nothing about plants... but anyway...

Well folks... it's been a while hasn't it?

Hope nobody was worried... I've just had a tough few weeks, and didn't have the energy required to put thoughts to paper. And what energy I did have was being sapped by Texas summer... it's hideous out there!

But today, at the end of a day of driving all over the Dallas Ft. Worth metroplex... I saw an Ice Cream store... and a little voice inside my head said, "I want ice cream."

I tried to ignore it.

Then the voice went, "PLEEEEEEEEEEEEESE.... I want some Ice cream please, please, please, please, pleeeeeeese..."

I kept ignoring it.

Then the voice stated quite firmly and with a surprisingly matter of fact tone... "If you don't give me an ice cream cone I'm going to throw a temper tantrum. And then you'll be sorry."

Your inner child should never be ignored. He needs occasional treats. Otherwise, you lose your sense of fun and happiness.

So that's how a mid forties, hot sweaty man ended up in the Braums Ice Cream Parlor leaning against the glass over the party colored flavors mumbling... "That looks good... no, I think I want that one... no wait, is that Rocky Road? Oh cool! Cookies and cream... and what's that one?"

I settled for cookies and cream, and mint chocolate chip.

And yeah, I'm sure they thought I was an escapee from the local mental asylum, but who gives a damn? I'm never gonna see those people again... Actually, the lady behind the counter, a fifty something Grandmotherly type, had a look on her face that said this isn't the first time a full grown man stood in front of that counter acting like an over excited 8 year old.

And not only did I get ice cream... I came out of it in a totally better mood.

Now, me and ice cream go way back... Mom and I used to go get ice cream about every week in the summer, usually on Sunday evening. It was one of our favorite minor rituals. Since Mom passed, I haven't been in an ice cream shop... I had no reason to go to one.

Now, I'm realizing that I was depriving myself. Not neccesarily of ice cream, although that would be bad enough, but more the sense of fun that ice cream evokes from my childhood. I don't know that I'll be going every week again... but I am going to make a point of giving my inner child an occasional treat.