Stella on July 4 & a recipe

Stella here.
Oh, my achin' feet!
'Twas worth it, though, t' be in th' Moose Cove July 4th Kazoo an' Comb Marchin' Band.
Wish I had some pictures t' show y', but y' can't march an' hold a comb 'n tissue paper t'gether, and take pictures, too.
That's right, I was in th' comb section. Actually, I used wax paper, not tissue paper. It holds together a whole lot better. Gives y'r lips a wicked buzz, though. I tol' Harvey he better not kiss me f'r a while afterward.

Th' good thing about playin' a comb is that y' don't got t' in-vest in no fancy instrument cuz y' already got ev'rything y' need right at home. Y' don't have t' be able t' read music, either.

Th' rain held off long enough f'r th' parade t' get all th' way from one end o' town t' th' other an' back again, Moose Cove's downtown not bein' big enough f'r us t' only go through once. That way folks on th' sidelines get a "nearly-instant replay" when they come back through, an' nobody has t' hike back t' their cars. They're already back to 'em when th' parade ends.

Th' school band was in fine form. They even got a tuba this year, although if that little bitty high school girl that plays it ever fell in th' big end, I doubt we'd ever find her!

Perley Edwards was right decked out, him now bein' th' oldest service man in town. They had him sittin' up in th' back o' Marvin Sanford's big Cadilac. An' didn't Perley look some fine, what with his Purple Heart pinned on an' all, wavin' a flag an' grinnin' like he'd won th' lottery!

Good thing I'd made up all th' food f'r when we got home cuz I was, like Harvey told ya, some tuckered out by th' time we got back.
Here's what we had f'r our 4th o' July picnic...
Hot dogs
P'tato salad
Baked beans
an' Apple Toot.

That Toot's somethin' I make ev'ry 4th o' July. It's a ol' recipe o' my Ma's. It's a old Massachusetts recipe.
Y' beat 2 eggs in a bowl with a half cup o' maple syrup.
Then y' beat in 1 1/2 tablespoons o' flour, 2 tablespoons o' bakin' powder, an a half teaspoon o' salt.
After that, y' stir in a big apple that y've peeled an' cored an' diced.
Add a half cup o' raisins an' mix it up good.
Pour it inta a buttered 1 1/2 quart bakin' dish or casserole an' bake it in a preheated 350 oven f'r about 35-40 minutes till it puffs up an' turn's gold.

Harvey likes it with whip cream, but I like a custard sauce. Try it sometime an' see what y' think.
Well, that's all f'r now.
We're gonna sit in th' open winda later an' try t' hear th' fireworks over on th' other side o' th' cove a-ways.
Love,
Stella