Joyanna Adams

Nobody's Opinion

Dave Barry & the Goddess

Nobody Remembers…a Thanksgiving Story

Tonight I made my grandmother’s recipe for the most incredible pumpkin pie you will EVER taste. And I will tell you this story because I think it’s IMPORTANT for all the younger people sitting around the table tomorrow to REMEMBER to ask all the grandparents about their lives. Their memories…whatever gold nugget you can get out of them. Keep at them until they tell you….something.

One of my favorite stories was from my grandmother, Anna Hart. I made up the name Joy+Anna in honor of her. She was simple wife…stayed home, raised her children, cooked the meals, and loved her garden. Anyway, when she was very young, every Saturday afternoon, she would take the street car (they used to have a lot of them in St. Louis) down to a city called Baden, just North of downtown St. Louis. There she would take her favorite seat at her favorite restaruant. Her husband worked, so she spent her days alone. But back then, the city was bustling, she could travel alone. Now, you might get shot going downtown, or have your car stolen. But in my grandma’s day…St. Louis was a great city.

Anna had gone to the 1904 World’s Fair. I still have her HUGE book of pictures from it.

Anyway…

She went to Baden for that pie. That fantastic pumpkin pie. She did this every week for years, and finally the waitress there gave her the recipe. Which SHE made every Thanksgiving, and so did my mom, and now, even though I have no family but my husband and I, I still cook those pies on Thanksgiving. My husband can eat a whole one in one day.

Anyway, as you can see, in the picture above, it was around Thanksgiving (I do NOT remember the year) and Dave Barry, the famous funny man author, and his author friend Ridley Pearson, had just written a Peter Pan series of books which made it to broadway.

And SINCE I had read every single Barry book ever written,...yes…I took them a pie. LOL.

I know. Stupid. Anyway, Dave Barry had brought so much joy and laughter to me with his humor, it was the only thing I could think of to give.

He signed my book that day, and I could NEVER ever make out what he said. For years I was like…WTH? What is that word?

Later on, after many years I finally figured it out…it read…”To a Goddess.” LOL… Yes…feed a man a pie and he will be at your feet! Thanks Grandma! If only I could have read his handwriting…

I have no children to pass my Dave Barry books too, or no story to tell my Dave Barry love of humor too, and THAT’s why I want ALL my readers to remember…no matter what...ASK your FAMILY about their lives. For goodness sakes. You will regret all the questions you did NOT ask, after they are gone. I do.

Share the day, and don’t forget grandma and grandpa…you might be amazed at what you may learn.

So, take it from this nobody—have a great time today…the meaning of the universe might just be there waiting for you at the dinner table. And do a Toast for me to President Trump, Elon Musk, RFK, and all the team who got America off their butts and out to vote. Everybody in America is in good spirits because of it.

ME…I’ll be ….sleeping…because…I made too many pies.

November 27, 2024 Posted by | Uncategorized | , , , , | 1 Comment