For My Crow Grrrls...

Black crow, black crow, tell me...
Originally uploaded by monkeyc.net.

My Aunt and her friends are Crow Girls...

(a Charles DeLint reference)


"One crow for sorrow,
Two crows for joy,
Three crows for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five crows for silver,
Six crows for gold,
Seven crows for a secret never to be told."

-- Unknown

Black crow, black crow, tell me where you really go
When you fly into the sunset, high in evening sky,
Black crow, black crow, tell me what you really know
Will we flourish in this hurricane, or will we fall and die?

Nick Cave - Black Crow

The Cherry Street Baker

Services Set for Cherry Street Baker
By Staff Reports, The Tulsa World
5/21/2006

Caroline Brune, the owner of the former Bakery on Cherry Street and a founding member of the Tristesse Center, died May 14 of ovarian cancer. She was 56.

A memorial service is set for 3 p.m. May 28 at All Souls Unitarian Church.

Brune not only left behind a legacy of signature baked goods still served at the Wild Fork restaurant but also was instrumental in the evolution of Cherry Street, one of Tulsa's popular business districts on 15th Street between Peoria and Utica avenues.

Born in Enid on a wheat and cattle farm, Brune learned her first baking skills from her mother, Gertrude.

"Caroline always said that from the time she was old enough to stand on a stool and reach a counter, she began kneading dough," said Susanne Barnard, a close friend and owner of the Bead Merchant.

Brune was known for having an innate understanding of the idiosyncrasies of creating dough and an uncanny rhythm in the way she kneaded it, said her brother, Carl.

Kim Michie, chef and owner of the Wild Fork, said no one has been able to recreate Brune's popular peasant sourdough bread. "It just doesn't taste the same, so we quit trying."

Brune had a degree in English from Phillips University and attended graduate courses at the University of Tulsa, where she met her bakery business partner, Cheryl Dobbins. Together they opened a bakery that served doughnuts in downtown Tulsa in 1977.

When the downtown location was turned into a parking lot in the early 1980s, the women gave up their doughnut fryer, moved to 15th Street and incorporated the original street name into their new identity, a quintessential European-style coffeehouse.

The Bakery on Cherry Street was the first of its kind in Tulsa, "born out of thinking romantically about food," Dobbins said. It was in the building that houses Tucci's on 15th Street.

For many years, it was the only place in town where a patron could get an espresso, cappuccino, handmade croissants or other artisan baked goods such as Brune's hallmark Morning Buns. Unlike some places, bakery patrons were encouraged to linger as long as they liked, Dobbins said.

Brune helped revive the historic street name designation for the area and played "a role as an urban pioneer in making the Bakery on Cherry Street a neighborhood landmark," which spurred the renaissance of the Cherry Street District, said Stacey Bayles, a member of the Tulsa Metropolitan Planning Commission.

The bakery was open for 16 years. After it closed in the mid-1990s, Brune started baking for the Wild Fork. She later turned her creativity to doing woodworking for Pounds and Francs.

When her life-partner, Lisa Blaylock, died in 2000, Brune and several others founded the Tristesse Center, a nonprofit organization that offers grief-support programs to individuals and families.

"Caroline brought so much to the table because she had a real understanding and a real appreciation for the grieving process. She knew everyone loses something, whether it is an individual or health," said Christy Sanders, president of Tristesse Center.

Brune was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and also lost her brother, John, to cancer.

She is survived by her mother, Gertrude Brune of Enid; four brothers, Carl Brune of Tulsa, G.J. Brune of Enid, Paul Brune of Lawton and Delmer Brune of Waynoka; and nine nieces and nephews.

Friends are making contributions to ovarian cancer research through the Caroline Brune Memorial Fund; Spirit Bank; 2020 E. 14th Place; Tulsa, OK 74104.

Caroline's Obituary, Tulsa World, 5/21/2006

Caroline Brune

BRUNE -- Caroline, was born May 9, 1950 and departed this life on Mother's day, Sunday, May 14, 2006. She was the daughter of Gertrude Rauh Brune and Elmer Brune. She attended Freehome School, one of the few country schools left in Garfield County, Waller Jr. High and graduated from Enid High School, in 1968. She graduated from Phillips in 1972, with a degree in English. Caroline moved to Tulsa to attend graduate school at The University of Tulsa. Shortly thereafter, with her partner Cheryl Dobbins, they opened a doughnut shop in downtown Tulsa. They then opened the Bakery on Cherry Street, where they produced wonderful croissants, morning buns, cinnamon rolls, breads and other fine products for 16 years. She is survived by: her mother, Gertrude; her brothers, G.J, Paul, Delmer and Carl; sisters-in-law, Marlene, Ramona, Mary and Julia; and nephews and nieces. She was pre-deceased by: her father; her brother John; her partner, Lisa Blaylock; as well as her grandparents and an uncle and aunt. She also leaves a community of women who have been close friends, encouragers and caregivers. Anyone who knew Caroline witnessed, in awe, the undaunted courage she found within herself to face and fight her illness, and when it came time, the even greater quality of graceful acceptance. In the last 5 years of her life, the outpouring of love, support and caring she received was mirrored in what she had given to others during her amazing life. We will miss, but more so treasure, the memory of her keen intelligence, her determined energy, her level of excellence in everything she undertook, her dry wit, her love and appreciation of beauty and all the ways she delighted us with her humor and the knowing ways in which she laughed. The world is a better place because Caroline was here. A Memorial service will be held at 3 p.m., Sunday, May 28, 2006, at All Souls Unitarian Church, 2952 S. Peoria, Tulsa, OK. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to ovarian cancer research. Contributions can be made to the Caroline Brune Memorial Fund, 2020 E. 14th Place, Tulsa, OK 74104. Cremation Society of Oklahoma, 599-7337.
Published in the Tulsa World on 5/21/2006.