Two Small Pie Plates

                                                                           

                                                             The Pie Plate Lady


The ad, Pie Plates For Sale, on a Facebook Buy and Sell site, caught my eye late one night. A quick reply to the ad, a few messages exchanged  and  a pickup time was finalized between the seller and myself. Another addition to my list of errands on my busy day off.

After a short drive to a nearby town, I found the house where I was to pick up the pie plates. A middle aged lady answered my knock on the door  and introduced her mother-in-law to me. Lily, an elderly woman in her early 90's welcomed me into her home. With the sale of the pie plates complete, I shared with the two women what the pie plates were going to be used for. My friend, Dale, attends a United Church that does a Turkey Dinner Fundraiser at Thanksgiving. The ladies of the church decided that they no longer wanted to use aluminum pie plates, as they found the pie crusts did not cook properly in these plates. Dale had mentioned on Facebook that the church was looking for glass, ceramic or tin pie plates for their fundraiser. I told Dale that I would be happy to help her collect pie plates as I visited  the three thrift stores in a nearby town on a weekly basis.

Lily, was happy to help out with my search for pie plates. She went into her cupboard and found another ceramic pie plate to add to my collection. She also added two smaller plates and asked me
if I knew how old these plates would be. My guess was 40 years. She replied, "Many more than that."
I asked  if it was okay with her if I kept the smaller pie plates for myself as they wouldn't be used by  the church. She was in favour of the idea.

I commented on how beautiful Lily's home was and she offered to give me a tour. I told her it wasn't necessary and I did have an appointment to get to. She insisted and I couldn't resist her invitation. As
I bent over to remove my boots she told me not to worry about boots. At her age she didn't care about a little dirt. I felt uncomfortable as I walked on her white carpets and area rugs with my boots on. I guess if I was in my 90's I wouldn't care either. As we walked from room to room, Lily told me stories about her life. The writer in me wanted to stay and talk longer but I had to continue on with my day.

As I drove to my next errand, I thought about Lily and her home. I was thrilled to have met her and glad that I took time out of my day to listen to her stories. Each time I look at the two small pie plates she gave me I will remember Lily, in her early 90's, healthy, vibrant and still living in her own home.