December 1, 2014 Advent with SusieJ

Inheritance

On the first day of summer this year, my mother died.

It was a sudden, shocking death. She had played Bingo that night — sadly, not winning the liter and a half bottle of wine. She called after bingo and made plans with my son, "The Prince," to watch a DVD of The Lego Movie the next weekend. The check for the church collection plate was written out and on the dresser, ready for the next morning. Three hours after her call, I practically argued with and certainly hung up on the officer who told me she was dead.

She was 77, and her death was fast, so this is not a tragic death. She avoided some hard decisions and unpleasant circumstances. The life she had was a good one; she was happy here.

So. Anyhow. This year's calendar theme is inheritance.

[Mom and myself, 1984. This is the picture where we most look alike. Copyright Susan J. Talbutt, all rights reserved.]Mom and myself, 1984. This is the picture where we most look alike.

The recipe: Springerle

The first year I made the Springerle by myself was 1991, in Martinsburg, West Virginia, for my mother and grandmother. The motor on my mother's old Sunbeam mixer blew out. In 1992, my boyfriend bought me a new mixer, and I made the Springerle for my mother, grandmother, and boyfriend. In December, 1995 we married, and I baked only two things: Stollen, and Springerle for my mother and new husband. I will bake them again today, because they keep well.

The craft: Alpine Advent calendar

An Advent calendar in the shape of an Alpine village. Download the PDF (the link to the .zip file), print, cut out, glue together, and hide a candy under each building or tree.