Another exciting find in the world of handmade books! I wouldn’t submit this for the Open Set Exhibition by any means, but it is precious and beautiful to me. Unearthed during the cleaning out of my deceased grandparent’s pantry, this relic from their young lives made me absolutely giddy.

Once again reminded that my grandmother was a dynamic woman who made friends wherever she went with her calm demeanor and easy smile, I love thinking about how this little book came to be.

A New Year’s Eve project/gift/collaboration from… whom? Members of a recipe club, like the email recipe exchanges of today? Or maybe it was coordinated by the Yorktown Colony Club as a way to promote neighborly connection? (What a fun idea!) Was there a gathering of many neighbors hand writing their recipes over and over, or was it a gift to her upon arrival? Why the little Playboy nekkid lady with the ball?

There’s no way to know, but it is a wonderful gift and full of interesting international recipes as well as plenty of sugar, jello, and white flour.

I wished for a moment that I had either of my grandparents around to ask about this book just to hear it’s story in their voices. No use wishing for the impossible, so instead I embrace this minor mystery and accept that as much as I knew about them, there is so much more I can never know. And that is how it must be.