In Memory of my sister, Mary Frances Teston, whose |
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screen name was Hurricanelily. |
Katrina left a lot of damage in its path. I felt so badly for everyone who suffered from that terrible storm and I wanted
to do something about it. I live in coastal Georgia, and it could have happened right here. I've been to the Gulf coast, and
it was one of the most beautiful areas I've ever seen. So, seeing the destruction seemed to haunt me like a ghost.
Not long after, my husband and I went for a bike ride, and I saw a lot of hurricane lilies, which (legend says) only bloom
after a storm, and it got me thinking that maybe I could do something in the spirit of the hurricane lily: grow something
beautiful in the path of destruction.
That's when the idea came to me: Recipes for Disaster, a cook book to benefit all victims of natural disasters. I thought
about doing it as my own project, but then I thought about Billy's wonderful Loons and what a great community it is. Also,
if I did it as a Loon, people would know it wasn't a scam. As well, I wanted my fellow Loons to share in the process. I think
it might help to heal us after the heartbreak of such a natural disaster.
Think of the times you may have sent a friend or neighbor a plate of cookies or a platter of chicken when they needed
a little support, a little something to show that you care about them. Food is such a comforting thing, and preparing it for
someone who needs a little love can be an act of faith that everything will be all right.
I presented the idea to admin at Billy's Loons Charities, and now have the green light from Billy to do this.
So I need recipes. I'd like regeonal and ethnic ones as well as plain old home-type recipes.
I'm looking for recipes for treats for pets, too, so that some money will go to help those in animal rescue. They don't
have to be just for pets, they can be foods for wild birds, etc., too. I'd like to know what everyone thinks about that idea.
Should it have its own book?
This could be an ongoing project. We could do a new one every year. There could be a holiday recipe book, a vegetarian
one, a diabetic one, the possibilities are endless.
So, who wants pie? Lets dust this puppy and get some legs under it! I need all the help and advice I can get as I have
never done this kind of thing before. So...who's with me? Who wants to send a recipe or two? I'd like to have either your
screen name or real name with each recipe to show how many people care, like signing a card for a sick person, y'know?
Also, I'd like some recipes which usually call for cinnamon, then a second one sans cinnamon, such as including one for
pralines, then another placed with it without cinnamon, so the title of the recipe would be "Billy's Pralines".
That way he gets some great recipes named after him!
Any volunteers please leave a message for me here in my guestbook, or at Billy's Loons Charities, or at PantaLoons.
This is so do-able, and will not only help disaster victims, it will bring our community even closer together and promote
our beloved Billy as well!
Please lend a hand! This won't cost you a penny, just a little effort and time...and a little love and compassion.
Since I started this project I've gotten some very bad news. My sister, to whom this cookbook is to be dedicated, was married
to a wonderful man for over fifty years. He passed away, so now I would like to dedicate it to the both of them, and to the
love they shared for over half a century. The following is his obituary from The Florida Time-Union.
"Teston Sr., Ottis C.
TESTON Ottis C. Teston, Sr., 76, of Fernandina Beach, passed away June 13, 2006 at Memorial Hospital, Jacksonville, FL.
A native of Baxley, Georgia, he spent his early years in Jesup, Georgia, moving here in 1962. He was a screen tender at Rayonier,
Fernandina Beach Mill, retiring in 1992. He was a member of Five Points Baptist Church. He served in the U.S. Army during
the Korean war, where he was a prisoner of war for thirty-three months and was awarded two purple hearts. He was a member
of the American Legion, The Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Purple Heart Association, The National
Association of Prisoner of War and the Korean War Ex P.O.W. Association. He was a member of Amelia Lodge 47 F&AM, The
order of Easter Star where he was a past worthy patron, the York Rite Bodies and Scottish Rite Consistory. He was predeceased
by his wife of fifty years, Mary Frances Teston and his brother M.L. Teston. Surviving are his son Kenny Teston of Fernandina
Beach, FL., and daughter Wanda James of Midway, Georgia, his brothers, Ernest Teston of Jesup, GA., and Bob Teston of White
Springs, FL, his sisters, Shirley Wilkes of Statesboro, GA., and Linda Sue Dyal of Odum, GA, his grandchildren, Clint, Emily
and Ryan Teston, Will Joyce, David Howard and Mary Beth James, his great grandson Caleb Rosier and several nieces and nephews."
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