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Apple Butter Hand Pies for Max

Max Apple Butter Hand Pie

A Promise

“ A frightened sorrow has closed down over my heart. I wish I were child so I could cry. I’m too old to be afraid like this. And I’ve not felt such despair since a bird died in my hand by a flowing water long ago.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

There is a veil of dryness, a barren place that has burrowed into my winter. It doesn’t help that we’ve not had much rain. California is dry, crackling, soon to be on fire dry. But the urban lemons are ripe, dripping with juice. And yet they linger on the neighborhood trees. No one wants them. I stop by and pick another basket full and still more drop to the ground. Once, with great hope, someone planted a promise of lemons. Long forgotten, people moved on, life moved on. READ MORE . . .

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Giant Cookie Cake

Giant Cookie Cake

Lessons in Acceptance

“I have wondered why it is that some people are less affected and torn by the verities of life and death than others.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Like kite tails swirling in the blustery spring wind; days whirl by. Tangled together the strings are difficult to separate, one day resembles the next. We go along, go along and then venture a bit further. Further from ourselves and what really means the most to us. Sometimes, all the pressures and self imposed expectations of family, work and self intertwine into a jumbled ball of tension and frustration that is more challenging and time consuming to sort out than the tangled kite string. I had arrived at such a place. At the time I didn’t understand how I got there; I was just hanging on to that jumble of a swirling kite tail. Spinning, dizzy with raging emotions I was unsure of myself. I needed shelter from the intense vertigo and most of all needed to accept my arrival at the destination I had played a part in choosing. In the five stages of grief, acceptance is last. No matter how hard we work or how smart we may be the realization that life has blemishes and injuries result in scars is at times daunting. READ MORE . . .

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Cinnamon Rolls and Max

Freshly-baked cinnamon rolls

Simply Irresistible

“I thought I heard someone on the stoop. Probably a cat.”

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Warm cinnamon rolls always bring a smile at our house. Best when warm and always decadent, yet comforting. But there is no sweet that can compete with our other warm smile maker Max, our cat. When we adopted him, I hadn’t had a cat for over twenty years. Max had been a stray and was at his second post rescue home which wasn’t working out for him. He was living with five other cats and was a big bully, standing guard at the food dishes and eating the other cats’ food. At the time this boldness seemed highly unlikely. When we met Max he hid under a chair and would not come out. I found him irresistible. When his family drove him to our house; he yowled the entire drive of forty minutes. They were so worried about him they offered to take him back if he wasn’t a good fit. As soon as they left, he darted into the fireplace, brushing the screen aside and hid in the ashes with his back to us. When I tried to get him out, he dashed past me with ashes flying everywhere. Max stayed under the bed, in our bedroom, for well over two weeks before he felt safe enough to venture out. Much later, we rejoiced when he stopped slinking about and began to walk with his lovely tail pointed up in the air. When he finally hopped up in our laps we were flattered he liked us. In the beginning, Max would sit on our laps with his back to us and purr. There were signs of abuse. Turning a page in the newspaper or any loud noise startled him and sent him into hiding. Slowly, ever so slowly, he began to trust us. Max has been with us for five years and still does not like to be picked up. He will tolerate it for a very, very short time. He still is easy to startle. Max will always have food issues. He is always hungry. He has many nicknames; Colonel Momo or just Momo are used regularly. But Max has become part of our family. He greets everyone when they come home, bringing a smile at the end of a busy day. Most nights he sleeps on our bed and looks for a warm lap after his breakfast and his dinner. Max may be a bit quirky, but he is perfect just as he is. READ MORE . . .