Dear Reader:

“Big Red” is bursting with patriotic pride and big red geranium blooms. It has just outdone itself this holiday. If a plant could salute…I do believe “Big Red”  would be standing tall in position.

 It’s overflow of health and happiness takes a little of the sting out of the demise of Hope, the rocking dolphin. I went to pull the heavy rocker out on to the middle of the deck Saturday when the boys were here and suddenly I found myself holding just the top fin… still attached to the handles. The wood had rotted and it just completely pulled off. So sad! I loved that little dolphin and so did the grandchildren…they always ran to ride Hope each visit.

(I think that is why Rutledge was a little sad at the park with the other riding animals)

Sunday afternoon I found myself in line with the other ice cream ‘groupies’ waiting my turn at the Tastee-Freeze for a zebra ice cream cone…vanilla with chocolate swirls in it. It tasted so good…with the ‘fourth’ almost here my brain was automatically connecting the two items together.

On a recent survey done…asking Americans what food item they most associate with the Fourth of July holiday festivities...ice cream took first place (38%) with watermelon, corn on the cob, and a couple of other selections all coming in around 14% each.

In a recent Washington Post article…this very subject was discussed under the title: “How Ice cream Went From Elitist Indulgence to America’s Favorite Frozen Treat”) Amy Ettinger

Here are some excerpts:

Our Founding Fathers helped create a nation of ice cream addicts. Going back to George Washington, they spared no expense or hardship in making and serving frozen treats. While many 18th-century foods have fallen into obscurity (eel pie, anyone?), ice cream remains a dominant force.

Even in times of political strife, Americans are united in their ice cream fixation. The average American devours 45 pints per year, which equates to about $10 billion.

We can thank Washington for America’s early interest in the treat. Renowned for his sweet tooth, Washington was hooked when he got his first taste of ice cream in the late 18th century. (…The first couple bought pricey ice cream-making equipment and fancy dishes and served it at soirees in New York City and Philadelphia. A detailed list of ice cream paraphernalia — such as a 309-piece service that included “2 Iceries Complete,” 12 “ice plates,” and 36 “ice pots” from the estate at Mount Vernon.)

Thomas Jefferson, who first tasted it in France, helped popularize ice cream by recording the first recipe for it in the United States. The ingredients were simple enough — six egg yolks, a half-pound of sugar, two bottles of good cream, and one vanilla bean — but cooks had to go through an arduous, 18-step process and use a little muscle. The ice cream maker hadn’t yet been invented; Jefferson recommended making it in a primitive “sorbetiere,” which consisted of a covered pail with a handle, and churning it by hand in the ice for 10 minutes before sticking it in a mold to set.

 Dolley Madison served vanilla ice cream and strawberries for her husband’s second inaugural ball.

Historians argue that President Zachary Taylor’s death was caused by improperly un-pasturized ice milk eaten with warm cherries following a July 4 laying of the Washington Monument cornerstone ceremony.

A welcoming gesture for immigrants coming into Ellis Island, involving ice cream, became a memorable and later laughable mishap.

Ice cream even became a rite of passage for newcomers to the United States. Immigrants who landed on Ellis Island were often given a scoop during their first meal in the States to help them get acclimated, but sometimes this gesture of goodwill backfired. In 1902, several arrivals from Italy, waylaid on the island during the Easter holiday, were alarmed by the strange temperature and texture of this unfamiliar foodstuff and asked for it to be “warmed up” according to the New York Times.

Richard Nixon fell in love with macadamia nut ice cream while visiting Hawaii and had it continuously flown into the White House throughout his administration.

Ronald Reagan declared July National Ice Cream Month in 1984. So today America’s birthday is just not a celebration without ice cream included.

 Joe Biden calls himself the “ice cream man” …he said he doesn’t smoke or drink but now ice cream…he admitted he couldn’t get enough of it…the one bright motivating moment while on the campaign trail.

So in conclusion: Although it’s probably never a good idea to discuss politics while eating — even eating ice cream — in these heated political times, cooling down with a cone has never been a better idea. This summer we may agree on little else.

One survey taken says Republicans prefer chocolate while Democrats go with vanilla…so I say…how about we all eat “zebra” ice cream cones like me (chocolate and vanilla)….it’s an easy way to “give peace a chance.”

So until tomorrow…Let’s all join in together with a chorus of: “I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Ice Cream.”

“Today is my favorite day”  Winnie the Pooh 

***Remember to tune in tomorrow….to see what color confetti came flying out this evening during our country’s birthday party!!!!