Monday, August 25, 2025

Smite Your Enemies?

 


Do you have enemies? People who lie about you? Want to rid the world of you?

Most of us do or have had foes at some time in our lives.

I'm thinking of King David. He had plenty.

Samuel anointed the young shepherd boy, David, to be the future king of Israel. With this annointing, folks began to hate David. 

God planned for David to defend Israel, but David needed to learn a few military skills first.

David grew in faith and confidence as a youngster taking care of the sheep. The little lambs faced adversaries like bears and lions, but David killed these predators. He also slew Goliath, the enemy of the Israelites.

After he assumed the kingship, David faced opposition from opponents, both foreign and local. Who in leadership doesn't? From President George Washington to the present one, our presidents have faced their share of foes. And these leaders found it tough. David discovered the difficulies of hostilities, too.

I've been teaching the Psalms in my Bible Study. David wrote the majority of these songs, and he sings, prays, and talks to the Lord about his foes in the Psalms. Sometimes he wants to be delivered or protected from these evil people, and sometimes he wishes God would smite them.

How about you? How do you feel about people who oppose you?

I spoke about it last Sunday on YouTube. I tell about a few unkind people who were my enemies for a short time. 

Gay on YouTube


Have you read any of my books lately? If not, grab one and start reading. 

Gay's Author Page


Friday, August 8, 2025

Squirrel Stew

 


Unable to find a chicken dish I ate years ago; I looked through an old cookbook. I mean really old. This tome existed in the 60’s, but recipes dated before that era.

I found instructions for “Squirrel Stew.”  Yep, you read that correctly. Squirrel, as in the backyard variety. I doubt city people in the 60’s created this questionable cuisine, but I know people in the early 1900’s did.

In fact, people ate this common source of protein during the Great Depression.

My dad’s siblings ate it regularly. As a sergeant in the USA Army, he earned medals as a sharpshooter and netted a reputation for his marksmanship. He may have gained this skill by providing food for the family table.

His mom, my grandmother, was an accomplished cook and could make anything taste gourmet.

As a wee child, I recall eating a piece of fried squirrel she had prepared. My dad enjoyed it, but then he liked dark, fatty, meat.

The housewives of yesteryear possessed numerous abilities with food preparation. Can you imagine dressing a squirrel to fry, bake or roast?

Yuk. Me either.

I didn’t see my grandmother prepare the delicacy, for which I’m grateful.

I prefer selecting protein in a shrink-wrapped package at the grocery store. I don’t find squirrel as an option there, and I hope I never need it as a future staple. However, squirrels abound in plentiful supply in our backyard.

I suppose, if need be, my hubby could provide a dressed squirrel, and I would fry it, but if I had to dress the thing, we’d go hungry.


Would you believe squirrel protein is experiencing a comeback?  

Yep!

Some among us (about 1.8 million Americans according to the Internet) enjoy squirrel. They appreciate the taste and nutritional benefit of this “new” food. A few compare it to the taste of rabbit.

Squirel Popular Today

How many of you eat rabbits these days? Do you want to try it or squirrel? If you don’t have squirrel, you can substitute rabbit in the following recipe.

Here’s a way people cooked it years ago. I’m sure today’s measurements are updated. This recipe calls for quarts, but a lot of people are canning foods again, so quarts may be in their pantry.


Squirrel Stew

Ingredients

3 plump dressed squirrels

Seasoned flour

Salt and pepper

6 onions sliced thin

3 cups of water

6 tomatoes, peeled and diced

3 red peppers, seeded and chopped

Pinch of thyme

1 qt of lima beans

Kernels from 6 ears of corn

1 qt of okra

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

Butter

Directions

Cut meat into serving pieces. Dip into flour and seasonings. Brown in fat with onions. Transfer to a casserole dish. Add water, tomatoes, peppers, and thyme. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add lima beans, corn, okra, and parsley. Cook until tender. If desired, thicken with flour and butter kneaded to a paste.

If you try this, let me know how you like it.

While it simmers on the stove, read one of my books.

Gay's Author Page

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

Santa Clause Enjoys Texas Beaches


It's hot down here in Texas!

Many of my friends are headed to beaches. Not me, I'm not a sand loving gal, but it looks as though Santa is! He's enjoying a vacation away from the North Pole! 

He can take off the fur-trimmed suit in Texas, in fact, it looks like he took off almost everything, even his hat! However, he's wise. He's wearing sunglasses and sitting under an umbrella. The Texas sun is brutal.

He must be in Galveston. We have palm trees there, but the water is seldom that blue. Or maybe he's at South Padre Island, it is a glorious beach, if you like beaches, that is.

He should be holding my book, Sarah and a Texas Christmas. He'd laugh his head off. Sarah is a bumbling angel, and she takes everthing literally. So, language is difficult for her. Talk about chaos!






It's six months and a few days before Christmas, but why wait? Enjoy a Christmas tale now! It's on sale!



PBG Insider: Gay N. Lewis Introduces her "Sarah" series

Sarah at Christmas