let there be pi

feeling: JOY, a little relief, and excitement to see you

I love Big Panda and Tiny Dragon. I came across this cartoon when starting this bake in earnest. Like a cosmic note from the universe, it stopped me in my scroll (clearly playing the avoidance game with myself before starting the work). “Hey, self-doubt. You’re not special, everyone has it, so why don’t you just shut up and cut some butter already?” Yeah, sometimes my inside voice sounds like a drill sergeant.

I am not alone in feeling like I don’t know where this is going or what I am doing in the larger sense. We’re all just doing our best. You, me, and everyone else in the line at the grocery store.

My best has looked like shit lately. I could offer reasons, explanations for this poo-like observation, but instead I’m just going to let this little voice inside me talk to us:

If it’s your best, it cannot be shit. It’s your best! We aren’t our before person. We are our NOW person. Who we are now includes last night’s sleep, yesterday’s really good outfit, and last week’s awful news about someone we love. You are not Rachel who has a pie shop at 36th & Chicago. But you ARE the you who has made it to this point with endless possibility (and probably pain) of what is ahead. Comparison is the thief of joy. Don’t let the Joneses (who you are trying to keep up with) rob you of your right to just do the best you can, take care of what is urgent, be kind, and let the rest, rest.

I hope that is helpful in some way for you, too. Thank you for doing your best, no matter where that is for you. It’s perfect for exactly who you are right now. And I like you.

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Pie for Pi Day!

Cherry and blueberry. Both pies are double crust, because even though it’s twice the labor, that means it also has twice the love. The top crust can be like a painter’s canvas for a pie maker, and designing them brings me so much joy. No two pies are ever the same and that is a wonderfully human thing.

At this point I am still making dough, so I can’t promise how many I can make, but there will be at least 24 pies. There will be some handy dandy pies as well (little round hand pies). I’m hoping those will be a triple berry situation.

In a strange turn of events, I’ve decided over half of the pies will have an all-butter crust. There will be a few signature (butter-lard) pies offered.

One of our favorite humans, Nancy, has offered her amazing space for pie pick-up. So, if you’d like pie, come meet me and Ratchet on:

When: Monday, March 13 at 5pm
Where: Clockwork https://www.clockwork.com/
1501 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55414
Turn on 15th to enter the parking lot.

Reminder, I am only sharing this bake with y’all here. I won’t be sharing this out on social media or in The Pie Loop.

We’ll stay until 6 pm or sold out, whichever comes first. If we sell out, we’ll update you HERE on this post (not on instagram). If we don’t sell out, we’ll offer them on Tuesday on instagram.

Pies are $35.
Dandy pies are $6.

p.s. I just heard from Galley Cat - they’re bringing bags of original caramels! Woot!

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a few joy-filled (and other complicated feelings) items of note

• A second chance at love for Blossom.

• I remember stumbling into this resource a long time ago. I have it bookmarked, and found it again today. It’s a space where people all over the world light a candle for someone or something. Check it out.

• "I tell you the more I think, the more I feel that there is nothing more
  truly artistic than to love people." - Vincent van Gogh

• OMG HOLLY (frickin’) WHITAKER. “When the old things don’t work and the new things aren’t solidified, it’s such a natural thing to look back and imagine we’re betraying something we are supposed to be, going the wrong direction, being wrong, missing some opportunity, failing at who we are.” Go, read the rest. I promise it isn’t a waste of time.

art by demii whiffin

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