We have done a lot of research on the history of this house. Through social media and ancestry.com we have tracked down some of the relatives of the man who built this house (Horace) and his daughter (Helen) who lived here longer than anyone else. It has been amazing to get stories and photographs from these relatives. These photographs and memories have been exciting to hear and super motivating. Helen’s daughter in law (Becky) has been especially helpful, sending us envelopes full of photographs from the past.
You may recall that a month or so ago, I posted about how surprised I was that people in the country weren’t more neighborly. For some reason, I expected one of our new “neighbors” to bring us a pie, but we have gotten more cold shoulders than warm pie. Today, I got a phone call from a guy named Nathan who had a pie for me. What??? A Pie??? Is this a neighbor who finally decided we deserved a little neighborly love? Nope…apparently Becky (the daughter in law of the person who lived here the longest) felt that we deserved a pie, so from 130 miles away, she contacted a friend and organized getting a pie delivered!
How absolutely amazing is that???!!! Oh, and this was not just any pie. No frozen pie from the grocery store….this was a hand made, beautiful, fresh….blueberry pie. LOOK how beautiful:
Nom nom nom nom
And, look how excited and shocked the kids were:
We were so thrilled, we could hardly stand it! I literally jumped up and down for joy! We all enjoyed a slice last night after dinner and I was excited to have another for breakfast this morning.
What??? Pie for breakfast??? Well, of course! You see, when I was a kid, if there was pie in the fridge, my grandpa would cut himself a huge slice for breakfast. As a kid, I thought this was daring and naughty. Pie for breakfast?? Mother would click her tongue and shake her head for sure! Grandpa was a lawyer and had a logical argument for everything. The argument for pie for breakfast? Well, it has fruit which is good for you. Aaaannndddd…the rest of the stuff in pie…flour, sugar, butter….that’s no different than doughnuts or waffles or pancakes! Plus, the fruit is good for you. So, pie is no worse…in fact it may be better for you…than other breakfast options. Did I mention that fruit is good for you? Grandpa taught me well and my kids are learning this valuable piece of information from me.
This morning, I enjoyed a slice of blueberry pie for breakfast. I reminisced about my grandpa as I ate that slice. I also thought about how amazing it was that we received a pie from someone we’ve never met. Now, every time I enjoy pie I will have those memories. I can’t wait until I can pay the pie gift forward and share the joy!
Not only would grandpa enjoy a piece of pie for breakfast, grandma would make 2 pies just so there was enough left for breakfast pie! What a brilliant man! I miss him every day. So, did you save a piece for mom? No? Well, that’s okay, you can make two next time.
Great!!! Grandpa’s musings was right on!!
He did love his left over pie. The rest of the story is that grandma would bake 2 pies, usually pumpkin, just to make sure there was enough for his left over breakfast pie. Now. that man knew how to live! He would have loved to sit in your sunny breakfast nook and have a slice of that pie with you guys! I’d love to sit with him too.