My sister and I (and both brothers) learned at an early age how to cook from our mother. We didn't realize it at the time, we thought it was fun, but she taught us our fractions by varying how we added ingredients: for 1 1/2 cup of whatever, we'd sometimes have to measure with quarter cups, sometimes with half cups, etc. My sister even taught her European-metric-only new husband how to do fractions using measuring cups! I had always thought Mum to be psychic--how else did she know just when we were home from school and have cookies or cupcakes ready from the oven? It wasn't until years later that she told us she could always see us walking up the long road and simply timed things just right. Once we were looking at old photos of the kitchen and asked why her lower cabinets had a long inch wide gouged out portion running the length of the cabinets? She told us it was from our chairs that we jammed up against the cabinets when we "helped her cook". It wasn't until we were old enough to stand at the counter before she could have the kitchen cabinets done over---that's love! they were truly awful looking. Even now, people will ask "where did you learn to cook so well?" the answer is always --Mum. Thanks Mum for the love and memories.

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