Today is Short Story Friday. Once again you’re getting one that I’ve already posted. As I’ve mentioned, I’m working on a collection of short stories. These focus on different aspects of my growing up in Southwest Virginia. Some are true to life. Some are inspired.
They will eventually go into a collection that I hope to publish prior to the end of there. A.K.A. in time for you to purchase it for Christmas gifts.
Before I post the story, I should also note that today is National Care Givers Day. It hits home a little bit as my
Available at The Write Side Shop (click the pic)
Mom has spent the last two months in rehab after falling and breaking her leg just before New Years. We have a ways to go.
My wife and I have been here before. Her Mother lived with us for the last five years of her life. Multiple surgeries and the final year in a nursing home. Caring for aging parents is no easy task.
That’s all I’ll say about it for now except that it’s also inspired me to write another story. In a perfect world I would have presented that today on actual National Caregivers Day.
But this is not a perfect world.
Here’s today’s story. Once again a work in progress.
I’d love your feedback. Good and bad.
Have a good weekend.
Here’s the story.
THE FIRST POUND CAKE
She walked into the family home place carrying the Tupperware container.
It was the big container. The round container. We already knew what was inside.
She found a place on the dessert table.
I don’t know how made the first family pound cake. But it showed up at a reunion in the early 1970s.
I’m sure there were pound cakes before, but this was the new recipe.
Pound cake is supposed to have originated in northern Europe in sometime in the 1700s. The recipe was simple, a pound each of sugar, flour, butter, and eggs. Seems like that would make it a four-pound cake.
But I don’t do math.
While some of my family may have been in Europe in the 1700s, this is not the recipe that showed up at our reunion.
It wasn’t just your average pound cake. This one was different. It was made with sour cream.
I have no idea what difference that makes.
I don’t do math or bake.
We ate it with strawberries. We ate it with boiled custard.
In some ways, that made it an expected part of family gatherings.
We ate it on every special occasion. The Sunday dinners. Easter. Christmas.
There was a secret family code of who would bring it to the next gathering. Perhaps there was a plan.
Perhaps it just happened. I don’t know that there were ever two at any given meal. There was always one.
Now, some forty years later, there seems to always be one at my Mother’s house.
My Mother is the last of that generation. Who will make the pound cake in the future?
Will it fade away as a memory so that, one day, when we are all old, we’ll want a pound cake like Mother used to make?
It’s not that we didn’t have other desserts. We certainly did.
But the pound cake was always there. It anchored the dessert table. It was our constant.
Family gatherings aren’t like they used to be. We’re more scattered now. More distant. More conscious of what we should and shouldn’t be eating.
But, for so many years, there was always pound cake.
American actor, singer and producer, John Travolta, was born on this day in 1954.
THINGS YOU SHOULD READ
One year without Rush Limbaugh – 5 lessons he left us on how to handle the left FoxNews
But what is knowable is that Rush fought – and won – the same battles against the same leftists who used the same tactics being weaponized against us today. Read More.
‘Restoring Power Back to Parents’: Youngkin Ends School Mask Mandates NBC4 Washington
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday afternoon ending school mask mandates in the state within weeks. Read More.
Corey Lewandowski Claims ‘There Is No Question’ He Was ‘Spied On’ In 2016 Daily Caller
“There’s no question the Trump team was spied on during that campaign. There’s no question that they destroyed a number of our lives and our reputations all for political purposes.” Read More.
BORN ON THIS DAY
1862 – Charles M. Schwab, American businessman, co-founded Bethlehem Steel (d. 1939)
1919 – Jack Palance, American boxer and actor (d. 2006)
1925 – George Kennedy, American actor (d. 2016)
1931 – Johnny Hart, American cartoonist, co-created The Wizard of Id (d. 2007)
1933 – Yoko Ono, Japanese-American multimedia artist and musician
1950 – John Hughes, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 2009)
1968 – Molly Ringwald, American actress
WHAT I’M READING
BENEDICTION
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Ephesians 3:20–21
Ronald Wilson Reagan February 2, 1911 – June 5, 2004
{"id":null,"mode":"button","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/thewritesideofmybrain.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/thewritesideofmybrain.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":500,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"https:\/\/thewritesideofmybrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/beachcoffee-200x118.jpg","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Buy me a cup of coffee.","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"The Write Side of My Brain","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"The Write Side of My Brain","form_subtitle":null,"currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for being a supporter!","payment_confirmation_title":"The Write Side of My Brain","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
Today is Short Story Friday. Once again you’re getting one that I’ve already posted. As I’ve mentioned, I’m working on a collection of short stories. These focus on different aspects of my growing up in Southwest Virginia. Some are true to life. Some are inspired.
