Antonia wrote about her world with appreciative wonder. Once she wrote about the moonflowers she planted in her garden. She was astonished at how the white flowers were big, beautiful and fragrant at night, in the moonlight. I felt like I was right there with her, amazed by the magic of those flowers. So precious...

Antonia- such a trooper! Carrying all her life-support gear with a smile on her face always... I loved to hear her read... her stories sometimes were humorous, sometimes matter of  fact,  but they often would throw me for a loop and I would smile and laugh as she told stories about her son and her life.   

She was a real pleasure to be around, and to be a witness to the truths about her life.  I loved her voice when she moderated for the podcasts too. She had such a presence.  She was such a special part of our community, always wanting to give and share so much of herself. I will miss her.

The first time I had the   

  honor of meeting  

  Antonia 

was at a class reading.

She was funny, warm and   

   filled with life.

Her smile...well what can  

   you say, it shined.

She grew to mean a lot to  

   me

Whenever we had an event

    she was offered a free   

    seat in the house.

Just having her energy  

    made the room

warm and welcoming.

Today the sun was peeking      in and out

as I lay under a canopy of  

    spring leaves

a soft breeze moving them      gently

as I whispered goodbye.

~Bev Bowers

I was part of Antonia's "small group" circle of sisters - twice

Twice blessed.

It was like winning the golden ticket,

Every Tuesday morning.

She was a beautiful storyteller

Sharing stories of her childhood, cat, and love of  

   on-line scrabble

Honest stories told in a voice with a magical rhythm

   and tone

Never have I laughed and cried so hard at the same time.

Mesmerized by her ability to write and her ability to listen

She listened with her whole body - eyes focused, 

shoulders bent forward ever so slightly

A precious gift to the reader lucky enough to share their   

   words with her.

She kept every greeting card anyone ever sent her

I wish I would have sent her more

For to become part of her collection was an honor

If you ever had the chance to be in a class with Antonia, chances are you have tasted her delicious Apple Cake, which she made fresh to share with members of the group.  This is the recipe:

Apple Cake

2 c whole-wheat flour

� c toasted wheat germ

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp each cinnamon and salt

� tsp nutmeg

4 c diced peeled tart cooking apples (4 large)

1 c granulated sugar

1 c packed dark brown sugar

1/2 c oil 1 to 1 1/2 c walnuts (recipe calls for chopped walnuts, I don't)  

2 eggs, well beaten

1 tsp vanilla

Sift together flour, wheat germ, soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg; set aside. In large bowl combine apples, sugars, oil, walnuts, eggs, and vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir gently with a wooden spoon to blend well. Turn into a greased 13x9x2 baking pan. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 50 minutes until cake pulls away from sides of pan. Cool in pan on rack. Cut in 12 bars (I cut a bit smaller).   

Printable Recipe