Chocolate Ice Cream Rocks!!

I have to give Mommy and Daddy credit sometimes. When it comes to big moments in my life, they know how to do them right.

I got my first taste ever of chocolate ice cream, a hot fudge sundae, a raspberry sundae, a strawberry ice cream soda and a "pink lady" at the nation's oldest ice cream parlor today. We went to the Wilton Candy Kitchen, and I got to sit in the same booth that Brooke Shields did back in 1991.

This place still has the original walnut and leather booths, the original stamped tin ceiling, and old marble tabletops. The little stereo kept playing some female singer from the forties, but Daddy insisted that the guy singing along with her was Mario Lanza. I think the only reason he kept saying that was because Mommy kept looking at him like he was nuts.

The little picture in the corner shows you what the place looks like on the outside. It's been around since 1860, and the current owners have had it in the family since 1910! The man and lady running the place have been married for 58 years (the lady worked in the ice cream shop for 8 years before getting married, too.) Some of you might know their son. He's a dentist in Phoenix. Seriously!

I loved the chocolate ice cream, and the hot fudge sundae was my favorite. I wasn't too crazy about the strawberry soda or the raspberry sundae, and there was no way I was going to eat the grilled cheese sandwiches that Mommy and Daddy enjoyed.

I know what I like. It's chocolate, and lots of it, please. The nice lady running the place gave me two servings of chocolate ice cream. Being cute as a button has it's privileges.

Apparently, I provided lots of entertainment value while drinking the "pink lady"....a mixture of strawberry, cherry and vanilla syrups mixed with real soda water. I took a sip from the straw, made a face that said "yuk!", and then went back for more. I think Mommy got three whole sips of that drink.

We're gonna have to go back there someday. After all, I still gotta try things on the menu like the "hadacol" (a mix of root beer and cola....they "hadacol" it something), the "suicide" (a mix of all the different syrup flavors in one soda), the "green river", and so many more.

It's all so good it will make you kick your crib. Just like I'm doing now....

Come on up to see me sometime, and I'll see if I can get Mommy and Daddy to make the drive again!

Afternoon in a Basement

We didn't spend the whole afternoon there....mainly because Mommy got scared and Quackers didn't like the cobwebs.

Of course, I wasn't scared even a little bit. I'm tough!!

Why were we there? Tornado warning. One had been spotted to the south of us and the alarm woke me from my nap. Mommy came flying up the stairs, scooped me up out of my crib and tore off down the stairs to the basement.

Our flooded, dark, dank, creepy basement. There's lots of dead bugs and old junk there. The ceiling is low. It's perfect for Halloween.

I think from now on Mommy is going to have us wait out these things in the stairwell. It's not nearly as scary.

We sure aren't going to wait them out in the garage! The ceiling collapsed right over where Daddy usually parks his car sometime this morning. Mommy said that there was a lot of blown-in insulation on the garage floor that looked like a pile of wet sand.

I don't understand why she wouldn't let me play in it. Sounds like fun to me!

I bet she wants to hog it all for herself. Or our landlord.

Anyways, there was something pretty cool that Mommy discovered in our backyard. Violets! We've got medium purple and white ones along the back fence. Mommy tickled my nose with a purple one and made me laugh. She said something about making candied violets to decorate a cake for Daddy.

I don't know if Daddy actually wants candied flowers, but when Mommy gets an idea in her head, she doesn't give it up that easily.

Mommy did learn a fun fact about violets, though. Did you know that they are used in India to cure tonsillitis?

Relax....she promised to take me to the doctor if I have another flare up and not make me eat candied violets......

Spring is FINALLY Here!!

Yesterday, it reached 60 degrees! There was even blue sky, too! Lots of wind, like always, it seems, only now it's not arctic. (Daddy should love that....he's got some neat kites, and maybe he'll get to fly them in the park, whenever we figure out where that is....)

We've got some daffodils poking up in the front yard and they will be blooming soon. Mommy has her sweet peas ready to go, along with some lily of the valley and gladiola bulbs. She says this year I can help her with her herb garden in the back, and maybe gather up some wildflowers if she figures out where to plant them. This ought to be fun.

Soon I'll get to wear shorts and put my winter coat away for good!

Cedar Rapids Got Soul (Food)!!

Me, Mommy and Daddy had a little bit of an adventure today. Our mission? Barbecue, pork ribs, lots of sauce...please.

We picked up Dennis and headed over to Al and Irene's BBQ House on the north side of Cedar Rapids. Daddy wasn't too sure it was the place, since it looked like a nondescript strip mall, and the interior decor was....nonexistent.

Mommy said that was the way all good BBQ joints look. "Avoid any place that looks like fine dining if they claim to be a 'cue joint," she said. (Mommy then told me about this place she and Uncle SuperGeorge used to go to for a long time, back when it was on a sleazy corner in downtown Phoenix. She swears it lost something when it moved to a much prettier location, but it's still amazing. Next time we go to Phoenix she and Daddy might take me there.)

Anyway.....Dad got the regular sauce with an Amber Bock, and Mommy got the hot sauce with a Diet Pepsi. Dennis got a combo platter. I got some of Daddy's fries, since I'm still too little to order off of the kids' menu.

Supposedly some idiot food critic said that you could probably find a square dance in Harlem easier than you could find decent soul food in Cedar Rapids.

When's that square dance again, Windy City boy?? Because I really want to show off my sweet moves in the happy poopy dance! ;)

Not Too Proud to Beg

Ok, right now Iowa is not a top tourist destination, even though I'm here. That....I don't completely understand.

But if you find yourself here in the Midwest, please stop on by to see me. I love company!!

Mommy and Daddy will find plenty for us to do here. Iowa City is to the south of us, and since it's a university town there is always something odd and unusual. Cedar Rapids is to the north, and there's some good eats and fine beer up there in the Czech Village. There's more good eats to the west with the Amana Colonies.

This summer, I'm gonna see the Butter Cow at the State Fair, too! Might even go with my cousin Alena from Arizona. I haven't seen her in a while. Heard she has pigtails now.

Remember, all of those Presidential wannabes have left for now, so there won't be any annoying political types bugging you.

We've got a guest room in this old house, so....what are you guys waiting for?

St Paddy's Day Massacre at Daddy's Old Job

Mommy and Daddy sure do talk a lot about Daddy's job! Ok, it's mainly about his old one and how Daddy is lucky to be working at Rockwell instead.

Daddy got his notice that he finally got his green card on the 7th. This is apparently a very big thing if you are not a citizen. Mommy assured me that I don't need one, since she got my citizenship all taken care of for me a long time ago. (I love that Mommy is so efficient! It makes my life a lot easier.)

This is a big deal, since there are jobs with Rockwell back in Florida that my Daddy can now apply for after we've been here a year.

Mommy and Daddy really miss Florida, but they are glad that Daddy is not working for his old company any longer. They laid off about twelve people today, and Daddy thinks he would have been one of them had he stayed. He's pretty sure his old boss is going to end up going back to Massachusetts soon.

I think they like Iowa a lot more than Massachusetts, but I don't know why. Mommy muttered something about "Massholes", but I don't know what that means.

If any of Daddy's old coworkers are reading this, I think it would be great if they came up to Iowa, too. Daddy misses his old friends. Mommy misses hers, too.

I hope my friends in Florida are doing well. I miss them a lot!

What is This White Stuff, and Why is it so Cold?

My first view of this funny stuff called "snow" came late last night. It was actually a pretty blue because the sun was going down. Now it's just white, with occasional dirty patches where it comes up against the road.

Anyway, it is unbelievably cold here! Daddy muttered that it reminded him of Russia. From the tone in his voice, I guess that is not a good thing.

When Mommy got her first look at this, I thought she was gonna cry. Then she noticed that I learned how to kick off my shoes, and I thought she was gonna start swearing. So I threw my chubby arms around her neck and looked deeply into her eyes with my patented "I adore you most of all" look.

Gets her every time, heh!

Cookie, our dog, wasn't sure what to do with this stuff either, at first.

It's wet, sometimes it's icy, and Mommy is afraid she's gonna slip on it and break her leg. When I try to stick some of it in my mouth, Mommy and Daddy have a fit because there's usually something icky in the chunk I picked.

It is good for something, though. It makes the view from my bedroom window beautiful, and it stretches so far you can't tell where the land ends and the sky begins sometimes. I like to look at it when I am all snug in my crib with Quackers, the world's best stuffed duck.

And someday, when I get bigger and Mommy and Daddy aren't looking....I'm gonna find out what it tastes like.