Kettle River news

The next Ma & Pa Kettle meeting is 1 p.m. Sunday, April 2 at the Kettle River Senior Center.

The first Finnish Luncheon for the season is noon, Wednesday, April 19 at the Kettle River Senior Center. It will be catered by the Rustic Diner.

The Kettle River fire department is looking for more firefighters, EMTs and first responders.

While I was a student in Chicago, one of my friends, Carol, who was born and raised in Chicago, would join me for meals. I would always give her the tomato from my salad. She asked if I didn’t like tomato. I told her, “I like tomato, I just don’t like these tomatoes.” One nice summer weekend, I took her home with me. I then took her out to the garden and picked a nice ripe, warm tomato off the vine and gave it to her.

She took one bite and said, “No wonder you always gave me your tomato.” She had never eaten a tomato ripe from the vine. She had had only those hard, tasteless tomatoes you get in the grocery store.