"The family is both the fundamental unit of society as well as the root of culture. It ... is a perpetual source of encouragement, advocacy, assurance, and emotional refueling that empowers a child to venture with confidence into the greater world and to become all that he can be"....
MARIANNE E. NEIFERT, Dr. Mom's Parenting Guide

Don't you find it funny when a memory just floods into your mind like the taste of a rich dark chocolate! Today I was out running those Monday errands and happened to see a turtle trying to make his way across the road. Here it is, mid-May, sun brilliant and suddenly I remembered all those huge family TURTLE SOUP weekends! I am not sure just how the tradition formed, I suppose it was a German delight brought along with everything else like the treasured meat platter, but what a circus of learning it was! My relatives were everywhere, especially my grandparents. The turtles were already captured, dad had worked on that all week! He tried not to capture the green turtles, but preferred the mean old snappers! Once brought up from the lake, I remember standing down by the basement door, near the old Bar-B-Que pit preparing for the kill. My brother adored this part, he got to lure the old turtle out of his pointed shell then ZAP, the head chopped!! I know, barbaric, but all in preparation for the soup. Next came the cleaning and gathering of the meat. Dad was a master with the knife as he skillfully cut away the neck and feet from the shell. While all this was going on, mom and grandma would be rapidly chopping the vegetables and getting the broth and seasonings just right. You have to understand, I personally do not care for the soup itself, but everyone else running around loved it. Huge pots would be cooked and everyone would take some home for the week. It was always a festive time and filled with old stories, laughs, and cousins galore. I remember closing my eyes tight when the whole turtle issue happened, but from where I stood a beautiful array of colors would pop out between the sky, trees and the edge of the lake. The colors I saw were deep blues with murky greens of moss, algae and leaves all blending together to spell out family traditions. We were a Kentucky family based on survival and loyalty. Yes, I can make turtle soup, no, I still don't like it, but the memories are as vivid as the hues blending in this dress. A turtle represents family and home, to carry only what you need, today I bring you a bit of nostalgic for the lady who values family.

Turtle Soup.... $95