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Dents, Dings and Dough
A Baking Experience with a Personal Touch
By Donna Smith
Garage sales draw my children like kids to a doorbell on Halloween night. If there's one within walking distance, they're going. Change is collected and imaginations run wild about what treasures lie on that plastic card table on someone's oil-stained driveway. So when I saw the extra cars driving slowly down the street one sunny Saturday, then squinted to see the all-too-recognizable signs of a yard sale, I knew my kids would soon grab their vehicle of choice – bike, scooter, skates or feet – and make their way to the dusty stacks of unwanted items being pined over by strangers.
"Look what I bought you!" beamed my 7-year-old daughter. She proudly handed me a Mrs. Smith's pie pan that had obviously been used more than the one time it was designed for. "It only cost me five cents." What a deal!
"And it's personalized, just for us," continued my daughter, pointing out the "Mrs. Smith's" lettering across the bottom.
I just couldn't help myself. I had to let her know the truth, the honest-to-goodness truth: "Mrs. Smith's is a brand of frozen pie, sweetie. These pans are supposed to be used once and then thrown away. I love you for thinking of me, though."
