How Do You Like Your Eggs?

In this time of physical isolation, I've noticed many of my friends turning to storytelling, partly out of a need to entertain one another, and partly as a way to share and preserve family history. With everyone in the family at home, feeding the multitude is another preoccupation. Have you noticed how many of your friends are learning to bake bread?

Our fridges are fully stocked with eggs - a protein which has a much longer shelf life than meat, unless of course, the meat is frozen. This morning, while cracking open the most beautiful, richly coloured eggs for our breakfast, I couldn't help but laugh, thinking of my Grandma, who was such a fabulous cook, she could cook in her sleep!

Way back in the "olden days", before self defrosting refrigerators, people had to manually de-ice and scrape the freezer every two months. My Mum would boil a pot of water on the stove, and while she was waiting for it to boil, she'd remove all the frozen food from the freezer. Then, she'd hoist the heavy pot full of boiled water into the empty freezer compartment, close the freezer door, and wait for the great melting. It was a watery mess, which usually involved four kids sliding around on the kitchen floor, a mop, and numerous towels.

Years later, my Grandma - a creative genius - had the brilliant idea to use the electric kettle, and place it inside the freezer to work its magic. She sat down at the kitchen table...and R-E-L-A-X-E-D. She woke up in a steam bath! There was water all over the floor of her steamy kitchen. Even more shocking, the kettle had boiled dry. It not only melted the ice, it melted the industrial plastic lining of the freezer!

A few days later, she was preparing a meal, and took an egg from the fridge. She cracked it open, only to discover that it was hard boiled. She cracked open another one. Then, another one. She had hard boiled all of the eggs! Grandma is the only person I know, who could have hard boiled eggs in her refrigerator! She was also gifted with a sense of humour, which allowed her to see the chaotic world as sunny side up.

Many of my friends have been sharing how, during this time of self isolation, they are reading aloud to their children, and spouses. One of the best memories I have of Grandma living with us, was of her reading aloud to my friends and me, as we gathered around the kitchen table every day. My Mum was in hospital, recovering from a near fatal brain aneurysm. That Summer, Grandma started reading lighthearted books to us, "Please Don't Eat the Daisies", and a book by a Pacific Northwest writer, "The Egg and I". Just a chapter or two each day, and all was well with the world. May all be well in your world!

 Photographs Copyright of: Ruth Adams, Widow's Endorphins Photographic Images Incorporated.