Hot Chocolate Days

Rain again today. October set a record for rainfall in Southern California and it is beginning to look like November may continue the trend.

I found myself walking through the Home Depot parking lot as a band of heavy showers passed overhead. The torrential rain acted as a catalyst and swept be back in time, to a more innocent time.

I am in the 6th grade and I am in the living room of my Nana’s house. A fire pops and hisses in the fireplace while my grandfather pops corn the old fashioned way. His hands grip a long black metal handle connected to a round black pan sealed with a lid. He always said that the secret to perfectly popped corn was in keeping the pan moving over the flames, rhythmically shaking the kernels back and forth ensuring an even pop.

In the kitchen Nana is making hot cocoa following the time-honored recipe passed on to her by her mother. She slowly melts chocolate over a double boiler while whisking in fresh cream, milk and a bit of sugar.

Having walked home from school in the rain I managed to enter the house soaked to the skin despite the presence of an umbrella. Being eleven I just had to step and/or jump into every puddle on my way home.

After toweling off I find myself spread out on the floor before the fire. A large mug of hot chocolate with marshmallow islands floating upon the surface along with a bowl of fresh popped corn covered by a glistening layer of melted butter are within reach of my right hand.

As my bones warm I lose myself in the world of Frank and Joe Hardy tagging along as they solve their latest mystery.

Fast forward to the present. With no fireplace I make do with microwave popcorn and instant hot cocoa. I curl up beneath my Los Angeles Dodger fleece blanket and once again lose myself in the world of the Hardy Boys.