Blackbirds, baked in a pie

Every Thanksgiving and Christmas when my mom makes a pie, she puts a hollow, porcelain blackbird in the center of the pan before adding the filling around it. The blackbird acts as a vent: When the pie comes out of the oven, the blackbird is spitting steam.

I've never seen these pie blackbirds in stores. Until yesterday, when I happened upon a shelf of them while shopping for a belt.

I refrained from buying them all - one for everyone I know - and instead just bought one for myself and one to replace my mom's, should it ever break. Come to think of it, in the 27 years that she's been making apple pies for the holidays, it's amazing that little bird hasn't dropped or broken yet. He must be blessed.