May • 2011 • NEWSLETTER

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Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

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Everything old is new again. That is, everything about our readers’ past that we choose to put online now has a new home on our remodeled website: reminisce.com. We’ve put a whole new spin on how we present nostalgia so you can more easily find stories and pictures from your favorite subjects or decades.

There’s a ton more content than ever before for you to discover, and we’ve added photo galleries, a humor category, printable puzzles and more. If you haven’t visited our new and improved website, we hope you will soon.

As always, feel free to forward our newsletter on to a friend or family member. If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you’d like a copy of your own each month, just clink this link to sign up yourself.

—John Burlingham at Reminisce

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In this issue:

• Turtle Soup Was a Snap for Dad
• Stirring Up Memories
• Picture From the Past
• Time Capsule Trivia
• A Thought to Remember

Finding the Fixings for Turtle Soup Was a Snap for Dad

View larger image Showing off the results of a hunting excursion are the author (far right, holding a groundhog) and her older sister, Barbara, and younger brother, Buzz, in 1950.

By Jean Trussell
Long Bottom, Ohio

When I was 10 years old, in 1950, my younger brother, Buzz, and I would wade behind our father in the shallow waters of a Shade River tributary near Lickskillet Road in Long Bottom, Ohio. Daddy was in search of underwater holes in the banks of the creek.

These holes were the habitats of elusive snapping turtles that were the main ingredient in turtle soup, one of his favorite things to cook. Sometimes he would bring his buddies along to watch their reaction to this hunting sport and to have them help haul the catch to the car.

You could catch snapping water turtles by baiting a large turtle hook, staking out the string line and just waiting for the old boy to take the bait, but Daddy preferred to catch them by hand—for the sport of it.

The secret to catching snapping turtles by hand is to feel for their burrows under the edge of the water. If you were lucky, they would have gone into the hole headfirst, and you would just grab them by the tail and haul them out of the holes.

View larger image The author’s father (on right) is seen with some buddies of his from work in 1950.

On the other hand, if the turtle had backed into its hole, you were not as lucky, as you could get bitten on the hand by its snapping jaws. When that happened to Daddy, he would pull his hand out of the hole with the turtle still hanging on it!

Daddy would then cut off its head and would still need to pry its jaws open to loosen its pressure grip. I guess it must not have hurt too much, because Daddy was still able to move on to the next hole.

I don’t remember if I liked the taste of turtle soup, but Daddy must have liked it a lot because the process of cleaning the turtle was gruesome and cooking the turtle took some time and effort. He would have to remove the head and legs, being careful of the turtle’s sharp claws.

He always cautioned us to keep our fingers away from the severed head, as a snapping turtle’s jaws can still clamp shut as a reflex for a period of time. For sport, we would put a stick in its mouth, and sure enough, it would snap onto it.

Daddy would separate the shell from the meaty portion, cut it all into chunks, wash it and then boil shell and all in water until it was tender. The shell was removed and seasonings and milk were added to Daddy’s taste. He’d then savor his accomplishment while devouring the soup.

I guess turtle soup is an acquired taste, but for Daddy, it was worth every bite!

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Stirring Up Memories

Layered Taco Salad

Cinco de Mayo was observed on May 5, but why not continue the celebration with a festive weekend by whipping up some spicy Mexican meals? Check out this easy and adaptable dish and loads of other recipe ideas from our friends at Taste of Home.

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Picture From the Past

By Ruth Brannen
Savannah, Georgia

View larger image

In the Depression days of 1933, my mother, Lois Newsome, made outfits for the entire family out of bleached sugar sacks. Pictured, from left, are my brother Jack; my father, Reuben; my brother Paul; my sister, Francis; my mother, Loris; and me.

To earn some much-needed cash for the family, my mother agreed to use sacks from the Dixie Crystal Sugar Refinery in Savannah, Georgia. In this way the company received advertising, and it compensated Mom for getting out the company name and showing customers what wonderful clothes could be made with the sacks.

Click here to see more Pictures From the Past.

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Time Capsule Trivia

Think you’ve heard these songs before? We’ve provided lines from some familiar oldies. See if you can complete the verse to reveal the song title. Then click on the link to the answers below.

1. When I’m worried and I can’t sleep …

2. Another bride, another June, another sunny honeymoon …

3. Well, it’s one for the money …

4. A rose must remain with the sun and the rain …

5. Somewhere there’s music, how faint the tune! …

Click here for the answer to Time Capsule Trivia.

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A Thought to Remember

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love most.

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