Farmer Boy Pumpkin Recipes - Treat Squares

I could not include recipes at this time of the year without mentioning pumpkins.  If you have ever read Laura's account of her husband, Almanzo, and his raising of a prize winning pumpkin; then you'll understand!  While I have yet to raise one in a similar fashion, I have attempted to grow pumpkins.  But, more importantly, I have collected a number of pumpkin recipes.  Over the next few postings, I'll be bringing you some of those recipes.

Pumpkins have become synonymous with the celebration of Halloween.  But, as a Christian, I don't celebrate a day which has so many connections with the devil!  I'm not about to sermonize on this subject here, but suffice to say: any day that gives glory to false gods is, in my opinion, not something that a Christian should be celebrating.  The Bible tells us, in 1 Thessalonians 5:22, that we should "Abstain from any appearance of evil."  When I was a child, dressing up on Halloween was no more than just good, clean fun.  But things are different today!  Halloween is a holy day for real witches, but not for those who follow the Bible!  The world has embraced Halloween as a holiday, even more important to them than Christmas!  I'm glad that some churches provide an alternative costume party for kids these days, but unless they educate the kids about the evils associated with Halloween, they are apt to accept the world's version away.  Enough said.

Pumpkins are not just for Jack-O-Lanterns!  They make a great ingredient for all sorts of dishes!
Here is the first of my pumpkin recipes:

Farmer Boy Pumpkin Treat Squares

Ingredients:

• Enough Graham Crackers to line a baking dish (11 x 13 or whatever size you choose)
• 1 can of pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 can of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed!)
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tablespoons of sugar
• 1 yellow cake mix
• 1/2 Cup of melted butter or margarine
• M&M candies

Directions: In a large bowl: combine the pumpkin, cinnamon, milk, sugar, and eggs; mixing well.  In the baking pan, sprayed with non-stick spray: lay in the graham crackers.  Pour the mixture over the crackers.  Sprinkle the cake mix on top of this.  Drizzle the butter over this.  Top with the M&M's.  Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 50 - 60 minutes.  Let it cool completely before serving.  (It can be chilled completely in the refrigerator)  You can cut this up into whatever size pieces you see fit.

Look for more Farmer Boy Pumpkin Recipes on my blog site.

If you prepare this dish, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Farmer Boy Recipe - Fried Green Maters

The north wind is blowing and the temperature is dropping, the forecast is for frost - so, I ran out to the garden to gather what was left of the tomatoes!  Some of them were almost ripe, a deep orange color.  Others were pink.  And still others were light to dark green!  It was the green ones that I wanted the most!

It seems that my family had been frying up green tomatoes long before it was fashionable.  So here is one of those recipes, passed on from one generation to the next.

Farmer Boy Fried Green Tomatoes

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 medium to large tomatoes (GREEN)
• 1/2 - 1 Cup of seasoned flour (seasoned with a pinch of: finely chopped parsley, sage, basil, ground black and white pepper, celery powder, and onion powder) (or you use whatever seasonings your family likes better)
• 1/4 Cup of Corn Meal
• 6 - 8 slices of bacon (or the drippings left over from frying the bacon = about 1/4 Cup)
• 1 Cup of Buttermilk (reserve 1/4 Cup for a gravy, if desired)

Directions: Slice the firm green tomatoes to about 1/8 inch thick.  Dredge them in the flour, cornmeal mix.  Make a second dredge in the milk.  And again, dredge them in the flour mix.  Place them directly into a pan of hot bacon drippings.
Fry the tomatoes till golden brown on both sides.  Remove to paper towels to drain.
Add about a Tablespoon of the flour to the hot drippings, along with 1/4 cup of milk, to make a gravy. *  Plate up the tomatoes and pour the gravy over them.  * You may wish to add the crumbled bacon to the gravy also.  They are good even without the gravy.   A dollop of sour cream on them is good too!

These tomatoes make a great side dish with just about any entree or even as a snack.

It is always a good thing to watch the weather and listen to the forecasts.  But better to do than to just listen!  What a great treat I would have missed, if those tomatoes had frozen on the vine!

If you don't have home grown tomatoes ready for this recipe, you can use ripe tomatoes instead.  But you'll have to use more of the flour mix to coat them; as they are juicier.  And they'll probably take a little more frying.  But, be careful not to burn them!  I always seem to set the smoke alarm off, no matter how careful I am with frying inside the house!  They turn a bit sweeter in the frying - just as we should do - turn sweeter as we age or when the heat is turned up on us!  :)

If you make these, please let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

"It does not so much matter what happens.  It is what one does when it happens that really counts."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

Farmer Boy Recipe - Tomato Soup Cake

This recipe comes from my collection of family recipes.  If I had to choose a "Top 10 List" of recipes from my childhood, this would be in that list!  My great aunt made this cake for every special occasion in the family.
My family was not "Big" on cakes!  They were not a wealthy family and thought of cakes as being very extravagant.  So it was a very big deal to enjoy a homemade cake!  (Maybe that seemed to make it taste even better!)  This recipe was my great aunt's interpretation of the Campbell's Soup Tomato Cake Recipe that came out somewhere in the 1920's.  She left school at the eighth grade level to go out to work to help the family.  This would have been about the time that this recipe came out in a Campbell's promotion.  She had taken a job working in an A&P Grocery, just a half block from home.  So, I figure she would have taken advantage of getting dented cans of soup at a reduced price; even though soup was only about a dime back then - but during those hard times, you'd have to squeeze "Old Lincoln's head" till he'd cry!

Here she is, working at the Grocery!

My aunt is now long gone, but this is still a great recipe, after those 90-plus years have passed.  When I make this cake, loving memories of her flood back over my soul.

Farmer Boy Tomato Soup Cake

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups - all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 Cups - sugar
• 4 teaspoons - baking powder
• 1 teaspoon - baking soda
• 1 teaspoon - allspice or ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon - ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon - ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon - ground nutmeg
• 1/2 Cup - raisins
• 1 Can of tomato soup (condensed - not diluted)
• 1/2 Cup of shortening
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 Cup of water or milk

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a large bowl - combine all the dry ingredients.  In another bowl - combine the water, eggs, and melted shortening.  Mix the wet ingredients into the dry.  Pour into a lightly greased and floured baking pan. (a 9 inch square one works good) Bake for 30 - 35 minutes.  Let it sit in the pan a few minutes to cool and then transfer to a wire rack to cool the rest of the way.  When it has cooled, frost it with a cream cheese frosting.

Farmer Boy Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 - 8 oz. package of cream cheese
• 5 Tablespoons - unsalted butter (softened)
• 2 teaspoons - vanilla
• 1/2 Cup of Sour Cream
• 2 1/2 Cups of Powdered Sugar

Directions: Cream the butter and sugar.  Add the cream cheese and sour cream.  Mix well.  Finally, add the vanilla.  (If you can keep from eating it right out of the bowl,  it is more than enough to frost the top of this cake.)

Some of the best recipes have come during those hard times!  It seems that people want to please their stomach and cheer themselves up more when they are going through rough times.  Eating foods like this, helps us to remember better times. And being nostalgic helps us to relax.  The stressful economic times today, echo those of the Great Depression years; so I think it's time to bring back some of those old recipes as well. 

If you ty this recipe, please let us all know by leaving a comment here.  Thanks. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

"A woman's real business is the keeping of the house and caring for the family." Laura Ingalls Wilder

Time's running out!

Laura's "Sweet Memories" shop will be closing for the season soon!  There are only a few more Saturdays left!  Once the shop is closed - it won't be open until next spring!
Did you know that Friday November 4, 2011 is a very special day?  Yes, it's ...

If you want a giant peppermint stick, like this Farmer Boy, you'll have to hurry into the shop!  Open Saturdays till November 12th! Hours: 10 AM till 1 PM   Hurry on in!

* Please note: this blog will continue all year, so check back again from time to time - better yet, sign up as a follower & please leave your comments.  Thanks for a great year at the shop & I look forward to an even better one next year!

The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Autumn comes to Mansfield, 2011

It looks like autumn has arrived here!  I had the opportunity to get out and enjoy some of the autumn colors, and wanted to share some with you.

This was the "Last Rose of the Summer" in my garden.

It is easy to see why Laura, Manly and Rose wanted to live here!  Well, that goes for me too!

"We have a whole five acres for our backyard and all outdoors for our conservatory, filled not only with beautiful flowers, but with grand old trees as well, with running water and beautiful birds, with sunshine and fresh air and all wild, free, beautiful things."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

My German Heritage Recipes - Cake

OK, first thing is to explain what the name, "Blitz Kuchen" is all about.  It is German, and I translate it as, "Lightening Cake".  Now, don't ask me why it's called that!  Maybe somebody thought you could make it "as quick as lightening!"  My family didn't have many cake recipes - not because they didn't have the time to make them, but because they felt that cakes were too extravagant for simple folks.  And this recipe is just a simple tea cake.

So, now on to the rest of the story - a few years back, when my mother died and her personal items were to be distributed among her descendents, I had the opportunity to collect her recipes.  She had a large collection, which included all kinds of hand-me-down recipes, going back at least three generations.  Many of them were written in German and then translated into English.   Others were written in "Broken English" by someone who was trying to learn English.  Now, just imagine my trying to sort all this out!  This recipe is just one of those in "Broken English".  Sometimes they didn't seem to speak their native language correctly either!  I guess they jumbled up their mind - but not enough to lose their good cooking and baking habits!

Along with the trouble of translation, one also has to contend with the need of interpretation.  By that I mean, you have to figure out the intention of the recipe when certain steps are left out.  And, on some of them, you are working with old-fashioned cooking, by way of wood ovens and ice boxes, instead of our modern appliances.  I believe these are time-tested recipes, made by very good cooks - but the challenge was for me to get beyond all the road blocks to bring these to you.

As I present this recipe, I'll try to let you in on some of those challenges with my comments in parenthesis. Here goes:

Farmer Boy Blitz Kuchen

Ingredients:

• 1/2 die Tasse (cup) - Sweet Butter (That means it should be unsalted butter)
• 1/2 Tasse - Milch (Milk)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• das Eigelb - 2 (That's 2 egg yolks) (and save the whites!)
• 1/2 Tasse - Puder Zucher (powdered sugar)
• das Zitronol (This is lemon oil.  No telling how much they used! I put in 1 teaspoon)

Directions: (as hand written, dated 1875!) (Here is where most of my difficulty comes!)

"Make sure you get fresh milch when it is no storm - or sour it will be. Cream the butter und der Zucker." (sugar) "You can use milch auf die Ziege if you have in ice box." (That's goat's milk.) "Oder, use die Milch auf die Kuh." (or use cow's milk) "Mit large spoon, cream butter and sugar. Mix mit sifted flour and powder.  Mix mit die Milch und das Eigelb." (That's mix the milk with the egg yolks.)  "Mix mit das Zitronol.  Put in pan.  Whip das Eien." (That's whip the eggs - but in this case it's whip the egg whites, left over from separation of them from the yolks.) "Mit Puder Zucher on top.  On top die Walnussen gehen. (This is: put powdered sugar and walnuts on top of the meringue - sorry, there was no mention of those in the list of ingredients!)

"Put aus der Ofen - medium heiss, slow 25 minuten." (The best I can figure is to put it into a medium hot oven - 365 degrees F. for about 30 minutes - based on my experiments with this recipe.) (I also greased and floured an 8 inch square pan.  I let it cool a little in the pan before moving it to a rack to cool completely.  If you like meringue with dark peaks, you'll have to turn up the heat at the end or put it under the broiler.)

The end result, once you get past all these translations and interpretations, is pretty good!  Give it a try and let us all know by leaving a comment here. Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Look for more of "My German Heritage Recipes" to come along the way - but for now, these should get you through Oktoberfest.

"The true way to live is to enjoy every moment as it passes, and surely it is in the everyday things around us that the beauty of life lies."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

My German Heritage Recipes - Kaiserschmarrn

In researching my ancestry, I've found that on my father's side of the family, at least half of my family roots are in Austria.  Then there are the roots in Hungary as well as Germany proper.  "Kaiserschmarrn" is a dish that sounds like it was named after my family - but it is not!  It originated in Austria, around the beginning of the 20th Century.  It was a dish that was first served to Austrian Emperor, Franz Joseph; or so the story goes.  Kaiserschmarrn is loosely translated: Kaiser (emperor), schmarrn (mess).  So, I guess it means it was a mess set before the emperor!  It may be a bit messy in its preparation, but it is a great dish!  And it is one that you'll want to include in any Oktoberfest or at any other time.

It is, basically, a puffy pancake meal.  It is traditionally made with plum preserves, but you can substitute almost any sort of fruit that you like!  And it's not just a breakfast meal - it makes a great dessert!

Farmer Boy Kaiserschmarrn

Ingredients:

• 1/3 Cup of raisins (soaked in Rum or Rum extract)
• 4 large eggs (separated)
• 1 Cup of milk
• 1/4 Cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1 Cup of all-purpose flour (or cake flour)
• 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter (or more)
• Fruit preserves (1 to 2 Cups)
• Powdered sugar

Directions: Soak the raisins in the rum for at least a half hour.  (You won't be using the liquid - only the raisins.) Separate the eggs, reserving both whites and yolks.  Mix the yolks with the milk, sugar, salt, and the vanilla.  Add this to the flour.  Whip the eggs whites till stiff.  Fold the whites into the mixture, along with the raisins.

Heat a large skillet or pan with the butter in it.  Over a medium heat, ladle the batter onto the surface, about 1/3 of a cup at a time.  It will rise a bit.  Be careful to not burn the bottom of the pancake.  (What you want to do is caramelize the bottom.)  It should only take about 2 minutes or so.  Then flip it over and do the other side. (You may need more butter and a little sugar.) Before you finish the baking of the second side, you cut or break up the pancake into bite-sized pieces.  Continue to bake, turning it over and over, to coat it with the caramelization. (Again, be careful not to let it burn!)

Plate the bits of pancake onto a bed of warmed fruit preserves and top it with more preserves.  Finally, dust with powdered sugar.  Yum!

If you are happy with the end result, you are welcome to say that it was named after me or my family :)

Either way, I hope you'll try this recipe.  Like I've said, you can substitute any fruit preserves that you like.  When the people of Austria got hold of this recipe they used what was available to them at the time.  We, in the United States of America, are pretty spoiled, having such a great variety of fruits available at all times! So, experiment, have fun making it differently each time!  You'll have to determine what size is a serving - maybe the whole thing is what you would consider one serving! Wow! (Diet tomorrow!)  And please let us know how it turns out by leaving your comments here.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

My German Heritage Recipes - Homemade Bratwurst

Here is a recipe that you won't see everywhere!  This is one of my family recipes that was handed down for generations.  Nobody could ever remember a time when they didn't make this at home.  (Except by the time it came to my mother, in the mid-20th Century! So all that I have to go by is this recipe - anyone who actually made it is gone now.)  I found an old copy of the recipe, dated 1877; but I don't know who wrote it down.  (Whoever it was didn't know much of the English language! So, I have translated and corrected any of the "Broken English" and rewrote the recipe for you.)

Note *  In order to make this you have to have a meat grinder and a sausage stuffer.  I have both of those attachments for my Kitchen Aid Mixer and that makes things go real quickly!  This recipe makes about 3 lbs. of brats.

Farmer Boy Homemade Bratwurst

Ingredients:

• 3 feet of small hog casings (1 1/2 inch in diameter) (You might be able to get those from a butcher or a supplier online)
• 1 1/2 lbs. of lean Pork Butt (cubed)
• 1 lb. of Veal (also cubed)
• 1/2 lb. of pork fat (also cubed - you can cut it off any cut of pork or get it from the butcher)
• 1/4 teaspoon - ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon - Caraway Seeds (crushed)
• 1/2 teaspoon - marjoram
• 1 teaspoon - White pepper (ground)
• 1 teaspoon - salt

Directions: Prepare the casings.  (They need to be cleaned thoroughly before loading onto the stuffer. Follow the manufacture's directions to use the stuffer.)  Next, grind the pork, veal and pork fat separately through a fine blade on the grinder.  Mix the meats together and grind again.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Stuff the mixture into the casing and twist off into 4 to 5 inch lengths.  Refrigerate for up to 2 days.  They are ready to go!

Here's a tip - the colder the meat at the time you grind it, the easier it will be to do.

You can boil them in water or beer, and then pan fry them or grill them!  They are great on a bun, or smothered in kraut and horseradish mustard!  If you make them and bring some over to me; I'll pretend you are one of my family!  No, you would be!  None of my family would do that for me! :(  Enjoy!

If you make these, be sure to let us all know by leaving a comment here. Thanks.

Here is a bonus recipe!  This will go with your brats:

Farmer Boy German-style Potato Salad

Again, this is one of those traditional German Recipes, handed down from one generation to the next in my family.  I don't know if it began with all the same ingredients or not.  And the best I can tell; it goes back about 3 generations.

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen (arbitary number) - small baking potatoes (Yukon Gold work good - or in combination with Idaho) (you may peel them if you wish)
• 1 dozen slices of bacon (crumbled) (use any kind - I like thick-sliced bacon)
• 1 large onion (roughly chopped) (I prefer a yellow or white onion)
• 1 Cup - Vinegar (white or cider)
• 1 Cup - sugar
• 2 Tablespoons - all-purpose flour
• 3 hard boiled eggs (diced)
• 1/4 teaspoon - dry mustard
• 1/4 Cup - parsley (chopped)

Directions: Fry up the bacon - crisp.  Remove it from the skillet and retain the drippings.  Next, scrub the potatoes and boil them till a fork has little resistance when pricked.  (You don't want to cook them too soft; like you would for mashed potatoes.)  Remove the potatoes and slice them into about 1/4 inch lateral slices. 

  Mix together the sugar, mustard, parsley and vinegar.  Saute' the onions a little bit in the bacon drippings.  Transfer this to a sauce pan.  Add the flour to this to make a light Roux.   Mix in the other ingredients and add the potatoes and the diced eggs.  Cover the pan and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, being careful not to burn it.  Remove from heat and serve warm.

This is a great side dish for just about any meal!  If you wish to make it for an outdoor picnic, you can leave the eggs out, and it should keep all day long without any problem.

Now you are set for a traditional German meal during Oktoberfest or any other time! 

Please be sure to let us all know how it turns out!  Thanks!  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

My German Heritage Recipes - Wiener Schnitzel

This is one of those traditional German recipes, handed down from one generation to the next in my family.  I don't know if it began with all the same ingredients or not.  And the best I can tell; it goes back about 3 generations.  The oldest one I found was dated 1899.  It was written in "Broken English", but appeared to have the same ingredients and directions.

Farmer Boy Wiener Schnitzel

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. - Veal - thinly sliced to abut 1/2 inch (You can substitute pork, beef or chicken.  Here, in the Ozarks - outside of the German communities, you can't find Veal!)
• 1/2 Cup of milk
• 1 egg
• 1/2 Cup of bread crumbs or cracker crumbs (I like the cracker crumbs)
• 2-4 Tablespoons of cooking oil (I prefer to use Peanut Oil)
• Lemon Juice (about the juice of one lemon)

Directions: With a kitchen mallet, pound out the meat to about 1/4 inch or less.  Cut into individual serving sizes of about 3 by 5 inches each.  Combine the milk and the slightly beaten egg.  Dip each piece into the liquid and then dredge in the crumbs.  Gently drop each piece on a hot, oiled skillet.  Cook on medium high heat for about 1 to 2 minutes, (till gently browned) then turn over and cook the other side to the same degree.  Just before removing from the heat, drizzle some lemon juice on top of each piece.  Drain on paper towels.  You can top with gravy, if you wish.  (A quick gravy can be made with some of the pan drippings, butter and flour, combined with a little milk.)

This is expecially good served over homemade German noodles, called "Spaetzle".  So, here is a "Bonus Recipe":

Farmer Boy Spaetzle

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/8 Cup of water
• 1 Cup of all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
• pot of boiling water and a large-holed colander

Directions:

Mix the eggs and the 1/8 cup of water together.  Add to the flour mixture to form a dough.  Pour the dough into the colander, held over the pan of boiling water.  Push the dough through the colander, by large mixing spoonful at a time.  The noodles should be about 1/2 inch in length.  Cook in the boiling water for a couple of minutes.  Remove from the water and they are ready to serve.  If you wish, you may take the noodles and drop them into melted butter in a skillet and lightly brown them with a pinch of celery salt and onion powder.

Spaetzle are versatile and are a good side dish with many meals; expecially German meals with Sauerkraut!

If you make these recipes, please let us all know by leaving a comment here.  Thanks. The Old Man in the Bib Overalls

Special Visitor at Laura's "Sweet Memories" Shop

I made special arrangements to be open for a visit with a very special lady this week.  Sue Ellen Sanders Francis and her husband, Duane, came to visit me.  Sue Ellen is a real live cousin to Laura Ingalls Wilder!  She is a seventh cousin, according to the copy of the family tree that she showed me. 
Sue is a really neat lady, who is very involved in "All things Laura".  She does a lot of work with the tracing the geneology of the families associated with her cousin, Laura.  Her involvement has brought her into contact with many of the TV series actors as well.

I'm looking forward to working with Sue in the near future to add some of her geneology work to my shop.  And some may show up on this blog site as well.  She is also going to do some investigating with the possibility that some of my ancstors that were part of the family as well, through a family name that I mentioned!  That would mean that I would also be a cousin of Laura!  We'll see if that pans out!

"Sometimes I wonder if the home ties would not be stronger if our homes were built more of an idea of permanency... A house, well built, (should) last for generations."  Laura Ingalls Wilder

My German Heritage Recipes - Soft Pretzels

What would Oktoberfest be without pretzels?  For most folks, it's pretzels and beer!  Since, as a Christian, I don't drink beer; I choose to have either a non-alcoholic beer or a soft drink with my pretzels.  Either way, those German Soft Pretzels are a treat!  So, let's get right to the recipe:

Farmer Boy Soft Pretzels

Ingredients:

• 1 Tablespoon - instant dry yeast
• 1 Tablespoon - sugar
• 1 teaspoon - table salt
• 2 Tablespoons - butter (softened)
• 1 Cup of water (115 degrees F.)
• 2 3/4 Cups of all-purpose flour
• Coarse salt (for a topping)
• 5 teaspoons of baking soda & 4 Cups of boiling water (combined as a pretzel bath)

Directions:

Place the yeast, butter and sugar into a large bowl.  Add the cup of water (115 degrees F.) and stir.  It will foam up as it sits for about 5 minutes.  Mix it into 1 cup of flour till the mixture is smooth.  Add the rest of the flour and stir.  When it becomes stiff, begin to knead until it is smooth and no longer sticks to your hands. Cover the bowl and let it rise, till doubled in size.  Prepare the soda bath for the pretzels.  When the dough has doubled, punch it down and knead for about a minute.  Divide the dough into 12 equal pieces.  Roll each piece out to about 1/2 inch in diameter and about 12 inches in length.  Quickly form into the tradional twisted shape.  Set them aside to rest a couple minutes.  Pre-heat the oven to 475 degrees F.  Drop a couple at a time into the boiling soda bath for 65 seconds on each side.  Take out of the bath by slotted spoon and place on a well-greased cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.  Bake about 15 minutes, or till nicely browned on top.

Best served warm.  For an extra treat - dip each bite into a prepared yellow mustard.  You could also brush each pretzel with melted butter before adding the salt and baking.  If you do this, it may brown quicker and you might want to lower the heat a bit.  I've heard that a dip in ranch dressing is also good.  Experiment, and have fun with this recipe!

If you try this recipe, please take a minute and let us all know, by leaving a comment here.  Thanks.  The Old Man in the Bib Overalls