The Saga of a Cake

As I was growing up, we would visit my mother's family in North Carolina and part of the summer ritual was Aunt Lalah's Sour Cream Pound Cake. One day when I was living in Denver, Aunt Lalah came to visit and I asked her to make me a sour cream pound cake. She did ~ and at that altitude, it fell. This amazing North Carolinian cook was Devastated. And I never tried it again but I always kept the recipe close at hand. Then I moved to Tahoe and was once again living at altitude so when visiting daughter Michelle in Oregon, I asked her to make me a sour cream pound cake. This is how it turned out ~ and it tasted just as good as it looked and as good as I remembered. 

In Tahoe I have a neighbor who is a culinary schooled pastry chef, so I asked him what I might do to make this cake at altitude. I tried his suggestion and the cake tasted really good and . . . it crumbled coming ut of the pan. 

Oops. But it tasted good ~ what to do? 

I had lots of fresh fruit so I made a fruit bread pudding ~

with rum sauce (another story). 

Delicious, moist and truly wonderful. But I still hadn't accomplished making

the sour cream pound cake at altitude.

"Give it another try", suggested my bakery chef friend, "only this time make

no adjustments to your original recipe. And bake in loaf pans instead of the bundt 

pan the recipe calls for."

Ta-dah!! Perfect!! No falling, no crumbling. Just wonderful,

delicious, as I remember it pound cake. Slices tasted so good under

strawberries, ice cream and whipped cream on the deck with

grandsons. 

It was with joy and sadness that we celebrated Kyle's leaving us after five years in Tahoe that started with his living 9 months in our guest room ~ and the fun of welcoming his brother Carter who has been in Tahoe all summer and is staying around. Although not living with us, we look forward to seeing him occasionally for more dinners on the deck and some skiing with Grandpa over the winter. We love you guys and I am so glad the sour cream pound cake was a success just in time for the start of new journeys for you both!

Small Heroes

 We are used to hearing about Heroes: first responders who rush into burning buildings or to an accident or more recently who don haz-mat suits and nurse folks with COVID or fly over huge fires doing their best to bring them under control.They are heroes indeed and we should be grateful for them everyday.

Today I want to remind you of other heroes, heroes with a small “h” who have probably never heard themselves referred to in that way. They are out there, day in and day out, and especially during these massive fires that are burning in the west. Our family has been directly touched by the Alameda fire that practically destroyed the towns of Talent and Phoenix, Oregon. And so I give you my list of small heroes.

Daughter Michelle who gathered her family and a cat and drove them to safety ~ a 3 1/2 hour convoluted drive that normally takes her 20 minutes. 

Grandson Akira’s friend who said, “we have a guest house. You can stay there tonight.”

The hotel who gave them the lower weekly rate and the school’s union who gave $200 toward that hotel bill and a $200 gift certificate to Fred Myers. 

The friend who, when Michelle’s battery went out, drove back to Medford to pick up Marc from the airport. He had been being a terrific dad and helping his son move to Des Moines. 

Whoever drove Michelle and family to the evacuation donation center where they were able to get a few extra clothes and some food supplies.

Everyone working the evacuation donation center and Harry & David, the food company, who donated some of their wonderful pears. 

One of Trinity’s teachers from middle school who has given them her studio apartment for the duration. Although Michelle’s apartment is still standing, there is no electricity and no water and until those are restored no one returns to Talent.

A God-mother and a cousin both of whom have sent money to help with expenses. 

Marc, who even as I write, is in line waiting to be escorted back into Talent where he will have five minutes to gather whatever necessities were left behind. And the people who organized this escort service so people can return briefly. 

You’ve heard it before and it is so true: heroes do not always wear capes and angels do not always have wings. Prayers of blessings and gratitude for all of these small heroes who are pitching in to help where they can in the midst of a fiery crisis.