Last week I spent some time with my sisters-in-law cleaning out my in-laws’ house. They both passed away last year and it has been a job that has loomed over us for some time.
What’s interesting about a job like that is not just deciding what to keep and what to discard, but also being stopped dead in your tracks with a memory, a story, and sometimes a regret. We would be going along in a great sort of rhythm, then a drawer full of pictures would stop us. Time to pause. Time to remember.
I didn’t grow up in this family, but I have been a part of it for more than forty years – a lifetime of stories and cherished memories and accumulated “stuff.” The stuff has been trashed or kept, sorted and boxed, donated or claimed. All of the memories have been stored in our hearts forever.
I pulled the pie tins out from the lower cupboard. Suddenly I was sitting at the table in the dining room on my husband’s birthday with the most glorious lemon merengue pie (probably two) ready to share. Mounds of fluffy, sweet whiteness atop a creamy custard of just-right tartness. My mother-in-law would ring the pies with the built-in crust loosener. That’s what made these pie tins so special, and I’ve never seen anything like it anywhere else. Definitely a keeper.
Next month, on Allan’s birthday, I will try to recreate that glorious lemon merengue pie as I do every year. I’ve gotten close, but it’s never quite the same. Perhaps this year will be different. Perhaps there’s magic in that pie tin.
Imagine the Possibilities 
Love this reflective piece. I took the crystal toothpick holder from my childhood when we cleaned out my Mom’s house.
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I love the flashback to the birthday dinner and the description of the pie. It made my mouth water. This is wonderful.
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Yes, I am sure there is magic in that pie tin. Thank you for sharing.
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Having cleaned out three homes I understand the going along and then being stopped in you tracks by something you have uncovered. Finding the pie tins, I am sure, was a way of letting you know that they were meant to be yours. You will have happy memories each time you use them.
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I like how you play with time. In the present you see the tin. It takes you back in time. The pie tins also have you dreaming of the future pies you will make.
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My in-laws both recently died in the last two years – a year apart from each other. My husband helped his sister clean out their home. The recollection of the pie brought on by recovery of the tins is a sweet story. I am sure your next pie will be perfect! I was the proud recipient of some Fentonware milkglass and a rosette recipe! Glad you found some good memories along with the tin!
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“What’s interesting about a job like that is not just deciding what to keep and what to discard, but also being stopped dead in your tracks with a memory, a story, and sometimes a regret.”
You really speak to the shared experience of clearing out an estate with this line. It can be so many emotions all at once. And the stories ARE amazing. It makes you look differently at your own possessions too, doesn’t it? What stories will our own things tell one day?
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This was just lovely to read and imagine. I found a pie tin like this in a tag sale many years ago – you are right, it’s not something we ever seem to see these days, but SUCH a good idea!
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I had trouble trying to describe it. Crust loosener was what came to mind.
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This is such a lovely slice and reading it brought tears to my eyes. I could just imagine you all cleaning, pausing, remembering, etc. Your second paragraph says it so well. I love that you’re holding on to that pie tin and will put it to good use next month for your husband’s birthday pie. Thanks for sharing.
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Rose, it is wonderful reading your posts once again. I have been decluttering and know that feeling of pausing to remember. The beauty of memories is that they do have a place in our hearts. Enjoy your pie making. I wish I had a tin like yours but I do have my grandmother’s baking board that has been restored for use.
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