The Common Loaf of Bread

Oh, dear, lots of hullabaloo coming to us from our mother country these days.  Royalty is setting the world stage for another matrimonial ceremony in 2011.  Rather than the customary British splash, wouldn't it be sweet if William and Kate would marry in a country chapel, quietly profess their love for one another, and donate the money saved to the English commoners?

Even though Kate herself is a commoner, she does exude the presence of a princess.  Her taste of clothing has through the years been stylish and very complimentary to her slender form.  William had better treat this stunning lady better than his daddy treated his mommy. 

This morning's breakfast is to be very special at our house.  Yesterday we visited an Amish bakery.  By the time we got there, they were already sold out, but had another batch of bread and pans of sweet rolls baking in the ovens.  The aroma brought back days when our moms baked homemade bread at home.  I remember slathering Mom's warm bread with soft butter and honey. My hubby remembers putting butter, sugar and cinnamon on his Mom's homemade bread.

While we waited for the bread to bake, we visited with the Amish ladies as they diligently watched their bread, turning the loaves as they baked so they'd bake evenly.  We noticed the burn marks on their arms between wrist and elbow, most likely gotten from reaching into the ovens.   They told us that this summer their kitchen temperatures rose to 100 degrees with the ovens going.  One of the boys in the family made vents in the kitchen ceiling that could be opened, and that helped cool them down.  They also told us how the rising price of flour, butter, and eggs is affecting their profits.  

The Amish culture fascinates us, and we find ourselves driving to their communities often when we get hungry for a good homemade pie, donuts, or their wonderful breads.  We get a sense of ease from their simpler customs and traditions.  Maybe they remind us of how our lives used to be when we were growing up. 

We had our choice of 7-grain or honey wheat.  We chose a loaf of the 7-grain.  Let me tell you, the savory scent of that loaf of bread in the back seat of our car about drove us nuts.  We were tempted to stop and buy a pound of butter and dig right into it.  But, we reined in our urgings and saved the bread for this morning's breakfast.  Now we're glad we did.

One can't help but think how Kate Middleton has decided to give up life as she's known it to live under a magnifying glass, where she will have to watch every word she says, never be able to offer her own opinion, will always have to be perfectly attired, or the tabloids will eat her up and spit her out.  In my opinion, we commoners are far better off cuz we can be who we are, not having to be plastic people programmed for proper procedures and protocol.  We can toss out a few cuss words here and there, we can have bad hair days, we can wear comfy clothes, all the while knowing that nobody really gives a hoot about us in the first place.  I'll bet my last dollar that the day will come when Princess Kate will wish she could be standing in her 100-degree kitchen tending to her humble loaves of bread baking in a wood-burning oven.  We'll wait, watch and see, won't we?