Heirlooms
Michelle Hoyt serves up memories and love with Grandma’s spoon.
Maybe it was my son having his 30th birthday recently, but I started getting sentimental thoughts about family and the past. Particularly about two simple items: a spoon and a platter. They’re not expensive, rare, fancy or valuable, except to me. The spoon and platter originally belonged to my maternal grandmother, Luella Olsen. When Mom asked me which of Grandma’s heirlooms I would like to have someday, these were the two things I picked because I remembered her using them when I was growing up. Grandma used this spoon to stir cookie dough. When she asked what I wanted for Christmas, she was thrilled when I’d ask for her date cookies and sugar cookies. They were the best cookies I have ever eaten. I know she used the spoon for other things, too, but I fondly remember the cookies. It is a wonderful, sturdy spoon— strong just like Grandma was. Now I use it when I make my homemade cookies. It makes me smile to take it out of the drawer and hold it in my hand, because it helps me remember her. The heavy-duty platter is simple, and plain, not ornate. This was Grandma’s meat platter; any and all meat she prepared went on this dish. I still miss the way that woman could fry side pork, a tasty cut of meat next to the belly. Dinner was never served from the frying pan or stove—the platter was placed on the table for the family to share from. She used to make gravy with the pan drippings and serve it with mashed potatoes and a lot of dumplings. Just like the spoon, using the platter reminds me of Grandma. She was a simple lady who grew up during hard times, but she was always generous with everyone. Grandma shared from her table, from her kitchen and her life. I use the dish as my very own meat platter and treasure the memories. For the first three years after we moved into this house I smelled side pork in the kitchen, even though I haven’t had it for years. The sensation tugged at my heart. I always wonder if Grandma was here watching us get settled in our new home and keeping an eye on us. The smell eventually faded away. But the platter and spoon are still here, helping me feel a connection to my past.