Tuesday, April 15, 2008

#33 -- Ice Cream, in moderation :-)

Even as I approach being 9 months pregnant, and weighing more than I ever have before, I am not having the round-the-clock cravings for pickles and ice cream (though the toughest weeks are up ahead). Still, a few times each week a little bowl of vanilla ice cream with a bit of chocolate syrup or peanut butter is comforting to me. It has calcium, right?

And while I'm not insane over ice cream, it has been the perfect treat at the perfect moment at so many points in my life.

I remember your Grandpa Bruce taking me and your uncles to Frosty Boy during the summer. We would pile into his pick-up truck and take the 3 minute ride to the neighborhood jaunt that was the summertime favorite of kids and parents alike. With two windows and a drive-thru, Frosty Boy was short on seating -- but brimming with tasty treats. Vanilla cones dipped in sprinkles, or coconut, or laced with strawberry syrup were the most common sight, but "Flurries" were the knock-off of choice for bigger kids and adults. Since the dessert shack was only open a few months out of the year, everyone tried to get their fill before the the windows were boarded up for the season. It was poetic, really... Everyone rushing to finish their cones before the frozen liquid fell prey to the July sun.

And there are other times that ice cream is memorable... Birthdays (with cake or as the cake itself, of course), while watching tearjerking chick flicks or while sharing your favorite malted milkshake with that gosh-darn cute boy from your 2nd grade class (that last one may be a Norman Rockwell painting).

The point is that whether your guilty pleasure of choice is mint chocolate chip, butter rum, or double fudge triple nut supreme, no other is better for celebrations -- or simple summer evenings.

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