This morning, as I was creating
Jean’s breakfast, I realized why I like to cook. In cooking, as in writing, I create a text to
be consumed & hopefully, savored.
Appreciated & discussed. For
Jean this morning, I created a mushroom omelet, a side of mango & a side of
hash browns.
During our last soiree in the
hospital, Jean informed me that there were only two good uses for white
potatoes – French fries & hash browns.
She later amended that to include baked white potatoes.
My breakfast this morning consisted
of muffins, inspired by my cousin Laura’s bright & articulate grandson,
Thomas.
During a recent visit with my cousin
Laura & her sisters, I had the joy & wonder of meeting their children
& grandchildren.
Laura’s daughter Jennifer, who lives
in Maryland with her Navy husband, was in town for an extended stay with her
parents, who are called Mimi & Papa by their grand babies.
So, since I was camped out at Laura
& her husband Al’s home, I spent time during my visit with Rachel, Thomas
& Cecilia.
Thomas wanted muffins. The first time he asked for Mimi to make
muffins, she told him that they would make them tomorrow.
When tomorrow came, Rachel & Thomas came
downstairs in the morning & the first thing Thomas asked was:
Mimi,
can we make muffins?
My cousin Laura gathered all the
ingredients for muffins – sans the walnuts she usually uses. She discussed sliced almonds & gave some
to Thomas to taste. With Thomas’
approval, almonds went into the muffins.
As I watched Laura make the muffins,
Thomas on a stool to help, I realized she was creating more than food to
nourish us. She was creating a text, a
memory.
Making
muffins with Mimi.
When I returned to Houston, after a
delay ( a whole Other story ), I decided to make Mimi’s muffins.
But my Internet went down & was
reduced to consult a cookbook. I could
have looked up the recipe Laura uses & tweaks on my phone, but I am always
at my best returning to what I know & love & understand.
I returned to a book.
So I made muffins, with walnuts
& dried cranberries, tweaking the recipe, drawing threads from a braid of
recipe texts & making it my own.
With Thomas’s voice echoing, “Mimi, can we make muffins?”
It was an amazing visit, seeing my
favorite cousins – Laura & Vicki & Suzanne & Jenny.
But I think that one of the best parts was
watching Mimi weave a text & create a memory.
That, & Laura’s four year old
granddaughter Rachel addressing me as Jaki Jean.
Houston poet & Texas Poet
Laureate Vassar Miller wrote about naming.
That we love what we name, we name
what we love.
Rachel reminded me that Jack &
Jean named me after each another, out of love for one another & for their
first born.
Thomas & Mimi reminded me
everything we do with & for one another is part of weaving a text &
memory. Part of being connected &
sharing.
Fine reminders.
