Pie a Day Give Away

Sometimes you just have to thank someone for all the help that they have given over the years.  Today, the person that I want to thank is my friend named Jary.   He runs the produce department at the local grocery store.  He works too hard and is always on the go but if you need something produce related, he is the man to talk to.  He knows what is going on in the market and can give you the latest scoop on all things produce.

It’s good to have a friend who can help you when you need it; and as a caterer it is really nice to have Jary on my team.  From what I hear, he is an exceptional bowler as well as being a great human being.  The guys that work in his department are always friendly and helpful and I know it is because they are treated right.

Here’s to Jary and his team: thanks for everything you have done.   Enjoy this apple-blueberry pie – you all deserve it.  Muchas gracias!

My plan for today was to get up early and bake a pie for the coordinator of the reading program at the elementary school where I volunteer.  First problem, I slept late.  That meant that there was not enough time to bake a pie by the 8:30 start time.  When I arrived at the school, I found out the that coordinator was absent – so that meant that it was okay that I slept in – I just needed to rethink my “pie recipient” of the day.  It didn’t take long at all to come up with another “pie person.”  But there was another problem – I could not reach him.

I went back to the drawing board and thought about the meeting I was going to attend this evening.  I have always brought food of some kind or another to this group – and I decided that today that food item would be pie.  I followed a recipe that had been given to me by a baker named Joy many years ago.  Before long I had two chocolate cream pies in the fridge ready for my meeting.

I bet many of you have attended meetings over the years and I wonder how often have you had food at these meetings?  Sharing food seems to me to be central to getting work done.  Sometimes folks come to evening meetings without having eaten dinner because of one reason or another.  How nice would it be for them to find a simple snack available?   Might it help them stay alert and focused on the business at hand?  Probably.  And I think it is only reasonable to offer something to people who are already giving so much.

Tonight I think my committee  members were pleased and surprised to receive a slice of Chocolate Cream Pie.  It was definitely out of the ordinary – but that is okay.  At times it is nice to exceed expectations.

Those of us of a certain age may remember a cartoon character named Little Audrey.  She was very cute and had a headful of auburn hair.  About 15 years ago at the Ashland Library I met a real live Little Audrey.  She was helping me check out books for my two children – who were running around the bookshelves at the time.  I was mortified by their behavior and hoped that this nice librarian would not say anything.  She had a cute way of looking sideways at my kids as she stamped my books (yes it was a long time ago!)   I whispered my apology for their antics.  Audrey looked up from the books and said “They’re just kids!”  I adored her from that moment.

I hadn’t seen Audrey for a while when I heard that she lost her husband of 55+ years.   When I visited her at that time I brought her a quiche.  I just wanted to offer a small gift of love at a difficult time.   It has been about six weeks since that gift and today I called Audrey to ask if I could visit for a moment.  She seemed uncertain and asked if I could come at another time.  I told her that I would only stop by briefly, and still she hesitated.  Finally I told her “Audrey, I baked you a pie.”  To this she replied, “Well, come on over!

When someone dies it seems that everyone comes around to help but that moment soon passes and then the world expects that you get on with your life.  I remember when my Mom died I was sort of stunned.  There was so much to do and get through.  And somehow in that time I had a feeling that if I just made it through the difficult days that things would somehow “get back to normal.”  It took a while to realize that normal was never going to happen again.

This is just my way of saying that it’s important to keep in touch.  We all need to be reminded that we are loved; that we are important.  Whose day would be brightened by your call?

Today I will be sharing a remembrance of a man named Howard.  Howard was a very dear friend of, and also a mentor to, my neighbor Armo.  Howard and Armo shared two bonds: forestry and flying.  They were both members of The Society of American Foresters and often attended meetings together. They were both true foresters, with a deep respect for nature.  They know what it takes to grow and manage a forest and they do not take their positions lightly.  They also know how to conserve resources; wood from one project may find its way into another project many years down the road.

A few  things that Armo shared about Howard:  He was a fighter pilot during the Korean War, flying for more than 1500 hours.  He taught forestry for what seemed like forever.  Over the course of his life he had worked in many parts of the world.  He played a huge role in the renovation project at the United Methodist Church in Ashland.  And he was a big man dedicated to bringing peace to the world.

During the past few weeks Armo shared that Howard had come to terms with dying.  He was a man of great faith and said he was “looking forward to the adventure.”   I bet he’s already walking among the tall trees.

Today, in honor of Howard, I made a “Kick Ass Apple Pie” and offer it with my deepest condolences to his family.

Today it was easy to choose a recipient for the pie giveaway.  Today is Saturday and most Saturday’s during the Spring and Summer I spend a few hours at the Rotary Garden.  This garden came about due to the generosity of Ned and Stella.  They offered to share a portion of their land with the Ashland Rotary club which enabled us to grow food for the Ashland Emergency Food Bank.  Each week a group of us meet at the garden to plant/weed/mow and eventually harvest produce.  It was at this garden that I dug up my first potatoes (it was like hunting for buried treasure!) but most of the time I mow the grass between the beds. It’s a job that needs to be done and it offers a big reward – you can see immediately the benefit of your work.  I like that!

Today I made a Dutch Apple Pie for Ned and Stella to thank them for opening up their hearts and gardens to those in need.   Last year we delivered over 3,000 pounds of fresh produce to the food bank – something we could not have done without you.  Thank you both.

Today I wanted to make a pie to thank the man (and his wonderful wife) who had taken care of (dog-sat?) my dog every time we went on vacation.  In reality, without this man, we may never have even met our dog.   I became acquainted with Tim  Church (who works at the Ashland Recycling Center) many years ago.  I found out that he has helped hundreds of dogs (and some cats too!) find permanent homes by collaborating with the Jackson County Animal Shelter (JCAS).  Over the years, Tim showcased animals at the recycling center that the JCAS deemed adoptable.  Grover, a mixed breed, white and brown longhaired dog, was one of those animals.   I probably would have bypassed Grover for one of the lovely black lab pups that always seemed to be available.  But Tim wouldn’t even let me consider adopting one of them.  “You do not want a puppy.  You have two small kids.  You are running a restaurant.  You don’t have time for a puppy.”   Tim seemed to know a lot more about dogs than I did, so I listened to him.

And then one day, Tim asked if I would host a “shelter” dog for the weekend as he and his wife were going out of town and he could not watch him.   I asked “What is this dog like?” and Tim replied, “He’s depressed.”  Excuse me?  “How can a dog be depressed?”  Tim told me that “Grover” had been at the shelter a long time and “his number was about up.”  And sure enough there was a “number” on a piece of tape attached to the top of Grover’s head.   I took Grover home that weekend and somehow he became our family dog for the next eleven years.  There are some things you should know:  Grover did not do tricks.  He did not chase sticks or balls.  He shed…. a lot.

Best of all, Grover was a mellow dog who knew that we had saved him from something terrible and was incredibly good at showing how grateful he was.

Today, in honor of Grover,  I made an Apple Walnut Pie is for Tim and his darling bride.   Thank you both from the bottom of my heart for all the work you have done.

This is the first day of what I hope will be a year long adventure in pie baking.  I’ve been baking for many years and wanted to find a way to express my gratitude to my friends, my family, the universe… and decided that I would bake a pie of one kind or another every day for a year.   Each day I will find someone to give a pie to.   That person could be a friend or neighbor who I know could use a pick-me-up… or maybe it will be someone that I don’t know yet… but who has come to my attention via this blog.

Today’s pie (my first of the year!) was in the form of a quiche – Quiche Lorraine – and it was delivered to a dear friend who I had not seen in quite a while.

I’ve long been a fan of the book/movie “Like Water for Chocolate”.  In this film the lead character is a wonderful cook who infuses the foods that she prepares with the emotions that she is feeling at the time.  I hope to infuse the pies that I make with love and good wishes to all that receive them.

Please join me on this journey.  There are many ways that you can become a part of this voyage.  Perhaps you will share your favorite pie recipes with me.  Maybe you will suggest a person who needs their day brightened.   Or maybe you will find a way to send me pie tins that you don’t need that I may use for this experiment.

Whatever way you choose to participate, I welcome you.   Thanks for your support!

Welcome to WordPress.com. This is your first post. Edit or delete it and start blogging!