Christmas Eve and Here I Am

Here it is 3:30 in the afternoon, December the 24th 2009. Why am I sitting here writing yet another story for a blog? It can only be that I feel an obligation to my reader. Mom and Dad are away from home tonight so I know that only leaves you and me my friend. I hope you know how much every word here means to me.

My feet are aching something terrible, it was left up to me to go to the Mall, one more time for the pre-Christmas shopping. This time it was for things to eat tomorrow. Its hot here, 35 degrees c today, that’s no weather for an old man to go out in. No weather to keep fresh seafood cold either, but that was my task. I’ll make garlic prawns which always go down well. In spite of my protests there will be oven action tomorrow, the prawns, or shrimp as you might call them John, need half an hour in a hot place other than my bed.

Cooking is what this story has become about. Earlier this afternoon a knock at the door forced me to my feet and down the hall walking on their sides. The blisters seem to always grow on the bottoms. Somehow I knew who would be there, it’s happened a few times before. The next door neighbour bearing gifts, which are great, and the gesture is appreciated. But... isn’t there often one of those? But, the neighbour works at a vegetable market, he gets to bring home fresh produce by the carton. A handy neighbour to have you might say John, except for one thing. Somehow my wife gave them the impression that we absolutely love fresh Mangoes.

Don’t know how that happened and don’t really care, it’s too hot for inquisitiveness. The bottom line is we have a case of beautiful ripe Mangoes sitting there on the kitchen counter. None of us can stand Mangoes. I’ve experienced food problems before, such as when my nuts were between a rock and a hard place. Food problems seem to be my problems, no one else takes any notice unless there just happens to be nothing to eat.

The first two cases of Mangoes we received from my generous neighbour, eventually found homes with friends around town, this is a hot holiday season, and friends are keeping low with doors shut and air-conditioners on. Mango Christmas is going to be my problem alone.

I took a photo with my new Canon camera John, the one purchased with as much stealth as I could muster. The wife will find out, but I figured that this would be a two month silent treatment infraction, I can live with that. Mangoes are incredibly handsome fruit, as you can see from the almost in focus photo. What the hell do you do with Mangoes?

I thought about the little store around the corner, I’m sure if I approached them they would sell them for me. The fruit shop in the mall has them at $2.98 each, I noticed last time this happened. No good though, the neighbour is sure to recognise his Mangoes when he goes in tonight, as all husbands are doomed to do on Christmas Eve. No I’m going to have to make something. I hope Google has the answer to my problem.

This time I searched the first site Google suggested, bingo, hot day equals Mango Sorbet! Most of the work will be in the refrigerator. Twenty minutes prep time plus some hours in the arctic, my fridge is struggling with the heat but we have another fridge to threaten it with if it goes on strike.

I’ll make the sorbet tonight, just one problem to overcome. None of us can stand Mangoes.

By the way John, the Creeping Bentgrass CDs arrived. Wish I could have found something “Billy Fury” to have sent Moya. Have a good one.

JAWhite
December 2009                                                   Return To Main Page     

Sorbet photo by Sue Ferris (copyright info)
Mango photo by proud Canon owner.