The Ice Cream Truck

By Mary Nolte

Just as an ice cream truck offers a variety of flavors, so this short book offers a variety of styles.

The first piece, the book's namesake, is The Ice Cream Truck. It's interesting how a simple sound can elicit so many memories, and this piece is about how an ice cream truck rambled through our neighborhood one day and caused a flood of memories to wash over me.

Also included in this short book:
Apple Butter Day: Possibly the longest recipe you'll ever read.
Somebody's Nice New Pedicure: The true story about somebody's eventful trip to the beauty salon.
The Midwest: A ride around my home stomping ground in southern Illinois.
Wisdom Teeth: Just another day at the Endodontist.
Snapshots: We all have snapshots of memorable people and events. Some are actual photos that we hold in our hands. Others we cherish in our hearts. This chapter contains flash descriptions of just a few of my snapshots.

You might enjoy this book if you are an empty-nester (or on the verge of becoming one) who can appreciate the rural Midwest and if you also enjoy a touch of nostalgia. A couple of the stories are the kind where "you had to be there," and I hope I've done a good job of taking you there with me.

Please note that this is a "short." It contains several short pieces with a total of just over 8,300 words. Depending on your reading pace, this book can be read in 30-60 minutes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mary Nolte
• Release date: Feb 11, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311812261

Mary Nolte

Mary lives in southwestern PA with her husband and their shepherd-husky, Phoenix. Mary enjoys volleyball, golf, walking and reading.

Book preview

The Ice Cream Truck

By Mary Nolte

Copyright 2014 Mary Nolte

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

The Ice Cream Truck

Apple Butter Day - A Day to Preserve

Somebody's Nice New Pedicure

The Midwest

Wisdom Teeth

Snapshots

That College Kid

That Jazz Guitar

Papa Bear, Christmas 1992

Grandma Emmie

About the Author

Connect With Mary

About the Book Cover Designer

The Ice Cream Truck

Easy… I tell myself as I ease into the old red lounge chair with the hope that the worn support straps won’t give out. I check to be sure I have my book, my water and my sunglasses. I intend to spend a bit of time relaxing and reading on the patio, allowing that I might let my mind wander around this new stage in my life that is popularly known as the empty nest. I settle in, decide that I could reduce the glare and see the text better if I situate myself at a different angle than the setting sun, and adjust accordingly. It’s hotter than a fritter, as my sisters like to say, but I am not complaining. The sun is warm and I try to cherish each moment, knowing that before too long winter will creep across the lawn and in under our doors.

Typically I don’t get very far into my book before I start to nod off. Since I read myself to sleep almost every night, my body is accustomed to this and doesn’t seem to know or care that it is not bedtime. I have a long list of tasks that have accumulated over the last 22 years, but I have promised myself that the first thing on the list is to catch up on some much needed rest, so I am happy to ease into a peaceful cat nap.

A tinkling, like a child’s xylophone, awakens me; soft and distant. Though I can’t hear every note, I know without a doubt that it is the Ice Cream Truck. The sound