Flashback Friday

When I was a kid, my second home was two houses up the street at the Jones' - Ed and Alice. They were my second set of grandparents. At the time of my childhood, they didn't have a grandchild, so I was their surrogate. During the summer, I would spend Thursday and Friday with them. On Thursday morning, Alice and I would head out to Thelmal Lanes and I'd sit at the table and eat pretzel sticks and drink fountain Cokes while I watched her bowl. Then we'd go out to lunch on our home. On Friday's, we'd leave at about 10:00 and then go up to the beauty parlor where Alice woudl get her hair done. While she was getting all beautified, I would visit the drugstore next door to the beauty parlor and then come back and wait till she was finished, and then we'd go to McDonald's or the Red Barn for lunch. But those weren't the only times I spent with the Jones'. I was there about half of my waking hours, especially during the summer.

The Jones' always had my favorite snacks -- boxes of fortune cookies, jars of maraschino cherries and green olives, and an ample supply of the small bottles of Coke. Yep, I was spoiled. And in the summer, Alice always made sure the freezer in their basement was stocked with Pop Ice. Oh how I loved those. Of course, I would make a mess of them and always spill the juice on my t-shirt after they thawed out but I never heard Mom and Grandma complain, so I'm assuming the stains always came out in the wash.

I don't hear too much today about Pop-Ice. I don't even know if the kids today still eat them. Maybe the corner Hawaiian Shaved Ice stands have replaced them. But back in the day they were the best summer treat that you could have, next to homemade ice cream.