A Tale of Two Weekends, Part 2

This is backdated, along with another post (A Tale of Two Weekends, Part 1 - not yet posted) to bring my loyal readers (both of them) up to speed. I spent almost all of last weekend cleaning out my kitchen cupboards. Everything out, and off the countertops, too, and scrub scrub scrub and toss, recycle, and rearrange. Overdue doesn't begin to cover it. But I had the time, it was nice and cool and for the most part, I enjoyed the process and the result.

I was plenty stiff and sore from all the climbing, bending, stretching and kneeling, but I definitely have something to show for it. Like alphabetized spices. I kid you not. OK, that's a little anal and it probably won't last, but that's how into it I was. I unearthed a few treasures, too. A couple of things surfaced that I could regift if I wanted and I found two of an amazing number of things -- salt, kosher salt, allspice, powdered sugar, brown sugar -- apparently 'cause I couldn't find the first item. It argues for some kind of computerized inventory system, not that I'm going that far.

But what I really mean by treasures are things that have family connections, like the balsa wood plaque of a peach that my cousin made for my mother when he was in probably about junior high school. I pulled out a pastry blender and saw that it was broken and dithered over throwing it away. It was either my Mom's or one just like it, slightly bent, with a worn wooden handle and a missing rivet. It transported me right back to childhood, to being in the kitchen watching my mother make piecrust and trying to learn her technique (impossible!). Holding it, I burst into tears so I sat down for a few minutes to have a good cry. It was like a storm passing over, sudden and unexpected but somehow bracing when it had gone.