Something Stupid

It’s another “something stupid” story. That’s what my friends and I say when we have an “I can’t believe I did that” moment.

This time, as usual, the start was innocent enough. Due to an unexpected cold snap, I decided to cut down my basil. Ultimately, I planned to chop the leaves with some olive oil and freeze the oil/herb mixture in ice cube trays. For now, the branches were so fragrant and lovely that I saved them in a glass of water on my dining room table.

Every day I admired them and thought “Should I chop up those leaves now?” But I decided to wait a bit longer.

On the third or fourth day, I felt motivated to get out my blender and the extra virgin olive oil. All went well, as I chopped the leaves into the green oil and scraped the rich mixture into ice cube trays. It would be wonderful to add those cubes to soups or stews this fall.

The bare basil branches were thrown into the trash, the blender disassembled and cleaned and the counters mopped. Then, I was ready for a bit of water, so I drank the half glass of water on the counter.

Moments later, I spied my water glass on the back of the sink. Why were there two water glasses out?

You’ve got it. I had drunk the “vase” water. One good thing: it didn’t taste or smell bad, so the water couldn’t have been TOO nasty…..

About four hours later, my gut gave me the answer, as cramps and diarrhea set in. “Are you kidding me?” I thought. “I have put bacteria into my body by drinking that water.”

A miserable few hours ensued, followed the next day by a diet of soup, bananas, saltines, and beverages with electrolytes.

My friend called me and wanted to go out for lunch. “Not today,” I demurred, “but tomorrow I have another ‘something stupid’ story for you.” “I can’t wait,” she said.