Most of us know the Jack and the Beanstalk story published in England in 1734. Jack is a poor country boy who trades his family cow for five magic beans that grow an amazing beanstalk that reaches the clouds. He climbs it and enters the castle of a nasty giant who sniffs or senses Jack and utters these chilling words that my younger son said terrified him more than any other childhood tale:
“Fee-fi-fo-fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman.
Be he alive, or be he dead, I’ll grind his bones to make my bread.”
If you’ve read my newest book, A Traveling Grandma’s Guide to Israel: Adventures, Wit, and Wisdom, you know I love Israel. But I’ve also spent time in the West Bank and have relatives there doing outstanding educational work.
No one wins in the terribly inhumane war waged now. All evil must stop. The beanstalk must be cut down and the giant killed. I’m connecting often to Israel by Zoom and praying when I’m not. Probably you have, too. I loved visiting Nazareth Baptist School when there last January and funded a scholarship for one Arab boy to go to camp.
Like you, I want all peace-loving people in Israel to prosper and all horrors and killings to stop. Hamas is a powerful terrorist minority that victimizes but does not represent most of Gaza’s population. I don’t have an instant answer but am praying for the beanstalk to come down and the whole land to enjoy a Happily Ever After ending. Thank you for joining with me that leaders hear the wisdom of Solomon.
There’s no easy transition to this much less important information. Those of you who’ve read Wilderness Wife, my novel based on the courageous life of Marguerite Wadin MacKay McLoughlin, requested a sequel. I don’t yet have a full-length book, but wrote a sequel of Marguerite and John’s Honeymoon Adventure. Click here to enjoy your free copy.
Finally, Holiday Season is coming. Here’s an easy recipe you’ll love.
Two-Ingredient Pumpkin Cookies
For two dozen cookies you’ll need:
- 1 (15.25-ounce) box spice cake mix
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease two baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
Combine the spice cake mix and pumpkin in a large bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon until well-mixed. Use a heaping Tbsp. to scoop the batter into rounded balls and place on the cookie sheet. They don’t spread much, so you can probably fit 10 on each baking sheet, leaving an inch between them.
Bake 12-15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until they look puffed and dry and the cookies spring back when pressed. Cool several minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
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