Janet Powell
The last few days have been warm and wonderful. Bright sun has invited all worshippers out to enjoy it. As the weather dictates, one must enjoy what the great summer sun entices. There’s water for full body joy and many say healing properties. The ice cream truck was allowed an early start, this season. The Truck jingle is a welcome sound. It’s not because of the ice cream, popsicles, ice cream sandwiches, soft twists or hot pretzels with cheese that excitement is exhibited. It’s simply because the sound is the wonderful sound of summer. No dips in the hydrant anymore but the hose, after a bit of watering and washing down the sidewalk from the summer sweet drips works pretty good. Weeds between the cracks from last week’s rain catch the trash as light winds blow from around the North West corner of the street. Sweep trash; pour a little gasoline in the cracks. Later, wash down with a little bleach and all is back to normal. Even the smells from warm cat urine are eradicated. Oops….sun sinking. It’s their turn to eat and battle for their food. Left are the pesky fleas and mosquitoes. The fleas bite low, the mosquitoes hit where they fly, which is high. There’s only one remedy. It’s time to head home to the inside; to relax with a slice of cold watermelon. It’s been in the fridge three days to get cold. I am looking forward to it.
No! It can’t be. I have learned my lesson. I refused to believe that I didn’t know my stuff, when picking it. Here’s my declaration. I will never eat a store bought watermelon again in my life. If it’s not off the back of a truck, with a driver’s ID indicating southern red clay dirt country, I am not buying, chilling, slicing nor eating it. We are in bad shape in this country when a watermelon is tasteless. No wonder there are so many dialysis and health centers and 24 hr pharmacies. To be healthy, we must eat some dirt. These new fruits and vegetables from manmade greenhouses are void of the nutrients that can only come from the earth’s soil. There truly is a reason for us to have soil. It wasn’t gifted to us to hold pee and poop but to give us proper food to live to keep and take care of all of the gifts that the universe, through the Great Spirit gave us. I threw away peaches last week. Cherries are my favorite. Cherries look good but not sweet. Did you have a great pomegranate during last harvest? Greens? None of them taste like my Grandmother’s. The last two weeks in August, she’d start collecting watermelon rinds. After soaking them in her special seasoning then putting all to a boil, they were encased in air tight jars. This process of canning provided lots of fresh treats for winter dinners. Her watermelon preserves were a special compliment to the soft crusted yeast rolls that were her specialty. Summertime allows sunny memories and joyful laughs of the fun that heal winter woes. For a short few months we’re allowed to make silly dreams real.
