If I asked you five questions about your childhood, I bet a dollar you could answer at least four right off the top of your head. What was the name of your childhood dog? (Tiny) What street did you live on? (Cramer Road) Who was your very best friend in kindergarten? (Colleen Lamb) What was the color of the carpet in your room? (Green) What was the name of your favorite lunch lady? (Ruby)
I went to grade school at Birch Grove Elementary in Tofte. At the time kids attended classes at Birch Grove for kindergarten through sixth grade. In seventh grade we had to make the long bus ride to Grand Marais. There we met kids from all the way up the Gunflint Trail who went to grade school in town and kids from as far as the Canadian border who attended the grade school in Grand Portage.
Ruby and Leona served lunch to me every school day for seven years. (Except for that ONE DAY I was absent in the third grade, I had perfect attendance my entire grade school life. Darn ear infection!) Lunches were great. Hot dogs, mashed potatoes and hamburger gravy; we even had pan fried herring from Lake Superior. I really liked the red Jell-O days.
Ruby would make it in jelly roll pans and then cut it into squares. If it was a special occasion she would dollop each piece with whipping cream. My friend Colleen and I would take a mouthful then tip upside down on the lunch bench and try to swallow “up.” Ruby’s husband Ray was the janitor and word got out that he was “tipping” Kenny McKeever a dollar to help him dump and rinse the lunch trays. I stuck around one day and helped but Ray told me to scoot. (I’m pretty sure the money exchanged hands after I was given the boot).
Thisyear I had the opportunity to work with the lunch ladies of Bendix Elementary. All the women were so nice but I have to tell you one in particular had “rock star” status. Every day the kids lit up when she opened the sliding door to serve them. The children loved her and you could tell she really cared about them. She always had a big smile and a laugh that was contagious. Theyall knew that if it was their birthday they could expect a special treat on their tray. (Some children were too shy to ask for themselves but they all had a “more outgoing” friend who would make sure that word got back to the kitchen.)
I was most impressed, though, when one of the kids was having a bad day. She would stop and take that bit of extra time to see if she could help. (You have to know that means a lot to a kid when they’re just trying to get through a tough day at school.) After more than 20 years in the kitchen I’m sure she’s heard more than her share of stories, both the good and the bad. It’s sad to think about her not being there next year. I know Bendix will not be the same. I would like to take a moment to toast this special lady and to personally thank her for all the joy she has brought to so many children and adults in the Annandale Community. Thanks Penny, I wish you all the best! To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children…to leave the world a better place…to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tastes Like Home columnist, Sandy (Anderson) Holthaus, lives on an alpaca farm in South Haven, MN with her husband, Michael, and their children Zoe, Jack and Ben. Her heart remains on the North Shore where she grew up with her parents, Art and LaVonne Anderson of Schroeder. She enjoys writing about her childhood and mixes memories with delicious helpings of homestyle recipes.
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