Ding Dong

Look to the right of this blog. This is the t-shirt I am wearing today, makes me laugh. I love everything about it.

Oh sure I have on pearl earrings and a lovely pearl bracelet and a sweet cardigan sweater with a little gold sparkle embellishment. Adding the right amount of green and humor makes me laugh.

I am thinking I will have the Wizard of Oz songs swimming happily in my head all day long.

Frank R. Spinning elementary school was a wonderful grammar school. I have lots of great memories. Remembering sneaking and wearing shorts under my skirts or dresses so I could play on the monkey bars at lunch, makes me smile and smirk all at the same time. Yes, I am sure my mother knew I was doing that. She never said anything. I think it was a battle she was not willing to fight. However, I am guessing she would not approve of my behavior. Teather ball, don't get me started. Okay, my youngest sister and I have the same birthday month. We pooled our whining and requests for one birthday gift (yes, we got our usual amount) however, get this, my dad dug a hole in our backyard and poured in concrete and YES, we got our very own teather ball pole and chain and ball for us to play all the time!

I didn't really care for "in class" school lunch time. Sure I loved my lunch boxes. A different one each year. I loved my Partridge Family lunch box. I adored my black patent leather (not boring metal, new fangled plastic was for me) Barbie lunch box. I didn't like the smell of tuna fish sandwiches. I didn't like walking half way down the hallway to trade my sandwich with my sister. One of us got the "wrong" sandwich. My mother did not like to prepare food. I am guessing that trying to prepare food in the morning with three little girls was not a creative and happy experience. Her main goal was to use as much Dippity Doo as possible to tame three little girls wild, crazy, naturally curly and tangled mess of curls into proper order. Lunch was the last thing she wanted to do.

So even though she did not approve of "ladies" eating sugar or food that came in packages, or eating with your hands, every once in a while, when you opened your lunch box, that distinctive silver foil puck shaped object would be nestled in between your wax paper wrapped sandwich and thermos with room temperature milk (ugh). Hallelujah! Behold: the Ding Dong! I would s-l-o-w-l-y peel the foil back and flatten it smooth on my desk. I would pick off the chocolate coating and dig out the creme filling first and lick it off my fingers..........oh those were the days, my friend. I didn't want to put my napkin in my lap. I didn't want to be different. I just wanted to be like the other kids. I wanted to eat store bought goodies with my fingers and lick my fingers clean. It felt wrong but I loved it every single time I would do it.

Years later, golly I had my own money. I bought a box of Ding Dongs. DO NOT DO IT. They are not quite as good as the memory. The memory is way, way better.

So for today, I will relish (green relish of course) the sweet childhood memory of the Ding Dong. I will wear my shirt with pride and happiness!

The kids at the end of our block have a teather ball in their yard. Maybe just maybe I will buy a box of Ding Dongs, take them over after school today and offer them to the kids. Just hoping that they will invite me to play a game or two of teather ball. I might even be more direct and ask if I can play. I am wearing boyfriend jeans rolled at the cuff. Nope, don't have to wear shorts under my dress and no I will not be wearing Saddle Shoes. I will be wearing cute green and blue plaid Ked sneakers.