Rhubarb Bars, Molasses Cookies, Ramps and Aunt Carlene, Oh My

I really miss my Aunt Carlene, so many times I just want to jump in the car and go see her and Uncle Bob at their house in Sandusky, but I can’t, you see she passed away in June of 2015. At the time of her death she was 83 years old and still full of life, filled with spunk and still ready to take on the world. My relationship with her goes back so many years, I remember her visiting us in West Virginia from then I thought that magical land of Ohio. My mother and Aunt Carlene had a special bond. When my mother and dad divorced in 1975 my mother shortly thereafter moved to Ohio and lived with my Aunt Carlene as she worked various jobs trying to rebuild her life and get back on her feet. Aunt Carlene was there every step of that journey my mother was taking, rooting and encouraging her every day. I know Aunt Carlene and Ma enjoyed living close to one another, even after my mother remarried and moved into her own house. So many Saturday’s were spent searching out garage sales on Marblehead Peninsula or scouring Sandusky, we once even stopped at a house on her demand, climbing out of her Buick Regal to only discover we were crashing a graduation party – once back in the car she blamed the people having the party for not having signs or decorations out, we were mortified, Aunt Carlene was not-That was Aunt Carlene! We spent so many Saturday’s driving to Amish Country for something as simple as a few spices at Mary’s store near Mount Eaton. Her house on Adams Street in Sandusky held a lot of history, it sat further out on the tree lawn and was believed to be one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad. It was also said to be at one time a stage coach stop and inn. Many spooky and unexplained things happened in this house, people saw things, heard things and yes smelled things which would usually trigger an event in the house! I lived with her during the summers of 1978-1980 as I worked at Cedar Point and commuted back and forth on the ferry boat. Only once did I have to spend the night alone in that house, she and Uncle Bob had gone to Michigan to their camp, my schedule didn’t allow me to go to Ma’s house so I decided to brave it. After getting off work late, catching the last ferry back to Sandusky and walking to the house I stood outside starring at it, my heart racing a mile a minute, sweating profusely; finally I unlocked the door, ran straight up the stairs, jumped into bed fully dressed and covered my head up and prayed to fall asleep quickly with Snoopy her beloved Dachshund beside me, the next night I stayed at a fellow worker’s house crashing on their
couch! I think Aunt Carlene loved living in a “haunted” house. As the years went by I saw and spent a lot of time with her, Christmas could not come until we went to her house for her annual cookie party! Now let’s talk cookies, to be exact, Molasses Cookies that were to die for and wanted by everyone. These spicy soft cookies were coated in a layer of delectable marshmallow like frosting and absolutely no one could eat just one. During our family reunion, “Hillbilly Hilton” we hold an auction to raise funds for future reunions, these cookies have sold for as much as $75.00 a dozen and always caused a bidding war! One of her signature desserts she brought to every family gathering were her Rhubarb Bars and even if you didn’t like rhubarb, she forced you to eat one anyway, and you had better like it as well! I really think that her most favorite food was ramps! Ramps are regarded as an early spring vegetable with a strong garlic-like odor and a pronounced onion flavor. Ramps also have experienced a growing popularity in restaurants throughout North America. Every year she anticipated their arrival and would hunt them out in her favorite northern Ohio locations. Ramps are as West Virginia as pepperoni rolls or Hudson Cream Flour! The town Uncle Bob hailed from, Richwood holds every year a day long ramp feed called the “Feast of the Ransom” and thousands of people pour into the town which for that day becomes the stinkiest town in West Virginia,
this year the feast will be held Saturday April 22nd. Aunt Carlene would fry them with potatoes or in scrambled eggs and she loved them so much I would bet she even ate them plucked straight from Mother Earth, like a green onion. We went Ramp picking with her one year near Wakeman, Ohio along the Vermilion River, seeing her in action was a sight to see, I truly believe she would have tried to get every one of them had Uncle Bob not reined her in and she had enough to feed a small army. She explained to me how to cook them and I followed her directions adding them to a skillet of potatoes. I must admit they were good; however the smell radiating off of them actually was quite pungent. Afterwards I simply remembering having the worst smelling breath imaginable but it had been worth it because I knew Aunt Carlene would be proud that I tried them.
After Uncle Bob’s passing in 2011 we gradually saw a decline in her health, my cousin Diana and I would visit her as often as we could and take her out to lunch or dinner or simply sit at her kitchen table with her enjoying some very strong coffee as we had done so many times over the years reminiscing. At Aunt Carlene’s sitting in the living room was unheard of as well as having many lights on, that simply was the way it was. On her last birthday I got to spend with her I took her out to dinner and told her to choose the place, of course she insisted that I choose so I chose Cracker Barrel, thinking that she liked that style of country food, and she told me she did. WOW was I wrong on that decision, she spent probably 15 minutes arguing with our server in training about the sides. After getting our food she insisted that she would have never ordered what she was served but said she wouldn’t make a scene and would eat it. Afterwards when I was driving home I called her daughter, my cousin Marcia, who lives in Illinois to fill her in on her mom and our dinner, Marcia informed me that Aunt Carlene had never liked Cracker Barrel! – That was Aunt Carlene! After taking a fall and breaking her hip we all knew she could no longer live alone in that big house, so she went to Illinois to live where she could be looked after and loved by her family. I got to see her one more time before she passed away at Marcia’s as we had been invited to Chicago for a wedding and jumped at the opportunity to get to see her too. We simply replaced the kitchen table for her smoking lounge and I sat with her reminiscing and drinking coffee the exact same way we had done for the past 40 years.

Rest in peace Aunt Carlene, I miss you so very much, make sure those angels and Ma are trying a piece of your Rhubarb Bars, a Molasses Cookie or a plate of Ramps and Fried Potatoes and I know you’re feeding the squirrels!