The summer I was 14 years old, I opened and ran an Ice Cream parlor. Across the side street from our house, was an ancient store building with a small addition to the south side, which at one time was the Post Office.

     The owner and operator of the store was also the Postmaster, and a door between the two buildings enabled him to care for both businesses. At this time both buildings were empth and the old Post Office was where i set up my Ice Cream Parlor.

     My dad drove me to Norway, Michingan, where an ice cream company was located. The president and owner gave us each and ice cream bar to nibble on as he showed us around his plant. When he left I also had the loan of a freezer for my ice cream, which was a plus because this was something I hadn't even thought of needing.

     We dragged in a counter and showcase from the old store, the freezer was delivered. I ordered ice cream, candy, gum and pop and was in business!. All went well until the day a stranger came into my sore and ordered a "Black Cow". It's strange that the blank look on my face didn't give it away, but i had no idea what a "Black Cow" was. Even at 14 I was determined not to admit defeat.

     So I ambled into the back room and out the back door as though I was going to put together a "Black Cow:, then out the back door, racing across the street, into the back door of my house. Out of breath so badly i could hardly gasp out to my sister that I needed to know how to make a "Black Cow". As she still had her breath, she explained that it was a RootBeer Float under another name.

     Out the back door, racing across the street, in the back door of my "business", sauntering into the front and making a "Black Cow" as if I had known all along what the darn thing was.

     I didn't get stung very often with people asking to "charge it" but I did sometimes have a problem with one person in particular. He and his buddy would come in, sit down, order icecream and ask me to put lots of "frosting" (chocolate sauce) on it. Occassionally I was asked to charge the purchase, and because I was a meek 14 and they were 19 year old adults, I always complied.

     I'm sure the bill was probably less than one dollar, but eventually I got even.

     Four years later, I married Him.............