BROWNIES WITH ICING

©Kathleene S. Baker 2007

On Father's Day I'll wander down memory lane and I'll smile knowing my dad, at 90 years of age, is doing likewise.

With many miles between us, I'm seldom with Dad on Father's Day and this year will be no different. Sure, we'll have a cheerful chat on the phone and he will thank me for his card and gift. Nonetheless, we won't feel cheated by the status of a calendar-for we have oodles of memories to sustain us.

For us, Father's Day is whenever we are fortunate enough to be together. It's not as often as I'd like, but when it happens we have extended visits-not just a few days. Recently I went home and spent an entire month with Dad; each and every day was a joyful celebration! That equals 30 years worth of Father's Days rolled into one get-together-it doesn't get any better than that.

Our month of memory making took us down pathways abundant with twists, turns, and even a few detours.? One afternoon an unexpected storm chased us away from the lake where we were fishing, sent us back home, and straight to the kitchen.

"Kathy," Dad said, "don't you think we should bake a pan of brownies?"

In translation, that meant Kathy would you bake a pan of brownies? His sweet tooth had been deprived of dessert for at least three days-mercy!

"Sure! You just relax while I mix up a batch."

I'd barely begun when I heard horse hooves, gunshots, and the voice of John Wayne. It was time for Dad's afternoon western.

I soon popped the brownies into the oven. "Dad, how long's it been since you've had icing on your brownies?"

His blue eyes twinkled at the thought. "Way too long!"

While I frosted brownies, Dad rode sidekick with John Wayne through the Montana high country. At the next commercial, he dismounted and sauntered into the kitchen to clean out the icing bowl, while I expected to hear the clatter of spurs against the kitchen floor.

"What kind of icing is this? I know it's chocolate but it tastes a little different than usual."

"Dad, it's chocolate mocha. I know Mom made it from time to time."

"Well, if she did, I sure don't remember it!" He left not one smidgen of icing and nearly scraped the finish right off the bowl.

Still smacking his lips, he yanked a recipe card out of a drawer and scribbled down detailed instructions for making chocolate mocha icing.

Baking brownies and icing them for John Wayne's sidekick will most definitely dance through my mind on Father's Day.?? Still, if I were able to spend the actual occasion with Dad, I know exactly how we'd observe his special day.? I'd pack a picnic basket brimming over with decadent treats and we'd share a feast while fishing. And, for dessert? Well, brownies with icing-what else?



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathy was born and raised in the small town of Augusta, Kansas, a few miles outside of Wichita. She married a native Texan, Jerry, in 1977 and was soon transplanted to Dallas. A large city offers many things, but she misses the slower pace of small town America. Kathy has two stepchildren and four grandchildren. Pets have always played a huge part in her life. In fact, they were her inspiration to begin writing. Kathy's website can be viewed at:
YELLOW ROSE(www.txyellowrose.com) or she can be contacted at Lnstrlady@aol.com