In past Easter blogs I have mentioned the lemon tortes that are a Meys family tradition at Easter, but there is another similar dessert that is called Angel Pie. It's kind of a big lemon torte in a cake pan if you will. There is more whipped cream, and in my opinion, it's not nearly as good.
When I was growing up we had an elderly neighbor couple, across the street and down a few houses, by the name of Plachta, Mike and Leona to be exact. Now, I have absolutely no idea how or why this tradition started, but a year or two before Mike passed away my siblings and I started going over to their house on Easter morning after breakfast. I think David was quite small.
I remember it being a pain in the neck. I wasn't hungry, we had just eaten. They weren't close family friends, we didn't (in the beginning) know them well, and hey, it was biting in to our egg hunting, kite flying, and candy eating time.
I only have snippets of memories from those times, the tiny kitchen, the beautiful sugar eggs that Leona made, the dog "YoYo", and the angel pie. I clearly remember the Easter after Mike died. I get the feeling that he passed close to Easter, because there was some discussion between my parents about us not going, but Leona still received us, with Angel pie and teary eyes.
As years went by I, and my sister in turn, actually worked for Leona. I did mostly cleaning, but Kate did that and errands too. It was kind of like a PCA or Home Health Aide job these days, but we were both only in our teens. During that time I learned that Leona and Mike were pretty estranged from their family. They had two kids in town, and grandchildren, but rarely saw any of them.
I never really thought about it, or them, until many years later. Our neighborhood was teeming with kids. How lonely for an elderly lady who clearly loved kids. She would watch them playing outside while I was cleaning, as she must have watched us when we were little and knockin' round the hood.
At the time I wasn't too thrilled with my Mother for making me go over there. Now that I'm older, and understand a few more things, I am glad that she did. It gave Leona something to look forward to, and plan for, and I'm glad that over Angel Pie we were able to make one old woman smile.
When I was growing up we had an elderly neighbor couple, across the street and down a few houses, by the name of Plachta, Mike and Leona to be exact. Now, I have absolutely no idea how or why this tradition started, but a year or two before Mike passed away my siblings and I started going over to their house on Easter morning after breakfast. I think David was quite small.
I remember it being a pain in the neck. I wasn't hungry, we had just eaten. They weren't close family friends, we didn't (in the beginning) know them well, and hey, it was biting in to our egg hunting, kite flying, and candy eating time.
I only have snippets of memories from those times, the tiny kitchen, the beautiful sugar eggs that Leona made, the dog "YoYo", and the angel pie. I clearly remember the Easter after Mike died. I get the feeling that he passed close to Easter, because there was some discussion between my parents about us not going, but Leona still received us, with Angel pie and teary eyes.
As years went by I, and my sister in turn, actually worked for Leona. I did mostly cleaning, but Kate did that and errands too. It was kind of like a PCA or Home Health Aide job these days, but we were both only in our teens. During that time I learned that Leona and Mike were pretty estranged from their family. They had two kids in town, and grandchildren, but rarely saw any of them.
I never really thought about it, or them, until many years later. Our neighborhood was teeming with kids. How lonely for an elderly lady who clearly loved kids. She would watch them playing outside while I was cleaning, as she must have watched us when we were little and knockin' round the hood.
At the time I wasn't too thrilled with my Mother for making me go over there. Now that I'm older, and understand a few more things, I am glad that she did. It gave Leona something to look forward to, and plan for, and I'm glad that over Angel Pie we were able to make one old woman smile.
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