Jim requested that I bake a cherry pie. We found a jar of Door County Cherry Pie Filling at Seed Savers in Iowa and brought it home. I tucked it away for this special occasion.

While pumpkin pie is traditional Thanksgiving fare, I set my mind to making the cherry pie for the holiday feast. I mixed up my pie crust using a recipe I’ve had for many years and perfected.

While I was shaping it with my Grandma Lillie’s rolling pin, I thought about my very early attempts at making pie crust, as a Slope County teenager. Several were not fit to eat, and I had to throw these out for the chickens. I’m so grateful that I have my namesake’s rolling pin in my kitchen. I consider it to hold magical powers.

The table is set and all of the food is prepared, and now we await our guests’ arrival.