We Have No Bananas Today: Ordering Fruit Online

I've been confined to the pens for three and a half years now! And they thought I wouldn't last. It's been quite an adjustment, and a change in lifestyle, but I am happy to report that Bow and I are doing well.

When it started, it was really awful for both me and Bow, but it was mostly because we were not used to it. We didn't know how to live in such a small space. We didn't know how to get food. We didn't know how to communicate with other people.

I remember thinking: "We've run out of bananas, and I can't leave the house. What will I do?"

I tried to see if there were any people around here offering errand-running services. Sometimes in old movies, you see young boys on bicycles delivering groceries to little old ladies and housewives, but that sort of thing doesn't happen any more, least of all way out in the country.

I left messages with people, asking if they knew any responsible teenager who might be willing to run to the store for me and to pick up my mail and cash checks for me at the bank. Some of the people I called said that they would ask around, but then they never called me back.

I know that this has been a really rough economic period, and many people are out of work, but it's also true that unless you offer them something substantial, even teenagers on their summer vacation are not all that interested in doing a little something to earn some pocket money.

So, in the end, I had to find other ways to solve the problem. I shopped at Wal*Mart late at night, after Bow had gone to sleep, and after a full twelve hours looking after him. Sword and I would be exhausted after putting the groceries away. Eventually, when interns came, I could run errands during the day on select days, but we don't always have volunteers.

So, to make things easier, I started ordering some of my food from Schwan's. They deliver directly to your door, no matter how remote the location. But Schwan's food is frozen. They don't carry fresh fruit. So I get my bananas at the local grocery store, at the supermarket and at Wal*Mart. However, none of them deliver, and only Wal*Mart is open late at night. What if I didn't have someone to help me and I couldn't leave the house and Wal*Mart got shut down? How would I get fresh bananas then?

Well, yesterday I discovered that Amazon lists fresh bananas among the things you can order online. Only problem is: they have no bananas today!

I have signed up to be notified the moment fresh bananas are actually available to purchase on Amazon. Meanwhile there's lots of other fruit that you can order, and while it's a little too expensive in most cases for everyday fare, these items make great last minute Christmas gifts.

They have persimmons and pomegranates, coconuts and mangos, and oranges and grapefruit, and apples and pears. But they have no bananas today!

(c) 2010 Aya Katz