Almost four years, one thousand four hundred twenty-three days to be exact, since May 15, 2018. Almost four years since I had to say good-bye to Lance. Since then I’ve jotted down bits and pieces, snippets of remembrances, nothing more. It’s as though through memorializing, fingers to keyboard, will somehow close a door that I … Continue reading Lessons
My very first? I was eleven. I had felt intense longing for years, longing which was quickly replaced by thrill and excitement in what proved to be a birthday that set the stage for a lifelong passionate romance. Mysteries unfurled, secrets unlocked, the power now mine...all located within a bright yellow cover. Betty Crocker’s New … Continue reading Collection
11 Days. Three days in Oslo, one in Fråm, one in Balestrand, two in Bergen, four days (so far) on the MS Vesterålen. A variety of settings--urban, rural, boat... yet, with Norwegian breakfast comes consistency. When reading up on what to expect before leaving on my trip to Norway a particular phrase came up repeatedly..."traditional … Continue reading Frokost
“Which Grandpa is it?” This would seem to be a simple enough question. Through the process of renaming picture files with the names of family members rather than numbers, in hopes of capturing identities lest I forget names, I ran across a picture of a great-great grandfather on my dad’s side of the family. Although … Continue reading Threads
Over the years my role in the kitchen has changed. Starting out at an early age, I was the ever eager assistant in the kitchen, working along side my grandmothers or mom, where I was just as excited to scoop, measure, stir, and wash dishes as I was to sample the end products of our … Continue reading Kitchen Help
Confucius says the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In this case quite literally, and more specifically, a single step and a cow. Jens “KB” Anderson, my great-grandfather, sold and then delivered a cow, walking the cow from Kent to Seattle to its new owner, a distance of over twenty miles round … Continue reading A Cow, Coffee, & the Pyramids
What should I bake? Typically this is my first thought when planning for family gatherings, a training at work, or when the stress-o-meter edges into the red zone. When it comes what to bake many factors enter into the decision making process....the time of year, the event, who I am baking for and what I … Continue reading Where Words Fail
“What is your fascination with peanut butter!?” was Dave’s response to my reply as to what kind of cookies I had baked. I wouldn’t describe my relationship with peanut butter as a fascination or even an obsession. Allegiance would be more appropriate. Loyalty. Commitment. My relationship with peanut butter is steadfast; it's a shared experience to … Continue reading Allegiance
Unique. Novel. Exciting. Always something new to learn. These were just a few of the reasons I looked forward to spending time with my Grandma Lorenz. We did things that no one else seemed to do, at least not my friends in Aberdeen or Ellensburg or Prairie Village, Kansas. I didn’t know anyone else who … Continue reading Tacit
What’s in a name? For me, my heritage. Erin Christense Lorenz. Erin, Irish; Christense, Norwegian; Lorenz, German. Not represented? Scotch, Danish, English. My paternal grandfather, Paul Lorenz’s parents were first generation German, Gustav Heinrich Lorenz and Emilie Hermina Triesch. Great Grandma Lorenz was a very tiny woman in her old age, with a heavy German … Continue reading Butter and the Family Tree
Butter + Benedictions 