While I lived on the east side of Detroit, I found myself dreading each summer not because of the heat (as a native Texan, I love the mild midwest summer), but because of the ice-cream truck. At least fifteen times a day, "Pop Goes The Weasel" would drift through the window while I tried to write in a small corner of the living room, a beautiful old-fashioned alcove that I deemed my office. There's something inherently creepy about the ice-cream man, something that smacks of a pedophile paradise. It doesn't help that the last one I saw was wearing a shirt that read "I Would Do Me." While I'm sure he was no John Wayne Gacy, it did give me pause.
Having done a lot of teaching in my life, I enjoy summer for the time off, but I don't really like many summer activities. Especially loathe the pressure to "get out of the house." Why anyone needs to leave a house is beyond me. Having spent my twenties bathed in baby oil and Coppertone SPF Four, I have no desire to do further sun damage. And getting ice-cream in public doesn't do much for me either. I'm more of an eat myself sick privately type. In a world full of flavors, I don't have much interest in anything that isn't reminiscent of something else like creme brulee (the best Ben and Jerry's flavor to my way of thinking). The ice-cream truck in Detroit got shot at from time to time -- but it always returned with its song and the driver, like me, probably looking forward to the end of summer.
Michelle's Spell of the Day
"One should never write down or up to people, but out of yourself." Christopher Isherwood
Cocktail Hour
Drinking memoir suggestion: Books: A Memoir Larry McMurtry
Benedictions and Maledictions
Hey Suzanne, thanks so much for the sweet comment! Loved your book which I bought right after attending a wedding. Within minutes of said wedding actually, and it cheered me up tremendously. Read Split -- whether you're in a groovy relationship, breaking up, breaking down, or just in the mood for something dark and funny.
12 comments:
Well around these here parts,they shoot the ice-cream man"Dead" for no freaking reason at all.
Another ice-cream man around here, in Albuquerque that is, kind of semi fit your pedophile profile,besides ice-cream he was also dealing dope out of the truck.
There are no ice-cream trucks in thr East Mountain area where we live,however we have had televised sex offenders living right down the road. Thr Locals kind of bullyed him down the road a little bit farther,and damn wouldn't you know it some how his new residence burned to the ground,some how he managed to escape unharmed.
Another we had living up here was the Cop killer,found him way down South, "Mexico" way. To bad the SOB made it back here unscathed. We now get to watch him wine on the local news about his unfair treatment in the local county klink.
I have to agree with you on the Sun Shine,I am still wrinkel free at 43,Farmers tan to the bone. I like the Summer but like my AC as well.
Let me see here you bought a book after a wedding and it cheered you up tremendously, Good God I guess that is a story for Second day reported ? Nice post Michelle,it is very well written even a simple man such as myself can grasp it.
In college we had a professor who was a former Good Humor icecream man. But in college, as well as being a physics professor, he was vice president of one of the Panther parties(white, black, grey--I've forgotten which). He sued the university for doing an investigation of his "private life"(the infamous Red Squad of the Michigan State Police was also involved)and made out like a bandit.--Herman Northrop Frye
Yep, that's the smile Larry McMurtry liked so much. Right there in the bathtub.--Jacques Barzun
I like my wife's nude photos.--N. Sarcoszy
That photo looks familiar, if you know what I mean.--Rodney Dangerfield
That song is definitely creepy. We have an ice cream guy that comes through Xavier University playing that song. Makes me feel weird.
Pop's biggest rival in the ice cream wars: "Turkey in the Straw"
(Haw haw haw)
Ya know what's really sad? When I shave my goatee off I look a lot like John Wayne Gacy! I have pics if you need them, LOL.
Well Michelle I'm still here on the East side and I will tell you that anytime you want to take target practice, come on over to my street. You have a wide variety of tunes but the one that always gets me has the ha ha ha in the middle of it.
I am a Half Baked Fan personally.
I knew someone with a tricked-out ice cream truck that played Black Magic Woman. He didn't sell ice cream in it, but in my neighborhood he totally could have.
HOW SAD THAT OUR CULTURE IS SO LADEN WITH HORROR STORIES. THERE WAS A TIME WHEN EVEN THE ICE MAN BROUGHT ICE TO OUR HOMES AND WE COULD GET THOSE CHIPS TO MUNCH ON. AND I REMEMBER WHEN YOU POURED JUICE ON CRUSHED ICE AND GOT A HEALTHY TREAT. AH ALAS THAT DATES ME TO THE GOOD OLD DAYS WHEN WE DID NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE THINGS YOU ALL DO. IT WAS A DRUG FREE WORLD. WE JUST HAD A WAR TO BE CONCERNED ABOUT, WWII.
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