The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook

Aliske Webb

Sittin’ Loose

Edna Mae, one of my Grama’s oldest friends, worked hard on a farm all day,

and in the evening you could find her flopped in a comfortable old rocking chair on the

front porch. Her favorite expression for her feeling at that time of day was, “When ah

sits, ah sits loose!” Now there’s a country Inn attitude for you—learn to sit loose.

The important thing about a country Inn is to have lots of favorite places to sit.

Each one needs to be different and inviting yet has to make the sitter feel that they are

the first to have found this particular spot, with this special outview of the world or that

unusual insight into life. If you need lessons on favorite spots around the Inn, find one

of the Inn cats. They know the best places and they usually don’t mind a little, if quiet,

company. We have several cats and lots of places.

You need to find, however, the cat whose personality matches your sittin’ mood.

Now Nine Patch, for example, our long hair calico cat, is built for comfort not speed.

Michael says that from behind she looks like a hairy bowling ball with a tail. A true

“Garfield” of cats, you see her ambling slowly around the place, examining every blade

of grass like a reincarnated Sixties hippie on bad drugs and blinking sleepily through

half-open eyes. Nine Patch looks for comfort and she usually dozes on a cosy quilt-

covered chair on the porch out of the wind, in a sunny window seat or behind the

orchard wall on a warm stone slab. Her places are warm and cosy and sleep-inducing.

If you’re in a mellow mood, follow Nine Patch and take a book but only if you don’t

intend to read it.

Dixie, on the other hand, is a gadabout cat. A fluffy brainless grey and white

furball, she’s the kind of a cat that starts to purr as soon as she enters the room as if

announcing, “OK, everyone, I’m here and I’m looking for love!” She purrs if you just look

at her from across the room. Dixie pays no particular mind to comfort. She’ll sleep

anywhere, anytime, no matter how lumpy it is so long as there are people about or the

potential of people about. Quite foolishly, she’ll sleep in doorways, busy doorways at

that, waiting to make sure she’s there to catch any tidbitd of conversation or food, and

often getting stepped on. Follow her to the places where people gather to chat: the

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Country Cooking