Everyday Canvas

A Childhood Memory and a Home Remedy

PROMPT: Tell us about one of your fondest childhood memories from a summer vacation.

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One day, when I was three, as my mother claimed my age was at that time but I might be a bit older, our whole family was going to a seaside restaurant with a long stretch of sandy beach in front of it. That place, a favorite spot, was within walking distance, and we went there twice a week on average. There would be music and shows that night and my aunt and uncles would join us. It was a place where the adults did their thing while the kids played in the sand.

I remember this much. They dressed me up and told me to wait in the hallway downstairs where the front door was. I would be waiting for three other women and two men who were supposed to get ready. I guess they took their time dressing up, putting on make-up, whatever…

Well, I waited for a while, but then I got restless and possibly thought that their absence was taking away from my playtime on the sand. The latch and lock of the door were high up. I picked a chair, climbed up, and undid both. Then I put the chair back in its place, picked up my little pail and shovel and walked to that seaside place. I remember someone stopping and asking me where my parents were and me telling them, “They are coming behind me.”

I somehow made it to the restaurant, and since there was a large family going in with their several kids, I went in with them not attracting attention. I don’t think I was trying to hide or fool anybody. It was just that I had ended up talking to one of their children, which I thought was perfectly normal, as did everyone who saw me with them.

Meantime, back at the ranch…lol! In our house, they looked everywhere for me. There was a well in the backyard, and my mother fainted, thinking I fell in it. A neighbor went down the well but couldn’t find me. In a short while, the whole neighborhood and the police were looking for me.

Then, my grandmother thought just maybe I got bored and went to the restaurant because I was so eager to get there. Nobody believed her, but my mother and aunt wanted to give it a shot and, accompanied by a policeman, they went to the restaurant. Now, the stretch of the sand in front of the restaurant could be seen from the street. Even before they could go in, they spotted me.

My mother was furious, but my aunt begged her not to spank, scold, or punish me. She always insisted that I looked so innocent sitting on the sand and playing with my pail and shovel, with the sand sticking to my underpants since I had peed because there was no one there to take me to the bathroom. My aunt always stood up for me throughout my life, btw, whether I peed or not.

That day, unbeknownst to the family, I had a ball because, for the first time, I had tasted independence. That taste of freedom stayed with me lifelong. After all, I had walked to the restaurant all on my own.

Prompt: Everybody has a home remedy for one thing or another. Let's discuss some of your favorites. Like for instance, I swear by gargling daily with warm salt water keeps you from catching colds.

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I can swear by a homemade something that might kill some germs or stuff, antibiotic-like. It is made with three jalapeno peppers, one white onion, one head of garlic, (all of these should be chopped-- for the peppers, by wearing disposable gloves) and a few sprigs of herbs although this isn’t a must as I sometimes just add some dried herbs like oregano.

Then I place everything in a large jar and fill the jar with apple-cider vinegar. No refrigeration is necessary. This jar can stay on the kitchen counter forever and ever. The trick is to make it wait for a month or two, then take out the liquid part in another jar. I can also refill the original jar with apple-cider vinegar again. This second batch will not be as strong but it will still work.

Then, whenever I suspect some kind of a cold or flu or even some other inflammation is about to surface, I take a gulp or two from the liquid. This works very well for me, but it burns. I like hot stuff, so it doesn’t bother me too much, but drinking some juice before and after is a good idea.