Just a Simple Conversation

It started as a conversation. “You know, Grandma (my dad’s mother), was born in Petoskey.” my mom said. My parents were up for the weekend and we were driving in Petoskey to show them my son’s apartment. “I think maybe I knew that.” I replied. “Yes. They owned a bakery. I have a picture of it.” She continued. I told her that my friend, Jane, is Co-Executive Director of The Little Traverse HIstorical Museum and that she (my mom) should send it to me and I’d pass it along to Jane for her collection. I didn’t think anymore about it until a letter arrived in the mail with a two sided page with really old pictures of my relatives photocopied on both sides. The pictures were simply labeled with names, but no mention of a bakery, or Petoskey. Two of the pictures had a variety of people, including my great-grandmother on the porch of a house that looked like it was out in a grassy field. I chuckled a bit to myself and wondered what, in the heck, I was going to do with these photos. There was nothing that resembled what I would imagine to be a bakery and certainly no evidence that the picture was taken in Petoskey. A couple of weeks later, I was working with Jane and told her the story of my grandma and the photos. As I described it to her, she said

“What was your grandmother’s name?” As I told her the name, she began tapping on her computer. “Did she die in 1999?” she asked. “I think so, but I’ll have to go look at the obituary to be sure.”

The very next day, which was a Saturday, I heard from Jane. She texted me a picture of an excerpt from the 1914 Petoskey City Guide. It read:

HENRY BROS (Glenn and Percy), Fancy and Staple Groceries, Flour, Fruits and Smoked Meats, 627 Grove, Tel 265.

I can’t even describe how exciting this was. Percy Henry was my great grandfather and Glenn was his brother! One moment I was a transplant to this area. A down-state girl, living in Petoskey by chance. Now, suddenly, I had roots here. I had to go to 627 Grove. I had to stand in the spot where my grandmother was born. Unfortunately, 627 Grove doesn’t exist anymore. After about 1919, the house/store no longer appears in any insurance maps. I asked Tom if he would go with me. So we plugged it into the map app on my phone and we wove our way through downtown Petoskey until we found the little corner lot, now fenced in with tall shrubs, and I stood there, and felt it. My roots. The Petoskey area went from a place where I live to a place I can truly call home. And it all started with a conversation.

I got a little behind...again

I just realized that I missed a bunch of posts! So please enjoy the extra reading this month!
Happy Fall!

Biker or Bicyclist? That is the question.

      Ever since I had to give up running, I've been looking for a form of exercise that I can do, other than just walking. I bought a rowing machine this last winter that has sat unused in the basement. I had every intention of rowing, until my son took the TV with him to college. I mean, I can't be expected to row without an episode of “Fixer Upper” to distract me, can I? Tom has been bicycling now for about 2 years and absolutely loves it. Recently, he was asking me if I'd like to take up the sport with him. Up until about a year ago I owned a bike. I don't really remember, other than my college years, a time in my life when I didn't have a bike. Banana seat, ten speed with the loop handlebars, 20 speed mountain bike, those were my go-to rides. I grew up on a bicycle and it was my main mode of transportation until I got my drivers licence. Some of my best scars come from bike riding. My most memorable wipe-out was an unfortunate incident involving a skateboard balanced on the handlebars, and a gravel road.

       These days I'm not as interested in riding no-handed from my best friends driveway to my own, but to get in a good workout. When Tom took me for a ride with me on his other bike, he took me on his normal route, which is about 14 miles total and I'm not gonna lie, it just about killed me. But I still knew that I had found what I was looking for. So Tom went on the hunt for a “new” bike for me and two days later I was on the bike trail on my very own bike. And I don't think I have to tell you the most exciting part, all of the accessories I'm going to be able to get! On my first ride I was thinking to myself about all of the things I would need:

• A bell
• A rear view mirror
• A super-cool helmet
• Biking shorts with the spongy butt-padding
• Fingerless gloves
• A helmet
• And shoes (duh!)

Many of the items on this list are a lot like the things I need and use for motorcycling. So I come to one problem. Am I a biker who bikes? A motorcycle rider who bicycles? Regardless, I don't have to be a runner to get a good workout. I just had to return to my biking roots.

Cooking for Two

If cooking for two were a class in school, I would fail miserably. I’ve adjusted quite well to this phase in my life except when it comes to cooking for myself and Tom. I just don’t do it. We have been reduced to frozen microwave dinners and lots and lots of eggs.

As we head to the grocery store I think to myself “I have nothing planned for dinners this week!” And then I think, “That’s ok. Tom doesn’t mind his frozen dinners, and he can eat whenever he wants.” But it isn’t OK with me. Even though I feel badly about it, for some reason I’m not making a move towards learning to cook for two. Cooking for a family of 4 was enjoyable. Cooking for two is complicated. I try to remember back to the days before kids but I was so inept in the kitchen that dinner consisted of a lot of spaghetti (which Tom lovingly referred to as “Old Standby”) and grilled cheese sandwiches. I’m back to grilled cheese, but no longer make spaghetti because of the acid reflux that results from too much tomato sauce. But I don’t think Tom recognizes grilled cheese as me actually making dinner. Recently, some friends stopped by with their motorcycles and asked if we wanted to go ride and stop for dinner.

            “Sure,” Tom said, “We haven’t had dinner.”

            “Yes we have! I made grilled cheese sandwiches!” I responded.

We did try Blue Apron for about a month but I didn’t do well with the pressure of cooking some creative recipe that nobody liked. There was also the pressure of some evening commitment or class potentially preventing me from cooking one of the recipes so that the ingredients would eventually go bad, which would then be a waste of food and money (never mind the food and money I waste annually that comes directly from the grocery store). My most successful week this past year (yes there are only a couple of successful weeks) was my annual “Week of Soups.” That’s always great because soups are easy to store and reheat at a later time, usually during the cold months.

I really do like to cook. And there was a time when I made a weekly meal plan. There was usually a chicken night, a crockpot meal night, a casserole night, pasta night, leftovers night, and salad or sandwich night. Occasionally, I’d throw in breakfast-for-dinner night. We ate like kings back then! Sometimes I’ll pick up a “Cooking for Two” recipe book magazine in the grocery store aisle and flip through it for inspiration but then put it back when I see the familiar recipes that I have cooked in the past and see the $14.99 price tag on the cover. This year I’m going to commit to learning to cook for two. I’m turning over a new leaf. Tonight we’ll start with grilled cheese sandwiches.