Scaring the Snow and Sharing Our Strengths

Gypsy Woman had a very busy morning barking at the snow invading her territory. Great Pyrenees are bred to protect their flocks, and she’s not so sure what all these cold, white aliens are doing falling on our ground. She knows our cat Buster has no need for this stuff, and she probably has picked up that neither does her mama.

I had recipes to type for the Coker Creek Elementary School/Coker Creek Heritage Group cookbook project, so the snow didn’t much bother me. I was so excited that each of Coker Creek’s ninety-year-old cooks agreed to have one of her recipes submitted. Eda wrote out the biscotti recipe and Mamie shared her daughter-in-law, Louise’s, squash casserole recipe. I had to type and email them; and since I type two-fingered at a blazing sixteen words a minute, it kept me occupied for a while.
Mountaintop Mary graciously gave me access to her Mary Mac’s Apple Cake recipe, already neatly typed. I know Richard will want to try this one when apple season rolls back around.

Eda has asked me to attend the next Dorcas meeting at a nearby church. Josie drove me to one of their meetings before the Tellico Plains Christmas Candlelight Walk. This is the ladies circle that organized the last candlelight walk when it was in danger of being discontinued. Since the Cookie Caper is a major source of their funding for their good works in the community, and there would have been no Cookie Caper without the Candlelight Walk, they simply took charge of the whole thing. Sounds like potential candidates for One Million Matriarchs to me.

I did want to know exactly what mission the Dorcas group supports, so I Googled “Dorcas.” Come to find out, Dorcas was a dressmaker who made clothes for the poor in her village. She is considered by some to be a saint, which I strongly suspect she may be. I’ve heard that we’re not saved by good works, but I’m hoping this will give me access to a group of women who focus on positive progress and problem solving. I did belong to a couple of these in Louisiana before Hurricane Katrina, even though I’m definitely not sorority sister material. I also have no sewing or other craft skills, so I’m not sure what part I can play. Only time will tell.

The poverty and social inequality issues in the rural mountainous pockets of Appalachia are being brought to the fore again with the slump in the world economy and the high unemployment rate. Mamie well remembers how bad things used to be. Her dreams of a community garden got us started on gardening with her.

Coker Creek Village has now begun plans for a community garden utilizing church mission groups attending their summer camp programs to support the food bank for the local families fallen on hard times. I know the children attending our “Granny Camp” this summer will be only too happy to help.

Allegorical Alice In Wonderland

Alice was magical,
Stupendous, fantastical
The three-D was most radical
Especially in Imax format.

Saturday Supper

Sarah had a soccer game, and it had been too long since I’d seen her play. Richard had long-since finished framing Holly’s photos with various celebrities she’s fed in her position as chef for the Georgia governor’s mansion, but still hadn’t had the opportunity to hang what Holly refers to as her “wall of shame.” I’m wanting to pick up some ingredients from Whole Foods (called Harry’s in Atlanta) that we just don’t seem to be able to find in the south eastern-most tip of Tennessee. We had nothing scheduled for the week-end anyway, so away we went to Atlanta.

We were spending the night at Holly’s, and didn’t want her to have to feed us. We also wanted to see more of Rachel’s family. After the soccer game and the hanging of the gallery of famous folks’ photos, we took the grandgirls, their parents, a friend of Rebecca, and Holly and Don to a restaurant near the Marietta square.

I have long said that since I can cook, as can Richard, I don’t go out to eat just to eat; I go for the restaurant experience. This was quadrupley true with this table, as Rachel is also a good cook. And did I mention that Holly is a professional chef? Her husband cooks for her at home. I’ll admit that our standards may be a bit on the high side.

Well, this restaurant failed on so many counts, I lost count. This is quite a shame because their recipes were very good. The service was seriously sad; the food was cold; and the first of us to get our food was finished eating before the last entrée arrived. All of this, and the owner said, “Well, at least the food was good.” He didn’t even offer a coupon for a repeat attempt or a cup of coffee on the house. He also didn’t credit any of our substantial bill, to which was added a mandatory gratuity. We won’t soon repeat that restaurant, but we did have a lot of fun.

Eda has given Richard her “Top of the Line Baker” seal of approval, and Gayle has requested biscotti, having read about it on my blog -- but I know she shouldn’t eat wheat. In addition to ingredients for our own food fantasies, I think Harry’s would be a great place to find exotic alternatives to wheat flour for Richard to bake into biscotti for Gayle.

We’ll brunch with Holly and Don, feasting on their corned beef hash and eggs; maybe make it to a movie; hop on into Harry’s; and then head home to the holler. It’s nice knowing that we’re so conveniently and centrally located in a triangle consisting of three major metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. We just need to take better advantage of their offerings. Perhaps we’ll create a routine of Saturday suppers in the “big cities.”

Appalachian Artistry

It wasn‘t just biscotti that Richard was baking in my absence. I went to a Coker Creek Heritage Group pot luck supper and meeting, and was regaled by many with tales of Richard’s prowess in the kitchen. It seems that half of Coker Creek experienced baked goods that he had created.

There was the banana cream cake that he made for Betty, and another that he shared with Mountaintop Mary, Don, Mamie and Jack. The Ruritans were the lucky recipients of his own creation of a mandarin orange cake. It’s a good thing I came home when I did to let everyone know that I still like Richard to cook for me. A woman just can’t be too careful if she has a man that can cook.

Josie and I had a lovely lunch, thanks to the efforts of my man. While I was away, he made a large batch of meatballs and an equally sufficient supply of spaghetti sauce, and put both in the freezer. When Josie agreed to come to lunch, all I had to do was slice some of Wal Mart’s answer to French bread, pile on the meatballs, cover with some sauce and top with feta cheese. While this warmed, I cut a cucumber, diced some red onions, sliced a few Greek olives, and tossed it all with a bit of Greek dressing. We then sat down and chatted while we chewed.Richard had run downtown for building supplies, so it was just us two ladies doing lunch.

I had been anxious to show Josie my recent art purchases. Josie is such a multi-talented artist, I knew she would appreciate all the work that went into the textile arts I brought back from Womenspeak. I’m never sure which medium of her work is my favorite, and I don’t know if there are any art media that she hasn’t tried.

We’ve been plotting to have me take some of her work on the road when I go to craft shows representing Jack. Ideally, Josie would be able to accompany me on some of these trips. I know I like to watch her at work; I’m sure her presence, and her wonderful work, would help to draw people to our booth.

Eda has offered some of her recipes for the upcoming Coker Creek Elementary School cookbook. Since I can’t find her recipe for biscotti that I must have filed under “S” for “Somewhere,” I’m hoping one of Eda’s offerings will be instructions for baking her biscuits. I think Mary’s going to share a recipe for one of her special cakes. If the rest of the contributing cooks are anywhere as good a Richard, Eda and Mary, this cookbook will be worth whatever is the cover price.

I’d love to start a Coker Creek version of a craft school. With all the wonderful Appalachian arts available here, and the fact that I’ve already been approached to teach cooking, we may be able to get a group going as early as this summer.

The Best Biscotti Ever

I came home to a lovely surprise from Eda and Richard. It seems that my reminder to Eda that she promised to teach me how to make her best-ever biscotti prompted her to invite Richard to her kitchen to create a coming home surprise for me. I’m now munching daily on cranberry-almond biscotti that’s truly incredible.

Eda has gifted me with the recipe, but I wanted to learn the tricks of the trade from the master (or mistress, as the case may be.) Eda’s had ninety years of bisotti baking experience, assuming she was exposed to her mother or grandmother’s baking of biscotti as a baby. Now, however, I think I’ll just let Richard be the master baker, as baking is detail oriented, and I like to wing things.

Not only do I have a bounty of biscotti, I also have an orchid in bloom. This orchid plant was a gift from Rachel’s family four birthdays ago. I’ve never had an orchid re-bloom even once, and this one is on its fourth show. Maybe it’s the love they put into the gift that keeps it in copious colorful bloom.

There are some signs of spring in our front yard; the daffodils are beginning to bloom, and the hyacinths are never far behind them. I must make it to Jack’s soon, as I’ve heard from several sources that his banks are bursting with blooming daffodils. Jack’s yard in bloom must be the most photographed cabin-scape in Coker Creek.
Mamie and I had a nice visit with cup of spiced cider and her favorite snack of cheese and crackers. We saw each other again at the Coker Creek Heritage Group meeting and pot luck supper. I hadn’t seen Mamie in over a month, so it was nice to get two doses of her in a day.

I brought a chocolate-filled king cake to the supper, which had been in the freezer since my return from the Mardi Gras trip. Along with the cake, I brought Mardi Gras beads for everyone. This seemed appropriate, considering the fact that the evening’s speaker was the director of our county arts council. I also brought the incredible embroidery pieces from Africa and the quilted potholder from Tutwiler Quilters in the Mississippi Delta that I purchased at Womenspeak. I thought that the programs using the arts to build economic security that these represent could be replicated in Appalachia.

Betty overheard me talking about the joys of my travels and suggested that I don’t like Coker Creek. It was time to explain that I’m just not ready for the extreme quiet of this ice-bound heaven quite yet. And besides, like Betty, I have grandchildren down south.

We’re due for a second day straight of sunshine and springtime temperatures. It would be wise to spend some time soaking up the sun because rain is returning tomorrow. Richard spent the full afternoon and evening doing outside chores. He stayed in Coker Creek most of the winter, so he’s really into seizing the springtime.

My Hold on Here

I’m so excited! A professional journalist friend, the editor for Jack’s book, Susan scored tickets for the two of us, plus her magical mother and delightful daughter to all go hear Maya Angelou speak in Louisville in April. As a writer, I’m on cloud nine that I’m receiving these opportunities to hear such very accomplished writers speak. First, at Womenspeak 2010 and now Maya Angelou! I’d much rather meet good writers than just about any other “celebrities.” Actually, I do have a well-known weakness for artists of many genres.

I’m missing the Tennessee Williams/ New Orleans Literary Festival in one week. (I’ve gotta see Richard and My Mountain Mama Mamie, and check in with Jack sometime.) But next year, I hope to be in that New Orleans number. It’s been twenty years since I attended, but I still remember the thrill of having actress Anne Bancroft critique a piece that I wrote and read.

Jack is slowly amassing enough finished work for his second book. Mountaintop Mary stands at the ready to scan that body of work in preparation for final edits. Meanwhile, I’m working on getting all my recipes in order to publish my blog as a cookbook. I have a freelance editor, another Sue – Suzanne this time -- working diligently to get the entries in some semblance of order.

As good practice for writing my recipes, I’m participating in a local cookbook project. Coker Creek Elementary is putting together a cookbook as a joint project fundraising effort with the Coker Creek Heritage Group. It’s always fun to see my name in print, even if it is in someone else’s book. I’ve submitted a few recipes, but I know they could use more from local cooks.

My hopes for a Coker Creek Creations’ Appalachian Arts booth at the Jazz Fest have been dashed by a member of their board. Maybe it’s time to research mountain craft shows with my baby sis and soon-to-be business manager. That is, as soon as she returns from her latest trip to New Orleans.

I’ll try very hard to stay put in Tennessee until my trip to see Maya Angelou in mid-April, but if that snow starts to blow, I may have to go. The next trip may be a short one to Dalton, Georgia to meet with the mother of slain police captain and drug interdiction specialist Robbie Bishop. This would (I hope) be a welcome change for Richard – having his wife home in the holler after a day trip for business, rather than every meeting meaning a month away.

I’ve decided, after much cogitation on the subject, that the reason being snowed-in freaks me out so badly is that it feels too much like what I picture as heaven: so soft, so silent – you know like the Christmas carol lyrics “All is calm; all is bright.” I think I want to be in heaven eventually, but I’m certainly not now ready to release my hold on here.

My Man and My Plan

I finally got back to my man! After a nice nap, I got busy building my new Party for Positive Progress organizations, also known as the One Million Matriarchs (OMM) and the Mostly Righteous Men of the Matriarchs (MR MOM). Both of these organizations exist to promote peace through activism for non-violent conflict resolution. This was in response to the request by Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen that Womenspeak2010 attendees assist her in pressing the UN to create international law making it a crime (on an international basis) to rape women and children, and to include women in UN policy setting. How could I not sign on?

Without going into dramatic detail, I thought I could get everyone up to speed by giving you the link to Dr.Bolen’s website that contains a link to her work with the UN and a UN petition, http://www.jeanshinodabolen.com.

With me being such a party animal, I thought it would be best to form a group that could party for this cause. If there's enough interest, my first mission will be to New Orleans for the Jazz Fest. I believe I can secure the same unfurnished apartment that we used for Mardi Gras, which ended us up on the front page of the New Orleans Newspaper, The Times Picayune. We were very comfortable with my cooking, camping chairs and air mattresses (although the noise level in the location at the corner of Canal Street and the French Quarter required heavy-duty ear plugs for sleeping). This apartment is located very conveniently to the Fairgrounds site of the Jazz Fest.

My favorite tent at the New Orleans Jazz Fest has always been the Gospel Tent, not only because of the marvelous music, but because it’s in the shade. The food at the fest is beyond compare, from crawfish bread to bread pudding to beignets. Music and arts from Congo Square feature original paintings, sculpture, clothing, jewelry, musical instruments, and an array of handcrafted artworks.

Contemporary Crafts</i>, is a nationally recognized showcase of alluring handcrafted clothing, beautiful leather goods and handblown glass, along with a brilliant array of paintings, photographs, sculptures and irresistible jewelry.

In the Louisiana Marketplace, the state’s finest traditional and contemporary artists display and sell hand-colored photographs, pine needle baskets, whimsical jewelry, and other creations that evoke the state’s unique cultural history.

LOUISIANA FOLKLIFE VILLAGE Like its signature dish, gumbo, Louisiana is a spicy stew comprised of many distinctive elements — African American, Cajun, Native American, Isleño and practically everything in between. To experience this unique culture firsthand, visit the Louisiana Folklife Village and discover many of the state’s generations-old traditions.

Here you can see musicians meticulously handcraft accordions and guitars, and papier mâché artists create whimsical sculptures for Mardi Gras floats. Watch as an Isleño woodcarver transforms indigenous cypress into lifelike reproductions of Louisiana waterfowl right before your eyes. These are only a few of the traditions featured in the Louisiana Folklife Tent that bear witness to our state's unique cultural history. –From the website http://www.nojazzfest.com.

I think I could also make this a mission to promote Appalachian Arts (especially those from Coker Creek) if I can secure a booth at the Jazz Fest. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to sell Jack’s book and other Coker Creek Creations at such a well-attended venue?