Mondays With Mary # 9 (Soggy Pie)

I saved some of Cheryl's comments for today.  Last week she enlightened us on the rest of the story when Mom and Dad were getting ready to move to the big blue house. Mondays With Monday- Moving a Farm.   The whole family started calling their house this because this was the description our first granddaughter used. It just fits perfectly.  I have been looking for a great picture of the big blue house to accompany this post. However, instead I have recently come into possession of one no one has seen before.  This picture does not highlight the house but shows

the whole farmstead. The whole farmstead before the barn was torn down. It is my newest family treasure because of the barn.  We think this was taken about 1977. Our neighbor found it on the internet.

My Old Aunt Cheryl (4 months older than I am), is a published author. She definitely has a way with words. I hope to be able to include those words occasionally on this blog.  For today, I am continuing with the email she sent after reading about the new cupboards and the kitchen linoleum.  See what she shared in  Mondays With Mary #8.

Again, Mary and Vern's personalities shine through.

"I happened to be staying with them, probably while pregnant with David and Gene working nights, when PBS first came on the air in Iowa.  Mary and I were watching something and Vern came in and sat down to watch too. He didn't realize that there were no commercials on PBS. Mary went to the kitchen and got both me and herself a handful of peanuts.  Vern said, 'Get me some, too' And Mary replied, smiling 'I will during the next commercial'  Needless to say Vern never got his peanuts."

"As far as Vern not eating chicken from the store, that, too brings back a lot of memories ( See Mondays With Mary #4 about cleaning chickens).  I can't tell you how many chickens I helped your mom clean over the years but it was a bunch.  And we would usually do it in the morning before it got too hot, and then your mom would always cook one for lunch.  I would nearly gag because the smell of chicken guts would still be on my hands but it didn't seem to bother anyone else.  Of couse, it never bothered your dad because I doubt he ever cleaned a chicken in his life.  He only ate them and bitched if they were not up to snuff."

"Once we went to a carry in dinner, I don't remember what I made, but Mary made a pie.  I think it was cherry, but it was not apple.  I know.  So at the dinner all the food was set out and everyone was sitting around the huge table eating too much and talking.  Vern finished his second or third plate and went for dessert-apple pie.  He took one bite and announced, 'Jesus Christ, Mary. I would have thought you had made enough pies to know how not to make a soggy crust. You know I hate soggy crust.'  At which, Mary looked up with her usual little smile and said, 'But that is apple and I made cherry pie'.  It think it was Dorothy Anderson who made the soggy crusted apple pie, but it sure cured Vern of speaking his mind about food in public."

Dorothy and her husband, Kenny, were good friends of my parents. I have run across their names many, many times in Mom's calendars. Recently, at our 2015 All School Reunion, I had a chance to talk to their son and reminisce about the days gone by.  He remembers once when he was young and spent several days with Mom and Dad. He was very sick and Mom took wonderful care of him.  She was like that.

July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, I was at the Anderson's for a baby shower given in my honor.

I imagine if Dad offended Dorothy with his pie criticism, she probably forgave him. She knew him well.