Biscuits

                        BISCUITS

"Everyone else could cook, but Me!"

Today was my day; smiling inside, to
think, just think, "I am going to learn
how to make biscuits!"

"Wow!"

"I am excited!" Clapping my hands and
dancing around. 

Let's see, first the flour.  I have to get a
chair, so I can reach the salt and baking
powder.

I'll wait for Mom before I get the milk out
of the refrigerator.

"Finally!"

Mom comes into the kitchen and
we hug.  Smiling with me, she says,
"Well young lady let's get started."

"Oh, Mom this is going to be the best biscuits
I have ever made," laughing, because it is
the first ones I have ever made!

"Get me that big yellow bowl under the
cupboard, that should be big enough to
use," Mom directed me.

We needed measuring spoons and measuring
cups.  We needed big spoons and a small
fork.  Why the fork, you may ask, as I was
wondering the same thing.

Maybe it is like a special wand you wave
over the biscuit!  A fork is to make a few
dotted little design, some say to let out
the air. It did not do that with my biscuits!
Your guess is as good as mine, Mom told
me you just do it.  Smiling.

"One more very important thing we need,"
Mom said.

"What is that?" I questioned.

With a flourish, my mother whipped out
from behind her back, the prettiest apron
I ever saw.  It had a lovely big rainbow
splashed across the skirt of the apron,
with a shamrock on the bib, with pink
shoulder straps and ties to hold my
special apron around me.  I shall always
remember this beautiful apron.

"Now, getting down to making biscuits!"

I measured the flour, salt, and baking powder.
Then I measured the butter.

There was a neat instrument to blend the butter
with the flour.  This is called a pastry blender,
held in your hand.  Mash, mash, mix, mix.  Until
it was just as Mom said it should be.  The flour
and the butter looked like tiny little balls.  Mom
told me this is what makes the biscuit soft and
a little flaky.  "Yummy!"

"Very important!" Mom was saying.

Then someone knocked on the door.
This was not the right time for a visitor.
"But we got one, oh did we get one!"

Mrs. Plastard came walking in just like
she owned the place.  Head held high,
like a strutting turkey.

Smiling to myself, "Shame on you."

Wrinkling my nose and pursing my mouth a
little to the side; rolling my eyes heavenward. 

Thinking, "Well, there goes my biscuits."
Making a big self-righteous sigh, "Woe is me."

Mom stuck her head around the corner of the
cupboard, telling me to measure out the milk.
Stir it in being sure all the flour was wet.

Mom went back to the setting room and showed
Mrs. Plastard a chair to set in.

Mrs. Plastard then proceeded to unload this black
case she had carried into the house.  Books and
more books she was laying on top of the coffee
table.

She then started talking, and talking, and talking!
"Whew, when is she going to take a breath?"

I did what Mom had told me.  But something was
happening.  The dough was getting bigger.  I looked
around the corner to get Mom's attention, but she
was busy still, listening to Mrs. Plastard.

You know, look directly into the eyes
of the person that is talking to you, so
they have your full attention.

"He he he!"
And while your doing that, your mind can be
in a dozen places, but who is to know. 
Smiling, so benignly.

"Naughty, naughty!"  "Shame on you."
You will be caught one day when all of
a sudden the person talking, will stop
and ask you a question.

"Ha ha ha!"  "Then where will you be?"
"He he he!"

I came over and looked at the dough again.
"Good grief!  Now it was up to the top of the
bowl!"

"I knew Mom didn't put yeast in the flour."
"So why was the dough rising?"  murmuring
to myself.

Putting both hands to my cheeks, wondering
what to do; my mouth in a turn down position,
as much as it were ever going to get!

That corner of the cupboard was going to get
worn out. 

"But, I had to get Mom's attention!"

Finally Mrs. Plastard took her leave.
Thank you, thank you!

Mom came into the kitchen, took one look,
"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. 

"The  dough was now hanging down over the
edge of the bowl!"

"We looked at each other and started to laugh
so very much!  We could not believe it.  But
them were the best biscuits I ever made!"

"Laughing and smiling from ear to ear!"