LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY DAY OR "THE CASE OF THE EXPLODING ZUCCHINI"

Dear Readers:

As you may remember from a previous posting, I am somewhat limited in my ability to move around my house. Therefore my husband is doing many of the chores that I would normally do. 

The other day my husband went to a farmers market and brought home several different kinds of vegetables.  Under my careful directions my husband proceeded to wash and clean all these vegetables, some of which were zucchini that were as large as small baseball bats. When it came to the zucchini he washed them off, then place them on a clean towel to air dry.

Several days later when I wheeled out to the kitchen, I notice that the zucchini were still lying on the towel by the sink. I also noticed a peculiar odor, which I thought at the time was coming from the garbage disposal. After dumping some baking soda into the disposal, running warm water, and then putting in one of those little beads to make your garbage disposal smell better, the odor persisted. "Hmm," I thought, "perhaps it just needs a little time."

As I went about the slow business of trying to throw together a beef stew for dinner, I went back to the sink area with some potatoes in tow in the basket attached to my ‘wheels’, proceeded to wash them off, cut them into bite-size pieces, and place them into the stew pot. I noticed that the smell still lingered. 

I proceeded to clear off the countertop to make more room, and when I did so I picked up one of the baseball bat size zucchinis. I can tell you this I never knew a vegetable could explode in your hands but I am living proof that this can happen. Not only did this gigantic zucchini explode, it gave off an odor that I can only say the military would like to have for its chemical warfare arsenal.

   As I looked down at the counter top in total disbelief with this gooey yellow glop all over the top, I had a moment of where I didn't know whether to cry or scream.  However, since neither one of those was going to be an option since I was home alone, I just had to put on my big girl pants and clean it up. Fortunately I keep many of my kitchen utensils close at hand. And using a rather large ladle I manage to "scoop" up the glop and plop it into the sink. The smell was enough to gag a maggot. I kept thinking how could a vegetable smell this bad, and also explode.   

With the worst of it in the sink, and the garbage disposal and water going full blast, the smell continued to linger. Out I whipped countertop disinfectant and with paper towels I wash down the countertop, and the smell continued to linger.  Next I take the towel that the zucchini had been lying on, and which had absorbed some of the liquid, and start rinsing it out, and the smell continued to linger.  

Next, I put the stopper in the sink, get the water hot, throw in some liquid detergent, and finally the bleach. In goes the towel, and dipping it up and down in the sink, I pull it out with bleachy water dripping from it, and I proceed to wash down both sinks. Finally, success!

Oh, did I tell you, the beef stew was great. However, as I looked out into the kitchen during dinner, I swear I could see this small yellow cloud hovering over the countertop.