Successful Cobbling

My children's dad called it Neighborhood Pie.

Actually, the proper name - and a huge family and friends favorite: 

Company Apple Dessert

My mother discovered the recipe when I was in the fifth grade. It became a staple.

I was looking for ideas for decorating my home (especially my kitchen) with apples. September seems too early for the pumpkin patch.

In my search, I came across apple cobbler recipes.  Truth be told, my mother's Company, Apple Dessert, was just an apple cobbler - with a "fancier" name.

As often happens with me, the word cobbler began to ruminate a bit.

I have a mental picture of a man working on a shoe - replacing a heel; that's a cobbler.

I remember walking through the streets of Philadelphia on our honeymoon after I married Rich Suhey. I had a print that we purchased then, but it's long gone. I do remember the small street with stones placed closely together—cobbled.

When I thought of the word "cobble," I thought of stones, shoes, and maybe apples.

Until 

I lost my job as the Special Events Coordinator at Pine Castle in March 2008, and my friend, the Reverend Mark Atkinson, suggested that I cobble together an income.  I was a year short of early  Social Security. 

My parents had moved in with me in 2005 and they contributed to my monthly expenses. Besides that, daddy's health was declining just as the medical experts had predicted, and I was needed more and more to be a help to them.

I got unemployment for the first few months, but that didn't go well with who I am.

Hum.

My aunt Ann had worked as a poll worker in an election, so I asked her for input, and she suggested I look into it.

In 2008, I joined the Duval County Supervisor of Elections team. I trek to the Elections Training Center on Imeson Road every couple of years for training. My daddy would say, "I am driving a fur piece" to reach my destination.  I think it's interesting that when I am traveling on Imeson Road just to my right, behind rows of bushes, I can see the runways to the airport I remember from my childhood.

That particular means of helping me satisfy my financial obligations has been successful, but it was just the beginning. I could include a list of my experiences, but this is not a job interview. Let me say—the good, the bad, and sometimes the ugly—but my bills "got paid."

Of course, the best job ever fell into my lap when I learned that the Mandarin Museum & Historical Society needed a Volunteer Coordinator. This past July, I celebrated my 9th anniversary.

The Museum has changed—for the better!!! But one thing has not changed—the volunteers continue to be faithful, eager to help, and excited about our mission. I have made several very dear friends and picked up a "best friend" along the way. I believe that my time in this capacity has broadened my horizons.

So - today's word is COBBLE.  I still do it.  And it's been a good word for me! 

May you have enough sunshine in your life to make you appreciate the shadows