The Brownie Lady

I was at a church play production and reluctantly hung around for the dessert spread afterwards. Nothing on the refreshment table caught my eye so I took a few brownies. Well, my mouth was immediately filled with delight. These brownies were the best I have ever tasted. They were moist and spongy like a cake and not gooey and under-cooked like many other brownies I have had. I quickly went back for more only to find the tin can empty. I did see that there was a note on the can that read Please return to Edna McKinney. I immediately asked around to find out who Edna was. Apparently she was not at the reception but I was told that she was one of the oldest members of the church. At the time, I was not a member of the church so I didn’t think there was much of a chance of meeting this Edna lady. The next day at work I told my colleagues about tasting the best brownies the night before. One of them told me that she knew of Edna because her husband worked for the Water department and Edna would leave tins of brownies out by her mailbox for the guys on the truck. She agreed that they were delicious brownies and told me that the men would often fight over who was going to be assigned to Edna’s area so they could get some brownies.

Fast forward a year and I am happy to report that I have finally met Ms. Edna McKinney. I told her all about my fondness for her brownies and the next thing I knew she made me my own batch; I was delighted to say the least. Edna and I became fast friends. I asked her about her brownies and she told me that her family made and sold brownies during the depression in order to survive. When complimented about them she made light of the situation and says “that anyone can make brownies”. I told her not everyone can make brownies that taste good. To prove my point I whipped up a batch for her and she agreed I should “stick to my day job”!

Edna is a delightful woman who is full of wisdom and incredible stories. I am proud and happy to say that she is one of my favorite people. In this time of economic turmoil it is comforting to speak with someone who has been there before and has sound reassuring advice that things will get better; and when all else fails – eat a brownie!