Creative Connections by Sara Aeikens

When someone gives me a gift, I like to make a point to use it.  Sometimes I need to get creative in order to find a way to put a gift to good use.  Each fall Dr. Earl Thompson usually comes to visit us at our home on Vine Avenue and brings us some delicious produce from the squash vines in his garden in Clarks Grove.  He most often brings more than we can use and I enjoy sharing some of the produce or a dish made from it with our neighbors.

This fall I had some health issues I focused on and didn’t pay much attention to our squash storage box, and by the time I checked on the squash supply, the largest one sported a fuzzy spot on a small portion of its fat bell-shaped section. I decided to rescue the good part and make a casserole from it.  The only drawback became apparent when I realized it might be difficult to prepare the squash with mainly one hand, which happened to be my non-dominant one.

This scenario took place in mid-January after I fell on the ice going around a corner at Southwest Middle School.  The story I share that brings a smile to those who ask consists of a connection with the play The Wizard of Oz to which I accompanied a friend’s daughter.  I tell them the Wicked Witch of the West whacked me from behind with her broom as we walked back to my car.  While ensuring my companion didn’t get hit by the moving car next to us, I slipped and fell.  Its passenger offered to take us to the emergency room and fortunately my young companion lived only a few blocks from the emergency room where my rescuers dropped me off.

In the E.R. my fascination for the procedure used interested me so much that the “reduction” hardly hurt and I kept my promise of only yelling and not screaming.  The doctor put my arm up on a hook and then pulled down fast and hard, which caused the misplaced bones in my right wrist to move back into their proper place so I would not have to have surgery and would heal in about six weeks. They put my arm in a splint and then, a few weeks later, a cast.  I chose a purple one so it would match some of my outfits.  The newest cast is the latest technology, a wrap-around pre-made black sleeve of solid material that has a knob to twist to just the right tightness, if it’s not too complicated to figure out how to use.

What was just about as difficult as the reduction procedure turned out to be making a tasty squash casserole with basically one hand.  I baked the squash in the oven, cooled it way down, and then attempted with great effort to get the inside pulp separated from the soft skin. Then I started to crush the yellow pile in a bowl with a square potato masher, but had a hard time holding the bowl steady, so I searched for our round masher, which worked better with my hobbled hand. I added a bit of butter, cream and maple syrup, smoothed it all out in a baking dish using a spoon in my left hand and topped it with mini marshmallows and baked it again.

I felt I put so much energy into the creation I decided to go to the Czech monthly meeting that evening at the Glenville American Legion for their potluck. I phoned my insurance agent who had sold me a policy a few years ago that made me a member of their organization, even though I‘m mostly German. Since I couldn’t drive with my one arm, he graciously found me a ride with an Albert Lea family and I shared my yummy potluck dish with the Czech group. That evening lifted my spirits.  I could share a gift from a friend, make new friends and participate in the gifts of a group that are doing service for our close-by communities as they plan for fund raisers and events to benefit Freeborn County.