By Sheri Hopkins
Lifestyle Contributor
Hello everyone! It’s about to start raining in the River Valley. On Wednesday, the 22nd, the circus will be coming to Mansfield. The big top will be at the high school. If you can make it out you will have a good time. They were here a couple years ago and I really enjoyed it. I’m a kid at heart.
Anytime you bring up the circus around Ronnie Black you will get to hear the story of the time him and Randy seen fat Franny Brown at the carnival. He says they would sneak in so they could see her. If you ask nicely, he will do his impression of her. I laugh every time he does it, just like it was the first time I saw him do it. He said Franny Brown would say “eat five whole chickens a day” and “roller skate with my husband every night”. He said then she would turn around and shake her behind and say, “sock it to me, sock it to me.” Talk about hilarious.
I’m sure we all have a funny circus or carnival story. I always went to them for the food of course. When my nephews, Jason and Michael Wagoner and their sister Kelly were kids, I used to go places with them all the time. We went to the carnival in Ft. Smith once and they had a “freak show”. We didn’t sneak in. We actually paid to get in and see freak boy and the fat man. Now keep in mind this was back in the late 70’s and you would never have a show like that today. Oh, except on TLC. So, we are in the show and the announcer says “see the fat man dance” as he holds his arms to the side and does circles with them. By the way, that’s how I dance. I could be a freak show. It’s hard to believe they had shows like that. Why would someone want to go see the bearded lady? Once you hit fifty you can look in the mirror and almost get the same show. Young people, when you get old you will put on all kinds of shows.
Jacob, me and the grands went to Silver Dollar City once and I fell in the parking lot. I mean on a flat surface and fell and skinned my leg up. Here comes this nice man running over to us trying to help me up and I’m thinking he will throw his back out and about that time Jacob reaches down and has me back on my feet. He acted like I was a rag doll. I told him I thought there was a lip in the pavement and he said “there was nothing on the pavement, you just fell on a flat surface!” He’s mean, he could have acted like for my feeling’s sake. I mean I thought he named the girl on his phone Sheri, not Siri and he wouldn’t even let me think that. He had to correct me.
I said all this to say ya’ll come out Wednesday the 22nd and watch the circus. They have tigers, clowns and a trapeze lady. Good show.
This week’s recipe comes from Sue Moore and it sounds delicious.
FARMERS CASSAROLE
3 cups frozen hash brown potatoes
3/4 cup pepperjack cheese, shredded
1 cup cooked ham, diced
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 eggs beaten
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 2 quart baking dish. Arrange hash browns evenly in the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with pepperjack cheese, ham and onions. In a medium bown, mix the eggs, milk, pepper and salt. Pour the egg mixture on top of the potato mixture in the dish. Bake for 40-45 minutes in a pre-heated oven, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. If you are not a ham person, you can also use sausage.
