Above you see myself and my friend, Dorothy Rodwell, at the Mound House Holiday Tea this past Saturday. What a lovely day it was.
As I'm the publicity gal for the Friends of the Mound House as well as the editor of our newsletter, The Gumbo Limbo Gazette, I was busy taking pictures when I wasn't munching on shrimp with fresh lime, a sea grape jelly roll, fruit salad, and Dorothy's famous cornbread.
I sat with the Friends of Matanza's Pass Preserve and, as these folks take care of our island's 60-acre preserve, all our food was native to Florida.
Our table was also quite gorgeous with native foliage and berries but we, alas, didn't win the best table prize. Our theme was Caring for the Land Through Time so we were each dressed to represent a different era. I was 1910's while Dorothy was Civil War. We even had a Caloosa Indian at our table.
Anyway, below is the 2nd and last installment of Cherry Chocolate Surprise. Enjoy...
Aunt Ruby chuckled. "Did I tell you about the dream I had last night, my Little Moon Muffin?"
India May shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to wipe away the splatter now slowly making its way down the wall. She licked her fingers and then dropped into a split.
Aunt Ruby clapped her hands. "That’s perfect! Anyway, I dreamed Gertie Callister came knocking on our door to tell me her butterscotch bonanza had burned in the oven. She begged me to give her my cherry chocolate surprise!" Aunt Ruby sighed. "It was a lovely dream."
After several more messes and much more spoon waving, Aunt Ruby slid her Cherry Chocolate Surprise into the oven. She set the oven timer and, while the cake baked, she made a pot of India May's favorite lemon rose tea.
Aunt Ruby buttered a maple pecan scone and handed it to India May. "Hmmm...are you sure I shouldn't have added just the tiniest bit of maple syrup?”
India May shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"You’re right. You always are, you know. Here, eat this scone my Angel Creme and then show me one of those ballerina leaps, those grand jetes."
India May ate three maple pecan scones and drank two cups of lemon rose tea before she began practicing ballerina leaps for Aunt Ruby.
She leaped four times before the oven timer went off.
BZZZZZ!
Aunt Ruby took a deep breath and so India May took one too. Aunt Ruby gently opened the oven door and she and India May both peered inside.
"Do you think it's done?" Aunt Ruby asked. India May shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"I think so, too." Aunt Ruby carefully took the cherry chocolate surprise from the oven and set it on the table.
Stepping back, she whispered, "It looks light enough to float away."
India May followed behind Aunt Ruby as she quietly walked around the table. She studied the cherry chocolate surprise from every angle. Finally she turned to India May and caught her in an enormous bear hug.
"It's perfect! Why, it’s as perfect as...as your plies and those grand jetes! Grab my purse Spring Pea. We're going to the Teatime Bake Off."
While India May looked for Aunt Ruby's purse, Aunt Ruby began searching the pockets of her apron. She pulled out one of India May's pink barrettes and a white feather India May had given her the day before.
"Now where on earth did I put those directions? Ah...here they are." She pulled a crumbled piece of paper from her apron pocket and flattened it onto the kitchen table. "What time is it, Honeycomb?"
India May shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know how to tell time yet.
Aunt Ruby glanced up at the clock above the stove. "Oh no! The bake off started fifteen minutes ago! We're late!"
Aunt Ruby tossed the directions into the air, jumped from her chair, and headed for the door. Remembering that she needed to bring the cherry chocolate surprise with her, she spun around and raced back to the table. Scooping up the cake, she turned again for the door. At the exact same moment India May saw the egg shells still on the floor but there was no time to warn Aunt Ruby.
As Aunt Ruby stepped on them, her feet slipped out from under her and she landed with a thud on the kitchen floor. For an instant, it looked as if the cherry chocolate surprise was really going to float away, but then it too landed with a thud and a splat on the floor next to Ruby.
"Oh no," she moaned as she saw the cherry chocolate mess that lay around her. "Gertie Callister gets to keep my blue ribbon for another year."
Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, Aunt Ruby loudly blew her nose. She sighed as a glob of chocolate slid off her cheek.
A slow smile, just the tiniest bit sad, spread over her face as she wiped away her tears. She sighed a huge sigh.
"I guess I'll need help cleaning this up.""
As I'm the publicity gal for the Friends of the Mound House as well as the editor of our newsletter, The Gumbo Limbo Gazette, I was busy taking pictures when I wasn't munching on shrimp with fresh lime, a sea grape jelly roll, fruit salad, and Dorothy's famous cornbread.
I sat with the Friends of Matanza's Pass Preserve and, as these folks take care of our island's 60-acre preserve, all our food was native to Florida.
Our table was also quite gorgeous with native foliage and berries but we, alas, didn't win the best table prize. Our theme was Caring for the Land Through Time so we were each dressed to represent a different era. I was 1910's while Dorothy was Civil War. We even had a Caloosa Indian at our table.
Anyway, below is the 2nd and last installment of Cherry Chocolate Surprise. Enjoy...
Aunt Ruby chuckled. "Did I tell you about the dream I had last night, my Little Moon Muffin?"
India May shook her head, shrugged her shoulders, and turned to wipe away the splatter now slowly making its way down the wall. She licked her fingers and then dropped into a split.
Aunt Ruby clapped her hands. "That’s perfect! Anyway, I dreamed Gertie Callister came knocking on our door to tell me her butterscotch bonanza had burned in the oven. She begged me to give her my cherry chocolate surprise!" Aunt Ruby sighed. "It was a lovely dream."
After several more messes and much more spoon waving, Aunt Ruby slid her Cherry Chocolate Surprise into the oven. She set the oven timer and, while the cake baked, she made a pot of India May's favorite lemon rose tea.
Aunt Ruby buttered a maple pecan scone and handed it to India May. "Hmmm...are you sure I shouldn't have added just the tiniest bit of maple syrup?”
India May shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"You’re right. You always are, you know. Here, eat this scone my Angel Creme and then show me one of those ballerina leaps, those grand jetes."
India May ate three maple pecan scones and drank two cups of lemon rose tea before she began practicing ballerina leaps for Aunt Ruby.
She leaped four times before the oven timer went off.
BZZZZZ!
Aunt Ruby took a deep breath and so India May took one too. Aunt Ruby gently opened the oven door and she and India May both peered inside.
"Do you think it's done?" Aunt Ruby asked. India May shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"I think so, too." Aunt Ruby carefully took the cherry chocolate surprise from the oven and set it on the table.
Stepping back, she whispered, "It looks light enough to float away."
India May followed behind Aunt Ruby as she quietly walked around the table. She studied the cherry chocolate surprise from every angle. Finally she turned to India May and caught her in an enormous bear hug.
"It's perfect! Why, it’s as perfect as...as your plies and those grand jetes! Grab my purse Spring Pea. We're going to the Teatime Bake Off."
While India May looked for Aunt Ruby's purse, Aunt Ruby began searching the pockets of her apron. She pulled out one of India May's pink barrettes and a white feather India May had given her the day before.
"Now where on earth did I put those directions? Ah...here they are." She pulled a crumbled piece of paper from her apron pocket and flattened it onto the kitchen table. "What time is it, Honeycomb?"
India May shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't know how to tell time yet.
Aunt Ruby glanced up at the clock above the stove. "Oh no! The bake off started fifteen minutes ago! We're late!"
Aunt Ruby tossed the directions into the air, jumped from her chair, and headed for the door. Remembering that she needed to bring the cherry chocolate surprise with her, she spun around and raced back to the table. Scooping up the cake, she turned again for the door. At the exact same moment India May saw the egg shells still on the floor but there was no time to warn Aunt Ruby.
As Aunt Ruby stepped on them, her feet slipped out from under her and she landed with a thud on the kitchen floor. For an instant, it looked as if the cherry chocolate surprise was really going to float away, but then it too landed with a thud and a splat on the floor next to Ruby.
"Oh no," she moaned as she saw the cherry chocolate mess that lay around her. "Gertie Callister gets to keep my blue ribbon for another year."
Pulling a handkerchief from her pocket, Aunt Ruby loudly blew her nose. She sighed as a glob of chocolate slid off her cheek.
A slow smile, just the tiniest bit sad, spread over her face as she wiped away her tears. She sighed a huge sigh.
"I guess I'll need help cleaning this up.""
India May grinned, shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. She ran to the kitchen drawer, pulled out two spoons, and sat down on the floor next to Ruby.
"Well my darlin Sugar Cookie, you may have the honor of the first bite."
Aunt Ruby watched nervously as India May dug her spoon into a swirl of cherries and chocolate that lay by her knee. She watched India May nervously until India May swallowed.
"Well?" she asked.
India May pulled a folded envelope from the inside her tutu and handed it to Aunt Ruby.
Aunt Ruby opened the envelope and pulled out a circle of blue paper with two blue ribbons stapled to the bottom. In pink glitter was written a very crooked number one.
Tears again spilled from Aunt Ruby's eyes and India May was again caught in an enormous bear hug.
It was most definitely a blue ribbon cherry chocolate surprise. It was also a blue ribbon afternoon.
So what do you think? Is it a story worth pursuing? Do you think K through third grade would enjoy it? Talk to me!
I'm not sure how long they'll be up, but click below if you'd like to see more pictures of the Holiday Tea at the Mound House:
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