of dermatologists and ice cubes

First thing, it appears that Blake's fever has broken after a high of 103.5 last night. Hurray!

My two examples of overly sincere naiveté have nothing to do with my son...this time.

1. When meeting a dermatologist for the first time, he explained to me his doctor/patient relationships. As he expressed his intent to listen fully so as to better diagnose me, he lined out his desire for a fully communicative me (he clearly had very limited experience with me), capping his lengthy encouragement for open honesty with "I just want you to talk to me like a best girl friend."

Now, this is entertaining simply as is, but the icing on the cake...the reason this memory has stuck with me for over two months and elicited a smile or giggle at every remembrance...this sweet man was bald as an egg and sixty-five if he was a day.

2. I have two great cookbooks from Daddy Blake's dad's side of the family (Plentywood & surrounding area). Some of the recipes are a heart attack on a plate, some are divine, and others are so unique to the area that I'm not sure I could find the ingredients without renewing my passport. I LOVE looking through them for new dinner ideas, and I've found a few treasures. Today, in the "This 'N' That" section of Brewing Up a Brenteson Buffet, I found the recipe for making ice cubes.

How to Make Ice Cubes
Buy ice cube trays. Wash with soap and water; rinse well. No need to dry trays. Fill each little cube with water. Place in freezer on a flat surface until they are hard. Then can put them into a glass and fill glass with your favorite beverage.

I can't decide if I think this is a joke or not. I don't know which is funnier: some trickster got a silly "recipe" into the cookbook, or some enthusiastic soul decided to make sure everyone in the area knew how to use those fancy, new-fangled Fridgidaires (Growing up, I heard this pronounced as "Fridgidays" - that's right. We're country too.). Either way, I like it, especially the details: you don't need to dry the trays, you fill each little cube (not just half of them), you use ice in beverages...The only way it could be improved would be to add a line reading:

Or, hook the water line up to your fridge and make sure the bar on your automatic ice-maker is down. Add resulting cubes to a blender with your favorite margarita mix and the best tequila you can find in these parts.

I'm totally going to make that one.