January 15 Is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day!! Woo-hoo!

At the time of this writing, Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at 8:42 a.m., the actual temperature outside is negative five degrees. This does not factor in any wind chill at all. Tomorrow’s forecast is that temperatures here in northwest Iowa could reach the “coldest temperatures on record”. What does that mean, exactly?? Seriously….I know what it means. It means it is too darn cold outside. Yesterday afternoon, the corporate offices at Wells’ Dairy, Inc., closed early so that employees could get home safely – we were experiencing a blizzard (you know….winds of 30 – 40 miles an hour, horizontal snow, zero visibility….fun stuff like that). Fellow employees who crawled home in their vehicles reported this morning that “it was the worst they have ever experienced”. Yikes.

I say all of this because today’s blog is dedicated to strawberry ice cream….an odd topic to cover in the dog-days of winter. Still, it is worth mentioning that Thursday, January 15, is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day!

I am especially interested in celebrating this day on Thursday BECAUSE of the weather. Of course, if you know me, you know that I love ice cream…and I am lovin’ the idea of celebrating strawberry ice cream because strawberries make me think of summer. And….what better way to eat ice cream than when a record-breaking cold is settling over the region? Strawberries remind me of summertime, when the air almost sizzles with the sounds and smells of the season: lawnmowers running in the neighborhood, kids playing in the yard next door, hamburgers on the grill…..late sunsets and early sunrises. THIS is the time to eat strawberry ice cream….but why not on Thursday, too?

Pay homage to the time of year when you can kick back and feel the sun on your shoulders and taste the sweetness of those yummy, fat berries that are the best when tasted straight off the plant after they have been warmed by the sun in a late August afternoon.

Forget the winter doldrums. Forget the wind chills. Treat yourself and your kids to some Blue Bunny® Strawberry Sundae Crunch® Bars or the super-delicious Blue Bunny Champ! Strawberry Cone (by the way…if you haven’t tasted this…..three deliciously enthusiastic words: OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!), or the old favorite: Blue Bunny Double Strawberry ice cream. Wow. I can’t wait!!

Your family might think you are crazy but surprise them with a “Summertime Picnic Dinner” on the living room floor followed by strawberry ice cream for dessert. Then, watch as the winter chills melt away – Celebrate National Strawberry Ice Cream Day on Thursday, January 15!