Many years ago, back in the day when men avoided doing any form of house work because it called their manhood into question, my father did help my mom. But he helped on the sly to avoid being teased by other less secure men. One year he was at the back door hanging up a dish towel on the line when a thin reedy voice piped from across the street. “Happy Mothers Day, Mr. Gravel!” …
Ken was a real do-it-yourself guy. But even he knew his limitations. Back in the day people built their own houses rather than having them built. And they got knowledgeable friends to help with their weaker areas of skill. Ken was excellent at concrete, wood, sheet rock, etc. Electrical and plumbing, well he felt less confident. So he asked Stan to check all his work. Stan came and checked. Ken asked what he could …
It was a long winter. April was an amazing month. The start had nights in the single digits – unseasonably cold. The middle had major snow storms of heavy wet snow – sometimes in excess of a foot. And the end had a day that reached eighty degrees in the nearby Twin Cities of St Paul and Minneapolis. When the first snow crocus popped open I was glad to see them Then the …
Ken always enjoyed the amaryllis. My parents had sent him a bulb here and there; most went to a friend when we went to Japan. Last fall they sent one to me, and now its blossoms remind me of both them AND Ken. It is short, has two stems and is BEAUTIFUL.
Dave at Halco Press and I were laughing as we remembered Ken stories last week. One of my favorites involves Ken, Dave and Dave’s dad Jim. Jim Slack was a warm – hearted man with a crusty exterior. He loved teasing Ken. He would often ask Ken what he was up to and once Ken explained that afternoon he planned to put handles on cups. Ken further explained that one had to wait for the …
In the days before we were doing publicity on the internet, Ken commissioned art and made postcards to announce his pottery shows. He worked with our local Turtle Lake printer, Dave. Dave’s family published the Turtle Lake Times, and ran a print shop. One of Dave’s first printing jobs was to deal with that weird, long haired artist up in the woods who made pots – Ken. Ken had an art degree and was often …
Wow. This has been quite a month and it’s only half over! We had lows in the single digits earlier in the month, and Last weekend many of us got a foot of new snow after an earlier eight inches. So, today I was shoveling. Today sun was in the forecast, so I went down and opened vents and shoveled out the area by the door. The sides have so much snow! …
I took on Ken’s sourdough when he died. I am still learning about bread baking, but can do a passable loaf. I ended up with extra sourdough. I guess this is a fairly common occurrence. I am not a big pancake eater – one of the ways to use the extra starter, but I decided to try the recipe using starter in crackers. Today I made my first batch, and I …
Ken and I formed a team. People are often surprised at areas where our skills did not overlap. Ken loved planting seeds. And he had his set up on the lower level adjacent to the pottery studio. A few years ago he built a germination cabinet. Ken started each season with the onion seeds. On a trip to the root cellar I could walk by and see him planting. Sometimes we’d discuss what …
Ken was such a good cook and baker. His experience was broad and deep. He grew up cooing and canning from a garden in his back yard. His grandmother owned and cooked at the Afton House. Ken worked in restaurants, a bakery, pizza shoppe, hospital kitchen, and finally as a private chef for one of the Pillsbury family. I grew up in a food family, too. My maternal grandmother had a …
