You know what they say – none of us get out of this alive. So this started out as an obituary and instead became an ode to friendship. I began with the intent of writing an epistle – instead it turned into a series of rabbit holes.
@Anna N died on Tuesday the 10th.
I will not be sharing her medical information here – you will notice she never posted on “How are you Doing” thread – and she assured me if I did, she would haunt me for the rest of my days. Not that I’m afraid of her dead or alive – but hey – I respected her wishes in life and will continue to do so in death. Those of you that she was willing to let me share with know who you are and can PM me if you wish. The only thing she would be willing to let me suggest to everyone is that you quit smoking now!
Anna and I have been fast friends since 2006. We tell people we met online. eG’ers will appreciate that it involved Dawn Power Dissolver.
“I think a bit of a backstory on how Kerry and I met is entirely appropriate as it involves eG.
I had been a member for some time when Kerry joined in 2005. I was on a topic about dishwashing detergents and bemoaning the fact that Dawn Power Dissolver was not available in Canada. Kerry PM’d me and offered to get some next time she made a trip to Buffalo. At the time, I knew nothing about her and assumed with the name Kerry that she was male. I was astounded that anyone could be so generous to a stranger and suspected some nefarious motive to find out where I lived and carry out unspeakable crimes on my person or property. (I have since learned that many eG members are incredibly generous with time, knowledge and even ingredients and equipment.)
I relented and gave my address. Kerry showed up at my door one day with said detergent. She didn’t look overly dangerous or criminal so I allowed her into my home. We talked for the next 3 hours non-stop and the rest, as they say, is history.”
https://forums.egullet.org/topic/142785-eg-foodblog-kerry-beal-and-anna-n-2012-mixing-it-up-in-manitoulin/?do=findComment&comment=1877497
Anna was eG staff when we met – she did a lot of editing and such in the background for Fatguy and was always a voice of reason (not to say she wasn’t opinionated – just not inclined to share that opinion as often as perhaps she might have). She was recipe testing for a lot of authors and also editing for them when they allowed it. It frustrated the crap out of her when they wouldn't take her suggestions for edits I must admit.
We started the Ladies who Lunch in 2010 to talk about the lunches we had while out and about on our Wednesday afternoon adventures. Lots of amusing stories tucked in there. The ‘cowy’ cheese is one of my favourites. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/132193-the-ladies-who-lunch-part-1/
One of our favourite places to go when we were lunching ladies was Winners. One particular day Anna and I were waiting in line behind two ladies at the counter – one turned to the other and said sadly “I lost my husband last year” – Anna muttered under her breath “careless” and the two of us split a gut for the next 30 minutes straight – then again for the rest of the afternoon whenever we looked at each other. We always laughed a lot!
Early days we organized the first of the Chocolate and Confectionery workshops – Anna was the detail person – could not have done it without her - https://forums.egullet.org/topic/123427-reporteg-chocolate-and-confectionery-conference/
The second workshop at Niagara was where we both met @Alleguede - we quickly knocked the big honking chip off his shoulder and became friends. Anna called him her sibling, a difficult sibling, but a sibling none the less. I think that means they both considered me their parent?
And the first time I managed to drag her off to the PMCA with me -https://forums.egullet.org/topic/144850-working-our-way-to-lancaster-pa-–-what-to-eat-in-amish-country/page/2/
She had a chocolate phase thanks to me – here’s one of her topics on that -https://forums.egullet.org/topic/120233-mistakes-in-the-chocolatecandy-lab/
Our first unofficial blog together was actually a blog apart - ‘Long Distance Cooking Buddies share their food’ since we couldn’t be the Ladies who Lunch for a few weeks. At the tail end of the blog Anna and her hubby came up to Manitoulin and stayed at the cabin out on Frier Point https://forums.egullet.org/topic/133763-long-distance-cooking-buddies-share-their-food/
That was June – in September it was just Anna and I – child left behind at home for school. On the drives up to Manitoulin we would play word games and solve the problems of the world as only two women can – and laugh! Oh yeah - and decide how we would entertain our 'fans' on eG when we arrived. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/134999-sharing-a-kitchen-in-an-ingredient-desert/
We spent a lot of time laughing! And eventually drinking –
https://forums.egullet.org/topic/139736-help-for-a-couple-of-cocktail-novices-part-1/
Then there were the Big Green Egg eggfests – where Anna and I got into some serious competitive cooking then baking – this was our first eggfest when I bought the large egg and we made the chicken tikka masala that Anna had tested for Monica Bhide – we learned a lot about timing and quantities that we perfected for future fests - https://forums.egullet.org/topic/134923-nieggara-fest-2010/#comment-1761568
And the Ice Wine Festivals where true friends freeze their asses off together - https://forums.egullet.org/topic/136666-report-on-the-niagara-ice-wine-festival/
Anna started a boatload of topics over the years – starting in 2002 here is a link to the list of them – you can see the breadth of her curiosity and interests - I must confess to often being the one who said – “you gotta start a topic” – sometimes because we were annoyed, other times intrigued -
https://forums.egullet.org/profile/6903-anna-n/content/page/11/?type=forums_topic
Through all these years Anna has been my wordsmith – when we needed a title for a topic, when I needed copy for my EZtemper ads, when I needed a CV, a letter, basically anything with words that needed a clean and dust – I’d send it off to her and she would send it back polished. I swear that woman could polish a turd and make it shine!
She was always on the other end of a text when I needed information or a recipe during my travels or when I was still able to find time to cook at work. And of course we talked (and laughed) on the phone on my way into, and home from, work every day. Even those drives to and from Dunnville very early in the morning. No trouble at all gabbing through the hour up and the hour back. This I am missing a lot.
So when you come back up the rabbit hole – I’d love you to share your favourite memory of Anna cause I know I’m not the only life she touched here on eG. And if you go down that rabbit hole of her topics – let us know which one you enjoyed most.
