It’s the Fluff of Legends…

This Jell-O salad is not only the easiest and fastest Jell-O salad I’ve ever made, but it’s also easily the best tasting of the creamy Jell-O salads, in my opinion. I think it’s that little bit of a tang from the cottage cheese that keeps it from being too sweet and combines perfectly with the pineapple. Whatever the reason, my Auntie Barb’s Jell-O Salad is always a crowd-pleaser!

I am on fire! And not in a good way…

I almost didn’t post a recipe today. Because my world’s on fire. And I’m not speaking metaphorically. It’s, literally, on fire. I suppose it’s just a story on the 5 o’clock news to most people out there, but here in Western Oregon, unusual wind conditions have paired up with a dry fire season to blow wildfires in the Cascade Mountain Range down into the western valleys.

The one burning fifteen miles east of my house started out as two fires yesterday (reported last night to be 6000 and 8000 acres respectively), and has now explosively merged into a 115,000 acre monster known collectively as the Archie Creek Fire. It seems to be pushing relentlessly westward (me-ward), and it seems surreal to be under a Level 1 Evacuation Notice, here in an area touted for its lack of natural disasters and “things that can kill you.”

Adding to the surreal effect is the ever-changing color of the sky, and the light in general. Yesterday, an ominous blood-red haze hung over the region all day long, making everything eerily dark and red-tinged, even inside at midday.

This photo was taken by my sister-in-law yesterday at 9:00 a.m.:

Today the light is only faintly pink at my house. A heavy blanket of grey smoke has enveloped every inch of the sky, mercifully (I suppose one must always look at the bright side) insulating us from what was supposed to have been a triple digit day — it is only 74F so far (2:00 p.m.)

I’m starting to feel like Scarlet O’Hara when Atlanta burned, caught between Sherman’s troops and the sea. Unfortunately, without Vivien Leigh’s good looks. Here’s hoping that we won’t have to pack up our wagon, errr, travel trailer and head towards the ocean.

In the meantime, we all have to eat…

And Auntie Barb’s Jell-O Salad is the fastest thing I can think of to take to a potluck — which we’re having many of here, in an impromptu sort of fashion, for evacuees and firefighters.

It’s also named for my dear Auntie Barb, a legend in herself, who invented it, and who lived on French Creek Road in Glide, Oregon for around thirty years — where another wildfire has been raging. So, enjoy Auntie Barb’s Jell-O Salad as we strive to keep our chins up during whatever life throws our way during these unprecedented times. And, remember, legendary times call for The Fluff of Legends!

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