July 14, 1999

Dear Jay:

     Finally, after staying up two complete nights, I have completed the editing. I am sure I must owe you something more for all these items and the recipes. Let me know if you need a break and I will hold off sending anything for a while. I am worried that I am sending too much? Please edit at your leisure! 

Thank you for the encouragement.  

July 25, 1999

Dear Rebecca:

     Thanks! Your proposal letter is looking great and I am glad you found an expert on whom you feel you could rely. Forgive me for the little marginal notes and nags. You certainly are not required to reply to each one. Actually, I become better acquainted with some of my authors via the marginal notes than I do through our letters. Your letters are charming, though. 

July 25, 1999

Dear Jay;

     Please don’t give up any of your weekends to work on my editing. Yes, I did grammar check the entire document. Not without a two-day journey however. After completely checking the document my computer annoyingly shut down and I had to start again. I almost lost it at this point! I calmly started again, doing it in sections. 

     I am not even close to having another package of recipes to send but I did need to know how you would like me to print them out and how many at a time. Should we do a chapter at a time as before? There have been so many universal changes and I really want to start at the first chapter and work my way through the entire 12 chapters of recipes.

Even Cooks need a Day Off!

August 15, 1999

Dear Rebecca:

     Yes, Rebecca, I like this chapter-at-a-time approach. Actually, along with this next packet, I am enclosing four more, but they are recipe chapters and were a breeze. 

     By the way, I’m keeping your picture. It goes in your file here in my desk. You aren’t the first, and you won’t be the last client to send me a picture. I love it when I get pictures from you folks. You become very important to me. We establish an interesting relationship through our marginal notes, don’t we? You have made me laugh out loud a couple of times, and I like that!

September 15, 1999

Dear Jay:

     Thank you for your insightful editing. It is refreshing to make the universal changes. I know cooks will appreciate the clarifications. Such little details take so much time don’t they? How do you do it all? Some people are just too talented. 

     I just completed a read-through of the headers. I printed off a “back-up copy” and it took up TWO 3-inch binders. My grandmother couldn’t believe it. Now she understands why she hasn’t seen me for weeks. My sister-in-law couldn’t believe I had recipes in there she had forgotten she had made years ago. It pays to write down family recipes.  

Note added: 5/18/2001  (My grandmother has since left our world and is now in heaven. I am so sad she will not be here to see the cookbook published, but she did get to see the final manuscript and knew that I was terribly grateful to her for all she taught me. I will always love her and miss her and will dedicate the cookbook to her to honor her memory.)

One of the many quotes in Seasoned with Love.

Do you love quotes?  1911 Best Things Anybody Ever Said

Final Page of my Letter Journey