So, what does Mickey have to do with food? Let me tell you. Do you remember your childhood ice cream truck? It would drive through the neighborhood in the summertime and before you ever saw the truck you would hear its music? "Everybody. SHUT. UP. Do you hear it?? Is that the ice cream man?!!!" Then mayhem as everybody dropped their bats and balls (what can I say, I was a tomboy) and ran to their houses to look for change. The music, which sounded like carnival music, got louder and louder as the truck got closer and closer. And you practically had a heart attack thinking it would pass you by while you were still ripping the couch apart looking for those coveted quarters. Good times!
Because of the carnival music, you almost expected the ice cream truck to be driven by a bear twirling a baton and wearing a tutu. The ice cream truck that came through my neighborhood, however, was not driven by a bear. It was driven by an old gray haired little man named . . . Mickey. There. Now you know. Mickey, the ice cream man. He was a sweet old guy who for some reason took a special liking to me. I know what you're thinking. But this was back in the "Leave it to Beaver" days, not the "Criminal Minds" days, so it wasn't weird or creepy. He was just a kind hearted old man who brought us kids the most delicous fudgesicles and strawberry shortcake ice cream on a stick. And, yes, occasionally he would bring me a gift, which, I guess now that I think about it, could have been misconstrued as creepy. But it wasn't. It was sweet.
And that's my "M" - Mickey the ice cream man.
Strawberry Shortcake, Toasted Almond, and Push Ups were my favorites - Does anyone else think there's WAY less coating on those these days than there used to be? Now the coating is more like dust!
ReplyDeleteOur truck rang a bell instead of having carnival music. When I moved somewhere that had carnival music ice cream trucks it was so strange to me.
Nowadays I get the ice cream bars with the "chocolate bar" in the middle (doubt there's any chocolate in that at all!)
Push ups! I forgot about those creamy delicious things!
DeleteLoved the ice cream truck but I only ever saw them at the pond where I took swimming lessons, parked at the beach or 4th of July. Buried treasures, Italian ice, push ups, bomb pops....oh heck it's ALL good!!!!!! There's a truck that cruises thru my neighbourhood now, but he goes so frickin fast that no one could possibly get outside in time to buy anything!
ReplyDeleteI know! Some of those trucks fly!!! You'd think they didn't really want to sell ice cream!
DeleteThose were the days for so many reasons.
ReplyDeleteYou know it, Tammy!
Deleteah the ice cream truck, i have to admit that is still my reaction whenever i hear it ,just seeing it parked without the music however does not do anything
ReplyDeleteI confess that the ice cream truck does nothing for me anymore. . . it served its purpose by giving me great childhood memories :)
DeleteI've always wanted to drive the ice cream truck. Just driving around knowing people would be so happy to see me coming sounds like a blast. :)
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice for people to be happy when they see us, whether in an ice cream truck or not! haha
DeleteThe ice cream truck - were there sweeter words in the English dictionary than those? Uh-uh. I, too, have fond memories of the truck but I wasn't lucky enough to know the driver. Obviously my driver wasn't as sweet as your Mickey - or your memories of him.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Cathy - - sometimes memories are far sweeter than the reality! Although I'm pretty sure my Mickey was a sweet guy :)
DeleteIce cream! Occasionally, we see an ice cream truck drive around the neighborhood, but I've never let my kids go out and buy any. (And I'm not the only one--you don't see any of the neighbor kids coming out to get ice cream either) Sadly, it's a different world nowadays. I wish we could go back to the days of sweet, carefree innocence, when Mickey, the ice cream man was a sweetie for bringing you gifts, and not a creep or pervert for doing so.
ReplyDeleteDifferent days for sure - - we wouldn't let our children buy from the ice cream truck unless we were there!
DeleteWhen I was young, we would have dance rehearsals at my house with about 20 kids in attendance. That summer, the ice cream truck became a staple. He would pull right into our driveway and fill all of our desires!!
ReplyDeleteTHAT sounds AWESOME!
DeleteOne stop . . .quota met!
Deletestrawberry shortcakes were my fave and i always had an extra quarter for a blow pop...aaah..those were the days'
ReplyDeleteStrawberry shortcake all the way!
Delete"Oh Mickey, you're so fine, you're so fine you blow my mind, Hey Mickey!" Love the flashback song that just popped into my head with that title!! Great post :) Blessings to you and thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving a comment :)
ReplyDeletevisiting from Here to Find Him
Who sang that song, anyway??!
DeleteOh I loved the ice-cream truck! Made summer just that much more special!
ReplyDeleteice cream truck = summer!
DeleteFor some reason my strict parents never let me get ice-cream from the ice-cream truck :(
ReplyDeleteBut I like how you've dedicated your post to him- some random people in our life really shape our childhood memories.
that's true - - you never know when you will be in somebody's childhood memories down the line - - hopefully they're good memories!
DeleteI remember growing up and chasing the ice cream truck for a treat. Why are those trucks always driven by creepy looking men? I don't let me kids buy from ice cream trucks but things are not like they used to be...
ReplyDeleteThat's for sure . . .nothing's the way it used to be. But I suppose it's that way for every generation :)
DeleteSadly, the ice cream man in the neighborhood where I grew up sold a lot more than ice cream....all illegal substances too.
ReplyDeleteI had one of those too! But when I was older. I always joked about how many people could possibly be buying ice cream, for 2 hours straight, in that ONE spot, after midnight? But there he'd sit! Lights on! Waiting for customers!
DeleteI'm sure we had those too . . . after all . . I grew up in SoCal :)
Deletevisiting form A-Z and got distracted from icecream vans by your header -about trying to fit into a box, but realising that boxes are stupid. I like it!
ReplyDeleteSue: An A-Z of Climate Matters
Took me forever to figure that one out about boxes! Thanks for stopping by Sue!
Deletewe still have those !! will have to make a posting about the ice cream trucks !
ReplyDeletehappy sunday
anni
What was your favorite ice cream from those trucks, anni?
DeleteWhen the ice cream truck drives through my neighborhood today, I still get the rush of excitement. Meanwhile, my kids do not. Our freezer is stocked with Popsicles or cups of ice cream with the wooden spoon and they and their friends just help themselves when the mood strikes. So, I guess, you could say I'm the stationary ice cream truck in our neighborhood!
ReplyDeletePlus they don't have to give you quarters from their couch cushions! Good deal!!
DeleteCute story, but now I've got that song in my head :0
ReplyDeleteI lived in a retirement area so the ice cream truck didn't come to our area very often.
But at least your neighborhood was quiet!!
DeleteI didn't have an ice cream truck in my neighborhood growing up, but there is one in our neighborhood now--go figure.
ReplyDeleteWhere were they when you really needed them?!
Delete