Meet Mary

     It would be hard to say when my love for cooking and hospitality started.  It was already in place that Christmas morning when I opened the gift of toy dishes.  Mother paused in her mothering of the rest of my siblings and she and I ate Christmas chocolates on the white tiny plates.  I still remember the thrill of "company" as we partied among the pretty crumpled paper and empty boxes.  A memory was made and a realization was acknowledged “I liked pretty food on pretty dishes and playing company... I liked it a  lot!” I was 4.

    The tendency only grew stronger with time.  I was the little girl who loved my turn to serve cookies to my kindergarten class. In later years, a mother of a classmate commented "Mary, you wiped them tables off as thoroughly as a little old woman."  "I'm still wiping off tables," I told her..."only now, I AM that 'little old woman." Planning a holiday dinner in home economics for the high school faculty,  I signed up for many of the tasks and items to bring.  "Table cloth: Mary, Centerpiece:  Mary...."  The teacher finally said, "Mary, let's let others sign up, too!"  I had not realized I was hogging all the fun until she mentioned it.

     Flowers and home décor are a natural extension of hospitality, to me.  In high school, we learned a bit about floral arranging.                  -Click FIND OUT MORE to continue reading-