Saturday, June 24, 2017

HOT DOGS! HOT DOGS! EVERYBODY LOVES HOT DOGS

    Well, at least most North Americans like hot dogs!

    I had planned to have a wind up for my spring birdwatching group. The plan was hot dogs, squares and coffee. It wasn't to be. The windstorm we had closed the location I had chosen. Even plan B was not available because the area was closed.

   So I got thinking about hot dogs and school. When I was little in the one room country school we would have a wiener roast on the last afternoon of school. We were wound up as it was because it was the end of the year so hot dogs really hyped us up.




   These events were carefully planned. The teacher had some money from the trustees for this event. Plans were made well ahead of time. We were all asked how many hot dogs we wanted. I think three was the limit. Wieners were sold in bulk so the exact number could be purchased. We were also given a choice of the kind of pop we wanted. Oh ya, there were usually marsh mellows. On the appointed day, off we went (running) to a convenient bluff where we could get wood. Yes, these hot dogs were done over a campfire. None of these store bought forks for roasting. We looked around in the bush to find a suitable stick to use for roasting. We all had knives to cut the stick and sharpen an end to attach the hot dog. Much comparison of sticks took place before the fire was ready for roasting. some of the sticks were broken before they could be used. You get the drift. It was wild. How any of us came out of it with two eyes is a  wonder.

    Well it was a very exciting afternoon with kids full of food that spun them right out of control. Some wieners dropped off the young cook's sticks. Somebody always got bumped and lost a wiener. We usually fished the lost wiener out of the fire. Some kids like a lot of burn on the wiener. Each had their own preference.

   So while I was preparing a hot dog barbecue for my quiet birders, I thought back to the excitement we had as kids in school.

35 comments:

  1. It sounds to me like a great time was had by all (or by most). :-)

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  2. What a wonderful end to the school year. Hot dogs on sticks over an open fire! Wow! Sorry you couldn't end your bird watching the way you planned.

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    1. I still like hot dogs roasted over a campfire.

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  3. Fun memories! Hot dogs always taste best roasted over a camp fire.

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    1. Yes , hot dogs are better roasted over a campfire.

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  4. That does sound like a whole lot of fun. Pity the kids can't experience that these days.

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    1. It was wild. We didn't have TV or phones to take us away from fun and games.

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  5. We did that too on the last day of school was a picnic with hot dogs and pot luck, no soda for us only kool aid. I hope you had a good time with the birders too bad about your park being closed :(

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    1. I say I came for the birds but stayed for the people. we have a great group.

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  6. A great time Red!!and hotdogs are always good to eat:))))

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    1. It was a great time if I can remember it 70 years later.

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  8. It sounds like a lot of fun!

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  9. Over here in England we never put sharp sticks through our wieners and we never burnt them either.

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    1. It's a good thing you don't burn them!!!

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  10. Always a good choice when you have a lot of people. There is a good socializing time while cooking your own also.

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    1. Sadly most hot dogs are done over the barbecue these days.

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  11. We are having a gathering in our Apt today. It is a mixture of Canada Day and the
    compliments of Residents from the Kitchen association. We have two choices of Hamburgers and Hot dogs. And salads and desserts. I was an avid Hotdog fan 100% before but now I am addicted to
    juicy well cooked Hamburgers off the B.Q. My neighbor is the cook here for years. We are expecting a bad storm. So I will have to tell Ray careful with that lightening rod turning over the hamburgers. Yesterday coming from a walk of 30 minutes with one of the Residents to our beautiful park. Down came the rain, thunder and lightening . If we had been five seconds later. It would of been disaster. Soaked to the skin. That is how fast the storms hit. So praying that time we eat at 5.30 the storm will have passed over our area and be dry for Ray and assistant to have done the cooking for over 34 people or more. And they have remained dry both of them. So since my operation I am out and social mixing and my knee feels like I am 19. No more limping. So will have a rest in-between for next knee to be done. I want to enjoy summer. So good for you Red with your group with the hot dog delight and dessert choices with it. Lots of laughs as well.

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    1. It's a good thing you have the new knee because you could get out of the rain.

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  12. Hot dogs are definitely kid-pleasers! In Florida the state used to plant oleander along the highways, especially near the water because it was pretty and salt tolerant. But they had to stop because people would pull over for a cookout and pick oleander branches to get sticks for cooking hot dogs -- and oleander is poisonous!

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    1. I didn't know oleander wa poisonous. there's a song written about oleander written by shirley Harmer.

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  13. Hot dogs remind me of the church picnics we had at the end of June each year. They were held in the nearby park, and it's there that I learned exactly what to put on a hot dog and in what order ... mustard, then green relish, then ketchup. It's how I still eat them :)

    I loved your descriptions here--I can see the mayhem clearly! I hope the teachers you had didn't have a nervous breakdown afterward!!

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    1. I'd forgotten about our sunday school picnics. they involved adults, games and lots of good food.

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  14. What a great memory Red. My wife and I were just saying that today schools would not allow something like that, too many issues. Kind of sad if you ask me. I enjoyed your story, it's priceless!
    Have a wonderful week!

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    1. I look back and many of the things I did at school would not be done now.

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  15. It's probably because hot dogs are so easy to serve and eat. I prefer them raw, right out of the package but my wife calls that disgusting.

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    1. Well. I've eaten them raw but prefer cooked.

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  16. We never did anything like that in school, but growing up we had lots of hot dog roasts on weekends at home. Daddy would build a fire and cut roasting sticks...it was fun! I enjoyed your story. Wow! That was some wind storm, in your last post. I would have been so afraid!

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  17. Those were definitely happy memories, indeed. We wouldn't be able to do that at our school. Knives would never be allowed in a school. I guess no one got hurt, hunh?

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  18. Hot dogs are a favorite summer time meal here and especially the ones you get at the ball field.

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  19. We had a campfire out at the back of the property where I grew up. Didn't roast hot dogs, but marshmallows from time to time.

    I don't have hot dogs too often, but on occasion when I want one, I'll have it with a good deal of relish.

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  20. I've never liked hotdogs but they sure are popular with kids. So are picnics on the last day of school. Great memory, Red.

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