My Bakery

Last week, I wrote that the wheat of my life had been ground between millstones into a flour I would use for baking this year. This past week, I’ve thought about flour—rye, whole wheat, white—and all I can bake with it. Through the years, I’ve baked—

·      whole wheat, white, rye, pumpernickel, and potato yeast bread;

·      all sorts of muffins, some with fruit bits in them, many with herbs and cheese, others with spices;

·      stollens and tarts and St. Lucia wreathes as Christmas gifts;

·      scones for myself and for company;

·      quick bread—nut, banana, pumpkin, zucchini, craisins, carrot and pineapple—that I gave as Christmas gifts to neighbors and friends;

·      cookies galore for children who gave me great joy as they devoured them;

·      pistachio and chocolate biscotti for those coffee-drinking friends who enjoy them;

·      pecan as well as cinnamon rolls for breakfast gatherings;

·      rolls for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners;

·      biscuits for company when I’ve served soup;

     cakes and crumbles for birthdays and other celebrations;

·                          pancakes and waffles for breakfast.

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During the past week, I thought about all the delicious items one can make with flour. So many; so different in taste and texture; so different in the time needed to prepare and bake them; so different as to when we eat them and how we celebrate with them.

Now for an analogy.

Writing a memoir (circa 75,000 words) or a novel (circa 120,000 words) is like making yeast bread. From cupping the flour to taking the loaves out of the oven takes me four hours. That’s all morning or afternoon. A big job—that’s a novel or memoir.

Writing a gift book (circa 22,000 words) is like making cookies.

Writing a blog (I always try to write no more than 600 words) is like making scones.

I’d like to continue doing all of this—but not on a timetable or schedule because I’ve done that with making the yeast bread of novels and memoirs and what has happened is that writing has ceased to be a joy and has become labor. Something that MUST be done!

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So when I feel creative and the right side of my brain “bulges” with ideas, I’ll make “yeast bread.”

The same goes for making the cookies that are gift books.

The scones that are these blog postings remain enjoyable to me when I do them once weekly. I get to read your comments and respond to them; I get to visit your blogs and see what’s happening in your lives. We become a community.

Now here’s some news: I’ll be “baking” something else as well—pancakes!

Last Tuesday, a friend called me. She hadn’t read my Monday blog and so knew nothing about the possibility that I might give up writing. As the managing editor of a newspaper in Idaho that circulates to 35,000 families, she’s in charge of what goes in the paper.

She wanted to add a new weekly 250-word column to the paper for animal lovers and asked if I’d write it. At the same time, she asked would I join with another woman and do an advice column. I’d just need to respond to a couple of reader concerns/questions a week.

Clearly, the Universe had read my posting! I immediately said yes to both opportunities. So weekly I’ll be serving pancakes--in Idaho!

I want to thank all of you for the thoughtful and concerned comments you left last week. Please drop by next week for another “scone.” It will probably be about why I’m choosing to continue to make yeast bread—with a new recipe.

Peace.