Creme Brulee
She asked.. “what is creme brûlée”, and my mother answered “egg custard”…
I piped in with “Steve Wong’s favorite dessert….”
The humor was lost on her, but I had a pretty good giggle.
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project mimi
live willing to try new things
The Marketplace
Our final stop before leaving town was The Marketplace, an adorable and delicious restaurant in Hanover New Hampshire. I dropped Mom at the door so she could order breakfast for us to take to Mimi while I went off to snap a few photos. If you look closely, you can see her ordering coffee behind a big bag of food. It was delicious. And the restaurant beautiful…. even more so when I later learned my Uncle Bill had designed it. He is quite renown for his kitchen design. This one proved a tough challenge as he later recounted due to ceiling heights and the amount of structural columns in the space. But you wouldn’t know it to look at it. Welcoming and warm… and in the final analysis, serving really good food. Seemed the perfect end to a perfect two days.
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WOW
A woman rarely at a loss for words was nearly speechless when the desserts came to the table. Wow was all she could say! This Kahlua and cream was a big hit. She regaled us with a story about how she keeps Kahlua but doesn’t always keep cream but had bought some just for our visit.
I suspect, she will now keep just a bit of heavy cream in the refrigerator all the time. Just before leaving Shirley (aka Mom) and I stocked her cupboard with a nice new bottle of Kahlua in the hope that she will treat herself to this regularly.
I love the photo of her hands grasping the snifter. They have touched so much, including me for 54 years.
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Bloody Mary
On this day, Mimi wanted to sit in the sun and to have a bloody mary. And we were able to do both at Simon Pearce. The bloody mary was a hit – especially when Brandy brought a big stalk of celery – apparently a vital ingredient in a Mimi Bloody Mary.
For lunch, she ordered the lamb burger which regrettably came without french fries… a situation that was quickly remedied by the accommodating staff. And I am pleased to report she ate the ENTIRE thing…..
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Once a grandmother… always a grandmother
She insisted on “contributing”… Fiercely independent she refuses to let us treat for anything. This $100 was stretched – anytime she offered to pay we would tell her we were taking it from the $100.
I love her independent spirit.
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Simon Pearce
Quechee, Vermont
“From inception, Simon’s vision has been to create products that are beautifully designed, produced with premium quality materials, and time-honored techniques and intended for a lifetime of everyday use. This original vision and inspiration lives on with everything we do.
In 1981, seeking independence from European business constraints and high energy costs, Simon moves his operation to Quechee Vermont, where he completes the restoration of a historic woolen mill. The Ottauquechee River provides hydroelectric power for the glass furnaces along with electricity for the entire facility.”
Simon Pearce has provided my family countless hours of enjoyment. Not only did we have a delightful lunch here this visit, but we celebrated Mimi’s 90th birthday in this Mill with our entire family – the Pritchards and the Fieldings. My cousins Jessica and Leah have worked here. At one point, he had a retail operation, studio and restaurant within 500 yards of my parents home in Southern Chester County Pennsylvania where, ironically, my parents first met PD and his wife.
Simon Pearce’s vision is driven first by the quality of “who we are”… I like this thought and find it no small wonder his company, and products, and the experience he provides, has been a thread throughout my family.
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Savor each hour
Dwell not in the past
Live each day fully
It may be your last
Mimi must have written this in 1998. It is on her refrigerator under which hangs a photo of each of her grandchildren… Featured here are Big J and Little A…. my brother’s kids.
There is a rhythm and routine to Mimi’s life… even 12 and a half years after this was written. Every morning she makes her coffee. She avidly reads the paper and watches the news. She has set up a system for keeping track of her medications. She converses easily about current events. Boxes of photos – her past – are placed far away on the top shelf. She lives in the present.
I have learned much from these visits about what has come before and what will come later. She continues to teach me. Just as she inspires me. Somethings don’t change.
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A woman’s work is never done…
…. even when it should be. If a fan of the blog, you may well remember the photo to the right. It was taken in June and was called “Mimi’s desk”. If you are the least bit clever, you will notice the desk in the photo to the right is in the bedroom. The photo of the desk to the left, is in the living room. And how did it get there? You guessed it…… Mimi moved it. But only when, in her words, “she was up to it”.
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To Grandmother’s house we go…..
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Making lists…. Bill or ?
In this case it was me. Mimi’s hands are gnarled from arthritis and writing is painful, but she keeps making her lists. On this day, she needed her meds opened, the humidifier filled, and new batteries in her hearing aids.
I take for granted the ease with which I was able to tackle the list. She can’t open her pills. There is no way she would be able to lift the humidifier from its base. And, I use the word ease somewhat incorrectly, as it was not simple or easy to replace the battery in her hearing aids – something I am absolutely confident will be a part of my future. For someone who is incredibly independent, she is dependent on others for help.
My Uncle Bill for one. He is wonderful to her and she worships him. In her address book he is listed simply as “my son”.
An extra benefit to all of this has been reconnecting with my Uncle Bill and his family. On this trip we had breakfast… Uncle Bill and Aunt Barb, my cousin Kerry and her family including the irrepressible Jack and Eleanor – my second cousins (I think). Ten year old twins.
I remember my brother Jeff and I being completely enamored of Uncle Bill and Aunt Barb. I was ten-ish when they married and I remember being captivated by their wedding. Leah was about 10 when I first married and similarly remembers my wedding. The thread of time and family and stories shared.
Uncle Bill is an incredible story teller…. weaving all sorts of magic. We were all completely enthralled as he shared the story of the squirrel and the fireplace.
All of this to note that, through Mimi, I am receiving unintentional gifts. I am truly blessed. I look forward to our next visit, which we earmarked for March of 2013 and for a bit longer than the 18 hours we have been spending together. I want to get to know my Uncle and his family again. Only recently did I learn that he was an avid photographer…
It only serves to prove again that out of the darkest moments there is always light. You just have to look for it.
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project mimi 