2011---who would have thought? Do you remember when you were a child, trying to imagine what the future for you could hold? From one day to the next seemed like an eternity at times.
We had a marvelous Christmas spent with friends at their new home near Saratoga. Weather being what it is at this time of the year, fully cooperated for travel and found us with pristine snow covered hills marred only with occasional tracks where deer and antelope broke through the crust.
Our hope to visit with other friends and relatives didn't materialize as time flew by much too fast. I have heard from some of those and most were very understanding of our time restraints. Our hosts were wonderful and we think of them as family. The new year came quietly here at home with blizzard conditions, but we were safe and cozy.
Watching a program this morning about eating healthy, part of what we all resolve to do, I heard the term "coconut water" referring to the liquid one drains from a fresh coconut. Wow! It reminded me of my dad. As a child, we were not exposed to many fruits that we didn't personally help can or freeze, especially in the winter. The exception was the orange in our stocking at Christmas and the coconut. My dad would quite often bring home with the monthly grocery purchase, a coconut. I am not sure if he actually loved the coconut "meat" or if he just got a kick out of the process of chipping away at it. He would drill a hole in each of the "eyes" and then carefully drain the liquid into a glass. Coconut "Milk" is what we called it. Each of us kids would get to drink a little of the milk...not especially tasty as I recall...but it was a novelty for us.
He would then hit the coconut with a hammer as we all watched it shatter into sharp hairy brown pieces with the white coconut inside. As I recall, it was a chore to chip the coconut away from the shell, but we would gather around as dad rationed out the pieces of coconut. Yummy stuff for 4 little urchins....but I expect that my dad had fun watching us clammer for the pieces and it sure made for some good memories. Looking back...I do remember trying to imagine what it would be like to be grown with children of my own...but I have to think that my dad had a lot to do with my life as it is and has been and know he would be pleased.
2 comments:
I always think about your oranges in the stocking around Christmas. I didn't know about the coconut though. Coconut water is supposed to be a magic fluid. They used it as an emergency plasma transfusions to wounded soldiers to save their lives because it wont' be rejected by the body and is naturally sterile. I think that's amazing!
Gee...I have never heard that, but the nutrutionist was using it in smoothies and such. We had a lot of it as children..Maybe dad knew something about it's magical powers.
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