Blog

I was completely humbled and elated when my former high school A.P. English teacher, Mr. Spagnuolo, walked into my cute, little pie shop.  He truly looked the same to me with the exception of his unfortunate Parkinson’s disease affecting his gait and balance.  His smile was sweet and tender and his voice was calming and sure, just as it was almost thirty years ago.  But, his big gift, his words and his wisdom were as profound, sound and as addictive to me as they were so many years ago.   Mr.  Spag, as he was fond...

My grandmother was the head cook for Buckhannon Upshur High School in Buckhannon, West Virginia for close to twenty years. Grandma might as well have been the head chef at the Waldorf Astoria for all the pride and joy she felt for her job. She was respected by her peers and students alike, was a talented cook and menu planner, and absolutely loved making the student body and staff joyfully comforted with her delicious dishes! Hundreds lined up for her legendary homemade goulash, crispy, fried chicken, and her sweet cinnamon apple crisp (my ...

I am completely convinced that our Michigan summers are the best summers anywhere. They are generally not too humid, not too cold with a just the right amount of sunshine to make picnics, days at the beach and backyard barbeques perfect past times.  My childhood family picnics are some of my most treasured summer memories. It seemed like back then more people went on picnics. There were church picnics, company picnics, end of school picnics, reunion picnics and family picnics. I remember my mother packed a lovely spread on Saturday nigh...

As a kid, I loved summer meals, and still do. I love their flavorful charm and appreciate their effortless preparation. I believe that the simple, comfortable meals of the summer and every season will always be our favorites. Both of my parents grew up on farms, so for sentimental reasons, we always had a small garden patch to enjoy in the summer. We only grew a few vegetables, as space was limited, but green onions, green beans and various tomato plants were in abundance. As small as the garden was, it certainly was prolific, flourishing in i...

Summertime in Michigan is delightful, always has been to me. While growing up, I remember summer days as long, hot, and enchanting. Not too many folks had pools in our neighborhood, so on scorching summer days the garden hose and sprinkler were your best friends. I remember the numbing cold water hitting our wiry kid bodies and the grass sticking to our dirty little summer feet. We ran around giggling, screaming, playing made up games to fight the back and forth repetition of the sprinkler. This was classic summer. My twin sister and I had a l...

I kept thinking of these words all day today - "Daddy's Home." For many of us, and I wish It were for all of us, those words will always mean - all is right with the world! As I remember it, the minute my sweet dad walked through the front door, a serenity seemed to fill the entire house. Suddenly and magically, no problem seemed so big, no homework seemed so impossible, and no argument with my brothers was that catastrophic. For my daddy's smile would fill the rooms with sunshine, his mind with sage guidance, and his heart with lo...

“All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” -- Abraham Lincoln I remember several years ago, while tucking my sweet girls in one evening, them telling me that one of their favorite words was “Mommy”. I remember smiling bigger than I have ever smiled while squeezing their little faces tight. I have never felt more accomplished. I remember as a child sitting on my mother’s lap, pushing her face towards mine so I could stare at her loving smile as she read to me. It still warms my heart, like no other. Mothers fill our hearts with ...

I absolutely loved being a Girl Scout and was actually a Cadet before I retired my sash.  In retrospect, I can clearly see how the Girl Scout's fundamental tenets and experiences truly helped shape my life as it is today. As a child, I didn't realize that the monthly meetings, camping trips,cookie sales, and earning educational and philanthropy badges were anything more than “fun!”   I was too young to know that these “fun” Girl Scout experiences, infused in my young life, set the stage for my purpose and passion in my late...

I remember waking up early (I always was an early riser) to the wonderful combined smell of bacon, biscuits, and coffee at my grandparent's farm in West Virginia For me, the only other delightful aromas that rival this lovely trio, would be an apple pie, and a roasting turkey. Yum! As a little girl, one of my favorite things to do was to watch my grandpa make his legendary biscuits. The old coal miner baked a batch of golden biscuits almost every day of his adult life. That is a heap load of biscuits! He probably could have made them blindfold...

How charming is a leprechaun!  I have always found them to be darling; from the happy little one on the Lucky Charms cereal box to the funny little sprite in the Disney movie, "Darby O'Gill and the Little People"  Truly, what is not to like in a leprechaun?  Yes, they are rather short and stubborn and their wardrobe is limited in color and style, and some most likely have serious drinking issues.  Yes, leprechauns indeed have some strong personality traits, but many of their traits are true tenets to live by.  I f...