The rebirth of spring
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/04/2022 (425 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
As we emerge from snowy cocoons, our thoughts turn to longer, blue-sky days, creative gardening plans and walking on dry, solid ground once again.
For me, spring brings about another birthday — the last of my 50somethings. I know it’s just a number, but those decade milestones are tough, so I’m going to make the most of my 59th year (my husband would point out that I’ve already begun my 60th year but I’m going to ignore that piece of logic for my mental well-being).
To celebrate spring and the return of once-restricted activities, I volunteered to make perogies at our church. Before you pat me on the back, let me tell you a little about my perogy making experience. About 25 years ago I used a Hunky Bill Perogy Maker, and discovered that if you don’t pinch the dough properly, you end up with a slurry of dough and potato water — not even remotely resembling anything edible.
Flash forward 25 years: I’d like to learn how to make proper perogies and check it off my bucket list. You might assume, by my last name, that I’ve been making perogies all my life. Nope – my family background is actually British and Jamaican, with a smattering of Irish, Scottish and French.
I was impressed with the well-oiled machine that was our ‘perogy bee’ community. I’ve heard about them for years, and on this day I was welcomed as part of the crew. The peeling, mashing and blending of potatoes was done the night before, leaving us to roll, cut, scoop, load, pinch, cook, cool and pack for five hours. I should also mention that the volunteers enjoyed a coffee break and light lunch for their efforts.
I am proud to be one of the 50-plus volunteers whot turned out 550 dozen perogies – that’s 6,600 perogies!
Now the checked-off items on my bucket list include: zookeeper-for-a-day, kite sailing, trampoline aerobics, paddleboard yoga, dog sledding, rock climbing, touring the cockpit of a water bomber, a very long train ride to B.C. and perogy making. I’ll see you at the sale!
Wanda Prychitko
St. James-Assiniboia community correspondent
Wanda Prychitko is a community correspondent for St. James-Assiniboia.