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July 21, 2003 My work schedule was changed without my permission, so now I’m going in at 6:30 p.m. It’s okay, because I’m more of a night person anyway, but my hours have been reduced. In a way, that’s okay too. It’s summer. I generally feel better during the summer, although the last one was sad because I lost a friend through bizarre circumstances, this one because of health problems and financial stress. As a result, I’m learning to appreciate simple things. My niece and nephew come over during the summer vacations from school. I do things with them like go to the video arcade, take them to the clothing store my niece has been begging to go to, or the skateboard shop my nephew likes. I haven’t reached that age of being “responsible,” that is, I go to comic book conventions and watch cartoons and get a kick out of jokes 12-year-olds enjoy. I think once you have kids, the “responsibility” gene clicks on and you become...well...boring. Your energy level lowers and naps become as exciting as sex used to be. One of my simple summer pleasures is cooking out. The kids brought their swimming pool over, because they can’t set it up in their yard. Their neighborhood frowns on above ground pools more than 18 inches high. Unless you’re Barbie, you’re out of luck. So the pool is in our old-school neighborhood yard, and the kids have been splashing around in it. While riding on a float, I noticed how perfect the day was. No humidity, hardly a cloud in the sky, occasional breeze. I was getting hungry, and decided on impulse, to cook out. And that’s what I did. My nephew helped tend the fire, he got to turn his chicken breast, he helped taste test the homemade barbecue sauce (ketchup, brown sugar and a smattering of Caribbean Jerk Seasoning) ate grilled shrimp, had two helpings of the macaroni and cheese I whipped up and made s’mores. We didn’t have the chocolate bars, so we used Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. Even more challenging was the fact that we had Honey Made Cinnamon Sticks, which are smaller than regular graham crackers, and miniature marshmallows, which, well, you know. We experimented with grilling the cinnamon sticks on the grill. My nephew accidentally dropped his through the grate. We used small bamboo skewers to roast the marshmallows with. I tried sandwiching the marshmallows between my cinnamon sticks and putting them on the grill to simplify the process. What did we talk about? Nothing too earth-shattering. My niece wondered what vanilla ice cream on top of a chicken breast would taste like. I thought it would probably taste a bit on the sweet side. I said we could have a food experimentation day, where we could take chicken and dump all sorts of stuff on it to see what we end up with. And we sat in the sun and laughed and screamed when the bees came too close. In the very comfortable warmth of a July day, I sat with my niece and nephew in my mother’s back yard, marveling how an impulsive cookout could end up being so pleasant. Eventually it ended; I had to drive my niece to her gymnastics class. But in this summer that had started on a stressful note, that July afternoon will probably stand out. I’ll probably go to more exciting places than my mother’s back yard, hopefully I’ll have more enjoyable experiences this summer, but that experience showed me that fun can be free, and something you don’t have to leave home for. Come to think of it, it was a childhood lesson forgotten; but relearned in the space of a July afternoon. ------------ About the author: Gloria Diaz is an opinionated citizen of Generation X (member since 1967) who occupies herself by dabbling in photography, writing and as a written communications processing specialist for the government. She has written for several diverse publications including Scram, Spleen, The Fort Wayne Free Press, and for the Huntington County TAB. Email Gloria Diaz: Scoop5767@aol.com Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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