Saturday, March 22, 2014

Hurrah for Saturday, Baking Day


Saturday is the traditional homemaker’s baking day, the day she baked loaves of bread and cookies or a cake or pie for Sunday. Baking is my favorite activity, so I love the Saturday chores. Actually, I bake several times a week. Sometimes I bake biscuits for breakfast or corn bread for supper. Whatever day we finish a loaf of bread is the day I bake another one.

Dennis once said that in retirement every day is Saturday, and that certainly holds true for me when it comes to baking. Today, which happens to be Saturday, he requested zucchini-carrot bars, a kind of cross between carrot cake and bar cookies and I was happy to oblige. He made a special trip to town to buy a zucchini and a package of cream cheese for the frosting. As desserts go, this is about as nutritious as they come; it has 3 ½ cups of shredded carrots and zucchini along with English walnuts.

It seemed an appropriate way to celebrate Saturday, baking day. I would include a photo but guests came by and the bars are more than half gone already. I won’t be able to wait until next Saturday to make another dessert.

Someone asked me what day was cooking day for the traditional homemaker. Cooking day was every day, three meals a day – breakfast, dinner, and supper. And where did all the other chores such as canning tomatoes or spring cleaning fit into the week? They doubled up with other chores.

The traditional homemaker did not have an easy life. She didn’t have time to read magazines or visit the beauty salon. She worked hard every day, including Sunday, which was supposedly the day of rest. On Sunday, when others might be resting, she put a beef roast in the oven, went to church and Sunday school, and then came home to finish preparing the big Sunday dinner and to clean up the kitchen after serving the meal. If she was lucky she might get to take a short afternoon nap.

I don’t envy the traditional homemaker, but I certainly respect her. In fact, I stand in awe of her strength and fortitude. She was a better woman than I will ever be.

Copyright 2014 by Shirley Domer

2 comments:

LawrenceLinda said...

You must have rested on Sunday.

Shirley said...

I went to the opera. It was beautiful and restorative.