Remembering Past Summers

“….summer breeze makes me feel fine

blowing through the jasmines of my mind”   Seals & Crofts

The noontime newscaster announced that the day was turning out to be another record breaking scorching summer day.  Nothing in the world could make me part with my electric fan.  A short time away from the warm artificial breeze and beads of perspiration would quickly form on my forehead and drip into my eyes.

  

“Sit still and close your eyes. Now imagine yourself deep in the heart of a cool forest”, I remember my mother instructing me as a child when I would complain of the heat.

This sometimes would work but sadly only for a few seconds as my imagination brought out a snake slithering towards me.

Now as I try to sit still, I close my eyes and try to envision snow-top mountains and  cool dark lakes.  But these images melted away and were replaced with childhood images of past summers.   This particular hot afternoon, I remember the sizzling times at the white sand beaches of Mactan.     

When sunblock lotion was a rarity and getting sunburned was the norm. I remember the games played with cousins with no thought of how hot the day was. Instead, all that mattered was having a good time chasing after each other while the grown ups stayed indoors to chat.   Tubig-tubig, bato-lata and dakop-dakop were just a few of the sweat inducing games.  I remember how at the end of the day, we would compare who had picked up the most dirt. Checking the creases of our necks for “necklaces” formed by dust.

 I smile as I remember that time when my aunt had her tiny fish pond cleaned so that my cousins, sisters and I could take turns soaking in the pond. There was hardly any room to move but we were as happy as the frogs we imagined ourselves to be.

My thoughts shift a bit as I wonder if  I still had my daughter’s kiddy pool in the garage storage cabinet.

Hmmmmmmmmm……..

----xoxoxoxox---

Summer time then meant barbeque dinners held on Saturdays:  porkchops, chicken drumsticks and the occasional fish paired with a cheesy pineapple macaroni salad. My mom and my aunt would take turns hosting these Saturday gatherings. Although the menu hardly strayed from this usual spread, these Saturdays were always thought of with lots of anticipation.  There was much laughter and running and eating.  And always was the promise to do the same again the next time.

Recently, I brought back those fond memories by preparing the same cheesy pineapple macaroni salad of my mother and aunt.  Try this out for a taste of summer happiness.

Cheesy Pineapple Macaroni Salad

250 grams salad macaroni, cooked (follow cooking instructions on package)

2 hard boiled eggs, diced

1 c pineapple tidbits

½ c to 1 c mayonnaise or more (depending on how creamy you want it to be)

2-3 t pickle relish

1/2 c canned pimiento, diced (or 1 small roasted red bell pepper, diced)

2 t sugar

Salt and pepper

Grated cheddar cheese (as much or as little as you want)

Mix all of the ingredients,  except for the cheese, in a bowl.   

Mix and season with salt and pepper.   

 Top with grated cheese (sparsely if watching your summer figure) and refrigerate until nice and cool.

Note:  My mother and aunt used to cover the salad with a thick blanket of grated cheese and then top the salad with a hard boiled egg cut into the shape of a flower with strips of red pimiento around it.

Serve with your favorite barbeque.