Wednesday, 23 November 1955 Falls Church, Fairfax County, Virginia

Dear Mother and Father,
Once again as we ready for Thanksgiving, I have created my special pies. Yes, I learned it all from you, Mother. I want to thank you for those cooking lessons…I would often protest and wanted to be out riding my horse Beauty as cooking was too girly for me. Dang it, I just couldn’t be bothered. I must add “however” as those lessons paid off. My pies are now as delicious as your Osborne County Fair blue ribbon winners.

There is such a calmness in my kitchen… like being in an oasis as I blend the ingredients. I enjoy making my own pie filling as I am in harmony with the sweetness of the fillings. Loving to play the radio while I work, I enjoy singing along with Jo Stafford, Kay Starr, and the wonderful Nat King Cole. I am in heaven at the moment!

Today my little Mary Anne is working at her own children’s table. I give her scraps of piedough to turn into her own homemade “cookies”. She rolls out the dough, cuts it with a cookie cutter, and adds a raisin to each one. Baking them for her, she waits patiently from the cookies to cool from the oven. She cannot wait for the days before Christmas so we can make real cookies.

Meanwhile, little Michael is in the corner of the kitchen playing with his plastic cowboy figures. Sound effects of shooting pistols and Indian war whoops are blazing through our once quiet space. Love it when my little family is all together.

Waiting for Eddie to come home from work at Arlington Hall, he and I will be getting some food ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow. It will be just the four of us…lots to be thankful for.

With love,
Merna Mae

Note: My mother was Merna Mae (Storer) Slabik, and she was famous for her pies…both making and eating them. She loved her desserts. Thank you, Mom, for these wonderful memories of making homemade pies!