Watermelons: Icons of summertime
Ξ July 3rd, 2008 | → | ∇ Things I like |
As we head into July and the heart of summer, I’m reminded of one of the most beloved icons of the season: the watermelon. Summertime is watermelon season, and as always happens around the 4th of July holiday the stores have just lowered the prices on those sweet, juicy melons from what had been about the price of a small house to those of, well…watermelons.
As a kid I used to love sitting on the front porch on a hot summer day eating an ice cold slice of watermelon, spitting out the seeds between each delectable bite. Inevitably, a few of those seeds would come up and grow into mature watermelon vines, but for some reason they never seemed to produce any edible melons. But the stores always had plenty….
With eight kids to feed on a wafer-thin budget, mom and dad usually only bought watermelons on special occasions such as the 4th of July, family reunions and such, but every once in a while they would bring one home along with the regular groceries. Those unexpected treats were always appreciated, and it never took very long for the last slice to be finished off. Mom and dad both loved watermelons just as much as us kids, but they always made sure we got our fill before they got theirs.
Well, Cheria and I went grocery shopping yesterday afternoon, and one of the first things we encountered inside the store was a huge pile of watermelons, all marked down to the low price of just $3.98! I carefully checked them over, giving several of them a hard knock or two with my fist to see which one “sounded the ripest”. I made my choice, and confident with my decision I placed the “winner” into the buggy.
When we got home I lifted that green piece of heaven into the fridge to cool overnight, and cool it did. About an hour ago I pulled it out and sliced it open, only to discover that my melon of choice wasn’t all that ripe after all. But you know what? Cheria and I both ate our slices of that not-so-ripe watermelon with great enjoyment indeed. After all, watermelons are a lot like banana pudding - the worst I ever had was pretty doggone good!
on July 4th, 2008 at 12:01 pm
I agree.