A Dollar’s Worth
By Alisa Dollar
I’ve found another dying art - candy making.
Little Debbie (the shortest of all Debbie’s I know)
called and asked me to help her. I reminded her that my only candy experiment
of never-fail fudge—failed.
When I got there she was stirring over a big pot. She’d
doubled the recipe and had a big glob of white looking stuff and vigorously
stirred.
I looked around and everything was measured, leveled and
ready to go. I knew she’d do that because she is that kind of cook. I was
thinking maybe this is why my fudge failed.
While she stirred, my job was to watch it boil until it
turned a brownish goldish color.
“I sure hope Willie Nelson doesn’t die.”
Debbie laughed and asked what brought that on.
“Remember when I canned that one time Elvis fell off the
can and died? Right there on the bathroom floor.”
The nice thing about a longtime friend is that she knew I
was serious so she said that Willie was too ornery to kick the bucket and had
outlived many of his peers.
Sighing, I continued to watch the boiling matter and
screeched when it turned. She politely asked me to hush – which means ‘shut up
you’re making me nervous’. It reminded me of mother when I tried to help.
After asking too many questions starting with “why” she
sent me to butter the pans and trust me, I didn’t pass go and I didn’t collect two
hundred dollars. Debbie was past the frustration point.
In a few minutes, she ran to the table and poured half on
each tin. It kind of scared me because she was moving very fast. Generally she’s
at a snail’s pace.
I tried very hard to stay out of her way because she
tends to get very bossy for such a little person.
We buttered our hands and pulled the mixture till it
separated and left it on the table.
All the while she fretted about it not being good because
she doubled the recipe.
I on the other hand was having a blast with this pulling and
stretching.
This part was fun!
Sampling quite a bit, I told her it was very good. I
thought she was being picky.
I learned that candy-makers are perfectionists in their
art.
I also learned to appreciate exact timing.
My world is too impatient to make candy.
I’ve always appreciated those who share.
More so now!
