This may sound strange, but it is a piece of her parents’ wedding cake. Yup, the Bag Lady has 59-year old wedding cake in her china cabinet. Petrified. It’s wrapped in plastic, and nestled in cotton, which is why it looks a little funny. (That dark spot is not mould - blame the lighting or the photographer.)
Weird, huh? Now this may not be the weirdest thing in the Bag Lady’s house, but it’s certainly in the top ten.
And why, you may ask, does the Bag Lady have a 59 year old piece of petrified wedding cake? Because she does, that’s why. It brings back memories, which is why anyone keeps anything, right? Her mother saved that little piece of white cake, tucked away in that little Stetson box, tucked away in turn in a drawer with her table linens, her entire life.
The Bag Lady remembers taking it out of the box when she was a child. It still smelled of sugar and sweetness then, in spite of it already being well on its way to petrification. It no longer smells like much of anything. There’s still a faint hint of sweetness, and it feels dry and powdery.
Today would have been the Bag Lady’s parents’ 59th wedding anniversary. They met during WWII when her dad, who was in the Navy, was stationed in Halifax. Dad was a shy young farm boy from Alberta. Mom was a shy young Nova Scotia native who worked in the dockyards, charting underwater obstacles in Halifax harbour.
The Bag Lady will continue to save that piece of wedding cake. It doesn’t take up much room, and when she runs across that little Stetson box, it reminds her of her parents, and that’s not a bad thing, right? When the Bag Lady dies, whoever has to clean out her house will probably open that box and wonder what the hell…? She hopes they turn the lid over and read the inscription there before they toss it out, cursing the Bag Lady for the pack-rat that she is!
(Happy Anniversary, mom and dad, wherever you are - one thing I know for sure is that you are together!)
So, what’s the weirdest thing in your house? Got any 59-year old cake hanging around?
