More Shirley Stories

Being Native American, Shirley is allotted subsistence provisions from the sea - seals and the like. She reports that seal meat is good, but sea lion is delicious. The government taught the island people that salting and freezing meat was a good way to preserve it. However, Shirley has a better idea, and she is teaching it to the island, "canning." I need to interject that she feels cans are wasteful because they can only be used once and then thrown away. However, jars can be used and reused. So shouldn't it really be called "jarring?"

Here is something that you need to know. It takes thirteen (13) quart jars to can (jar) an entire seal, and that includes the heart, liver, and kidneys. Why the kidneys, you ask? Shirley says that several million English can't be wrong. Also, our St. Paul lady wastes nothing.

The tribal council has now purchased two new canners (for jarring) that can be checked out for preserving meat, and I suppose other foods, for the winter months.

We recently shipped out some provisions for Shirley, included was a packet of paper for her studies. A friend of Shirley's son has taken her study notes on Genesis, the four Gospels, and Acts to China to be used as text materials from which to teach. So, they must be pretty good. Shirley doesn't have a computer; she thinks they are addictive, and they waste too much time - which is what she would think I'm doing right now.

Way to go Shirley M.