Image credit: pixabay.com
When we left the US we had to decide what we could and could not take with us. We set a maximum limit and decided that we would go to Portugal with six duffel bags (31.8 in. x 16.5 in. x 16.1 in., each with a capacity of 115 liters), two carry-on suitcases, one personal item each, and a small dog in a very large kennel.
The dog was a no brainer. The pet relocation people (another story for another day) told us what she could bring inside her kennel, so that was a done deal. The rest of the decisions were a constant battle, with each of us accusing the other of taking too much of “their” stuff.
In addition to the clothes, shoes, pictures, kitchen knives and books that we jammed into the duffels, we also carried two living things (besides the dog). To our delight, both of them survived.
The “Mike Plant”
On the day that Mike was born in 1955 his dad, Bert, gave his mom, Betty, a plant. Betty was not much of a gardener, but somehow she kept that plant (or some cutting of it) alive until Mike turned 20. Shortly before we got married, she handed it to me. I think she was relieved to be rid of the responsibility that plant had become. You see, the plant had become part of Mike’s consciousness. An alive plant is an alive Mike. We’ve kept it (and him) alive for over 45 years now, and I didn’t want the move to Portugal to put either one in jeopardy.
One day this past May, I took a cutting from the Mike plant and began rooting it. I had no idea if I could get it through Customs, or if it would survive the trip, so I gave the potted plant to my friend and neighbor Ruth for safe keeping. I wrapped the cutting with a wet paper towel and put it in the top of my personal bag. It traveled around the US for us for two weeks, then went aboard the plane. Somehow it survived the long journey, made it through German Customs, and, as you can see, it is now safely potted in Portuguese soil.
Mike is breathing easier now.
The Sourdough Starter
The second living thing I carried was my sourdough starter. Like a lot of people, I had learned to make sourdough bread at the beginning of the pandemic. We ate sourdough bread, sourdough pancakes, and sourdough pizza crust for over 13 months. The thought of leaving “Pandemic April 2020” behind after all the comfort it had given us was unthinkable.
I placed about 1/2 cup of it inside a pint Mason jar and topped it with a tightly sealed lid. It, too, traveled for a couple weeks before I put it in a plastic bag, secured the bag with a twist-tie and put it all in one of the duffel bags.
When we got to our new apartment we found a near disaster. The starter had truly come alive at 36,000 feet and exploded through the lid. Thank goodness for the plastic bag or our clothes would have been covered in sticky dough.
We headed off to our local mercado and purchased flour to revive it. A little flour, a little water and time healed the starter and enabled us to continue our Friday Pizza night tradition.
They say sourdough starter takes on characteristics of its environment, much the way wine is influenced by the terroir of the vineyard. We’re looking forward to seeing how our batch evolves in Portugal.
We aren’t sure if these things should have made it on the plane, but we are happy they did.
That’s all for today. Until next time…
With the best regards / Com os melhores cumprimentos,
Mary
The Cook
The Mike Plant survived — a happy ending!
Mary, I have never made sour dough bread in my life and probably never will, but your pizza looks marvelous!
Hi Karen! Thanks for your comment and sorry I missed it. The pizza is delicious and I’m happy it’s still a part of our Friday night routine.
All the best,
Mike
Karen,
I’ll probably never make sourdough bread again. Homemade read here, in the grocery store, is less than one Euro. The pizza is our Friday jam. I looking forward to trying the local pizza. Take care.
Mary
I love this story. At first I thought it was going to be a bug, Cicada or something else.
BTW, my co-worker in New Jersey, whose family is from Portugal and returns every year, said to try the Vinho Verde region for wine. You only can get them in Portugal. Good luck and please keep writing.
John
John, I love the Vinho Verde. It is almost clear with a bit of effervescense. You can buy a bottle at The Cork “Gazela” on the west side. You will pay $9.00 and we pay about EUR 3.69. Pretty tasty.
I remember the “Mike plant” from our days on Peregrine! I love that it made the voyage safely; as well as the sourdough starter! 🙂
I’m asking myself why I didn’t join the blog sooner – I thoroughly enjoyed reading this! So glad things are going well in Portugal for you both!
Thanks, Sheryl! Don’t worry about what’s past. I am inspired by an old saying: “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” We’re happy you’re following the blog now.
Mike
I love this!! I am so excited for you, what great adventures. Can’t wait to read more.
Hi April,
We can’t wait to write more! I think we’ll get into a groove of posting something about every 4 days. Stay tuned for more.
Mike
Mary and Mike, great story! Mike we still have the “Mike Plant” that you gave us many years ago! Looking forward to many more stories from your new adventures. Have fun!
Steve, I’m so happy to hear that you still have the plant. We’ve given several cuttings away to friend who had kids, but never heard of any who kept them. Thanks for letting us know.
Mike
No, they shouldn’t have made it…but glad they did.
We are glad, too!
So excited to read about your new adventure. Can’t believe your “live” things made it through customs. We flew to Sweden in 2019 and took a jar of chunky peanut butter for them to try. It was confiscated at our layover in Spain. Enjoy every minute of Portugal. I visited there for vacation many years ago with Sue. Can’t wait to read more. ❤️
Hi Alice. Maybe we just got lucky at the border with the plant. We didn’t touch the luggage until we got to Porto, and didn’t have to go through Customs again, so the sourdough was safe…except for the mess!