Sweet Endings

This blog entry will mark the last of the “Summer Vacation” series and I hope you have enjoyed my musings and insights into a really wonderful adventure with my boys, Bud and Peanut.

Our final leg of the tour was a stop in St. Louis to do What St. Louisans Do. We attended a St. Louis Cardinal game (yes, 1SweetMama bleeds Cardinal red!!) and enjoyed frozen custard at Ted Drewes, a local tradition for decades.

Ted Drewes started when Ted Sr. opened his first ice cream store in Florida in 1929, followed by two locations on the north side of St. Louis in 1931. In 1941 the family opened stands on the south side. The current Chippewa location, where we ate, is on the famed old Route 66.

The above photo is the one I took of the stand. Bear in mind, it looks like this pretty much every hour of operation. Frozen custard-hungry patrons patiently stand in line, sometimes 6-8 people deep, for their favorite flavor concoctions. Some like it straight up in vanilla or chocolate, or you can order a Concrete (similar to a Dairy Queen Blizzard) in several varieties. My Concrete of choice is the “Frisco”. Having grown up in St. Louis, I ordered this absolutely yummy flavor a million times. Finally, I asked them why it was called a “Frisco”….they said it was because it is full of fruits and nuts. Their words…not mine.

By the way, the ballgame was great because it was my first time in the new Busch Stadium and I got to see Albert Pujols’ derriere (we were very close behind – no pun intended - the first base line) for 8 glorious innings. The photo is of Bud and Peanut at the ONLY moment the sun shone after we entered the ballpark. Very soon after this photo was taken, storm clouds blanketed the city and we cheered on the Red Birds in a thunderstorm….they never pulled the tarp out and the boys and I finally gave it up at the top of the 8th inning after we realized that the Cardinals could never rebound from a heartbreaking score of 8 to 2. Yes, the Colorado Rockies handed the Cardinals’ butts to them. Oh, well…..at least we knew that our day, and thus our vacationing fun, would end sweetly at Ted Drewes.
And so, on a sweet note, we ended our vacation and returned home the following morning. But we also knew that, at the end of our journey, we would arrive at another destination where life is sweet…..home in the “Ice Cream Capital of the World®”.

And as a sidebar, make sure you come back and read my blog next Tuesday….I will tell you about my experiences this weekend as our community hosts “Ice Cream Days”. If you find you are in the area, you really should come out to Le Mars, Iowa, and take in all the fun and festivities of this flagship ice cream event for our town. And if you happen to read this in time for the parade, you will recognize me….I will be dressed like a package of Blue Bunny® Bomb Pops®. Check out all the Ice Cream Days details by clicking here.

It's Not The Destination.....

This weekend I began the planning process for a road trip that the boys and I will be taking in a few weeks. We will be visiting my aunt and uncle who have a place in St. Augustine, Florida. This will be an exciting adventure for the three of us.

22 hours of road time. Yikes. It will take us approximately two-and-a-half days to arrive at our destination. The boys and I are very excited about all the things we are planning to do – including lots of beach time – but it is a little scary to pack up and get in the car to drive a half a country away.

We have certainly travelled before but this is the biggest trip we have taken together on our own….with ME as the responsible adult!! It makes me smile and wince all at the same time. But I have never been one to be intimidated by opportunities outside of my comfort zone. I stare ‘em down and give it my battle cry: “Bring it!!”

There is a quote from a book I read a long time ago. It was life altering. The book was called, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho and I didn’t just read it – I studied it. Page after page presented me with new mantras to steer my life’s course. I couldn’t help but thinking of this one quote, in particular, as I was planning this trip:

“I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had
the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve.”
(“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho)

I, the Shepherd, and my little flock will load up the car and take the journey and wait to see what adventures await.

I have plotted the journey. I bought the GPS. My oldest son, armed with iTunes and $20, recorded the road trip soundtrack. And, with the Alchemist quote emblazoned like a road sign in my brain, I will set out on my journey – with my boys – and we will courageously discover the landscape between Le Mars, Iowa, and St. Augustine, Florida, knowing that, while our destination will be a most wonderful time, the fun really lies in the journey.

And while I think about it…..isn’t that what life is really all about anyway?

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Max The Hamster Hunter

Today I must pay homage to the family dog, Max – or “Max The Wonderdog” as I have referenced him in previous blogs.

Max has been the center of our lives for a year and a half now. The boys adore him and my youngest is fascinated by the fact that Max has a metal rod in his left leg as the result of injuries sustained from a hit and run incident from his puppyhood (judging from his extreme hatred of the Schwan’s Man – we think it was some kind of truck that may have struck him).

Aside from his continual shedding and occasional neurotic behavior of eating random areas of my carpeting and inconspicuous areas of my couch – he does this when he is ticked off at me because I have been gone all day (“What? And you couldn’t just leave me a note? Well, take that, 1SweetMama! Let this be a lesson to you!”), Max has proven his value in protection, love, and loyalty to our family…and now Max has assumed another role in our household: Max The Hamster Hunter.

Hannah – as in “The Hamster” (not “Hannah” as in “Montana”, as my 9 year old, Peanut, enthusiastically explains) is an escape artist. She has only gotten out a handful of times but I am continually amazed at her verve for wanting out of her humble abode. No matter how heavy the object placed atop her cage, she somehow manages to muscle up the strength to pull back the lid and drop 3 ½ feet to the floor below in order to explore the basement.

It is important that I mention that Hannah lives in the basement (which is actually a very decent living area – she lives in the “rec room” area) because when we have tried keeping her upstairs in Peanut’s bedroom, it drives Max insane. The hamster cage is like “Max TV” and Max is completely transfixed by the fact that we keep a rodent under glass for his viewing enjoyment. Max is a hound dog and, eventually, he is totally consumed by the movements of this rodent and he begins to whine and foam at the mouth in anticipation of what this tasty morsel might feel like in his belly.

To save Max from madness, we keep Hannah on a separate level of the residence, with the door between the main floor and the basement closed. But, occasionally, we will allow Max into the basement, under close supervision, to observe Hannah in her habitat. Max thinks we must be marinating her for his future enjoyment (“The longer that thing stays in that glass box, the fatter and juicier she gets!”).

The greatest thing about the Max and Hannah relationship is that we have discovered that each time Hannah disappears, Max is able to locate her in less than 10 seconds. We simply send him downstairs with the charge, “Max, go find Hannah!” And it is done. End of story. He doesn’t even stop to take a sniff. His incredible sense of smell leads him directly to her hiding spot and we are able to extract her from whichever precarious predicament she has placed herself in and she goes back into the cage. (“She must not be done yet”, is what Max must think every time we put her back into the glass box.) The last Hannah escape found her tightly wedged into a tiny corner of the washing machine. We would never have located her there if it wasn’t for Max who insisted that she was there. He probably wound up actually saving her life. Good dog!

Every one in the family plays a role and Max’s place within our family unit is no different. He provides us with limitless unconditional love, protects us from the Schwan’s Man, and keeps Hannah well accounted for.

For this, we are eternally grateful. Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Meet Moolinda

Since we are on the subject of my town: Le Mars, Iowa (read my last blog entry), I really cannot overlook one of my other (and less offensive!) favorite attractions in this community. Le Mars, being “The Ice Cream Capital of the World(R)” would, OF COURSE, be the location of a museum and Visitor Center devoted to the history of ice cream and the history of Wells’ Dairy, Inc., who make Blue Bunny(R) ice cream and novelties. You may not know this, but Wells’ Dairy was founded in Le Mars in 1913 by a man named Fred H. Wells, Jr. when he purchased a horse, a wagon, some cans and jars, and a small milk route from a local dairy farmer in the area – all for the grand total sum of $250.

95 years later, Blue Bunny products can be found in all 50 states…which certainly makes it nice when this Ice Cream Princess travels! Today, more ice cream is made here in Le Mars, Iowa, by Wells’ Dairy in one location (Le Mars, Iowa) than any other company does in any other single location on the planet….over 100,000,000 gallons of ice cream each year!

The road a small town dairy travels in order to become one of the largest family-owned dairy processors in the U.S. is dotted with unique milestones, roadblocks, hills, valleys, superhighways and, in one literal case, a memorable billboard that graced a thoroughfare of Le Mars in the 1950’s.

This billboard drew considerable interest from community residents and passers-by as it promoted Wells’ Dairy in a 3-dimensional way. The focus? A larger-than-life fiberglass Jersey cow head promoting the goodness of Wells’ Dairy. The billboard drew even more attention when it fell victim to a college prank…..several students from the town university kidnapped the beloved Jersey cow head and held her captive for several days. She was later release, unharmed. In time, the billboard was removed, never to be seen again.

Until the late Fall of 2004. In an attempt to clean out some of Wells’ Dairy’s old storage buildings, a crew of employees uncovered the old and battered cow head, marred by years of neglect. It was offered to the Ice Cream Capital of the World Visitor Center Museum to display among its collection of Wells’ Dairy memorabilia. The museum enthusiastically accepted and the Jersey cow underwent an “Extreme Moooo-keover”.

Months later, the cow head, restored beyond her original beauty was erected within the halls of the “Ice Cream Capital of the World Visitor Center” Museum and a contest was held in order to find her a suitable name. Thousands of entries from all over the country were considered but the name “Moolinda” was the one chosen from an ice cream fan in Texas.

If you pass anywhere near Le Mars, Iowa, you really must stop in and say hello. You really might find her “udderly” delightful.

By the way...here is a picture of the famous billboard (and Moolinda in her prime!) in its "hey-day" - circa 1960's):

Adam Roberts' Musical Tribute To a Malted Milk Ice Cream Recipe

I happened to stumble upon Adam Roberts a few weeks ago when I was surfing the web in an attempt to find someone or something that would be an entertaining highlight to feature in one of my blogs.

This guy is fun, good natured, creative, and quite talented. Among all of his other creative offerings on his website, I happened upon his musical ode to an ice cream dessert.

When I first heard this sweet little rendition, my reaction was, “This guy needs a couple of voice lessons and, perhaps, a hobby.” But after looking further in to Adam Roberts, I learned that his hobbies are food, music, and sharing his light-hearted perspective on those things along with lots of other fun stuff. This guy plays a mean piano and I had to laugh out loud at his hilarious tribute to David Lebovitz’ Malted Milk Ice Cream Recipe. Then I proceeded to forward it to several of my co-workers. Adam’s alter ego is The Amateur Gourmet and he has a pretty cool website and blog, which includes songs, comics, and lots more dedicated to his love of food.

Looking for inspiration for a new song, Adam turned to David Lebovitz , author, pasty chef and aficionado of all things sweet and decadent. Lebovitz’s Malted Milk Ice Cream recipe proved the perfect muse. Just as an aside, you should also take a listen to The Lasagna Song.

Coincidentally, after writing several books, including “The Perfect Scoop”, David Lebovitz authored the book, “Living The Sweet Life in Paris”. Apparently he didn’t know that “The Sweet Life” can also be lived in the “Ice Cream Capital of the World®” (as attested to by myself, 1SweetMama) in Le Mars, Iowa! David Lebovitz has lots of fab "foodie" publications that you should go check out.

Well, Adam, I have subscribed to your blog and look forward to being entertained by you for many meals to come.

Check it out…..then go make your own tub of David Lebowitz’ Malted Milk Ice Cream. No piano required.