A Somewhat Random 5 for June 29, 2025 – Wills, living options, summer memories, ice cream trucks, family picnics

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It’s officially done – We finished our wills this week. It was exhausting. I thought it was just me, but the beloved husband said he was wiped out too. It’s not physical work but there is an emotional impact to it. Not sure if it’s facing your mortality or something deeper. Suffice it to say that there were a LOT of naps this week to recover.

And on to the next part – We are going to assess continuous care housing options for when we are drippy and drooly. By the time you need them, you are too ill to do good reconnaissance. This is another task that will require naps for recovery. (Remember the good old days when a margarita would have done the trick? Me neither!)

Memories – I don’t know if it’s the somber projects or because it’s summer, but I’ve been remembering my childhood. Summertime was always great. I did a lot of reading, biking and badminton. Our house was surrounded by trees, so it wasn’t hot, and the windows were open to bring in breezes. I remember it as a great time to grow up.

Courtesy of Mr. Softee

Don’t forget the ice cream truck! – He came through every day between 2 and 3. The biggest decision was what to get. Soft ice cream or popsicles? What flavor? Watermelon or blueberry? Cherry or grape? Chocolate or vanilla? Such a big decision for a little kid. I still get excited when I hear that jingle although I haven’t heard it in decades. Last time was at the beach and yes, I bought something.

Uncle Steve – The last memory is the 4th of July picnic that my Uncle Steve and Aunt Rose would host. Everyone brought their own food but there were kegs of beer and birch beer. It was huge. The families were huge. There were 50 cousins, and I was the youngest. They hosted until spouses of relatives started to bring their relatives and it got too big. Good things often get out of hand.

So how was your week?

43 thoughts on “A Somewhat Random 5 for June 29, 2025 – Wills, living options, summer memories, ice cream trucks, family picnics”

  1. It must be that summer’s heat makes childhood memories simmer back to the top.

    It couldn’t possibly have been so long ago when windows were open, and kids read books on the porch waiting to hear the popsicle truck.

    You are wise to get those future things done now

    My older/only brother is slowly slipping into the shadows of age so while he is interested in stories about our childhood, I’ll email entertaining tidbits of childhood frequently (which takes time away from blogging). Luckily he and his wife have already toured and selected where to go next, and one of their kids lives nearby.

    Magnolias, slow moving clouds, still waters – we’re talking about summer, memories right?

    Cheers for summer daze and Happy July!

    (And I hope WP allows me to leave this comment…it’s been really quirky recently and not accepting my comments. Hey, solving puzzles is good brain exercises right? HAHAHAHA)

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    • I remember open windows (and cross room ventilation) that kept things cool enough. I have more trouble with temperatures these days as some places keep it very cool, then you go outside and it makes it all worse. I’m carrying a jacket whenever I go someplace not matter what the outside temp is.

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  2. We’ve been thinking about wills and other arrangements too – it’s kind of exhausting just thinking about it! I remember pretty great summers as a kid too – reading and running around outside, mostly. And Girl Scout camp. We were very rural, so didn’t have an ice cream truck at all. But that sounds pretty amazing!

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  3. Your ice cream truck memory planted an earworm of the truck’s carnival music theme. Whenever I hear that music, I know there’ll be loads of designer ice cream choices. As a kid, this is where I fell in love with Dreamsicles. Yum.

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  4. I’m a little late, but as I just told one of your ardent followers, your ice cream truck stopped me in my tracks. There’s always a Mr. Softee in front of the Met Museum with a line, and not just kids. I think I know what I’ll be having for breakfast telling myself…go for it Susannah, you’ll have the whole day to work it off. 🙂

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  7. I liked school, but when I was a child summers were always the best. We rode our bikes up and down the street, played hopscotch and jump rope, and went swimming at the nearby lake as soon as Dad got home. Picnics and ice cream and homemade popcicles. But the ice cream truck didn’t come down our street.

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    • I loved summer too. Not a lot of local kids. I was a bit of a nerd and did a lot of reading. I biked but my bicycle was at least 40 years old and very heavy. Not like the nifty Schwinn so popular then.

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  8. Kuddos to you for getting the will done. I know we felt good knowing it was done. I miss ice cream trucks too.

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  9. Congrats on the will project completion. You’re going to need more than a nap when you visit care facilities and get the price that goes with them. You may need two margaritas. But, I wish you good luck and hope you find one that you like.

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  11. My summers were swimming, reading and the ice cream truck. I still saw the ice cream truck in my neighborhood a few years ago before I moved. Good memories.

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    • When I working I gave a presentation at one of the continuous care homes. It was an afternoon presentation followed by happy hour. I remember most of the men falling asleep (and I was peppy!) until the booze started to flow. I was surprised and the social director said they have an hour to socialize and have a drink every night before dinner. At the time I thought it was pretty cool. Now most places have full service bars open longer hours.

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  13. I know the feeling after getting your wills in order, part relief, part determination not to die. Glad you did it. I was an orange popsicle girl all the way. No cherry or grape for me. I remember the ice cream man truck having ice cream drumsticks or ice cream sandwiches, but no soft serve ice cream.

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  14. I loved the ice cream truck… an orange cream push up was my choice. My family never had reunions. I finally experienced a few when I married SSNS. I loved summers when I was a kid. A lot of swimming, horseback riding and walking down to our small downtown area and eating chocolate ice cream with marshmallow goo on top at the dime store counter. Those truly were the days… you have me remembering.

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    • Sometimes my mother and I would go to the five and dime store which had a lunch counter and have lunch. They had the best lime rickeys. I have not been able to duplicate them. Summer was a careful time back then. Miss it.

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  15. Bravo on the will project…..every time I tell my husband we need to update ours he just says “later”…….soon “later” will be “too late”. Sigh. The ice cream man was my FAVORITE thing when I was a kid – oh my goodness – hearing that bell or the music coming was so exciting. Sigh #2…..

    Hugs, Pam

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  16. We had Good Humor trucks. No soft serve options. I loved the Toasted Almond which I can no longer find.

    We are completing our estate docs too, Kate. I hemmed and hawed and went back and forth about almost every aspect and then . . . WHOOSH! Clarity! I’ll review all 12 drafts today ~ 6 docs x 2 of us ~ and we’ll do signing on July 11. Yay!

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  17. We still have ice-cream trucks and carts. Or, well, we did until ICE started deputizing white supremacists to grab anyone who even looks remotely Latino off the streets of Los Angeles. Now we have abandoned carts. Citizenship and legal status mean nothing.

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  18. I loved the ice cream trucks as a kid. Creamsicles were one of my favorites. I can’t really see how I liked them now, but as a kid they were just the best. Give me a coffee ice cream cone now. Yum.

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