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| Long retired skaters like to come back for a visit |
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| More pleasant picnics. |
Now I like picnics so I was disappointed that the picnic was cancelled. It was my favorite kind of picnic where we roast wieners over a fire.
My liking for this type of picnic goes back a long way to when I was in early grade school. On the last day of the school year we would have a wiener roast and it was a big deal. The school trustees supplied the goodies. We had to get our own wiener sticks . There were no fancy metal forks in the days of my youth. This meant we had to go out in the brush and cut a proper stick that would hold a wiener. Some of us got a fancy forked stick. Others found the biggest stick they could cut off with their jack knife. Some wanted willow. Others wanted a curved stick. Everybody bragged that their stick was best. There were play fencing episodes with the newly cut sticks.
So the time to roast hot dogs arrived. Some found that the stick they had carefully selected was a failure and the wiener dropped off in the fire. The style of cooking went from totally charred to barely warm. Into the bun went the wiener. Mustard? Oh ya!
So as a little eight year old I started enjoying my hot dog. I had the hot dog, my treasured stick and a pop to look after at the same time. So a little mustard got on my fingers. Another hot dog. More mustard. Now some mustard is on my shirt. So it was a very exciting time eating, drinking and running around. I would get home with lots of mustard on my shirt and some on my pants.
Now girls don't behave this way. Girls have things under control and no mustard gets on their clothes. Mothers know about boys and hot dogs. Mothers know how much work it is to clean mustard off a shirt. I remember bringing my son home from cubs. I debated whether he should go in with other gross material that was discarded. However, I didn't have the heart to leave him with the trash.
Now back to my cancelled picnic and how I got on about school hot dog picnics. On occasion our school outdoor picnic had to be cancelled as we would have a day like today. So the great event was held in the school. The great old Waterman and Waterman heater in the corner of the classroom was lit and functioned as our campfire and all the shenanigans occurred indoors.
Now come to think of it, I don't think much has changed. I still get home with mustard on my shirt!
