This is the Library. I work here. I’m holding a book.
On December 23rd, 1982, Jack Webb died. Jack Webb was the face of Joe Friday, Los Angeles police department detective. Dragnet was one of the most popular TV police shows ever, as seen in the book “The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Times” by Entertainment Weekly, 1998.
I have a few of his early TV shows on DVD. To honor Joe Friday, I did some dectective work on December 23rd. The stories you are about to hear are true, and the names are not changed to protect the innocent.
December 23rd is National Pfeffernüsse Day. Pfeffernüsse is German for peppernut. There are no nuts in this old recipe. There is a little pepper, and then the cookies are quite small-the size of nuts. They are not gingerbread, but they do have several spices that give them an interesting taste. Along with pepper, there is nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.
When I was younger, we would celebrate Christmas at my grandmother’s house. My Great grandmother was there, and she would be clutching a tin of Pfeffernüsse cookies that she would offer to everyone that she could shuffle over to. Pfeffernüsse cookies have an aquired taste, and not many people would eat them. In fact, everyone at the yearly party would decline, except my dad and I. I loved the taste of those hard spicy cookies. My father, I was not sure about.
Dad was the most polite person to his elders (he was the oldest grandchild, I was the oldest great grandchild so we each has a little advantage in the family), but I was never sure if he honestly liked the cookies, or if he ate them out of respect of her cooking them. He certainly looked like he liked them. On the other hand, once every couple of months, we would have a dinner at my Great grandparents home. They would usually serve a roast, and on the side, an entire cooked cauliflower- drenched in a sauce of browned butter and bread crumbs.
Again with my tastes, I loved that sauce. (she also would put that burnt butter on drop bisquets when she made stew.) Dad did not like cauliflower. But true to his honor of respect, he would always take a small piece of cauliflower, and cover it with sauce, to help with the eating.
I have my Great grandmother’s cookie jar. And inside it, is the recipe for Pfeffernüsse cookies (along with her Stollen recipe!) I make them every year for Christmas. While no one eats them out of politeness for me, my son, daughter, and two granddaughters like Pfeffernüsse cookies. And of course, me.
December 23nd is also the birthday of a wonderful guy – Robert Faith. I am extemely happy to say that Bob is my friend, and has been for a very long time. This is the documented drama of an actual friendship investigated and commited to paper by me, Joe Librarian, the man in the library. Our first roadtrip together in college was to pull a prank on my girlfriend (future wife).
We drove 60 miles to wake her up in the middle of the night the day before her birthday. I wanted to be the first to wish her Happy Birthday. I had presents, banner, a bunch of surprises. We were going to wake her with fireworks at midnight, throwing them off of the roof. We did. Instead of the birthday girl, her brother and father came outside, and each one held a shotgun.
Bob and I were on the roof with nowhere to hide. We stayed quiet until the guns and their owners went inside. Then we climbed down and introduced ourselves, asking for forgiveness. Her mother yelled at us for about 10 minutes. When she stopped to finally catch her breath, we politely interrupted to mention we had to drive 60 miles back to college for classes in the morning (this was a weekday). In true Italian hospitality, she forgave us, and then forced us to the kitchen table, as she then emptied the fridge to make a meal before we left. This was about 2:00 AM.
Then there was a bachelor party. Just the facts? Some alcohol. And some shrubbery. And the badge 714.
And then, there was the Flamingo Motel in Wheeling…and another bachelor party. There was more alcohol. Sorry – I have no pictures.
And yet, we still remain friends. This is a picture from 1984, camping at Devils Lake in Wisconsin.
And then camping this last summer 40 years later, at Devils Lake, Wisconsin.
Bob has been brought to the court of friendship. He is an open and closed case. Truly, Bob is a great husband, father, and grandfather. He is also a wonderful friend to many people. I carry the honor of being one of them.
Librarytomes 