The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 21, 1967, Image 51
The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C., Thursday, December 20, 1967—SEC. C—PAGE 15
Water Is Key
To Safe Tree
If you want a prettier Christ
mas tree this year, take care
when you buy your tree and
take care of the tree after you
buy it.
Buy a fresh tree. Your eye
will tell you if a tree has started
to turn brown. Kven if it is
very green, tap the butt of the
tree on the ground. If needles
fall, select another tree.
When you get the tree home,
douse it with cold water. Then,
recut the stem with a new diag
onal cut at least an inch above
the old cut. This opens the
pores for drawing up water.
Set the tree in water and
keep it in water. The first day
a tree is in water, it may take
up a quart. Afterwards, it
should be replenished with less
er amounts.
Select a location for your
tree that is in the cool part of
the room, away from radia
tors, fireplaces, radios, TV sets,
or other sources of heat.
A variety of fireproofing
materials are available for.
Christmas trees — yet the most
effective and inexpensive is
plain water which keeps the
tree naturally moist.
Suggestions For
Holiday Ham
Ham is a headliner on
many holiday menus and to
day’s hams are leaner, juicier
and easier to prepare than
those on Grandpa’s farms.
To bake your Christmas
ham, place it fat side up on a
rack in an open roasting pan.
Insert a meat thermometer into
the center of the thickest part,
but make sure the bulb does
not rest in fat or bone.
Do not add water and do
not cover. Bake the ham in a
slow oven (325° F.). Basting
is not neccessary, but if you
wish, add your favorite glaze
20 to 30 minutes before the
end of the cooking time.
A ”cook-before-eating” ham
should bake until the meat
thermometer registers 160° F.
This will require 2V2 to 3 hours
for a half ham, 2 to 2 t /j hours
for a shank or butt portion.
For heating a "fully-cooked”
ham, the meat thermometer
should indicate 130° F. Allow
about 2 hours for a half ham,
V/j hours for a portion. For
canned hams, follow instruc
tions on the can.
TREE LEGEND
There are many legends
concerning the origin of the
Christmas tree. One of the’hiost
unusual is found in an old Ger
man folktale. According to the
story, a branch of fir was given
to a forester’s family after they
had offered food and shelter to
a waif, who was in reality the
Christ Child. The forester put
the branch into the ground and
it grew into a tree which
always bore fruit and nuts at
Christmastime.
BY MIKE BENNETT
Christopher Anderson lived
on an island in the Pacific—
by chance, not choice. He came
by this situation because he
was a member of the legion of
itchy feet. He was a loner, a
world traveler; a man who
knew no one, a man no one
knew.
Christopher had recently
left the comforts of civilization
and set out to sail around the
world in an outrigger canoe.
Because he didn’t particularly
like people, Christopher didn’t
bother to tell anyone about his
plans. Early one morning he
stepped into the canoe and put
out to sea. There was no one
to miss him and the few peo
ple who had seen him lounging
around the docks or in one of
the nearby bars knew only that
he was gone and that an out
rigger canoe was missing,
loose who had any concern in
the matter at all believed the
canoe would turn up some
where sooner or later.
Not True
They were quite wrong.
The canoe came upon a rest
less sea and was smashed
against the jutting reefs of an
unmarked island.
\
The fire had been going several
days. Tonight it would die.
Christopher Anderson
washed up on a small atoll.
With low tides, he made his
way across a series of reefs un
til he found the largest island
in the chain. It was not a big
place; but it did afford fresh
water, some edible plant life,
and a shallow lagoon where
Christopher could, when the
urge of hunger became strong
enough, catch a fish or two
with a homemade spear.
It was a nice island. Un
fortunately, it was well away
from the sea lanes. Islands
and coral reefs kept ships far,
far away.
At first, Christopher didn’t
mind. He could be as happy
here as he could anywhere else
in the world . . . for about a
week.
Came the tenth day, and
Christopher’s feet were quite
itchy. But all he could do was
scratch. He began to think
about, to hope for, even to
pray for the sight of a ship in
the distance. He scoured the
island and the surrounding
reefs, picking up every shred
of flotsam he could find. He
placed it in the center of the
highest point of the atoll. One
packet of matches, which he
had kept in his pocket, in a
watertight container, had sur
vived with him. So had his
wallet. After thoroughly drying
in the sun each fragment of
paper in his wallet, Christopher
managed to get a fire going
just as darkness began to settle
over the islands—on his twelfth
day.
One Thing
Perhaps because even the
man who doesn’t care much
still cannot completely aban
don hope, Christopher had
saved one thing from his
wallet. A calendar. Each mor
ning he punched a hole in the
date. This morning he had
made his last mark. He had
punched a hole through Decem
ber 31st. The fire had been
going several days. Tonight it
would die. Christopher had
scoured far and wide, but
could find nothing else to burn.
So it was that on this very
black night, the moon hidden
by low-hanging clouds, Chris
topher Anderson welcomed the
New Year by watching his fire
turn into glowing embers.
Other people were doing
things. Some welcomed the
New Year with parties and
celebrations. Some relaxed be
fore the warmth of an open
fireplace.
John Whalen, first mate on
an Australian tanker, leaned
idly on the port rail staring
out across the sea. For just a
moment, he thought he saw a
glow of light in the distance.
"Can’t be, John old boy,”
he said to himself. "That’s reef-
land out there. Time for vou
to get some sleep. Tomorrow
is another day.”
He tossed a cigarette over
board and started toward the
galley. A cup of coffee would
surely taste fine before bed
time.
Tomorrow was another
year. John Whalen, like most
people, hoped the New Year
would be kind to him. But he
doubted one day could make
much difference one way or
another.
We hope everyone in the
family, from Grandpa right on down to Rover,
has a wonderful holiday season!
H ATCH ETTE'S
Office Supplies 6 Equipment
Phone 276-0404 Newberry, S. C.
S. W. (Brother) Brown
Wholesale Distributor for AMOCO
Newberry, South Carolina