Gracie and a Fount of Creativity

It’s time to enjoy Cuz’s better half “Susie”, a wonderful, fun loving person, bubbling with creativity.

Her art adorns the walls of the local Methodist church - from the mural in the church sanctuary down to cartoon-like animals for the nursery children to delight in.  There is nothing like a Noah’s Ark to provide entertaining subject matter!  The penguins and camels catch Gracie’s interest.   Penguins are Gracie’s favorite animals, and the camels remind her of a fulfilling activity she did in the past. 

When Gracie would hear of someone who needed a little extra help over a bump in life her heart would ache, as she often was not in a position to help those people herself.  So she would email darn near everyone she knew, describing the situation at hand without mentioning any names, and ask her friends if they would donate a small sum. It was always within the community and the response was always just enough to cover anything from one month's rent to underwear for a family. She called this the Camelid Trust (a name inspired by Christ’s teachings on wealth in Matthew 19:24).

Susie and Her Dad

Norwegian Rosemåling  

Gracie Slept Here

Mordiford Heart

Suzie and Cuz’s home is filled with yet more manifestations of her many talents.  The walls are accented with her paintings.  Some are come from her imagination, such as the painting for her mother’s living room, which picks up the yellow and orange colors of a typical seventies décor – created to help pull the room together.  Others are taken from black and white photographs such as the ones Susie and her Dad and of Susie’s aunt in England.  Norwegian Rosemåling covers a chest in one of the bedrooms and another bedroom has a painting and homemade bedspread and drapes.   Gracie is thrilled when “Suzie” gives her a wheat weaving based on the Mordiford Heart, a design that originated on the English/Welsh border and later gained significance in Ireland.  Receiving one is considered good luck.

On a Good Old Iron Skillet

More creativity in the kitchen, where Gracie is taught to make griddle scones using "Suzie's" mother's recipe.  She learns that the pronunciation of "scone" is based on where you are from in Scotland so it's not scone (rhymes with own) but "scawn" (rhymes with lawn).  Gracie has to promise that she won't share the recipe with anyone else; a request she will honor of course. She knows she will make "scawns" often as the recipe is compatible with food storage items. Gracie maintains that "a good cook is a good thief", because she believes that all cooks have a specialty that they make better than anyone else Gracie considers it one of her missions in life to collect as many of those recipes as possible.  She will return to "Suzie's" kitchen in the coming year to learn the intricacies of Scottish shortbread.  What is your best dish and will you share that recipe with Gracie?

Copyright © 2015 Martina Sabo