Melanie Patterson is a reporter for The North Jefferson News. She can be reached at mpatterson@njeffersonnews.com or by phone at (205) 631-8716.

Commentary By Melanie Patterson

The North Jefferson News



Even though it’s a cliche, it is quite true that the simple pleasures of life are those to be celebrated. On Sunday, I had one of the simplest but best evenings ever.

After church, my sister Laura, who is 14, called me and said, “I think you should come home today.”

Well, who could resist that? I couldn’t.

So I hopped into the truck and headed north to Cullman.

When I pulled into the driveway, I saw what I expected to see: My mom and stepdad sitting on the front porch swing drinking a cup of coffee.

So I poured myself some coffee and joined them on the front porch. It had been raining, so it was nice and cool and pretty near perfect out there.

Then out comes Laura carrying one of her three dogs.

We visited and talked for awhile, which in itself is a great day for me. I’m a fairly low-maintenance person. I do not need to be

entertained all the time, but prefer a low-key quiet day.

Well, then my sister decided we should go to the edge of the yard and pick some blackberries to make a cobbler.

For it to be her idea, she sure didn’t pick many blackberries.

She walked around with the bowl, but she mostly jumped and squealed every time something touched her — a June bug, an ant, a fly, a piece of grass, or something out of her imagination.

But between her, my mom and me, we finally picked enough fat juicy berries for a cobbler.

Of course, I didn’t know how to make it. If you read my column in December about almost burning my apartment down while trying to make zucchini bread, you already know I’m not exactly a kitchen person.

However, I was surprised to find out that Laura knew how to make it.

Just the previous weekend, my famous Aunt Mae, the one who turns 93 next week, had taught her how.

She had actually gotten out and helped Laura pick blackberries that weekend, then she taught Laura how to make the cobbler.

So Laura was in charge Sunday as we made our own blackberry cobbler.

And she let me know about it too. She gave me the job of melting a stick of butter.

I was going to do it in the microwave, but she said, “No, Mae does it on the stove.”

OK. So then I got a spatula to stir the butter while it was melting in the tiny skillet.

“No,” Laura said. “Mae freestyles it.”

Then she showed me how to just use the

handle of the pan to keep the butter moving

over the heat.

Then the kid mixed up the dough, just like Aunt Mae showed her how.

We put all of it in a pan, and watched TV for what seemed an eternity until it finally got done.

I couldn’t believe it, but my sister’s blackberry cobbler turned out great. She was very proud of herself, and I was quite proud of her as well.

I’m just glad the child did not inherit my skills, or lack thereof, in the kitchen. I’m also glad she knows how to make some awesome desserts. I’ll happily pick the berries if she’ll keep making the cobbler.