Bunny Cakes

For as long as I can remember, Grandma made bunny cakes for easter. one great big bunny shaped cake and lots of little bunny cakes. With jelly bean tails and hand drawn eyes and ears. Nothing fancy but the love they were made with was unsurpassed. Bunny cakes are simply the best part of easter, shy of dinner with family of course. So, I've gathered jelly beans, frosting, and cake mix. I've cleaned out the bunny molds and started baking bunny cakes because some family traditions are just that good. They will all have different colored tails and carefully drawn ears with toothpicks or a sharp knife. Then they will be pile on plates, tails out and quickly devoured cause that's just how it is with bunny cakes. I'll save a few for mom and dad of course but bunny cakes will be made again this year!

Barometers and rainy days

The weather in maryland has been crazy lately to say the least. Grandpa's barometer, now hanging on my wall, has been jumping alll over the place. Each day, after opening the curtains to let the sunlight in I adjust the knob from where it was the day before to where it is today so I can see the change day to day. It occurred to me the other day just how much Pa taught me about reading the weather. I can read a barometer and know what the changes mean, I can understand what my joints are telling me, read the clouds and sun, the tides and know what to expect of the coming weather changes. He taught me to know if the storm is coming or going, if I need to be ready for rain the next day, or if its likely to be sunny. I can watch for water spouts on the ocean and know when I need to get off the river because that light drizzle is going to turn into a nasty storm.

Grunts and Grits and other food

Watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives episode about grouper sandwiches. Pa loved grouper sandwiches, blackened. There is nothing like group sandwiches except maybe Abuela's ham croquettes. But grouper sandwiches led me to think about Grits & Grunts, possibly Pa's all time favorite and something that both Grandma and I would cringe when thinking about it. According to Grandma, grunts have lots of bones and arent much to eat but then again she never much liked fish. From what I know about Grits & Grunts, you make a batch of grits and put chunks of grunts it in. I'll leave that one alone though.

Back to those ham croquettes. Abuela used to make THE BEST ham croquettes ever. That is probably one of my earliest memories of our family in Tampa. We would go visit abuela and abuelo and eat ham croquettes, man were they good. We recently found a new Cuban restaurant nearby in Towson, MD. The owner is from Cuba, having come to the US as a child. I just had to order the croquettes and was immediately transported back to visiting abuela and abuelo and eating warm, little bit crunchy, and ohh so tasty ham croquettes. I could almost hear the voices and feel their love in these ham croquettes in a tiny joint in maryland and it was goooood.

cantamos alegría

It is the season to, as my friend Peter sings, “Sing Joy,”

This season, I “Sing Joy” for all that Grandma and Pa gave us,

The stories, the food, the island 90 miles north of cuba, and so much else

So let’s live out the season with all the joy they did and…

“Sing Joy” for each other

“Sing Joy” for that strange island full of people who loved them and love us

“Sing Joy” for Christmas eve dinner, café con leche, and key lime pie

“Sing Joy” for all the animals in the manger, Christmas decorations, and the elves in the yard

“Sing Joy” for Christmas cookies, fresh Christmas trees, and candles on snowy nights

“Sing Joy” for postal workers and retail workers, especially at Sears, who will work harder than ever this season

“Sing Joy” for the technology that keeps us together and for the time we spend together

“Sing Joy” for the bits and pieces of Grandma and Pa we see in each other and in Ryan

“Sing Joy” for the child born in Bethlehem who’s face they have seen

And…

“SING JOY” for our guardian angels and all the love the continue to give us!

“Sing Joy” by Peter Mayer, Little Flock Music

Filling in the blanks

Found some more details on Grandma's family...

1)Alicia Bancells

2) Maria Pons and Blas Rameriez

3) Maria’s parents are Miguel Pons and Francisca Acosta

3a)Siblings: Amparo “Alice” (was a nurse in military), Juan, Vehillo,

Juan Horacio married Esperansa Perez (died early in marriage) then married Margarita Pons, they had 8 children: Dora, Aledia, Norberto, Francsia, Alicia, Celido, and Charlie (all Spencer or Pons)

3b) Francisca’s siblings are Domingo, Candonga, Teresa, Maria Ignacia, and an unknown sibling

4) Francisca’s parents are Juan Acosta and Ignacia Cordova

4a) Juan Acosta and Maria Ferrer also had children

4b) Domingo is child of Maria Ferrer and Juan Acosta, born before 1879 in Cuba. He was a teacher and Superintendent of Escuala Normal in Havana

4c) Teresa born before 1879. Died in 1901, Married Leopoldo Hernandez. Child: Elba Cardenas y Pons died 1913 in Havana by suicide off the Malecon. Children Estella and Leopoldo (born in 1896 in Cuba, died in 1972 in KW)and Juan. Leopoldo worked on ships and as night manager or Duval Sundries. Juan Maria Cardenas Pons born in 1896, died 1986 owned a pharmacy on Duval St

4d )Maria Ignacia Acosta

Born May 18, 1879 in Cuba

Married Manuel Maresma y Gispert 1899 in Havana.

Manuel Maresma was born in Havana and died before 1932. He was a judge, lawyer and teacher

Spent time in Mexico, Cuba then 1953 worked for Pan American Air

1923: worked in cigar factory in Tampa as child care for workers

4e) Miguel Pons Sr and Maria Candelaria Ferrer

            Miguel was born in Marseis France and of the Guimera Family

            Maria also married Juan Acosta and is from Cuba

"Looka"

One of my favorite Pa-words is "looka." (Look + ah). It usually means "look at this" or "look at me" and it drives grandma nuts. I can remember her telling him, "its look, not looka." I'm not sure how its spelled but I am sure he uses it at times just to make her nuts and make me giggle. It's a little like how he said Home Depot. Most of us pronouce it  home d-poh but he always said deh-poh (okay its hard to explain it in words but I hope that makes sense). I'm fairly certain he is capapble of saying it correctly but it wasnt his habit and ya know, it makes grandma nuts.


Any other good Pa words out there?

Side trip to grandma's family

So grandma asked me to find out more about her mom, Maria Pons.

Maria married Blas Ramirez and they had 12 kids (Rolgelio, Elena, Delia, Jose, Hector, Berta, Miguel,
Frank, Umberto, Alicia (GRANDMA!), Armando, and Antonio.

Maria had 3 siblings: Amparo "Alice," Juan, and Vehillo. Their parents were Miguel Pons and Francsia Acosta.

Miguel had one sister, Teesar.

Francsia had 4 siblings: Domingo, Candonga, Teresa, Maria.

Miguel Pons' parents were Miguel Pons and Maria Ferrer. Miguel Sr was born in France of the Guimera family.

Francsia Acosta's parents were Juan Acosta and Ignacia Cordova. Juan Acosta was also married to Maria Ferrer (before Miguel Pons Sr was (as far as I can tell)). Juan is of the Delgado family, Ignacia is of the Toledo family.
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Grandma's Dad's side:

Her dad was Blas Ramirez. He had 5 siblings: Jose, Eloisa (grandma loved her), Dolores, Abel, and Enriqueta (grandma didnt like her, queta. had a daughter conchita (?) who had a daughter, andrea who went to kindergarden with my dad, she was a dancer, cousins).

Blas's parents where Jose (a shoemaker/repair who lived on Bahama St in Key West) and Gregonia.

Blas' family is from the Canary Islands and his mother's name was Consergera of Cuba