My Fanciful Accounts

Grandma would have been so pleased to see the spread and family around this table last night. Though it wasn't the standard pork roast, potato dumplings, and sauerkraut, I think she would have loved the beef roast, mashed potatoes and roasted veggies. Mostly, gram would have enjoyed the memories that were sparked by two sisters with the simple act of family sitting down to eat.
In grandma's kitchen at this very table, she shared with me her pie crust recipe, the secret to successful dough, and let me practice rolling out a few of my own. I learned that golden raisins make for better soda bread. Gram and I also rolled out a lot of kolache dough on that table. While I never mastered that pork roast or dumpling recipe, I watched her serve it up many a time. I can still taste that gravy!
Once upon a Christmas party, I remember mixing Hamm's beer and orange crush and calling it a screwdriver. I remember gram's medicine for headaches, sore throats and stomach aches being concocted at that table, too-- lemon, honey, and a wee bit of whiskey could cure everything that might ail one.
That table was witness to card games, grandpa's sugar cup with a little coffee added for flavor, Uncle Jack's visits and lots of laughter. The very last time that I sat at that table with gram, we went through the photo box. This was something that we shared through the years, our love of those photos and the stories attached to them.
Last night for a short time, I do believe that the aroma of a kitchen past had baked itself into the furniture to be released at this very special time. And thanks to my sister's magic hostessing skills, we were able to share those scents and smells of a common childhood with the rest of those present.