THE OPENER

I woke to a cold house this morning…the damp spring weather undermining my premature air conditioning choice. I quickly switched the thermostats to “heat,” but not before I was reminded of the dank and chilly lake cabin Mom and I used to ready for the season in early spring each year.

We always picked a nice, sunny day in late April to open the un-insulated cabin. Despite the strength of the sun, the big shade trees on the hillside kept the space from warming until we stoked the fireplace and turned on the stove. Then we set about polishing furniture, clearing away cobwebs, dusting books and washing windows. We brought clean curtains and towels, sheets and rugs and heated water on the stove to wash the dishes that the mice had used all winter. My grandparents built Linger Longer Lodge in 1920 and it was a no-frills place, with uneven wood floors, piecemeal décor and leaky windows. It withstood hundreds of storms and an equal number of parties. I have a ton of great memories from that place. My kids grew up there, and my brothers and me, and my mom and her siblings before that.

Mom loved that old cabin and enjoyed filling it with bric-a-brac, shells and driftwood she combed from the beach, Depression glass her mother passed down to her, linens embroidered by my great-grandmother. In one corner of the cabin, stood the old Victorola crank phonograph that had been given to her by her Uncle Oscar. On our periodic coffee breaks, we’d wind it up and spin her collection of Bing Crosby records. We loved “opening day” of the cabin: the lunch we fixed over the old gas stove, the cookies she always packed in a tin and the plaid thermos of coffee we sipped as we cleaned, the memories we shared as we worked to scrub away a winter’s-worth of dirt.

Before we left at the end of the day, we spent time in the sand, listening to the loons and the gentle gurgle of the creek that ran into the lake from the ravine nearby. We planned our summer and talked about life then and when she was young.

I will never forget those times and am grateful that Mom taught me how to work and eat and play and listen to good music, all at the same time. She taught me that work is play, play is work and it all equals fun. A habit I have perfected with time.

MOM’S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 egg

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1-3/4 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg. Add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir in dry ingredients. Shape into balls and roll in sugar. Press a criss-cross pattern in tops with a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. 

MOM’S MORNING GLORY MUFFINS

1-1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup oil or applesauce

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 cups grated carrots

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup coconut

1/2 cup diced raw apple

Coarse ground sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine sugar, oil or applesauce, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Fold in carrots, raisins, coconut and apple.
Spoon batter into paper-lined or greased muffin tins. Sprinkle tops generously with coarse ground sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

EVERYDAY SLOPPY JOES

1 pound ground beef

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup celery, finely chopped

1-1/2 fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vinegar

1-1/2 tablespoons water

2/3 cup ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown meat with onion and celery. Drain. Stir in all other ingredients. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve in buns.