The pork simmers in the slow cooker, and we have sauerkraut in the fridge— tonight we will feast. Pork and sauerkraut are traditional Pennsylvania German dishes for January 1. On Saturday, I bought the pork loin, a great 9-lb slab, on sale at Oregon Dairy Supermarket. At the crowded meat counter, I saw another shopper's cart loaded with pork, sauerkraut, and hot dogs. Another folk tradition, one I learned about only recently, is burning bayberry candles on New Year's Day for good luck in … [Read more...] about Happy New Year!
Writing
A is for Alif
Usually I like to publish a post once a week, but lately I've been neglecting Penny Letters. Here's why. It all started several months ago, when my friend Andrea asked me, "Susan, how I can I pray for you?" We were standing outside on a gravel driveway, after a bridal shower for a mutual friend. Andrea's own wedding was only a few weeks away, and I was impressed that she was asking about me. I said, "Well I'm kind of bored. I need a challenge." COVID has halted a lot of activities … [Read more...] about A is for Alif
Baking with Bonnet Novelists
The Facebook post read: Come Bake With Us! Author Chat with Sherry Gore. Ladies Luncheon, Holiday Baking. Door Prizes! Limited Seating. Tickets $45. "It's on a Saturday! Let's go!" I say to Mom. "It'll be a fun thing to do together." Both of us like Sherry's cookbook, Me, Myself, and Pie and her memoir, The Plain Choice. We knew Sherry recently moved to Bird-in-Hand, which is close to us. So we signed up and last Saturday, we drove to the Bird-in-Hand fire hall, where the event was being … [Read more...] about Baking with Bonnet Novelists
Launching Penny Letters
You know you've had a taxing weekend when you unwind by watching a documentary on the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I was really going to launch my blog this weekend. But then the social obligations started piling up. The eight-hour prayer seminar at church. A friend inviting me to try out her new hot tub. Another friend inviting me to church, with a speaker who told a heartbreaking story of losing his entire family in a flash flood. This was followed by a Sunday lunch invite that took up … [Read more...] about Launching Penny Letters