Hypergraffiti

Hypergraphia is a condition that causes people to transcribe their thoughts uncontrollably. I don't suffer from it in the clinical sense, but I may be borderline. My blog is the cyber-wall where I spray paint my thoughts for all to see. By the way, if you came here directly through blogger --if your page has no yellow frames and no pretty pic of me in the top left corner -- you may want to visit my main site at www.hypergraffiti.com, where you can read this blog and much much more.

Name:

I'm Trudy Morgan-Cole, a writer from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. My books include "The Violent Friendship of Esther Johnson," "Esther: A Story of Courage," and "Deborah and Barak." I'm also a married mom of two, a teacher in an adult-ed program, and a Christian of the Seventh-day Adventist kind. I blog about writing, reading, parenting, teaching, spirituality, and shiny things that catch my eye.

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Random Acts of Baking


Aunt Gertie and I made blueberry pies this morning. I think I have been baking with Aunt Gertie for about thirty-five years now; I'm sure I started when I was no older than Emma is now. She taught me to make chocolate chip cookies first. They're very easy. We worked our way up to more complicated things, like banana bread. I never mastered pie crust. Then I went off to live on my own and learned to bake other things, like muffins and cakes from scratch. But I still could never do pie crust.

I'm not exactly a domestic goddess, in fact I dislike most housekeeping chores and am terrible at them. I'm a barely passable cook, a less-than-adequate cleaner, and completely unskilled in the textile arts (e.g. can't sew a button on straight). But I do love to bake. It's not the most practical use of time and energy but it is the one thing I really enjoy doing around the house. I'm not even great at that -- not, say, on the level of Dallas Green, a friend of my mom's and my Aunt Bernice's who makes cakes so moist and delicious they almost speak to you. My baked goods are pretty average. You could buy as good or better at a decent bakery. But baking is an end in itself -- it has intrinsic value, just because I enjoy it.

Aunt Gertie doesn't bake anymore, because she can't. Her hands, which have done so much baking and cooking and housecleaning and knitting in their time, no longer have the strength to cream butter and sugar together. A couple of years ago Aunt Gertie asked if I would like to come over someday and make apple pies with her. We've done it several times since then: apple pies, or blueberry pies in season. It benefits both of us: she's able to participate in the act of baking again, but with a stronger pair of hands to help, while I have one last chance to learn to make her pie crust before it's too late. Plus, it brings me back a piece of my childhood and youth that I loved. And at the end, there's pie. What's not to like about that?

5 Comments:

Blogger Sue Kelland-Dyer said...

okay that looks too yummy...
I need some blueberry pie

6:01 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

If you're into Random Acts of Kindness...I'm up for a taste test. I'll bring the ice cream!

2:18 PM  
Blogger TrudyJ said...

Sue and Henry, wish I could send you some cyber-pie.

Sherry, you could have had the real thing ... but you've got to be quick off the mark! Too late now, but there's more berries in the fridge so I'll call you next time!

10:17 PM  
Blogger Jamie said...

It does sound delicious...

Say, did you ever learn to master microwaved vegetarian chicken chunks?

8:21 PM  
Blogger TrudyJ said...

Only for the dog!!

You'll notice what I said about my cooking....

9:42 PM  

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