Oatmeal

The first time I recall having a thought about oatmeal was on one of the trips that our family took to visit Old Granny Barner in Bowling Green, Kentucky. We drove in my dad’s 1953 Ford about a year and a half after my sister, Jackie, was born. Dad packed the suitcases on the floor of the back seat and the three kids shared the space. We slept most of the way. Mom had just learned to drive, but I don’t recall her driving on that trip.

Granny was living in “a home”. That’s what they called it back then. She had been ill and needed to stay somewhere where someone would care for her. It was a huge house with a lot of rocking chairs in the parlor. The overstuffed furniture expelled a cloud of dust if you hit it just right.

The five of us stayed at the Laurel Motel. It was owned by a kissing cousin whose name I’ve forgotten. We had a large room that accommodated the five of us. If the motel was fully booked Cousin So-In-So charged my dad $15.00 for the night. If it wasn’t fully booked, we stayed for free. The issue of being charged changed from night to night. The guidelines remained the same, so Dad paid $15.00 or $0.00 based upon occupancy.

Eight-year-old me didn’t understand the distinction. Seventy-eight-year-old me does.

If the motel was full, Cousin So-In-So lost $15.00 if we didn’t pay for our room. If the room was going to be empty anyway, he wasn’t out anything, so we stayed for free. They only cleaned the room after we left, and Cousin So-In-So picked up that tab.

We ate breakfast each morning on Bowling Green’s town square. My sister, Sharron, and I ate the same thing every morning. I had a waffle with maple syrup, and she had oatmeal with raisins.

When I was eating waffles, I thought Sharron’s oatmeal was a form of gruel or porridge. That’s what Little Orphan Annie ate. I planned to stick to waffles for as long as possible.

I don’t know if Sharron has continued her oatmeal loving ways, but I’ve joined her. When I decided to keep better tabs on my diet, I started eating oatmeal every morning. I’ve been doing so for the past couple of months. It’s not something I would have done without the encouragement of others but it’s something I plan to do from now on. According to my dietitian, it’s a healthy way to begin each day.

I don’t add raisins but one day I might. I have tried a variety of enhancements: cinnamon, honey, concentrated apple juice, pure maple syrup, little chunks of banana, and a couple of times I tried peanut butter. I know. Peanut butter sounds strange to me too, but I have a friend who’s been eating oatmeal that way for years. I tried it but it’s too thick for my taste. It’s a bit like eating a gooey granola bar from a bowl. Back in the day I might have added lots of butter and brown sugar. Those days are gone.

My current recipe calls for one part oatmeal and two parts water. I put them together and cook it all at the same time. I know some people boil the water and then add the oats, but I’ve found it to be creamier if I cook it that way. Sometimes I add cinnamon during the cooking process. I’m thinking about adding honey as a substitute for part of the water. I know, it blows your mind!

A friend of mine told me about a place in Kalkaska, Michigan that serves an “oatmeal loaf”. I stopped in and tried it over the holiday break. It was delicious. It looked like a thick slice of banana bread lying on its side. It was dark brown and served hot. There were cherries in it and I’m sure it had cinnamon. Maybe some nutmeg. They served it with a mini pitcher of milk and dark brown sugar. I used a little bit of the milk, enough to get it wet, but passed on the sugar. I asked for the recipe, but they have a “no giving out recipes” rule. I understand the trade secret policy, but I wish they would have given it to me.

When I started writing this blog, I never dreamed that one day I’d be writing about oatmeal, let alone oatmeal recipes, but lots of things have changed for me over the past few years. Some have been good and some bad. Turns out that oatmeal falls on the good side of my life. I’ll keep looking for more to share but if I ever write something about liking green peppers, it’ll be time to take me to “a home”.