5 Cent Ice Cream Cones

This is the first of our Funny Family Folktales. This is Grandpa's story.

One summer in 1946, when I was 17, I ran an ice cream counter in the drug store on Main Street and First North in Logan, Utah. One warm summer day, a little girl that looked to be about 5 years old came in the store. Before she came in, I saw her talking to her mother for a minute, apparently receiving some kind of directions.

The little girl came to my counter and ordered a couple of ice cream cones and handed me a dollar bill. After her order, she said, "I want some change."

"What kind of change do you want?" I teased, thinking that the question might stump her.

To my surprise, she rolled her eyes while glancing out the front window toward her mother, and said, "Well, " with her hands on her hips, "if you're stupid, you're not suppose to work here!"

Copyright© 2008

A Kitchen Knife and My Thumb...

Sequel to "A Kitchen Knife and my Finger" by Mindy Ostler on MNOP.

I'll have you know that I had lived 43.75 years without cutting myself deeply when chopping food. Something about using very sharp knives and looking away for just that one second...and off comes the top of my thumb! Luckily for me, I had asked my nurse friend what Mindy should have done differently when she cut off her fingertip.

Funny thing going into shock over only a "flesh wound". After I announced that "I just pulled a Mindy" and cut my thumb off, I calmly went into the bathroom while giving orders to the family about how to finish dinner, grabbed some gauze, taped up a pressure bandage, joked a bit about how I couldn't believe that I had done the very same thing that Mindy did only two weeks before, then promptly had to put my head between my knees to make sure I didn't pass out onto the tile. I, too, had ringing in my ears, and was suddenly nauseated.

After realizing that I was in shock, I lay down, and propped my feet up. Then I thought I should probably have a professional make sure that I had bandaged it properly. I called my friend, Amy over who said, "Did you wash it out well?"
Nope, I didn't. So she washed it for me, made it bleed thoroughly to clean it out, and re-bandaged it. By then, I wasn't in shock anymore, so I visited with her and then ate my dinner.

That was two weeks ago. It still hasn't healed. I thought that the flap of skin was attached in one small spot, but I was mistaken. It was all the way off, but I put so much pressure on it that it adhered to the wound. I have tried to take pictures of it to put on my blog, but my new camera really doesn't take good pictures.
Oh, well. It is only the size of a thumbtack. I'm sure it will fall off and heal sometime before I'm 60, if I'll quit bumping it and making it bleed more. Maybe I should go have it cauterized...NOT!

Lost in Blogland II

Today I had Ross clean the house for me. He owes me some money, so I had him dust and vacuum everything. While he was doing that, I read, and read, and read.
I have a confession to make, the last couple of weeks I've been reading a questioning blog. I know, you are all shocked and horrified, but one of my favorite writers on there is Bruce Nielson, who according to his own comments is an "Orthodox Mormon". He is articulate, thoughtful, and respectful of other's differing views. I have really appreciated his insight and answers to the "let's read The Book of Mormon as an inspired, fictitious, 19th century document" group.
There are others on the blog in question that comment who are believing members of the church. There are links to other blogs and websites that are inspired, 21st century work. I have been linking over to those blogs, and drifting away from the first one. It has made me a happier reader.
Tonight I have read some wonderful, thoughtful literature on Segullah. It made me want to write. I mean really write. Express my thoughts, my stories, in a way that touches people like those stories touched me. They were poignant, honest, heart-wrenching, hopeful and true.
But I am afraid. How do I do it and keep the private things private? There are those stories that are true, but need to be told in a way to protect the individuals in them. Do I tell them in fiction? Do I write under a fake name where strangers can read them, but not those who may recognize the players?
I should ask the authors how they do it. I think I shall. Being lost in Blogland today was a wonderful journey into other's experiences and I came away inspired.

Snow, Snow, and more...

 

This is a picture of our patio. It has looked like this since Christmas Eve. It has really been beautiful though.

The Cutting Edge

 

I saw this today at school. I sent it to my manager at work. I think he is feeling a bit like these three guys on the cutting edge. He has been working on our online Bridgerland Phonebook since September. It should be working any day now!