Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Hot Dog and Ice Cream



Whatever happened to “the customer is always right”?  Here’s a good one for you.  While taking a ride during this beautiful holiday weekend, I decided I was hungry for some ice cream.  I thought Sam’s Drive In located in Byron would be a perfect spot to satisfy this desire so I mentioned this to my husband.  He in turn responded with, “Do you want a hot dog?”  While pondering this question he got a little huffy because there was no answer.  What he doesn’t know is that I was really thinking, “What part of ice cream do you get ‘hot dog’ out of?”  To which he would have been more than “huffy” if I would have answered that out loud and which is why I didn’t respond.  Anyway, being the kind, pleasing husband he is we continued on our drive to Byron figuring I could have either ice cream or a hot dog or perhaps even both.

We arrived at Sam’s to find a perfect spot in the shade with the speaker on my husband’s side (a win-win for me).  He quickly decided on a root beer float and I looked over the ice cream list.  Yummy.  It all looked so good.  So he pressed the button and ordered, very distinctly, “One root beer float and one small waffle cone with CHOCOLATE CHIP MINT ice cream.”  The speaker read back the order and gave the amount we would owe.  I could hardly wait.

Then IT happened.  The car hop appeared with the root beer float and waffle cone.  The waffle cone was topped with a very, very, pale green cream.  I handed the root beer float over but didn’t take the cone.  I calmly stated, “I ordered CHOCOLATE CHIP MINT.”  To which she looked at me like I was the nutcase and said, “It is.”  Oh my.  I didn’t want to argue…. yet.   I remained calm because 1.  I had sunglasses on and no spectacles and 2.  It was 90 degrees and the pale green cream was beginning to melt.  We paid and she hopped back inside.  I took my first taste, using a spoon because of the speediness required to eat this thing and quickly realized it was crème de menthe with NO chocolate.  How could she do this to me?  I fished around with the spoon, without the sunglasses on, and still…. NO Chocolate!  “Call her back!” I said. 

Kind, pleasing husband pressed the button and reported, “She ordered CHOCOLATE CHIP MINT and she got crème de menthe.”  Once again the perky little voice in the speaker simply stated, “It is Chocolate Chip Mint.”  Husband quickly backed out before I did something I regretted.  The story doesn’t end here. 

As we women know, a craving is a craving and any ice cream will do if need be, however, there is no excuse for no chocolate.  But I ate it.  And while eating it, driving, and still using the spoon, I’m not sure if it was because we turned left or the wind shifted but in one swift move my dear, sweet, husband was wearing this pale green cream on the side of his face and down his right shoulder saying, “Could you please wipe this off of me?”  I really love him….  But I should’ve gotten a hot dog.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Why Magnolia Buds Turn To Flowers



Granny, Granny quite uncanny
How does your Magnolia grow??
When a little boy pees,
The next day he sees,
The flowers have all bloomed in a row.

Yep.  That’s exactly what happened at Grandma Cindy’s house.  Please don’t think we are bad grandparents, besides his parents were here too, but isn’t this just another great reason to have children?

Here’s how the story goes.  Youngest grandson #5, came to visit.  Being 4 years old and not wanting to take time out from playing to go in and use the facilities, we simply said, “Go behind that big bush.”  That big bush happened to be a Magnolia, which for those of you not from the Midwest or familiar with this botanical beauty, it blooms in the springtime with gorgeous pink and/or white flowers.  Now, #5 is no stranger to gardening.  Back home in Colorado they have “lived off the land” sowing seeds, growing vegetables, and harvesting their fruits of labor.  So, while doing his thing, he noticed “little fuzzy things” on the “tree”.  Unknowing, at this time, what was going to transpire we proceeded to educate him on what exactly the “fuzzy things” were… being buds that would turn to flowers.  At this point we were very good grandparents (I was not alone in this).  It’s what came next that was questionable. 
 
“Did you know if you water them they would blossom?”  Well he did his best and low and behold…. The next day they were Flowers!!!  We told him how wonderful he was that he made our Magnolia’s bloom!!  He can turn buds into flowers!  Oh the excitement.  Who was going to be the one to steal this little boy's thunder?  Not us.  Now we just wonder what’s going to happen if he “water’s” his vegetables….. Good luck with that Mom!!