a complimentary ticket for our trouble. This week we used the free pass however it was for a movie which I would have happily paid the price of admission.

“True Grit” was originally released in 1969 and starred John Wayne and country music singer, Glen Campbell. For those to young to have seen the original, True Grit is the story of a tough U.S.Marshall who helps a determined young lady track down the man who murdered her father. It is one of my favorite Westerns of all time and I will occasionally use the following quote from the movie in conversation, “they say you have grit.” Recently, Joel and Ethan Coen directed an version of ths movie starring Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn and Matt Damon as Texas Ranger Laboeuf. The part of young Mattie Ross was given to Hailee Steinfeld.

For those undetermined to finish this column, I will say right here that Lisa and I loved the show. If you liked the 1969 True Grit then you will probably enjoy the 2010 version. Jeff Bridges was still in “broken-down, sweaty and unhealthy” mode from his portrayal of a country music singer in “Crazy Heart” and so was perfect for the the part of the old U.S. Marshall. This Rooster Cogburn is a bit meaner and less cuddly than John Wayne and is also played closer to his description in the original book. I like Matt Damon as Texas Ranger Laboeuf better than Glenn Campbell’s portrayal. This Laboeuf really reminds me of many young police officers I’ve known; overcompensating, single dimensional and lonely but inherently good.

I think Lisa and I could agree that little Mattie Ross stole the show. John Wayne owned the first movie however little Hailee Steinfeld was the star of this show. While much of her dialogue is original to the first show, Mattie comes across as more personable and an even more judgmental pre-teen than the original. She is sweet and tough and still unholsters her attorney, J Noble Dagget, like a weapon. We also get to hear some correspondence from Dagget in the Coen version so I guess he is real, I thought in the original he was just a character Mattie created to intimidate adults.

The Coen brothers add layers to their movie by cooking each character until they caramelize. They just seem to get a little more depth and humanity from the characters in a movie. I loved John Wayne in True Grit however I think this version was a little faster, more real, much leaner and more engaging. The only thing it was missing was the Duke.

Christmas Letter to Dave

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(I have left a little bonus at the bottom of the page-GN) 

Merry Christmas Dave,

I ordered a part on the phone today, Dave. I hesitated to wish the person on the other end of the phone a Merry Christmas. I wasn’t worried that the person would take offense because the only people who claim to take offense at something as innocuous as a sincere Christmas wish are those who seek to call attention to themselves or their own vested interests (kind of like the whole University of North Dakota logo fiasco.) Rather, I was worried that the salesman on the other end of the line was being “monitored for quality assurance” and would get in trouble for returning my greeting. I may be paranoid in my thoughts but that doesn’t mean I am wrong. I will wish the same person Merry Christmas when I call them back later; damn the politically correct.

I know some Christmas traditions may have occurred as a result of blending different religions, however these compromises are insignificant in comparison to the good of helping people join in the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. I laugh when someone triumphantly proclaims that December 25th may not be the actual date of Jesus’ birth. They sound like a child who’s pulled the beard from a department store Santa Claus; it fulfills their need to feel powerful. Santa isn’t meant to be a real person, he is there to symbolize the spirit of giving. Jesus was a real person and it isn’t the date of his birth that we celebrate, it is the fact that Jesus was born and for what purpose he was born that we celebrate. I feel the date is just a day to remind us that Jesus was a tangible expression of God’s love.

Lisa and I made Christmas Kolache last week, Dave. Lisa considers the kitchen to be her territory and rightly so. I do like to bake and cook a little and typically I can feel her eyes on me as she watches my every move. A sous chef is second in-command of the kitchen. Since the Kolache was mom’s recipe, I got to be the head baker and Lisa was my sous chef. I reminded her that she was sous chef for a day several times that Sunday afternoon. I think she was okay with it but this chain of command will not occur again until next time we bake Kolache.

I received a kill-a-watt meter from Lisa for my birthday, Dave. These little units let you know exactly how much electricity an appliance uses and its cost. I had wanted one for quite awhile to measure how much electricity we use to heat the new pump house I built for us a year ago. Our heat bill so far for the year has been a little under $20, Dave. I used 2X6 construction and a deep freeze door for an entrance and I guess the effort paid off in lower heating bills. I love it when a plan works out.

I know you have been receiving a lot of snow at your home in Carrington, North Dakota. I felt so sorry for you as I drifted off to sleep Monday night. I should have saved the pity for myself as we must have received seven or eight inches by morning. I spent the whole day pushing snow, roof-raking, bedding and feeding hay. Fortunately we had a few Kolache left which sustained me in this time of need. After all of that work, I slept like a baby Tuesday night, I even wet the bed.

Sara and Erin were married this year so I’m sure your Christmas celebration is that much fuller this year. Congratulations and Merry Christmas.

You’re little bro’

My Uncle, Larry Wold from Detroit Lakes, sent us this little Christmas video; funny and touching, not what you’d expect. Just a little bonus for you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LyviyF-N23A

Christmas Kolache in Five Acts

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Act I:Disclaimer

I am going to write about the Kolache my mom used to make for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I received the recipe from my sister, Debbie. I don’t wished to be the featured item at Deb’s next Rocky Mountain Oyster buffet, so I will not share the recipe here. If you are lucky enough to own a “Zavoral Family Recipe” (Goodridge and Thief River Falls area, mostly) book, I believe you will find this treasure among the bound and printed pages. All others will have to resort to recipe’s untried and techniques unknown.

Act II: Kolache History

A Kolache is a pastry consisting of filling inside bread dough. I have known Kolache only to contain raisin and prune filling, although it can take forms filled with meat or other fruit. Kolache is a Czech pastry and served as a dessert in central Europe. Montgomery, Minnesota claims to be the capital of Kolache and there are several Kolache Celebrations in Texas, however there are just as many celebrations in Oklahoma and Nebraska. I guess the Czech people really liked Kolache but paid no particular allegiance to any one state.

Act III: It’s the dough

I don’t think there’s really much of a secret to Kolache filling, the wonder lies within the dough. A thick, tough dough would send Kolache contents shooting all over your hand and a crumbly dough would-well, crumble. Lisa and I made Kolache last week and the dough is a tremendous amount of work. Many steps, lots of kneading and time are from what what Kolache is made. Filling the dough and baking seemed almost like an afterthought in comparison to the work of making a great covering for all that filling. We made the dough into small balls then stretched it to make the cover for the filling, next time we will roll it out and cut it with a pizza cutter-much easier.

Act IV: The Filling

First off, you need such a small amount of filling for each Kolache as it fills the interior of the cave-like form of the dough with flavor upon baking. Too much filling will only end up on the baking pan and stick. I feel I can be open about the filling as it was pretty much prunes and raisins that were boiled and processed. I gotta be me, so I boiled the filling in rum instead of water which made the atmosphere of the kitchen a bit heady. Our next batch of Kolache will include this traditional filling but will also include some meat mixtures and maybe cherry. I don’t think my mom would mind.

Act V: I just ate a Kolache

The dough cups the filling and holds it in place so it is the first element you smell. The consistency of the dough is firm and crusty and delivers the first of the mouth sensations to my inner cheek. The bottom of the Kolache is tender and smooth and glides along the tongue as though it doesn’t wish to be noticed. Now the sweetness of the fruit and the mild tang of dough kiss while the tender underside dough and the crusty top-side dough shyly walk towards each other across the dance floor of my mouth. Kolache demand attention to the point of distraction. Howard Dalager, our rural mail carrier from St Hilaire, Minnesota just delivered our mail so I brought him a Kolache for the road; I hope I didn’t just cause an accident.

I remember Christmas

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 I want to indulge myself in a little Christmas nostalgia this week.
These are some of the Christmas memories that I want to share with
you. 

Whenever I think of Christmas, I think about milking cows. Any
activity on a dairy farm starts with milking cows; that includes
weddings, funerals and Christmas. The haymow of the barn was always
full of straw and hay bales which made excellent insulation for what
was basically the barn’s attic. Combine this superior insulation with
36 warm cows and the barn was a pleasant place to be when it was
cold. The milk house was attached at one side and the calves lived in
a lean-too on the east. The cows would have received fresh bedding at
noon and a pile of leftover straw remained at one end of the
barn dotted with cats awaiting a twice-daily feeding of milk
replacer. Before my dad and older brothers came in for the Christmas
big meal, all the cattle were fed and ready for a pleasant night’s
sleep. It was easy to feel that all was well on Christmas when you
grew up with a barn like the one at our farm.

The Christmas Eve meal began well before December 24th. My mom made
lefse, kolache and cookies prior to the big day. She received help
from Grandma Z (Zavoral) sometimes and from my sister Debbie. Kolache
is a Czech pastry which is filled with raisins and prune. I love
Kolache and as a child would eat them until I had to almost live in
the bathroom. Mom made so much food for Christmas Eve that the table
looked like a diorama of a small city. I sat repulsed as my dad and
Grandpa Z ate lutefisk which had been drowned in lye and resurrected
in butter. There was not one space left over at our table; I don’t
believe anyone ever ate anything-we just passed plates in one
continuous, lock-step serpentine pattern. It was easy to feel all was
well at Christmas when you celebrated at our house.

We had to wait to open presents until the dishes were washed. Then
dessert was served and coffee drank. It was torture. I had spent the
previous three weeks living under the Christmas tree. I would
estimate the size of each present then match it with items from the
catalog which I had petitioned for since the wish book arrived that
fall. I loved lying under the tree. It too was like a whole
wonderful, fantastic culture of Christmas celebration. There was a
faux, stained glass nativity scene which mom and I had painted
together. Multiple decorations made by my siblings and several sets
of lights. Some of the icicles were hung properly-one at time and
straight and then there were the icicles which had been applied by me.
Our dog, Benji and I spent many hours under that tree awaiting
Christmas. It was easy to feel all was under the Christmas tree.

Midnight Christmas Eve services were a little late in the evening for
my taste but still pretty neat. Pastor Ralph Hofrenning delivered the
message in a deep, booming voice that left little doubt as to the
reason for this gathering. I enjoyed the Christmas music because most
were old standards and I knew all the lyrics. The end of the service
started with a darkened church as one lit candle passed the flame to
the next. As the last candle received light, the service ended.
Sitting there, crammed shoulder to shoulder in a church pew, it was
easy to feel all was well.

I know things seem a little bleak this year. World economic problems
dominate the news and cloud what should be a joyous season.
Things will get better and remember that while the world may be
different, Christmas is still the same. During the holiday season,
it’s much easier to feel-all is well.

Christmas on my mind

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The biceps brachii muscle is given the name biceps because it has two
heads and brachii is the Latin word for arm. The juncture of these
two heads meet is where the pain begins and our story starts.

I clean off the roof of one hay shed each time we receive appreciable
snowfall. My roof rake is light, however the leverage of it’s length
makes it fell quite heavy. The constant strain on my biceps muscle is
the kind of keening, deep pain that demands my focus. It is like a
rock in the shoe of a man on a long walk, it drives out all other
distractions as it drives him on to greater efforts. The pain in my
bicep is almost like a mantra in that it starts me on a sort of
meditation in which I consider things on my mind.

Christmas is the subject upon my mind. And no not the sort of Black
Friday, Cyber-Monday, informance not Christmas concert,
all-inclusive, non-religious, Chrismahannakwanzaica
politically-correct Soylent Green cracker version of this sacred
birthday that is served up in mammoth helpings by organizations too
scared (and bullied by a vocal few) to celebrate Christmas. I allow
myself a few rants each year and that was my December indulgence.

I see the effect the occurs in a society where the meaning of
Christmas is slowly stolen away. People become depressed and tired
because they pursue a gift which they fail to realize is already is
in their possession. So many feel that they cannot enjoy the rapture
of Christmas unless they have an overwhelming emotional reaction from
gifts given, gifts received or parties they attend. The gift of
Christmas is not the feeling of accomplishment in the perfect gift or
party; it is the gift of eternal life. If we can understand what this
gift is then we can quit pursuing the shallow version of Christmas
you can purchase with your credit card at your local retailer. If we
understand that the only way to receive the gift of eternal life is
to realize we cannot earn it then we can quit meaningless actions to
earn the gift and simply accept it.

All of this said, I like Christmas traditions. Shared traditions
bring people closer together which will hopefully bring about love
and not contempt. The singer, Jimmy Jenson, always sung about someone
getting punched at their family Christmas celebrations while radio
announcer Gabriel Heatter ironically spoke “…and good tidings to
all men” in the background. I always hear people talk about how
Christmas is for the family and if that brings love then that seems a
noble pursuit. I think that most people do put their family first 365
days a year. This Christmas, on the birth of our savior, maybe we
could take one day to put Jesus first? I also think gift-giving is a
nice tradition, however I think a little moderation would allow us to
enjoy the tradition without the January bill and the accompanying
high-interest hangover.

A proper perspective on Christmas will make you a happier person. I
think an accurate perspective of this birthday will also lead you to
less stress, reduced high-interest debt, and fewer incidents of
assault at your next holiday get-together.

 

http://rreflection.areavoices.com/2010/02/01/nicolena-2/