Ramblings Of An Old Man

This is a book not for the conventional reader. It is a book that will challenge your knowledge and beliefs about society today, society past, and the possibilities for the future. It is a personal observation of a man who has lived through and seen much-of society, love, hurt, religions, and wars. It is a book that will hopefully make you think.

Do you long for a time when life was simpler? When everyone knew your name? Do you reminisce about family traditions, growing up in the 50’s and 60’s? Do you remember your teen years and that first kiss? Does your mouth start to water and your heart start to swell as you think back to family holiday meals presided over by mom or grandma? Well then, you can now take that trip down memory lane and re-create those luscious foods in the pages of “The Ramblings of an Old Man” by well-known personal chef and culinary instructor, Chef Cal Kraft and his constant feline companion, Miss Kitty. It all began in 2006. The author realized that he had spent over half his life living in the suburban community of Danbury Forest, a quaint neighborhood where families, escaping the hustle and bustle of Metropolitan DC, played together and supported each other in times good and bad. So he wrote a story about that and sent it in to the neighborhood paper. Chef Cal initiated what became his hugely popular monthly column, “The Chef’s Corner,” for the community newsletter. In it he shared tales about his family and his life growing up in the suburbs of New York. He also wrote about events within the community along with tales of past traditions in his life and others. Several of his articles ventured into the world of fiction as he imagined stories that might have occurred. Each contribution was accompanied by a tasty recipe, often tying the articles and recipes together. A long time, popular culinary instructor in Northern Virginia’s Adult Community Education Program, Chef Cal is well-equipped with recipes that he knew his students, and now his readers, would rush to make themselves. Ramblings’ contributions of over fifty recipes include traditional Italian delicacies; tasty old-fashioned comfort dishes; soups and casseroles; quick and easy desserts and special holiday treats. Also included is Chef Cal’s interpretation of miniature apple pies. Without a doubt his book will be pulled out to create his meals whenever family and friends are gathered. Several times as Chef Cal was writing his stories, he found that Miss Kitty, the gorgeous white cat that lived with the author and his wife during most of this time, had something to say. So he wrote about that too. In some instances, he even let Miss Kitty write her own story. While the “Ramblings of an Old Man” is dedicated to the residents, both past and current of that wonderful community known as Danbury Forest, it also resonates with communities all across America. No matter where you live, be it a small hamlet, a rural town, a village, or in a big city, these stories are for you. Some are humorous, others sad. Some true, some imagined. They all however, tell a story and offer an opportunity to re-create the foods that accompanied it. So sit back and enjoy, “The Ramblings of an Old Man.”

"You'll understand when you grow up." "Just wait until you have kids." "Well, when I was a kid..." "Just do as I say." "You're going to thank me for this someday." Gap: a space between two people or things; a hole or space where something is missing. (Merriam-Webster) Generation Gap: the difference in opinions, values, etc. between young and older people. (Merriam-Webster) Generation gaps are timeless. The first one was probably between Adam and Eve and their sons Cain and Abel. Occasionally, this gap is used to transmit wisdom from one generation to the next as it was intended. Solomon, possibly the wisest man who ever lived, gave us a whole book of the Bible called Proverbs for the purpose of bridging the wisdom gap between his generation and the next. But even after writing 9,921 profound words, the next generation ended up a divided nation and eventually were conquered. So apparently, a lot of wise words from a really smart guy is no guarantee that one generation will listen and learn from their predecessors. But that didn't stop this author from trying. Instead of just shaking his head and saying, "Kids today!" Larry has consolidated his thoughts and observations of life into a set of "ramblings," sometimes "tongue in cheek," often humorously, but always with the intent to "pass on" practical insights and attitudes to his offspring. Larry admits his error in realizing his duty to "pass on" vital life or death truths came late in his life, but better late than never. This plain, ordinary old dad extols readers to learn from him and to determine to begin their own set of "ramblings." Our original Father even commands us to "pass it on" in Deuteronomy 6:6. Who knows, there may be some people still willing to listen to "an old codger."

This book is about my dads life from 1927 till he sold his business. He is now eighty-eight years old and, with the encouragement of others, decided that his stories and antics from his younger days should be down on paper. This blossomed into his putting it into book form. So here it is! I am responsible for the title because I have had to help him get this accomplished. There are funny stories from his life, and there are lesson-learning stories. Judge for yourself how this book may affect your life. When you read this, think about all the stories your own dad or granddad would tell. Enjoy, and I hope it brings up your own great memories. Jackie

My father failed to pull out in time and so my twin and I were conceived. The year was 1936, the great depression was showing little sign of ending and my father had been out of work for a long time. About the last thing my parents needed was an additional child, much less twins. Still, call it fate, pre-determinism, or simply a reluctance to terminate their carnal pleasure in a timely manner. In any event the population of our country increased by two. I would like to say, the world as a result was forever changed; however unless my twin or I accomplish something really worthwhile in the very near future, it would probably be a bit of an over statement. Not-with-standing it would be fair to say, I for one never regretted being born and never really sympathized entirely with my parent's dismay at this event.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” begins one chapter of critically acclaimed Lee Siegel’s new novel, Love and the Incredibly Old Man. “In the beginning” starts another. What else can a novelist do when hired as a ghostwriter by an elderly, irascible, conquistador-costumed man claiming to be the 540-year-old Juan Ponce de León? The fantastic life of that legendary explorer—inventor of rum, cigars, Coca-Cola, and popcorn—is the frame for Siegel’s fourth chronicle of love, lies, luck, loss, and labia. Summoned with cold hard cash and a pinch of flattery, a professor and novelist named Lee Siegel finds himself in Eagle Springs, Florida, attempting to give form to the life of the man who, contrary to popular and historical opinion, did indeed find the Fountain of Youth. Spending humid days listening to the romantic ramblings of the old man and sleepless nights doubting yet trying to craft these reminiscences into a narrative that will satisfy the literary aspirations of his subject, Siegel the ghostwriter spins an improbable tale filled with Native Americans, insatiable monarchs, philandering cantors, deliriously passionate nuns, delicate actresses, androgynous artists, and deceptions small and large. For de León, and for Siegel too, centuries of conquest and colonialism, fortune and identity, are all refracted through the memories of the conquistador’s lovers, each and every one of them adored “more than any other woman ever.” Comic, melancholic, lusty, and fully engaged with the act of invention, whether in love or on the page, Love and the Incredibly Old Man continues the real Lee Siegel’s exuberant exploration of that sentiment which Ponce de León confesses has “transported me to the most joyous heights, plunged me to the most dismal depths, and dropped me willy-nilly and dumbfounded at all places in between.”