I go in spells, of thinking about my book project very little, to having it always in mind. Working on it (of course), or sending a query or proposal makes me think of it often, almost obsessively. The semester is starting to rev up, but for the moment my focus is still elsewhere. (And, an aside, soon the computers will be setup and networked!)

Recipes over the years



As a newlywed in 1926, Mimmie started writing recipes in a spiral-bound notebook. On the cover is taped an illustration of a kitchen by Maxwell Mays that looks much like Mimmie's at the old house. At some point she labeled this notebook "Old Book." The stained pages inside are written in fountain pen and long ago started to crumble. At one place, they were sewn by Mimmie to the binding, and the thread remains intact.



About 1970, my sister painted a "mod" recipe file box for Mimmie. Inside, I found several packets of index cards, some in Mimmie's handwriting, and some in my cousin's, carefully sorted and rubber banded together.