"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.
My brother, Mike, is the coolest. He runs a non-profit business called Operation Clean Slate in Southern California, where he paints murals with school kids to fight graffiti. Or as he calls it, a “campus beautification program.” The premise is that kids — or taggers, as graffiti vandals are called — want recognition, even if … Read more
I don’t normally do this, re-post someone else’s blog, but this story by Christine Buckley still resonates with me. Christine was my latest house guest at the American Gothic House and she wrote about her pie baking experience here. In her piece, she truly captured the essence of pie and how it heals, something I … Read more
Just another day at the American Gothic House. When you live in the American Gothic House you never know who — or what — is going to turn up on your doorstep. Case in point: yesterday, a group of 15 MINI Coopers, driving in two groups from Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, converged in Eldon, … Read more
The connection to past and present, lit up in neon. I love Aldi. Aldi is a German-owned discount grocery store chain in both Germany and the U.S. (Aldi U.S. has 1,000 stores in 29 states. And, a little known fact, Aldi also owns Trader Joe’s.) Marcus introduced me to Aldi when we were still dating. … Read more
This is what “House Arrest” looks like. Who knew that living in Iowa could be so perilous? Perilous to my dog Jack and to my wallet, I mean. One thousand dollars spent between two veterinarians in two different towns and we are still not quite sure what has caused the incessant vomiting in my little … Read more
My friends Stacy and James from Portland, Oregon visited me at the American Gothic House two weeks ago. It was my second weekend of business with the Pitchfork Pie Stand and immediately upon their arrival in Eldon I put them to work on the pie production line. They were naturals, falling in love with pie … Read more
I haven’t baked pie in a week. I haven’t blogged in a week. But one week after the bunny incident, I can at least say I have gone for a bike ride. How could I not? The day was warm — almost hot — at 75 degrees. These summer temperatures were undoubtedly some kind of record breaker for Iowa, … Read more
Just as making 231 pies hasn’t been enough to heal my grief from Marcus, yesterday’s 10-mile bike ride to Selma was no cure for the heartache left by Mr. X. Not even close. So I went for another bike ride this afternoon. I left the house earlier this time which meant warmer temperatures and more … Read more
Pie heals. Pie heals. Pie heals. Pie heals. Pie heals. How many more times do I have to keep saying this? And how many more pies do I have to make before I heal? According to my calculations I’ve made 231 pies in the 14 and a half months since Marcus died. And yet there … Read more