Tag Archives: apple pie

Day 191: Ramiro and Beatriz

14 Oct

We met Ramiro and Beatriz Padilla from El Tapatio Mexican Restaurant more than ten years ago. Our family would go to their restaurant after skiing on Sundays at Mt. Ashland. We liked the atmosphere, the friendly service, and the fact that El Tapatio was family owned. It became a sort of ritual for us and we enjoyed being among the “regular” customers.

Over time, Ramiro and his family have become more and more involved in our community: Ramiro is an active member of the Ashland Rotary Club, the Padilla family organizes a huge entry in the Fourth of July parade every year, complete with participants outfitted in traditional Mexican dress and caballeros on horseback, and El Tapatio has donated food to such activities as the Ashland Schools Foundation calling nights and the Ashland High School Senior All Night.

Since it had been a while since we visited El Tapatio, and several years since all four of us (me, Emile, Alexandra and Coco) had the chance to go together, Alexandra offered to treat us all to dinner tonight. It was fun to sip Margaritas, listen to the guitar music and share a family dinner.

Tonight I brought Ramiro and Beatriz an Apple Pie to congratulate them on the birth of their baby daughter, Beatriz, and also to thank them for always making us feel like part of the family.

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Day 173: A Remarkable Woman

26 Sep

Today is purportedly the birthday of Johnny Appleseed. And for that reason I felt it was important to make today’s pie with apples. To the apples that I harvested from the tree in my yard I added craisins and walnuts and a crumb crust topping. Here is what it looked like:

As I was preparing this pie I let my mind wander and think about who was to receive it. The person who came to mind was a lady I haven’t seen in a while but who has been on my mind nonetheless. It feels like I have known this woman for a long time but I realized that I didn’t really know a lot about her. My instincts told me that she was a tender soul and that she cared a lot about people.

Over the last few years I had noticed that this woman was helping a family I knew that had experienced some difficulties. She offered them her time and her love to help them through a very challenging period. What an amazing gift.

This spring this remarkable woman lost her son. Loss is hard – and there are no easy answers. Losing a child is something we never want to experience – and I think most parents would choose to give up their own lives to save their child. But life does not work that way. We are not in control.

I shared with her the words I’d heard from a pastor many years ago after a young girl had died: He said that when Jesus learned that his friend had died, Jesus wept. To me there is comfort in knowing that even Jesus could be moved to tears at the loss of a friend.

We can’t rewrite events, even though we might want to. We may feel sadness for our friend’s loss all the while knowing that we are powerless to “fix” things. But we can still be present; we can offer our love and support.

Today I brought my apple pie to this lovely lady and her husband. As we sat and visited for more than an hour, we talked about a great many things. At one point she shared that while you never really get over losing someone, you may one day find that you accept the mystery and the majesty of life. This lady is truly a remarkable woman and I am honored to know her.

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Day 138: Kool 103

22 Aug


When I was about 13 years old, there was a radio contest in New York City. It was held near Valentine’s Day and there were several ways to win, one of which was to send in the largest Valentine to the station. IF you sent in the “largest” Valentine you won the Grand Prize, but if you sent in one of the top ten “largest” Valentine’s, you won two tickets to a Broadway show. My Mom had a roll of red vinyl that was more than 100 feet long and I made it into a Valentine. It was really heavy and so instead of trying to mail it in, my Mom drove me to Manhattan and I brought the Valentine to the station. And lo and behold, I won two tickets to the show “A Little Night Music” which I gave to my Mom and Dad for their anniversary. I think that was all it took to get me hooked on radio contests.

Over the years I have played many radio games and won quite a few prizes. I think that I will save more of that for another post. Today I want to mention the contest that I won about a week ago. It was on a station called “Kool 103” and you had to name 5 things in a category in 10 seconds. My category was “pizza restaurants” and I was able to name the required number of places in the allotted time. And what did I win? A rafting trip with Noah’s River Adventures

It was only when the DJ, Nikki, started describing the class 3 and 4 rapids that I remembered “I have a broken rib.” I knew immediately that I could not go on that trip. But what a trip it would be! Spending an entire day on the upper Klamath – damn! How could I miss this? Well, I had to. There was no way I could subject myself to this and so I thought about who could go on this adventure. And the “who” turned out to be my neighbor Daniel and our exchange student Stephan. They were both eager to go and it felt good to be able to give them this amazing opportunity.

When they came home from the river trip last night, Daniel and Stephan were both tired and appreciative. They could not say enough wonderful things about the day they’d had. And so today, I knew that I would bring a pie to the station to thank them for this gift. This is not the first time I have brought food to the staff. In fact, the folks there know that if I win, they are soon to receive a home-baked treat of some kind. I have been told, “You don’t need to bake something every-time you win.” But I disagree. I am grateful for all the prizes that I win and want to thank them each and every time. It’s a legacy of sorts – and I like to be known for bringing goodies wherever I go. If that isn’t a good way to be remembered, I don’t know what is.

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Day 134: Kathryn

18 Aug


Kathryn enjoying her pie
For the last few years I have been catering a variety of affairs including luncheons, memorial services, birthdays, and of course, weddings. I love to make yummy food (which you might have figured out by now) and also like to help people with their events. But to do this job right, I need the help of special people – and Kathryn is one of them.

She has been such a great person to work with. She is calm in the face of chaos (which can happen despite the best laid plans), helpful to and considerate of the guests, and fun to have around. And she raves about my cooking – and that is definitely appreciated!

I got to know Kathryn because she and and my son have been friends for years. In fact, they just completed their senior year of high school and they were co-presidents of the student body. They said that they planned on doing this since they were freshman and, by golly, they succeeded. They both put a lot of time and effort into their roles and took their positions seriously while also adding a bit of levity. We couldn’t have been prouder of their achievements.

Kathryn and Coco, aka, Mrs. Claus and Santa

Tomorrow Kathryn heads off to college. We knew this day was coming – and we are very excited that she will be pursuing her goals – but that doesn’t mean that we won’t miss her! Today I asked Kathryn’s Mom if it would be okay if I made a pie for their last dinner together for a while – and she said yes. Late in the afternoon, Kathryn stopped by where I was working to say goodbye and I was able to surprise her with a double crusted apple pie. We all wish her the very best and look forward to hearing about her adventures!

Kathryn’s friend Ian sure seems to like his pie!

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Day 103: Dave

18 Jul

We can change the world and make it a better place. It is in your hands to make a difference.
– Nelson Mandela

This year on 18 July – Nelson Mandela’s 93rd birthday – the UN is joining a call by the Nelson Mandela Foundation to devote 67 minutes of our time to helping others, as a way to mark Nelson Mandela International Day.

Sixty Seven Minutes! That’s all that this Nobel Peace prize winner has asked of us to help change the world. What could we do in such a short time that would be productive?

We could read to a child. We could serve soup at a shelter. We could donate blood. We could take our therapy dog to visit those who are ill. We could donate our usable goods to any number of charities. We could take the time to get to know our neighbors.

Today I began to make an Apple Pie and almost immediately I thought of Dave. I knew that he’d had a stroke but I had not yet visited him. I wondered if Dave would even be able to eat the pie that I’d made him. But since I was pretty sure that Dave was today’s pie recipient, I went to the place where he is currently staying and walked to his room.

When he saw me he had a questioning look on his face. I introduced myself and repeated something he’d once told me “Your wife is in love with my husband.” Well, Dave took one look at the pie and said, “And I think that I’m in love with you!” Warm Apple pies have that kind of effect on people.

It was wonderful to visit with Dave and his wife this afternoon. I don’t know if this is what Nelson Mandela had in mind, but I do know that I felt better after my visit. It took such a small effort and yet the rewards were tremendous.

If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path. Buddhist saying.

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Day 97: We met accidentally

12 Jul

Last week I shared what happened when I decided to ride my bicycle to church. My day did not turn out as planned: instead I was hit by a car, spent time in the emergency room, and found out that I had a broken rib. A few days later at the doctors office, one of the doctor’s staff, Tiffany, asked me about the age of the driver of the car. I told her my guess and she said that the driver’s age would be on the crash report. And as it turned out, the driver’s birthday was today.

When I relayed this information to my friends and family, several immediately suggested that I bake a pie for Tom, the man who had hit me. Several others thought that this was going a bit too far with my pie project. Well, this morning I resolved to bake an an apple pie and present it to Tom.

I was a bit nervous about my decision and so I asked my son to come along with me. When we approached Tom’s door, he called out, “knock knock” because he had heard our footsteps. When Tom came to the door, he greeted us. I said “I don’t know if you remember me.” He said “Anyone carrying a pie can’t be all bad.” And then I told him how we had met. Immediately he apologized and I told him quickly that I had a broken rib but then I said, “and from the police report I found out that today is your birthday and so I made you a pie. Happy Birthday.” It took a moment before he responded, ” I am genuinely touched by your gesture. This means a lot to me.”

We spent a few minutes talking about baking, about life and children. He said that since I had baked something for him, he wanted to give us some of the Scottish Shortbread he had baked (which was delicious). Then he told us about a trip he was planning to take along the Alaskan Marine Highway. Tom told us how he hoped that his brother would accompany him on this voyage. It sounded like it would be a wonderful vacation.

I am very glad that I decided to bring Tom a pie. It was a sincere act of reconciliation; of forgiveness. I wish him an amazing adventure in Alaska – and hope that we meet again sometime – but hopefully not by accident.

Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heal that has crushed it.
–Mark Twain

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Day 90: Sharing with Others

5 Jul


Each day I receive daily emails from a number of sources. Among them are the Animal Rescue site which helps animal shelters, What’s New from Sweeties (a contest site), and several recipe sites. Another one comes from “The Daily Om Horoscope“. They usually send a positive message or suggestion to help live a more peaceful, thoughtful life. A few days ago, this was the title of the email: Give to Show Gratitude.

That title sure seemed to coincide with what I am trying to do with my Pie a Day project. Here are two excerpts: “Sharing what we have with others is a wonderful means to acknowledge the ways in which the universe has been kind to us.” and “Accepting our lives as they are allows us to see that we have been given a lot by the universe and that when we give to others we are simply channeling the universal energy we have received into something beyond ourselves. Our good fortune can then become a conduit for the universe to work its mystery in this world. By giving to others, you will let the power of the universe work through you to make the world a better place.”

Sometimes when I am with my son and I come upon a situation where I am being asked to help – for example, a person asking for food – he will tell me that I don’t have to help everyone I see. And while I know that this is true, I feel that if I can help someone in need, at least a little bit, then I should do that. We never know when it will be us asking for help and will want others to be understanding and generous.

Today, I brought an Apple Pie to the young lady who came to my aid when I was hit by a car the other day. She was at work and I only stayed there a moment – but I wanted her to know that what she did was appreciated. She didn’t have to stop – but she did. And I am so grateful to her for taking time to help when she could easily have gone on her way.

Life is short and we have not much time, to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us,
So be swift to love, make haste to be kind, and may God’s blessings be with you today and always.

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Day 89: The Fourth of July

4 Jul

“We hold these truths to be self-evident: That all men are
created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable rights; that among these are life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

–The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776

I’ve always loved the 4th of July. I love the parade, the fireworks, the gathering together of friends and family. Today my ability to celebrate was a bit subdued because my body was pretty sore, but I was still happy to go to the parade sponsored by the Ashland Chamber of Commerce. I was delighted by several sights: the bald eagle from Wildlife Images, the draft horse with the long tail from the El Tapatio group, the warm response from the crowd for the Ashland Food Project, and the music: from the bagpipers to the marching band, I really loved it all.

The theme of this years parade was called “Volunteers, the heart of Ashland.” As I was not sure that I would be up to pie making today, last night I brought an Apple Pie to the Grand Marshall of this year’s Ashland Fourth of July Parade, Walt Hoffbuhr. Walt was selected because of his many years of volunteering in Ashland and the surrounding communities. Walt is the oldest, living OSF volunteer and has been volunteering (in one way or another) since he came to Ashland in 1956. Congratulations Walt! We salute your selflessness and dedication!

After the parade, I went to the store for some things that I promised I would bring to a barbecue. I took my time and felt fine picking up each item as I selected it, but as I arrived at the register, I decided to ask for help carrying my bags to the car. I felt a bit shy about asking for this help and so I explained to the cashier, “I know I look okay, but I have a cracked rib.” And the cashier looked at me and said, “Oh… I thought you looked familiar – You’re the lady we stopped to help yesterday.”

How strange is that? I hoped that one day I would find the folks that came to my aid yesterday but didn’t even know how to begin to find them… and then I stopped to buy groceries, and there she is, the young lady who witnessed the accident. I am still amazed by this. It is too strange to be true – and yet it is. To me, this is proof that miracles happen.

I gave the young lady my email address and told her that I wanted to make her a pie to thank her. She told me that it was unnecessary but I insisted. I am so glad that I have found her – and I am so grateful to her (and her family) for helping me when I was in need.

One last thought, Happy Birthday to my Grandma.. if she was still with us, she’d be 97.

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Day 66: Baseball and Apple Pie

12 Jun


Today was the final game of the Ashland Little League baseball season. We know a young man who is on the team that won. Mark is the younger brother of my son’s best friend – and he has been playing baseball for two years. Mark loves the game and has been an incredible pitcher. It is as if he was born to play the game.

Even though Mark practices a lot, he also spends a lot of time just watching other teams play. He told me that this a good way to learn a few new tricks and it also helps him figure out the signs that the teams use to communicate. I think that says a lot – this kid goes out of his way to get ahead of his opponents.

Imagine today’s scene if you will: it is Mark’s team’s last at bat and the score is 2-0. The bases are loaded. After a series of pitches there is a full count. And then the pitcher throws the ball and the batter swings and something amazing happens. It’s a hit down the first-base line and all three boys on base make it home and the team that was behind just moment’s before suddenly wins the tournament! And then it’s as if there has been an explosion because there is excitement everywhere!

Though I wasn’t at the game, I was very happy to hear the news. Mark is an avid player and I am glad that his team won. I thought it only fitting that he should receive an apple pie in honor of this momentous occasion. Congratulations to this year’s Ashland Little League Tournament winners! Way to go guys!

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Day 48: Amy the Kitchen Maven

25 May


Dutch Apple Pie

Amy came to Helman Elementary while my son was still there. She was in charge of the cafeteria and what made her special is that she really seemed to like to cook and bake. And (bonus!) she liked kids! She always had a big smile on her face when the children would start filing in for lunch. This was not a “job” for her; she knew that she was in a place where she could make a difference.

It made me feel good to know that Amy was at Helman because she really paid attention to each child; she had a sort of sixth sense with them. She could make a connection by asking a simple question of them or by commenting on their outfit. The kids knew that Amy noticed them and that she was present for them – not just as the person providing them with lunch – but as a caring friend.

Today I brought an apple pie to thank Amy for her giving spirit only to find out that she has gone to be with an ailing relative. Tina has stepped in and is now in charge of the cafeteria at Helman. Tina and I have boys who grew up together and are about to graduate next week. I told Tina that though the pie was originally intended for Amy, that I hoped that she would accept it because she is now the one watching over our children at lunch. It’s a very important position – and I am thrilled to know that we have another caring Mom looking out for our kids.

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