Tag Archives: Bob

Day 360: Bob and Juli

31 Mar

Lemon Curd and Whipped Cream Pie

This morning I woke up early because I had a nightmare of sorts.  In my “dream” I was at a place where I was to cater a brunch and deliver the food at 10:30 AM.  However, when I saw the clock (in my dream) it was 12:00 noon… and none of the breakfast breads had been baked yet.  Talk about a wake-up call!  The only other food nightmare I’ve had involved a  guest at a wedding that I was making the cake for… but I had forgotten all about it… and I had less than two hours to make a wedding cake for 100.  Yikes.

Let’s just say I was happy to get out of bed after that!  I was supposed to go for a walk with a friend at 8AM, but the rain was coming down too hard for me… and so that was cancelled.  This afternoon I was scheduled to help at the Rotary Garden, but that too was cancelled due to the weather.  So, instead I caught up on my chores and made my pie of the day.  Last year I made a lemon chiffon cake for this couple… and that is why today I decided to make them a lemon curd pie.

Years ago, Bob worked with my son Coco and his friend Dylan to help them record their first songs on a CD.  Coco  had told me that they were working together… but I was still surprised when he brought home the CD and put it on to play.  As we listened to the music I asked Coco, “Who is that singing?”  “Mom”, he said, “it’s me.”  “No, really Coco… who is it?”  And that is only because I had never heard Coco sing before!  Here was this lovely voice emanating from the speakers… and it had come from the boy who lived in my house… unbelievable!

Juli has been the Superintendent for the Ashland School District for nearly twelve years.  She has had the unenviable task of doing all that she can to make sure that the Ashland School District is one of the top schools in the state, and possibly in the country.  To achieve this, it means that Juli is always preparing for and attending meetings with people all over the state.  She is relentless when it comes to the quality of education that the students in Ashland receive.

To Bob and Juli, I offer my deepest thanks for their commitment and dedication to the students of Ashland.  I am so very thankful for their tireless efforts on behalf of our children.

“The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.” Kahlil Gibran

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Day 330: Karen and Bob

1 Mar

Karen is such a great lady that God made two of her!  What I mean to say is that Karen has an identical twin, but I like the first sentence better!  Karen and I met a long time ago because our children went to the same schools.  Karen’s children are a little bit older than mine and since I was new to Ashland,  she was a great support for me. I’ll bet that if you asked anyone that knows Karen what she is like, they would tell you that she is friendly, cheerful, thoughtful, and most certainly, a woman you can count on.

By trade Karen is a phlebotomist.  She told me that one day she told that to a young boy and he asked what that meant.  Then she told him that she drew blood everyday.  The young boy thought about this for a moment and said, “You must use a lot of red crayons!”

When my son Coco was in kindergarten, he jumped off a play structure at school and bit his tongue.  I was at work and did not find out about it until about an hour or two later. When I asked him to show me his tongue, he just shook his head no.  When I took him to Helman Elementary to pick up his sister, I saw Karen.  I told Coco that Karen worked in medicine and asked him to show her his tongue.  Immediately he opened his mouth and we both saw the huge gash.  Karen urged me to go to see Jack the Pharmacist at Ashland Drug right away.  Everything eventually worked out fine… Coco took antibiotics for a week, his tongue healed, etc.  But what amazes me still is that he was willing to show her his wound, but not me!

Another memory I have of Karen demonstrates her insistence for doing the right thing.  It seems that one of her boys (I forget which… and really, it doesn’t matter) and his friends decided to participate in some mischief (involving eggs and toilet paper).   A local policeman found them and called Karen to come and pick up her boy.  When she arrived she spoke to her son and then apologized to the police man for the incident and asked when her son could clean things up.  The officer was stunned. He said usually parents yelled at him for “picking on” their kids; few of them ever took responsibility for their actions.  When my own son got into trouble, I had a good role model to follow with Karen.

These are just a few of the stories I have to share about Karen.  Oh… and in addition to all that, she raises lambs!  What a wonderful lady… and to top it off,  her husband Bob is a pretty great guy in his own right.

Tonight I brought an Apple Blackberry Pie to Karen and Bob.  I want to recognize them both for all that they have done in our community and to let them know that we feel so lucky to count them as friends.

If you must follow someone, choose a person with vision, wisdom, love and integrity. -Philip Arnold

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Day 81: Bob

26 Jun


Marionberry Pie

This morning I was invited to a brunch put on by my friends Mark and Leslie. There was a wonderful assortment of friends and foods and we settled in for a nice visit. A short time later, our friend Katrina arrived. It had been a while since we’d spoken and so we sat together and chatted for a while.

Katrina told me that she had learned some things recently that had helped her. Then she mentioned spending time with her neighbor Bob earlier today and how much his words had meant to her. I know what she means; it’s really nice when a friend helps you just by being there with you and listening to your story. Sometimes we need someone to point out things to us that are so obvious to everyone else but that we seem unable to see.

Immediately I wanted to make a pie for Bob for sharing his wisdom and compassion with Katrina, who then shared hers with me. I asked her if that would be possible and she thought it was and we made arrangements for me to deliver the pie later in the afternoon. When I arrived at Katrina’s house we discovered that Bob had gone out for a while. She called him (having just been given his cell number!) and told him that there was a surprise waiting at home for him.

Soon Bob came home and we walked to his house with the pie. He asked why I’d made him a pie and I tried to briefly explain my project and mentioned that I was making a pie everyday. “Everyday?” he asked. “Well, today is day 81” I replied. Bob stopped in his tracks and said, “Did you say 81? Did you know that I am 81 years old?”

No, I did not – but I love that Bob’s age and my pie gift to him had the same number. It’s the little coincidences like that that keep me thinking that this project is divinely inspired – and I am so very glad to be on this journey.

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