In 1963, Harriett took her daughter, Christie, back to Iowa for one of their frequent visits. This little incident happened during that visit.
Elizabeth and Harriett were together again at Elizabeth's home in their old home town in southwest Iowa and enjoying every moment of it. Harriett, now a school nurse in California, was visiting with her teenage daughter, Christie. It was almost lunchtime and the three of them were in the kitchen fixing lunch and giggles kept erupting like bubbles coming up out of a thermal spring. Sisters, Elizabeth and Harriett, had been victim to uncontrolled fits of the giggles since girlhood. Their Father was an attorney and a judge. He was known to be quite strict and tough. If giggling erupted at the table, the girls were sent to sit on the stairs until the fits were under control. Now, Harriett's daughter, Christie, was just as vulnerable to the giggles as were the sisters and the three of them happily shared their senses of humor.
~~~
Elizabeth and Harriett were together again at Elizabeth's home in their old home town in southwest Iowa and enjoying every moment of it. Harriett, now a school nurse in California, was visiting with her teenage daughter, Christie. It was almost lunchtime and the three of them were in the kitchen fixing lunch and giggles kept erupting like bubbles coming up out of a thermal spring. Sisters, Elizabeth and Harriett, had been victim to uncontrolled fits of the giggles since girlhood. Their Father was an attorney and a judge. He was known to be quite strict and tough. If giggling erupted at the table, the girls were sent to sit on the stairs until the fits were under control. Now, Harriett's daughter, Christie, was just as vulnerable to the giggles as were the sisters and the three of them happily shared their senses of humor.
"Stewart said he was hungry for strawberry shortcake for dessert so I got some strawberries this morning. Sister Mildred still had some she would give me so I picked them up while I was out." said Elizabeth giving them to Christie to clean.
"It's August!" said Harriett, "I'm amazed you could find any. Stewart is working so hard during Rodeo Week, he deserves a treat."
This small town in southwest Iowa hosted a world class RCA Rodeo in August every year. Stewart was the chairman of the Rodeo Board and his duties kept him at the Rodeo grounds many long hours during rodeo week. Stewart was a large man with a gruff exterior. A Swede by ancestry, his language and public persona were rough. But there was a diamond under the rough exterior, a diamond with the heart of a marshmallow. Stewart and Elizabeth had married twelve years before and were very happy together. The entire family loved Stewart though the adults gave him a wide berth when his usual grumble moved up to a roar. Children, however, ignoring the noise walked up to him and tugged on his sleeve. The child that did always got whatever it was he wanted too.
Christie had risen early to fix fried chicken in the cool of the morning as had generations of women before her in the summer heat. The chicken was crisping in the oven now as she mashed potatoes. She had made gravy as well and that was keeping hot at the back of the stove. Elizabeth was setting the table as Harriett poked around the refrigerator looking for something. "Elizabeth," said Harriett, "do you remember where we put those baked beans I made. We were going to heat them up for lunch."
"I put them in a dish and in the oven about 20 minutes ago, Mother." said Christie.
"Well, that's good, because I forgot all about them until just now," replied Harriett. And she went in to help Elizabeth set the table.
"Harriett, when you went to the store this morning did you get the whipping cream I asked for?" asked Elizabeth. "Christie could whip that while she has the mixer out."
"No need," replied her sister, "I got a can of whipped cream, no whipping just shake it and squirt it out."
"Oh, no!" Elizabeth cried. "I just can't do those can things. My finger isn't strong like yours and Christie's, I didn't play piano. I've never been able to do them right. Well, you will just have to put the whipped cream on the shortcakes right before we serve them."
"You're just being silly," urged Harriet, then looking at her sister's face said, "Alright, I'll do that. Don't worry. I'll do the whipped cream. He is in for a real surprise." And smiling to herself went into the kitchen.
And just then a car door closed in the driveway and the three ladies went into motion as one putting the food on the table. And by the time Stewart got inside the back door his lunch was on the table.
Lunch was very pleasant. The food was good and Stewart told them of all the happenings at the Rodeo that morning. He told Christie he would take her to the Rodeo with him that afternoon. Christie was 16 years old and very attractive. Stewart wanted to be around whenever she was anywhere near any of the cowboys. He just felt better that way. And soon it was time for dessert. Dishes were cleared from the table and good to her word, Harriett put the can of whipped cream by her place at the table and went back to the kitchen to ladle strawberries over the cakes. With a big smile Elizabeth put Stewart's dessert down, "Surprise!," she said happily.
"Strawberry shortcake!" exclaimed Stewart. "I've been wishing for this. Put some whipped cream on mine, Elizabeth, I can't wait!"
"Harriett is going to do the whipped cream, you know I don't do that well. Something about my fingers...." said Elizabeth, her voice fading as she gazed at her hand
"Oh don't be silly dear, you need to get over that idea. Come on just squirt a little bit right there on top," Stewart said a bit sternly.
As she started to shake the can, Harriett and Christie came into the dining room with the rest of the desserts. Elizabeth started to put the can down for Harriett to do the whipped cream but Stewart interrupted the move saying, "Just put some whipped cream on there Elizabeth. Just do it!". And so as Harriett and Christie sat down at the table Elizabeth began to put whipped cream on Stewart's dessert.
To this day nobody can explain exactly how it happened but that whipped cream must have ricocheted off a strawberry and hit Stewart right in the face! Elizabeth looked up to see what had happened to the whipped cream that was supposed to be on the dessert and saw it on her husbands face and froze on the nozzle. She began to kind of rock up and down saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh......". And as Stewart's face got redder and redder she covered him deeper and deeper in whipped cream. Up and down, pass by pass ..his face, his glasses, his hair, shirt, pass by pass deeper in whipped cream. Harriett came out of the shock of it first and grabbed the whipped cream can out of her sister's grip, running to the kitchen for a dish towel for Stewart. Harriett returned a stack of towels in her hands and saw her daughter, blue eyes big as saucers but with the beginnings of a grin on her mouth. Harriett knew that if any one of them even snickered, Stewart would explode. He was red as a fire plug and just barely holding himself together. At the moment that Harriett gingerly reached over with the towel to begin to dab at the whipped cream on his face, Stewart took his hand and cleaned some whipped cream off his face and flicked it onto the table in the classic comic movie gesture. Except he wasn't being funny, he was trying to see. Christie was young and couldn't control herself any longer, as the snork began in the back of her throat. she ran out of the dining room, through the kitchen, around the corner and half-way down the basement stairs and there she sat collapsing into body shaking giggles. She knew where she belonged.
Meanwhile, back in the dining room, Stewart had grabbed the towel out of Harriett's hands and mopped at his face, removing his glasses completely. Once he could see, he VERY quietly excused himself and went into the bathroom. As soon as they heard the door shut, Harriett and Elizabeth ran for the basement stairs!
"You RAT!", said Harriett looking straight at her daughter, a big smile spreading on her face, "deserting us with the dessert!" And that was the beginning of one of the longest group giggles in family history!
Christie had risen early to fix fried chicken in the cool of the morning as had generations of women before her in the summer heat. The chicken was crisping in the oven now as she mashed potatoes. She had made gravy as well and that was keeping hot at the back of the stove. Elizabeth was setting the table as Harriett poked around the refrigerator looking for something. "Elizabeth," said Harriett, "do you remember where we put those baked beans I made. We were going to heat them up for lunch."
"I put them in a dish and in the oven about 20 minutes ago, Mother." said Christie.
"Well, that's good, because I forgot all about them until just now," replied Harriett. And she went in to help Elizabeth set the table.
"Harriett, when you went to the store this morning did you get the whipping cream I asked for?" asked Elizabeth. "Christie could whip that while she has the mixer out."
"No need," replied her sister, "I got a can of whipped cream, no whipping just shake it and squirt it out."
"Oh, no!" Elizabeth cried. "I just can't do those can things. My finger isn't strong like yours and Christie's, I didn't play piano. I've never been able to do them right. Well, you will just have to put the whipped cream on the shortcakes right before we serve them."
"You're just being silly," urged Harriet, then looking at her sister's face said, "Alright, I'll do that. Don't worry. I'll do the whipped cream. He is in for a real surprise." And smiling to herself went into the kitchen.
And just then a car door closed in the driveway and the three ladies went into motion as one putting the food on the table. And by the time Stewart got inside the back door his lunch was on the table.
Lunch was very pleasant. The food was good and Stewart told them of all the happenings at the Rodeo that morning. He told Christie he would take her to the Rodeo with him that afternoon. Christie was 16 years old and very attractive. Stewart wanted to be around whenever she was anywhere near any of the cowboys. He just felt better that way. And soon it was time for dessert. Dishes were cleared from the table and good to her word, Harriett put the can of whipped cream by her place at the table and went back to the kitchen to ladle strawberries over the cakes. With a big smile Elizabeth put Stewart's dessert down, "Surprise!," she said happily.
"Strawberry shortcake!" exclaimed Stewart. "I've been wishing for this. Put some whipped cream on mine, Elizabeth, I can't wait!"
"Harriett is going to do the whipped cream, you know I don't do that well. Something about my fingers...." said Elizabeth, her voice fading as she gazed at her hand
"Oh don't be silly dear, you need to get over that idea. Come on just squirt a little bit right there on top," Stewart said a bit sternly.
As she started to shake the can, Harriett and Christie came into the dining room with the rest of the desserts. Elizabeth started to put the can down for Harriett to do the whipped cream but Stewart interrupted the move saying, "Just put some whipped cream on there Elizabeth. Just do it!". And so as Harriett and Christie sat down at the table Elizabeth began to put whipped cream on Stewart's dessert.
To this day nobody can explain exactly how it happened but that whipped cream must have ricocheted off a strawberry and hit Stewart right in the face! Elizabeth looked up to see what had happened to the whipped cream that was supposed to be on the dessert and saw it on her husbands face and froze on the nozzle. She began to kind of rock up and down saying, "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh......". And as Stewart's face got redder and redder she covered him deeper and deeper in whipped cream. Up and down, pass by pass ..his face, his glasses, his hair, shirt, pass by pass deeper in whipped cream. Harriett came out of the shock of it first and grabbed the whipped cream can out of her sister's grip, running to the kitchen for a dish towel for Stewart. Harriett returned a stack of towels in her hands and saw her daughter, blue eyes big as saucers but with the beginnings of a grin on her mouth. Harriett knew that if any one of them even snickered, Stewart would explode. He was red as a fire plug and just barely holding himself together. At the moment that Harriett gingerly reached over with the towel to begin to dab at the whipped cream on his face, Stewart took his hand and cleaned some whipped cream off his face and flicked it onto the table in the classic comic movie gesture. Except he wasn't being funny, he was trying to see. Christie was young and couldn't control herself any longer, as the snork began in the back of her throat. she ran out of the dining room, through the kitchen, around the corner and half-way down the basement stairs and there she sat collapsing into body shaking giggles. She knew where she belonged.
Meanwhile, back in the dining room, Stewart had grabbed the towel out of Harriett's hands and mopped at his face, removing his glasses completely. Once he could see, he VERY quietly excused himself and went into the bathroom. As soon as they heard the door shut, Harriett and Elizabeth ran for the basement stairs!
"You RAT!", said Harriett looking straight at her daughter, a big smile spreading on her face, "deserting us with the dessert!" And that was the beginning of one of the longest group giggles in family history!
~~The End~~
Crandall Note: The strawberry shortcake caper became famous in the family. And this visit was always remembered because of that. But it was momentous for Christie because she got her first car. Uncle Stewart bought Aunt Liz a new car (believe it not, after the great shortcake caper not before!) and sold their old car to Christie. Hope you enjoyed this little family story.
Until next time.....happy searching.
1 comment:
It has taken days for me to stop laughing enough to just sit down and tell you how much I enjoyed this story. I see this as a very very romantic story. I think your uncle and aunt were deeply deeply in love, but what a moment! I'll bet they laughed about this when no one was around for the rest of their lives!
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