Bugger Red River cereal

At Agawaten in the 50s, from left, my: grandfather, mother, grandmother

My mother and her family visited Agawaten Lodge, a 1940s classic cabin resort on Golden Lake, On., all of her life. Am sure this tradition began before or just as she was born, and my grandparents forged lifelong friendships that continue today in the red log cottages, accented by Adirondack chairs along the thin scrap of beach lining the weedy shore.

My siblings and I joined the tradition, with our still-in-university, long-haired parents.Thinking on it, I can now imagine what their peers must have thought of the establishment vacation choice.

I cannot remember when or why we stopped visiting.

But I have memories of being there alone with my grandparents when I was about five, sleeping in the small three-room cabin (they were really just designed for sleeping) and my grandfather waking himself up snoring. He vehemently blamed us all for the noise.

I also remember my blonde, freckly sister insisting she run about naked and getting severely sunburnt — huge blisters on her shoulders — despite my parents' best efforts to keep her clothed.

I shiver, still, when I think of the time I emerged from the swampy portion of the lake, at about eight years of age, simply covered in large black leeches and having to stand very still, freaked to the core, as they slowly salted/burnt off every one. And I remember doing surface dives after I received my bronze cross and medallion ("illegally" at at age 12, thank you) when some kids went missing and finding a decomposing body on the lake bottom.

My grandmother and me, late 70s

But, really, what I remember is the Red River cereal which I was allowed to cover with sugar — a thrill to my processed/food-sweet-deprived self. (Yay Grandparents.) Agawaten was also a place where I could get that rarity of rarities, white bread, verboten as it was in my crunchy granola home.

In some fit of knowing what my body needs to get through this prednisone-hell I bought some Red River cereal last week. I made some. I ate it alongside the mass of pills and somehow the nausea was lessened.

However, it also left a major mess in my microwave.

Now, the box has clear directions on how to make the stuff in the microwave. I followed them. Without directions to put something on top of the bowl when nuking it (for seven min. which now seems excessive) I did not. Most of the Red River cereal ended up splattered all over the microwave. This does not happen with old-skool porridge.

Next day's attempt included less time cooking with the same results and even less cereal in the bowl than was around, on top, beside the microwave. The next effort included a much larger bowl and plastic wrap cover — somehow,  s o m e h o w  the Red River cereal seeped out from underneath the wrap to again cover the microwave.

How, HOW do you make Red River cereal in the microwave and retain most of its contents IN the bowl for consumption? For the entire benefit of making the stuff in the microwave when you are ill is to not then have to wash another pot; This requirement of wiping down the microwave after each bowl is becoming much more tiresome ...