Chapter 47, Playgrounds

“Did you hear?” Asked Bentzi.

“Hear what?” Asked Uri.

“They are going to demolish all of our playgrounds.”

“What do you mean?” Rita Chita jumped in.

“My father said they are going to build a whole new neighborhood over there, there and there. Even all the way up where you and your dad go to pick up those green leaves.” He meant the spinach leaves my dad and I keep on collecting at the cliffs above the beach. Mom and dad spend a long time making that concentrated black sauce – Pkeilah -to make the spinach and bean soup. That sauce can last years if you keep it in a cool place.

“So, are you telling me that big puddle that is drying up now will become a building?” I asked.

That puddle is located just north of our 3 buildings across the street, at the bottom of the tall sand slide. That crossroad is a very dangerous place. Every other day there is an accident. Because people don’t pay attention to the road and drive too fast. There was no stop sign, not even a yield sign. One day, me and Rivka decided to do something about it. Rivka had a bunch of thick chock sticks. I asked her to bring them after school and we painted a stop line on the road exactly before the crossroad. People actually slowed down and stopped. For a few days there were no accidents on that street. Until the rain washed the line. It took years and many accidents until the city put a stop sign and eventually a round island in the middle of the crossroad to prevent people from speeding up.

“Yup!” Bentzi answered.

“There go our sorrel plants.” We love those sour wildflowers. They come out every winter next to that big puddle. One year that puddle was so big we actually made a raft and floated on it. On the other corner of the crossroad was a red flat dirt field where the boys from the close neighborhoods come to play socker. No matter how many times I tried to fit in and join playing with them it didn’t work. I never could kick the ball straight and when I was put as a golly, I literally fell asleep. Or simply snuck out to the old dying grove. In the springtime that whole grove with its dying orange trees was covered with tall yellow daisies. They were so crowded and tall we made mazes, paths and trails. I had a hideout under a small tree where I would go to play. All that area soon will be taken over by big bulldozers like the one who covered my friend Rami.  

“All right guys,” I said, “before we lose it all how about we make the best of it and go play ‘Hands Up’ in the daisy grove?” 

Everybody grabbed a stick for their pretend guns, and we ran to our favorite hiding place in the maze. 

 

***

 

Chicken Salad

 

 

Waldorf salad is a fancy name for chicken salad. Here is my way of recreating it.

 

Ingredients:

1 Chicken Breast

½ Cup Walnuts

½ Cup Green Grapes

1 Clementine

1 Celery Stalk 

½ tsp Salt

1 TBSP Mustard

4 TBSP Mayonnaise

 

Preparation:

Cook the chicken breast in salty water until well done. I personally like to bake or grill it with my favorite spices, garlic, paprika, black pepper and ginger.  Cut the chicken breast to ½” size cubes. Roast the walnuts, or pecans lightly and cut them to small pieces. Cut the grapes in halves. Peal the clementine (you may use canned clementine). Cut the clementine to small pieces. Chop the celery stalk and mix all with the mustard salt and mayonnaise. Refrigerate for half an hour and serve cold with crackers or toast.  

 

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