Thursday, June 22, 2006

A pie for Tom





Saying for the day: You can't tell a pie by its cover.

On the left end of this picture is my grandfather, James Lanyon and standing next to him is Tom the boarder with the wooden leg.
This family story is about Tom, blueberries, and pie.

I was about four or five years old and staying at my grandparent’s house for the weekend.

Gram asked Tom if he would take me berry picking.

My grandfather was very ill ( dying of cancer) and I think now she just wanted some time with him.

She gave us two pails and told us don’t come home until you have them filled. So off we went along the railroad tracks until we got to this big blueberry patch.
We picked for about an hour and had one pail full and one about a quarter full ( there were lots of blueberries in those days).
Then Tom took off his hat and poured the quarter pail into his hat. He then filled the pail three quarters full of grass and poured the blueberries back in. Now we had two full pails.

We took these back to grandma. I think she had hoped it would take longer but she seemed happy.

The next day Gram had three pies. Two big pies and one little one. One of the big ones she cut for the meal but when Tom went to take a piece she announced that the little pie was just for him.

I thought that I had done as much work as Tom and I didn’t get a special pie.

Tom cut into it expecting the usual treat that was my grandmother’s cooking. He and I were surprised to find that the contents of the pie were a few blueberries and a lot of grass.

She baked him a grass pie.

My grandmother had a great sense of humor. For years she would ask him if he wanted another special pie.

@@@@
News from Pigeon Falls-the little town in my backyard-Pigeon Falls now has a taxi service. Toivo bought a used Taxi for his son Robert, the one who is a student at Northern Michigan University to drive during
the tourist season. It will help pay for his college.
The first passenger to use the new service was the wife of the Bishop who arrived on the only passenger car on the 10:00 freight. She wanted to go right out to the Bishop’s house. She had only a small suitcase with her so it doesn’t seem that she is planning on staying very long.
The Bishop himself hasn’t come back to town since he decked Big Rudy. Pastor Marvel and some men from the church went out and installed a new window for the Bishop. Pastor Marvel said he wanted the Bishop to know there were good people in Pigeon Falls as well as the idiot that broke the window.
Nancy said that one of the men that brought the big crates into the Pigeon Falls Hermit’s house stopped in for coffee. He said the house was pretty sparse. There was a couch, a recliner , and some odd equipment in the living room. It looked like something out of a science fiction movie. Something like the Bride of Frankenstein . That’s going to get the rumors moving.
Now that the crisis is over the council is rapidly putting things in order. They have officially approved the Pigeon Days committee that was established when there was no council and provided some funding. Mayor South is going over her Pigeon days proclamation. They are also looking at the Fourth of July celebration and have ordered the fireworks. They have to find a new place to set them off as last year’s fireworks set the tool shed at the public park on fire.
The White Rabbit hasn’t been seen for several days.
No dead pigeons to report.
Life is settling back to its ordinary rhythm.
Jack had a tourist pass out at the Sauna. apparently he couldn’t handle a real sauna. They dragged him out into the air and after a bit he came to. I doubt he’ll try a sauna again. I hope Jack has good insurance.
****

Link for today-Let's Move to the Moon-Remember to put Dr. John in the comment to get JC points (and everybody wants JC points).Click here for your personal accumulated points. We finished the kiddy park today. Then put it out on the layout. Its final place in the bigger amusement park we will decide later. Then we built our first ticket booth for the whole park. You can see some pictures of the kiddy park on Betty's blog. Betty and I went to Iron River to get some medicine. Now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

17 Comments:

Blogger Janets Planet said...

So did you watch this Beard in a Jar video?

Thanks for the points.

4:17 AM  
Blogger starbender said...

WoW-amazing! I got here first!
I haven't been the first comment in a very long time---and it isn't even Monday! heheheeeee!
U'r grandma was a very smart woman! I would have done the same thing with those pies!

Glad there R NO dead pigeons! Keep a watchful eye 4 bird flu....

see ya Dr. John!

;]

4:18 AM  
Blogger starbender said...

hahaaa.....
took 2 long posting it....
:o

2nd. works also.....

4:19 AM  
Blogger Louisiana said...

oh i love your grandma...i love her sense of humor and intelligence. good for her..i betcha Tom's face was priceless! my type of girl i tell you...:), he, he. you must have laughed your heart out...:)
*****************
Bishop's wife is there? oh my, what does she look like? who is she? doesn't the Bishop know she was coming to greet her? he is in big trouble for not being there..yikes.. that was very nice of the Pastor and the men to install the window. don't you love small towns, the way they all look out for each other? last years fireworks really sound like fireworks alright..setting the (shed) park on fire sounds scary but hillarious..hope no one was hurt..so much happening, so many news..Nancy will be busy for days..
****************************
i hope you have yourself a marvelous day and take care. look forward to 'Another Day in Pigeon Falls tomorrow' or 'All my Pigeons'..he, he..

5:13 AM  
Blogger jafabrit said...

Oh ha! ha! grass pie!! that is brilliant, what a sense of humour.

5:16 AM  
Blogger B.R.L said...

Your Grandma knew what to do with the grass.

6:08 AM  
Blogger kristi said...

Your grandmother must have been a hoot. A grass pie, that was a good one on her part!!! My mom-mom is a spunky woman full of fire that would do something like that.

Wow a Taxi service in Pigeon Falls, whooo hoo we are moving up in the world. Heck the town I live in right now doesn't even have one of those.
And the Bishops wife has come to town....what does she look like???
I am so happy to hear that things are getting squared away in Pigeon Falls again...that was a rough patch they just came through

6:16 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for linking to my blog today. *Tear* I don't know what I did to deserve this honor.

6:38 AM  
Blogger Milwaukee Girl said...

FIrst time here - good blog! Tracked you down through Darth's Neutrality blog! Keep on posting!

6:55 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

She sounds a great character like my grandmother was.

7:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh my goodness, Dr. John! That was HILARIOUS!

9:08 AM  
Blogger Lori's Minute said...

I love that story about your grandma and the special pie. I once sent an ex a cactus plant from a florist because we were having a fight and on the card told him to "Sit on it". He did not think it was funny.

10:36 AM  
Blogger Bella said...

Oh My God!!! Yes, Bella finally got it. I feel like such a blonde. I get the whole "little town in the backyard" and the great stories that go along with it. I finally did some digging, read the archives (although I still have a lot to read) and I finally realize exactly what Pigeon Falls actually is.

Praise the Lord - Bella finally figured it out!

I think your grandmother was a wonderful person with a great sense of humor.

11:49 AM  
Blogger Catch said...

your Grandmother sounds like mine....she had a great sense of humor too. How funny that she put the grass in the pie!

I am glad the Bishops wife came...she may have had her clothes sent on ahead...thats why she only had a small suitcase. Or maybe she is planning on buying all new!!!

1:32 PM  
Blogger Catch said...

DR John...I cannot leave a comment on the blog for the day...I have tried twice and it will not take my comment.....:((...now what? Can I have a make up blog? lol

1:42 PM  
Blogger FRIDAY'S CHILD said...

Hi Dr. John. First thanks for visiting. Did you have a nice feast on the fruits? I've visited the link you required but unluckily wasn't able to watch the video. Won't open for me.
BTW, what's with the JC points?

6:18 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dear Dr. John,

I wish I'd known your grandmother, Dr. John. Dr. John, she must have been a "dandy." By that, Dr. John, I mean unique. A grass pie. Dr. John, she sure paid him back, don't you think? The man might have had a wooden leg, but his brain was not wood, Dr. John. He thought he fooled your Grandma, Dr. John, but she got the last laugh. :-)))

8:46 PM  

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