Day 256: Barbara

18 Dec

Sometimes a pie recipient comes to me by way of recommendation and, while that is true of today’s recipient, Barbara was on my list all along. Barbara is a member of my church, First Presbyterian of Ashland, and she is so involved that I needed to recognize her.

One of her many talents is creating flower arrangements. They are exquisitely crafted and to look at her you’d never know how much effort she puts into them for Barbara always looks cool, calm and collected. How she does it I don’t know. This past spring I attended a meeting where Barbara had designed the tabletop decorations. I was in awe of how she had taken a few sea shells and some other simple items and had made gorgeous centerpieces for each table. When I mentioned how lovely they were, Barbara was so humble. She was just sharing her gifts with us and that was that.

At one point I asked Barbara if she would consider giving a demonstration of her flower arranging skills – because I for one would love to be able to do what she does – and she shook her head as if to say , “It’s nothing really.” But I think that perhaps Barbara doesn’t know how amazingly talented she really is or how much we value the gifts that she brings to all the tasks that she takes on. I for one would be thrilled if she would share what she knows with the rest of the women in the church community.

Today I made an Apple Raisin Lattice Top pie for Barbara to thank her for all that she does so graciously for others without ever expecting anything in return. She is a wonderful role model and I hope that she knows how much we all appreciate her kind and giving spirit.

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Day 255: Jackson County Animal Shelter

17 Dec

If you know me at all, you know that we once had a dog named Grover. Grover had been “dropped off” at the Jackson County Animal Shelter and he waited months to be adopted. We were fortunate that the folks at the shelter had a soft spot in their hearts for Grover and let him stay there a long time waiting for a family.

The funny thing is that I always thought that I would adopt a black lab puppy. They were so cute and playful when I saw them at the recycling center where they were being displayed by Tim Church. And it was Tim who told me that I should not adopt a puppy… for my life was too busy. A puppy needs training and consistency and at that time of my life, I could not have given those things to a puppy. Instead, I was able to give a warm, safe home to Grover and while he never learned a trick, he was the most grateful dog on the planet.

At this time, Emile and I are babysitting a dog that my daughter brought from Denmark. He is needy beyond belief and demands more patience than I can muster at times. But deep down, Emile and I are both softies at heart. We know that this dog’s master died earlier this year and that he is doing his best to figure things out. He puts up a good front, but I think that all he wants to know that he is not going to be left alone. Maybe it’s what we all are hoping for.

Today I brought a Chocolate Pecan Pie to the staff at the Jackson County Animal Shelter to honor them for the work that they do day after day. I am so grateful that they cared for Grover until we took him in… and I also want to thank them for doing their best with all the animals that come to them.

Day 254: Remembering Irene

16 Dec

When we moved to Portland, my daughter Alexandra was just about two. We lived in an apartment in a residential neighborhood in the southeast section of the city. Behind our apartment was a house where Irene and Victor lived and occasionally we would see them out in their garden in the evening. One day I went out into our very small backyard with Alex and Irene came over to the fence to meet us. While we were chatting, Victor walked over to the fence carrying a tomato he had just picked. He was looking at Alex and me when suddenly Irene said “Victor, give her that tomato!” I could tell by the look on his face that Victor was confused. He must have been thinking, “I thought I just picked that tomato from my garden” but yet there was Irene telling him to give it to Alex. In any case, that was the day our friendship with Irene and Victor began.

When I met Irene she was 86 years old… and I knew her until she died at nearly 104. My own mother had died just two years before we met, and Irene helped to fill the empty place in my heart almost immediately. Often I would get up early before my husband left for work and go over to Irene’s in my pajamas and have a cup of coffee with her and Victor. He was a year or two older than Irene and had already had a stroke by the time I met him. This sometimes affected his speech but not his spirit.

One really interesting fact about Irene and Victor is that they were both married to other people for nearly 50 years before they were married. What surprised me is how much they loved and appreciated each other – as if they had waited all those years for true love to come along – and it finally did!

I caught a glimpse of that bond as I sat with them one morning. Irene was telling a story when suddenly Victor tried to say something. When he was excited he could not speak, because of the stroke, and was making sounds like “ba ba ba” as he tried to tell her what was on his mind. Irene calmly looked at him and said, “You are remembering about your brother… and continued on with what she knew Victor was trying to say. When I looked back at Victor he was nodding, tears streaming down his face, because she was right. Of course by then tears were streaming down my face as well because I had witnessed this tender moment.

Today I was thinking about Irene and missing her and thought I would bring a pie to Irene’s niece, Shirley. Though I’d never been to her house, I just took a chance that she would be home… and I was lucky because she was. We sat and talked for a while and I learned that she has recently been through a very difficult time. And then she told me that tomorrow she and her husband will celebrate their 56th wedding anniversary. How fortunate that I was able to bring a pie in time to celebrate that amazing milestone. It was when I was driving home that I wondered if perhaps Irene had been whispering in my ear to go and visit her niece and send her love. At least I’d like to think it could have had something to do with her.

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Day 253: Valerie

15 Dec

After so many days of making sweet pies I thought it would be fun to make a quiche. I gathered up my ingredients and sauteed the vegetables and prepared the crust and when I looked at the ensemble I knew I needed to take a photo.

As for the pie recipient, well, I’d been planning to bring a pie to this lady for a while. She is a teacher at Helman Elementary and a good one at that. In addition to teaching, she also grows beautiful flowers and dries them and then she creates amazing wreaths from them.

I wish that I could give you a link to a website with photos of the wreaths that Valerie has made because they are all one of a kind masterpieces. But Valerie is like me in that she is so busy making her art that she neglects a few of the other aspects of the business of making wreaths (taking photos, making the website, etc.) As for me, I have made hundreds of cakes, but I have only a few dozen photos of cakes to show… and this needs to change.

When I talked with Valerie about this, I asked her to keep after me to develop a website and I would keep after her. Yet time has gone by and we haven’t kept our word. Who will take the photos of our work and get them online if we don’t?

It reminds me of the warning that the stewards give on the airline about putting your own air mask on first before helping anyone else with theirs (including your children!) That always seemed contrary to what I would want to do… but it makes sense, for how can you help someone else if you aren’t breathing properly?

Today I brought Valerie a warm Broccoli Cheddar Quiche. I want to acknowledge her for the remarkable talent that she possesses and I want to encourage her to find a way to display her art to a larger audience. It’s that good.

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Day 252: Happy 10th Birthday!

14 Dec

Today is the birthday of my niece Ella. When she was a toddler her Mom would bring her to work and Ella would sit by my workbench as I baked bread. She was tickled if I gave her a piece of dough to play with and seemed to enjoy watching the goings on in the kitchen.

One thing I remember from those early days is that Ella didn’t talk much. I guess that’s true for second born children – their older siblings speak for them and they don’t have to work hard to communicate. My son, who is the second born in our family, didn’t talk much when he was 2 or 3 because his sister did that for him. Sometimes the conversation went like this, (Alexandra speaking) “Coco wants a cookie” and all the while Coco was sitting silently, watching with wide eyes as the situation unfolded.

Though I don’t see Ella very often, I try to find ways to let her know that I am thinking of her. In the past I have given her baking paraphernalia and she seemed to like that and so tonight I extended an offer of a pie baking lesson. It would be fun to share my love of baking and perhaps a baking tip or two. But for tonight, I brought a warm Apple Crumb Pie to Ella to celebrate the end of her first decade on this lovely planet. May all of her days be happy and bright.

“There was a star danced, and under that was I born.” – William Shakespeare

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Day 251: A First

13 Dec

My friend Caroline asked me to bring a pie to her neighbor. She said that this woman had experienced difficult times and she wanted to send her something good. I told her that I thought it was a wonderful idea and would plan to bring a pie to her neighbor in the next few days.

This afternoon I called Caroline to ask if today might be a good day to bring a pie to her neighbor. Caroline answered yes and I put the still warm apple pie in my pickup to bring to her neighbor. When I arrived, I took the pie to her neighbor’s house and knocked at the door.

The woman who answered the door showed no expression. I immediately told her that her neighbor Caroline had suggested that I might bring her a pie to brighten her day because she had recently experienced some difficult times. And the lady who answered the door told me that she and her husband would not eat the pie. I explained to her my pie project and that Caroline had sincerely wanted to help her and that was the reason for the gift of the pie… and the lady acknowledged the gift but refused it and closed the door.

This was the first time in 251 days that my pie has been refused. I suppose I should have seen it coming but I did not. Instead I was surprised. But all I could think was “how sad”. That woman had been given a gift and she could not accept it. What must have happened in her life for her to refuse the kindness of strangers?

After the pie was refused I returned to Caroline and told her what had happened. I explained that it was the first time I had experienced a refusal of a pie. We were silent for a moment and then Caroline said, “Have you seen the man who sings Christmas Carols all day at Bi-Mart?” I had to admit that I had not seen him. Caroline asked if I would bring him the pie and of course I said “Yes.”

A few moments later I walked up to a man who was singing “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire” while he was collecting money for the Salvation Army. I told him about my pie journey and offered him the pie and he gladly accepted it and I couldn’t help but think that the ability to accept a gift is a blessing in itself. This man did not know me at all but was willing to take a gift from me. To me that says that he still has hope for the human race… that he still believes that people can be good. And that was something that Caroline’s neighbor could not do.

Tonight I send my best wishes to Alan, the man who accepted a pie from a total stranger and knew that it was sent with good intentions. And I also send prayers to the neighbor who could not accept the gift of a pie, for she must have lived a darker life than I can even imagine. I hope that she is able to someday find peace.

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Day 250: Another International Pie!

12 Dec

 

Last evening my daughter Alexandra was packing her bags to get ready for her flight to Denmark today. We watched her pack the gifts that she bought for her friends and then watched her weigh the bag after each addition because she was worried that she might go over the airline’s weight limit.

While that was going on in the back room, I got busy in the kitchen. I prepared pie dough – this time with no whole wheat flour – and made the crust and placed it in the pie tin. Then for the first time, I used my new ceramic “pie beans” to pre-bake the crust – a gift from my friend Gina. Once the crust was done, I let it cool on the counter while I prepared brownie batter. Then, in a flash, the brownie pie was in the oven.

After the pie was done, I let it cool and then wrapped it in plastic wrap and placed it in the freezer so that it would be firm enough for travel. And about this time, the pie is in a bag next to Alex and she should be somewhere near Greenland, hopefully fast asleep.

This brownie pie is a gift for her boyfriend Kristian, and his father Ole. They have both been hinting about getting a pie since this pie voyage began but I was hesitant to send one in the mail as it might have taken seven days and that would never do. After all, when I visited Denmark last December Ole spent hours preparing a fabulous feast for Alex and me that was topped off with a traditional Danish dessert called Ris ala mande.

What is special about this dessert is that there is a whole almond hidden in the pudding and the person who finds it receives an extra gift.  Well, neither Alex or I knew that and found it peculiar that Ole kept serving the pudding and then taking it back before we had a chance to eat it.  It seems he had forgotten which plate contained the extra almonds (yes he had hidden two!) and he wasn’t satisfied until Alex and I both found an almond in our pudding.   For “finding” the almonds, Ole gave us each a small box of chocolates.  It was so silly but so sweet to include us in this tradition.

Ole took this photo of us enjoying Ris ala Mande using a tripod.

Today, I sent Ole and Kristian  a Brownie Pie with lots of  love and good wishes for the holidays…. and for the years to come.

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Day 249: Barbara and Bob

11 Dec


This morning I was planning for a busy day but I also knew that I wanted to attend church to see the children’s Christmas Pageant. As I was planning my day, I thought the best way to give my “pie of the day” would be to bring it to church with me. There are so many really lovely people in our church family that I have considered as pie recipients that I knew one of them would be in church today.

Once I was seated in my pew, I began to look around at the people in attendance when my eyes focused on one couple and I knew that they were “the ones” today. It’s funny, because I know so little about these folks. I came on the scene late in their lives so I don’t know what they were like when they were “in their prime.” I know from the Rotary directory that Bob’s field was Nuclear Science but I don’t know anything about what he did in his career… and I don’t know what Barbara did at all. On their part, Bob knows me from Rotary and Barbara knows me because of my part on the Parish Life committee.

A few years ago, Bob reminded me that his birthday was in January and since I was making the Rotary birthday cake I asked him what kind of cake I should make. He told me to make a chocolate cake and said something about putting m&m’s on top of it. When the time came, I did make a chocolate cake for the birthday table, but instead of putting m&m’s on the cake, I put a bag of m&m’s at Bob’s place at the table. And he was surprised that I would do such a thing! But really, I love knowing how to make someone happy…. because then it is so easy to do!

After church today, I ran to my car to get the still warm apple pie and then I brought it to Barbara. She told me that she’d heard of my pie journey and then she said that she and Bob both liked pies. I mentioned that she should consider it her pie and if Bob was good, she might share it with him. It was a joke of course, because I think that Bob is always as good as he can be… and I am just tickled to be able to bring them a simple gift that they both enjoy for it makes me feel so blessed.

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Day 248: Musings on the News

10 Dec

This past week there were several events in the media that got me thinking. The first was brought to my attention by my niece Michela. She told me that a Baptist Church in Kentucky voted to ban interracial couples from becoming members. That vote has since been overturned, which I am pleased to report. However, it still bothers me that there are people in this country that think they have the right to say who can and who cannot attend church. We are talking about church – not my house or your house, but the house of God.

The second “news” item, if you can call it that, was the Rick Perry ad where he begins by saying “he is not ashamed” to call himself a Christian, and then proceeds to question why people who are gay can serve openly in the military, but our kids can’t openly celebrate Christmas. By now, I am sure you’ve seen dozens of parodies of this ad… if not, YouTube is full of them. But the thing that bothers me most is that he begins this ad by calling himself a Christian and then advocates hatred.

When I was younger, I sang in our church choir and also played handbells with the bell choir. In our choir, there were rich kids and poor kids, black kids and white kids. We all got along and had fun being together making music. I was thinking about those days this past week and recalled a song that I loved. It is called, “They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.” You can read the lyrics here if you’re interested.

Tonight, after a busy day of catering, I prepared a Ham and Cheddar Quiche. It was near 8PM and I still had not chosen a pie recipient. My daughter needed to go to the store to buy a few groceries and I asked her to drive through town looking for someone in need. As we passed the movie theatre we saw a man seated on the ground with a cardboard sign. She pulled over and I walked back to where the man was sitting and noticed his sign “Hoping for Random Acts of Kindness.”

I approached him and asked if he would like a Ham and Cheddar Quiche. He looked at me and said, “Yes Please.” He told me he would share it and as I handed it to him I warned him that the pan was still a bit hot. He took the pie and said it felt good on his cold hands… much like a hand warmer. And then he thanked me and wished me a good evening. And as I left him, I couldn’t help but think that this is the kind of thing that the Christ I believe in would have us do.

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Day 247: Bringing Shakespeare to the schools

9 Dec

Tonight we had two visitors at our house, Chris and Orion. These men are actors with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) in Ashland but they have something else in common. They are the two actors that have just spent eight weeks on the road bringing the works of Shakespeare to children through OSF’s School Visit Program. Here is an excerpt from the OSF website: When a team of two actors visits a school, students see and hear works of Shakespeare and other great writers presented in ways that relate to their own experiences and engage their imaginations.

Chris and Orion have been friends of my daughter Alexandra for a few years now and before they left on the school tour they performed a short piece of their presentation for us. One could easily see how these two men could inspire students and make them excited about Shakespeare and theatre in general. They are both very personable and engaging and they breathe life into the works that they perform. How fortunate for our children that this experience is available!

Chris and Orion are on their way home this week… one to Los Angeles, the other to Portland. But before they depart, they will share some Cranberry Apple Pie with my daughter. I will leave you with a line that Chris wrote on our chalkboard on Alexandra’s birthday, “You doth teach the torches to burn bright.”

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