Serendipity, emails and rabbit holes have taken me far, far down Memory Lane today:
- I got an email from my friend Mar, who I haven't talked to in a few years. She was thinking about Hot Cross Buns and how, that first Easter when we opened Orange Boot Bakery, we turned her partner Bruce away empty handed at least three times on the Saturday before Easter. We just didn't know how to hold orders yet. After we closed we took the last dozen buns (which I think were reserved for Cindy's mom), looked up their address and brought them to the house. It's been 12 years and they haven't forgotten.
- So we got to chatting and Mar reminded me of the name Beth Traynor, who ran an awesome little catering business out of a small shop on Robinson and 13th Avenue. Beth made the best carrot cake (among other delicious food). She even made the carrot cake for our wedding over 30 years ago and I was sad to forget her name, and glad to now remember it again. Beth's long since retired and she is still missed in Regina.
- In other news, my search of personal website inspiration (that I might 'steal' for this site) took me to a brand new (to me) website by Carolyn Zhang. She wrote a masterful pair of essays on her experience designing campaign software on the fly for the 2020 US election and how the experience affected her personally. Wow. Deep reflection on how doing work that matters to you often conflicts with internal narratives that have built up over a lifetime.
PS - my personal website 'research' also took me to a blog that I read 20 years ago and haven't been to in over 15. It's still going strong. What a thrill thrill to dig through the archives and remember what I was reading before my baking life. Then, sadly, I read the new stuff. Let's just say that he didn't seem to be such a crank in 2004. I shall not be sharing a link.