Poor Man's Refrigerator

The family cabin used to be powered by a gas generator, that you had to pull start for electricity.  But after a few years, my dad and brother set up some solar panels, so we'd get a few hours of 'lectricity each day before we'd have to turn on the generator at night.  And then, they got enough car batteries charged up by the solar panels that you could have power until somebody plugged in a hairdryer or portable refrigerator, and then the lights would flicker and go out.  And because of that, I have never, ever, ever, never, ever considered using the plug-in cooler or mini-fridge at the cabin . . . even though they're effing there.

This week, because of Harrison Ford's birthday (okay, it was last week now--and two weeks ago by the time I'm actually publishing this), I bought a banana cream pie to take to the cabin, to eat, yes, all by myself.

But life experience has taught me a thing or two, and one of those lessons is that banana cream pies go bad ridiculously fast if they are not refrigerated, and then they don't even taste like banana cream pie . . . I'm not sure what they even taste like after that.*

So, I came up with this brilliant idea--something that has worked as a fridge substitute for me for the last two years: fill up the bathroom sink with ice cold underground spring water, then place the soda, bacon, hamburger patties, apples, or head of lettuce in it . . . and it will stay cold for hours.  And I thought, "So, why not do it with the pie as well?"  Problem solved.

Oh, I was clever as can be, but as Oingo Boingo taught us: "Don't forget, you've only got so many tricks, my friend; No one lives forever."  When I went to eat my pie, I discovered that yes, it had stayed cool, but the water had also seeped into the pie tray, eventually filling it with water and submerging it in the pool.  Nicely chilled slop, anyone?

*The other lesson I have learned in my long life is, you have to eat the mango in one sitting, because it will dry out and turn brown within a literal hour or so, even though you don't want to eat the whole mango at once.