My sister and I were chatting and I told her I was baking bread. She asked "how can you make bread? We have Mom's hands!". I confessed I was using a bread machine because of course, I CAN'T make bread with "Mom's" hands.
Mom always told us that neither she or her mother (or us girls) could not make bread because our hands were 'too hard'. We knead the dough too rough and it doesn't rise properly. I've tried, many times, and Mom was right - my dough just doesn't rise. Back in the day when bread was always homemade, Grandpa or one of the boys had to knead the bread - Grandma and Mom couldn't. They could however (and often did) knead dough for other things - notably homemade pasta and biscotti, I have no problem with those either. It's a much stiffer, harder dough for both and requires a hard hand.
In another conversation with my husband this evening while looking at some LL Bean slippers that I liked, he pointed to another pair that had fleece lining instead of the shearling that I wanted. I told him I can't wear synthetic anything on my feet because I have my fathers feet (except his were flat, I have high arches). Our feet sweat. A LOT. And when they sweat, they swell - they'll swell to the point that IF we could get our shoes off, we can't get them back on. Synthetics make it soooo much worse.
I started thinking about my body parts and what I inherited from Mom and Dad. Dad's face - no doubt about that (lucky me), except both contributed to the nose - I have a "normal" nose, Mom's was a big Roman nose, Dad's was a squat fat thing. No idea who's hair I have because Mom lost all her hair in a fever at the age of 4 (ALL her body hair), but since one brother and my sister have curly hair she "thinks" she had curly hair, mine is straight. Thankfully, Mom's ears - Dad looked like someone forgot to close the doors on the taxi. Dad's skin tone too, olive, Mom was one of those rare Italian's with paper white skin that was prone to heat rash and sunburn. Other than my hands, my "bones" are Dad's - no doubt about that either - which is really strange because you would think that when the genetic cards were dealt for the "frame" it would be the whole frame - why single my hands and feet out? I'm lucky to have Mom's hands though, long thin fingers on small hands (ring size 4) and very tiny wrists. The smallness ends there though as I have my fathers frame everywhere else - big shoulders, enormous hips, super large knees. And again lucky me - both Mom and Dad contributed to the teeth department - the worst contributions they could make! I got Dad's lousy gums, and Mom's brittle teeth. Thanks to progress in dentistry though I beat them both as I'm over 50 and I still HAVE my teeth! Dad's side of the family also contributed to the ... well ... chest department. Mom and my sister were lacking there ... I got it all just like Dad's sisters. Got their butts too - thanks Dad. And the genetic stars were not in favor in the height department either as both Mom and Dad were short, and naturally so am I. Baby weight ... well, my grandmother delivered 4 children and the 4th was ENORMOUS (14 lbs), Mom didn't quite make that milestone but I (the 4th child) was just over 10 lbs (and a whopping 17" long! See? I was BORN short and fat, that's my excuse. There is NOT a "thin" person in here fighting to get out).
I like to explore my own genetics. As a dog breeder I am constantly scrutinizing dogs and their pedigrees and mapping what parts came from what lines. Only natural that I should look at myself in the same way, and lay the blame on Mom or Dad
So ... who gave you your nose? Ears? Feet?