The finest things on a hot summer day

---

So let’s start with a disclaimer. I’m a cold weather guy. I never really remain comfortable after the temperature rises above 82 or so. I’ve been way hotter than I like many times, but only on a few occasions have I ever been cold enough to be uncomfortable. My internal furnace works just fine. In the warm weather it works too well. The second disclaimer is that these experiences and preferences are my own. I like them, so I’m writing about them. At the end of this column I will invite you to share your favorite moments of relief from the summer heat. Please respond with your own favorites. One all time favorite is a vanilla mushie. When it’s nice and hot, this home made treat combines the cold delights of ice cream with something to drink when you’re thirsty. To make a mushie, fill a large, tall glass with vanilla ice cream without packing it tightly. When you come to the top, fill the spaces in the glass with milk. Use an iced tea spoon to moosh the mixture all together to make a home made milk shake. Some of the liquid will remain separated, so start drinking it from the glass. When nothing else will pour out, there’s all that goodness that slides down the side of the glass when you tip it up. It’s like having them hand you the stainless steel mixer cup at the old fashioned Dairy Queen before pouring it into a paper cup. It’s pure bliss. Of course, if you’re one of those chocoholics, you can make it differently, but that’s on you. I must say, however, using chocolate milk and vanilla ice cream might be tempting. Similar but slightly inferior concoctions: brown cow, root beer float.