Sunday, August 26, 2012

The Casserole Ladies



Blowfish and I went to see the latest Bourne movie.
We  had a bit of a conflict about when we were going to do this. His preferred schedule or mine?  He won by virtue of falling asleep.  I could have shoved him off the sofa to awaken him. But, I thought maybe this was a bonus and he would not fall asleep and snore in the theatre. Again.

On the way there it was clear one of us was crabby.
In fairness I should point out  Blowfish is an even tempered fellow who is rarely, if ever, crabby.

I forget now what it was that set my teeth to grinding but I do recall my response,

" As far as I am concerned the Casserole Ladies can have you now."
" The what?"
" The Casserole Ladies"
" Errrrr, not too sure I know what you mean  Fishy".

We were stopped at a light so I gave him a looking over. I was trying to decide if he seriously did not know or was just avoiding the subject. He had that scrunchy face which means he was trying to do a quick scan of his data bases to see if he had forgotten something important.  It made me laugh!

"The Casserole Ladies  are the sweet old singles in the communities who get all spiffed up and
come calling with their best casseroles when a man is suddenly widowed. They will stay and visit and even help with the clearing away and washing up too".

In a light bulb moment  of self preservation Blowfish said,

 "I do  not eat casseroles!"

" Well, in part that is because you are married to a woman who does not make casseroles or own a crockpot. Most women have a 'signature' casserole for which they are  known.  In fact traveling casseroles spawned an entire industry in disposable bake ware."

"Fishy, let's talk about the movie."
" How are we going to talk about a movie we have yet to see?"

There was a lull in the conversation but not in the traffic. Or the mischief.

" You know Blowfish, once the Casserole Ladies learn you have  Italian dna they will be bringing you pasta casseroles. My best advice is to avoid the ones made of thin spaghetti and  cream of mushroom soup with a sprinkle of  frozen peas."

I failed to get the words out without a giggle or two because Blowfish was looking aghast. He actually shuddered. I  cannot imagine  what the response  would be if I ever once tried to serve that man some soup drenched, soggy pasta concoction.  He sort of turned in the car seat and said,

 " You said 'ones'. Plural. How many Casserole Ladies are there?'

" Quite a few. Most of the churches have them on their 'bereavement committees' to make sure families are fed in a time of stress and  loss. But in the case of you still standing senior dudes? Well, sometimes it is the committee ladies, sometimes the neighbor ladies or likely it will be that friend of yours who bakes you date nut bread because I don't. Whichever group it is, all  of the ladies bring hope along with the casseroles".

" What are they hoping for?"

" Mostly they come from a generation where the women served men. They like that. They like being needed and they like pleasing a man with their cooking talents. They yearn for acceptance. Recognition. Companionship. Most have buried husbands and have lost that sense of importance in the life of another. So they come with their casseroles and then they come again. In hopes they will shine in your eyes."

" Shine?"
He was looking horrified.
I was laughing.

" Honey, they are trying to catch themselves a new man. In your age bracket they dare not wait too long or some other casserole will win the day. There is stiff competition for eligible men of a certain age. One who looks as fit and fine as you, with teeth and hair is a real find. You'll have to keep a sharp eye out for what secret ingredients they put in the brownies."

Once we were pulling into the cinema parking lot the car was again  filled with silence as Blowfish processed this new data.  As he was opening the door for me  he said,

 "Fishy, are you saying I am a fit and fine catch of a man?"

Taking his arm I asked,

" Ever had any beenie weenie casserole with concrete cheese on top?"


 










13 comments:

Rebecca said...

hehe the casserole ladies guess that will teach him

Anonymous said...

But...how was the movie??

Uncle doan do casseroles very much, reckon he an' blowfish will sidestep the CLs.

Aunty (unsigned in)

Buzz Kill said...

"Mostly they come from a generation where the women served men. They like that." - Bwahahahaha That was my father's generation, not mine by a long shot.

I could see me being a casserole guy.

fishy said...

Becca,
Blowfish is the optomist poster boy as his take away from that conversation was his fine fitness!

Aunty,
Very violent but with some beautiful photography and a story line to make you hate government.

Buzz!
Nice to see you :-)
Blowfish probably IS of your father's generation since he has
grandkids the ages of your boys.

Er... do you mean the Mrs. will oust you from the newly improved nest? Or that you will be making the casseroles in order to shine for the widow ladies?

Aunty Belle said...

Fishy, we did it. Yep.

Went to see
America 2016. I recommend it--no drama, ( no birth certificate stuff) jes' an accumulation of facts an statements right from Obamas's own mouth--heh, especially when a hot mike picks up his sotto voce promise to the Russian ambassador "Remember this is my first term, I'll have more flexibility after I'm reelected." Meaning, "if I do this for you now, I won't be reelected, so wait until next term an' I'll give y'all the store."

moi said...

When my mother died, the Casserole Ladies came out in full force. It was almost embarrassing. And my step father gained 15 pounds.

fishy said...

Aunty,
Blowfish has a date to see this documentary with his son. I am not invited to join them. I suspect Blowfish fears I will be arrested because of the things I scream at the tv at home.

Moi,
God bless the Casserole Ladies, they do a lot of good. Did your Step Dad need to gain those 15?

Island Rider said...

I came here from Aunty's blog and have been so entertained, challenged and touched by your blog. You are a wonderful storyteller. I've read all the way back to January of 2011 and want to read more in the future. I loved the stories about Molly, Bee Gee, Drew J. And the others. I'm sorry about your mom. I'd stay up all night to finish reading back to the beginning like you do with a good novel, but it's been a long week so I will look forward to savoring more tomorrow. Thanks for sharing your heart and your live with us.

fishy said...

Island Rider,
I'm blushing from all the praise!
Especially since you came over to the Pond from the Porches where the writing is pro stuff.

So glad you read some of this blog. Our daughter "Mermaid" tells me on nights she has a hard time falling asleep she reads some of her favorite posts and they put her to sleep!
I hope that's a good thing.

I have been a bit of a slacker of late so am trying to post more frequently. If you read back through the blog you will learn I had a most amazing, fabulous, wonderful mother. To whom I owe my love of all things reading and writing. Thank you for the sweet
sympathy.

Island Rider said...

Just finished reading all the way through. I am still in my PJs and have done no housework or chores. I loved your writing and stories. You really should look into publishing some of these. I have so many questions-like did the lady on the hill get her house redone? Did Jayne ever come back in your life? Did the lego boy keep his confidence? Really lovely writing. I will enjoy reading more in the future.

PS We have something in common as I live just above Sarasota.

fishy said...

Island writer!
I am speechless.... I visited your blog only to discover you spent a day at the Pond!
I am so glad you enjoyed your visit here and hope you know you are welcome to visit often.
You are also welcome to join our Haiku Monday game. It is a lot of fun and is played by many very interesting people I will likely never know.

silasisgolden said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
tom hodgson said...

For summer casserole ladies.

Oven at 350
In pan, layer sliced
onion,
zucchini or summer squash,
tomato,
and then a layer of the sharpest, best cheddar you can find.
Bake about 1 1/2 hours, give or take. It's done when there's still some liquid left, and the top is starting to brown.
You might as well bake a loaf of bread, too, 'cause the juice, sopped up, is awfully good.
Do NOT try to tart this up with herbs or other stuff. Not even salt or pepper!
I'm making one this morning for lunch with an old friend who married a Norway man, and his been in Scandinavia for the last forty years. Haven't seen her since high school. We'll probably wear out our jaws, catching up.