“I’m eating’ it quick… but I’ll remember it a long time.”

The storm last night was tremendous with thunder and lightning which seemed to last forever. Henry stayed close. Nala slept through most of the thunder except for a couple of boomers which cracked by the den window. The cats were quiet. I liked the storm.

With the nor’easter coming mostly tonight, we are already under a wind advisory. Gusts could get as high as 70 mph. The rainfall could be around 3 inches or more. Right now it is dark but not yet raining. The air is fairly warm at 64˚. The wind is gusting. Leaves are falling. Already, the oak branches are bare.

Last night I was entertained by watching the Halloween episodes of old shows. I laughed through Cheers and Frasier, especially Frasier. I was never good at guessing who his callers were. I had to read the list in the credits.

I’m going out today to do a bit of grocery shopping. I need milk and bananas for my cereal. I also need a bit of chocolate. I’m thinking a Milky Way.

When I was a kid, I always dunked my Graham crackers in my cocoa. I knew exactly when to pull the cracker out of the cocoa before it sort of dissolved into the cup. It was a remarkable feat.

Saltines were my go to snack cracker. I’d butter them or sometimes I’d use peanut butter instead. I don’t know how I did it, but I used to eat sardines out of the tin on Saltines. The ideas of it now makes me gag a bit. My father loved sardines, and he was the one who introduced me to them.

My father loved to fish for smelt which ran in the winter. He and my uncle who owned a fish market would go out in their small boat together. My father would keep some of the fish and give my uncle the rest to sell. When he got home, my father cleaned the fish, meaning he took off their heads and removed their entrails, and my mother cooked them. First she coated the fish in flour then she fried them in oil. I really liked smelt.

Friday suppers were my favorites. We couldn’t eat meat back then, but I didn’t care. My mother’s Friday night suppers were renowned. I remember the fish sticks and fries. I used to open the oven to sneak a peek and steal a French fry if nobody was looking. Fried dough was one of my favorites. My mother would buy frozen dough, and once it was defrosted, she’d stretch pieces of the dough and cook it in her cast iron frying pan. We all stood by the counter waiting. We used to put butter and salt on the fried dough. I remember the butter sometimes puddled in the little troughs, the uneven spots on the dough. We devoured every piece of that dough.

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4 Comments on ““I’m eating’ it quick… but I’ll remember it a long time.””

  1. Bob Says:

    Hi Kat,

    We’re getting a mini heatwave here in North Texas. The temperature could nearly reach 90° today. Tonight or tomorrow morning a cold front is forecasted to bring rain, cooler temperatures and thunderstorms.

    My go to cracker has always been the Ritz cracker. Saltines are reserved for when ill. Every morning I eat a package of Ritz crackers with peanut butter for breakfast. It’s only slightly healthier than donuts or candy used to eat. 🙂

    I never fished for sardines. When I was a kid I thought sardines came from a flat tin that required a key to open. When I was a kid, if we went fishing, we went out on an open boat. We fished in the Great South Bay of Long Island, for either flounder or fluke. Most of the time after a full day on the water we only caught a sunburn. 🙂 Other fisherman on the boat would always tell us that we should have been out there yesterday because they were catching so many fish they were throwing them back. 🙂 I always knew that when my ship came in I would be at the airport.

    • katry Says:

      Hi Bob,
      It is pouring rain, and the wind has picked up. It is a nasty night but still warm at 59˚. At least there’s no thunder or lightning tonight.The rain will continue into tomorrow.

      I also like Ritz but lately I’ve found a cracker with basil at the organic store which I love with cheese. I buy a variety when I have company coming.

      I don’t know anyone who fished for sardines. I think they grow in the can!!I too remember the key. A few times I lost the metal around the key and getting the sardines out was trial. My father fished along the channels, not in the open sea. That’s where the smelt were running.

      My nephew fishes off the beach. He always posts his catch. He does well. He has loved fishing since he was little.

      I do love haddock and flounder.

      Thanks for the chuckle at the end!

      • Bob Says:

        Ops, I confused smelt with sardines. Regardless, fish and visiting relatives all smell after three days. 🙂

      • katry Says:

        Smelt run during the winter and fall months in cooling water so I couldn’t find any place in Texas where the smelt run. Some people claim they are bait fish, but I find them quite tasty.


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