Toast anyone?

Toast. Why am I writing a post about toast? Doesn't it look good? You have to get butter on it right after it comes out of the toaster or it doesn't melt properly. This is my toast this morning.......with honey on it. The kidlets? They like their toast with butter and cinnamon-sugar on it. In fact, we often have cinnamon toast and hot chocolate for a snack after school. (side note: school starts in 15 days---not that I'm counting or anything) Aaron also likes cheese toast. You make cheese toast by putting mayo on the bread and then slapping on a piece of "processed cheese". (Canadian for a slice of American cheese- go figure) Then you toast it in the toaster until the cheese melts. (requires toaster oven!) After toasting, take a pizza cutter and whack the crusts off. Much faster than doing it with a knife.

So.. why all of this about toast? Well, this is an introduction to a short story I want to tell you. My maternal grandparents owned a day care in Columbus, OH called Pied Piper. For at least 40 years, you could walk into Pied Piper at 4:00 p.m. and smell toast. My grandmother, who was called "Miss Mary" by the kids, and later my Aunt Diane would fill a huge metal bowl with buttered toast every afternoon. They would man the toaster and butter it with a paint brush full of melted butter. As parents arrived to get their children, each child was handed 1/2 of a paper towel containing a piece of buttered toast. They left clutching that toast like it was treasure. The extra bit of lovingly made toast kept many tantrums at bay as parents shuttled kids home.

Every morning, as I make toast for my own kids, I am reminded of Pied Piper and my Grandma Mary. My Grandma died about 5 years ago. She used to tell kids, "Miss Mary is watching you." I like to belive that she is watching me today.