There is always something to be thankful for!

Annie Bishop’s SUGAR COOKIES

Annie Bishop lived across the street from us. She was my great aunt. Behind her house was a very well kept and lovely small red barn with a pasture behind where she kept her milk cows. She milked them twice every day – no exception! Blizzards, torrential rain storms, beastly hot days – no matter, she milked those cows. She carried the milk up the slope to her house, processed it through a separator, then into jars. All the milk was kept in her kitchen refrigerator. A lot of families in our little town bought milk from her. In the event she wouldn’t be in the house when we got our milk, she kept a note pad on the kitchen table for us to report how much milk we took from the refrigerator. We’d either leave payment with our note or pay later. Rich thick cream always floated to the top of the milk – what a treat that was.

Annie was a naturally beautiful woman. She always wore a long sleeved shirt over a dress, stockings and a scarf over her head. Because her skin was not exposed to the harsh sun, her beautiful complexion would put any beauty queen’s to shame. Annie’s husband died from what they called Creeping Polarizes – (now referred to as Lou Gehrigs) at age 34. She was left to raise four children alone. Her oldest son, Lamont, died at age 21 from kidney failure; son Virgil died at age 32 of a ruptured gallbladder and her son, Levi, died at age 54 from cancer. Her daughter, Phyllis, was the only child that outlived her. Annie carried on with her faith in tack – never complaining – through all the heartache. It was always a pleasure to visit with Annie and if we advised her to “take care of yourself.”, she would respond, “the good Lord does that!” Annie baked wonderful sugar cookies; she served them on Sunday afternoons. Her kitchen table would have a big plate of fresh cookies for all to enjoy. Annie lived to be 100 years old. Several years after her death I asked her daughter, Phyllis, if, ‘by chance’ she might have her mom’s recipe for sugar cookies. She did and she gave the recipe to me. I LOVE THESE COOKIES!

3 c. flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 scant tsp. soda

Cut in 1 c. Crisco (as you do when making pie crust)

Add 1 tsp. vanilla

Beat 2 eggs – add:

1 c. sugar

4 TBS. sweet milk

Mix egg mixture with above.ingredients

Roll out and cut in any shape.

Sprinkle with sugar and bake in 350° oven for 9 minutes

Enjoy and do your best to count your many blessings.

This is a picture of Annie when she was 92 years old. She was being presented an award for being the oldest resident in the little town of Maskell - the presenter was my mother, Adelene Bostwick.