This is how to sew, backstitch, running stitch, pocket stitch; this is how to hem your father’s pants, always take four inches off the cuff and sew a new hem; how to patch jeans; how to darn socks; how to make curtains for your grandmother—Tessie convinced your grandfather she can’t do anything for herself, sly as a fox, that girl; mom says it’s a bit like a cult, living here—your mother never belonged here, too wild for domestic life; how to bake rye bread; how to bake pumpernickel bread; how to bake cobbler; how to bake a mayonnaise cake; how to make shepherd’s pie, scalloped potatoes, roast beef, liver and onions, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, butter peas, sweet pickles; don’t rely on measuring too much, these things come from the heart; this is the perfect ratio of sugar to lemons in lemonade; how your grandmother likes her tea; how to wind the clocks; how to peel an orange—gram, everyone knows how to peel an orange—back in my day an orange was very special, did I ever tell you about when my brother gave me an orange for Christmas; how to play piano; how to paint; how to bathe the baby in the sink; how to change a diaper; how to warm a bottle; what is it like in the city? I want to see the world someday—don’t be silly, the world is a dangerous place for a girl on her own; how to can peaches; how to make jam and preserves; how to milk a cow; how to plant a garden; how to know when vegetables are ready to pick; how to pick out the sweetest watermelon; how to press apple cider; how to pick blackberries and raspberries, watch for the thorns; how to find wild blueberries; how to pick cherries when they’re ripe, but before the birds eat them all; how to raise chicks; how to raise piglets—don’t get too attached, you’ll be eating them soon enough; it’s always smart to make deals with farmers—go down the road and help Mark with his goats, then come butchering time we can get some meat; don’t go near the horses you know your father is allergic; how to run a tractor; how to run a lawn mower; how to shovel a driveway; how to dig a ditch so the yard won’t flood; I’ll have to leave for college soon—you’ve already got everything you need here, what do you need college for?
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