Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Thursday, June 21, 2018

Hockey for the Hungry

The Arena
Ice hockey season, that time feverishly awaited by millions, has just ended.
A moment of silence . . .
We have ice hockey in our family.
Both Husby and I have played.
But it's probably not what you think.
It has everything to do with ice.
But nothing to do with getting paid, sticks, skates, thrown gloves, or referees. (Although we could probably use one or two of those latter.)
And has a lot to do with food.
Maybe I should explain . . .
Waiting for your order in a restaurant can be excruciating.
Especially if you're hungry.
And let's face it – if you're sitting in a restaurant, ordering food, you're probably hungry.
Moving on . . .
There are many things to keep you occupied while you wait.
Studying the other diners.
Visiting with your dinner companion/s.
Reading the dessert menu.
I should point out, here, that whoever designs the dessert menus is a certified genius. Everything – everything – looks and sounds stickily, creamily, chocolately, divinely delicious. Mouth-watering descriptions merely add to the pictured perfection of chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate.
With caramel.
And whipped cream.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Where was I?
Oh, yes . . . waiting for food.
My Husby uses the time to watch the people.
But when he starts to receive a few too many irritated, uncomfortable glances, or when his reputation precedes him and we have been seated in a non-viewing zone, he must come up with some other form of entertainment.
That's how he invented 'ice' hockey.
In this activity, one uses the chunks of ice from one's water glass and tries to flick them, using finger and/or thumb at one's dinner companion.
ie. Me.
Whereupon (good word) said companion retaliates.
Because who wants to sit there and merely become a target?
We try to keep the mess to a minimum.
But don't always succeed.
Case in point . . .
We were waiting for pizza.
It was taking a long time.
Something about the cows needing to be brought in so they could be milked so the lengthy process of turning the milk into cheese for toppings could begin.
It.
Was.
Taking.
A.
Looong.
Time.
Husby was bored.
He got a chunk of ice out of his glass and flicked it in my direction.
I caught it and flicked it back.
He returned fire.
This went on for some time.
He simply couldn't get it past my ultra deft defence.
Finally, he stopped and sat there, frowning at me.
I grinned back at him.
Ha!
Then he raised his eyebrows in challenge.
Uh-oh.
He picked up his glass, which, by now contained only ice chunks and . . . upended it onto the table.
Then he fired every single piece – using both hands – at me.
It was an onslaught.
A deluge.
“Excuse me, folks, here's your pizza.”
An embarrassment.
We looked up.
The waiter was standing there, holding our pizza and staring at us.
He looked . . . frightened.
“Oh,” I said.
Grant grinned. “Put it here,” he said, swiping a spot clean.
The waiter gingerly set the hot pan down on the wet table, then beat a hasty retreat.
The pizza was great.
There's nothing like pizza after you've worked up an appetite playing a good game of ice hockey.
Especially when it immediately follows a large dollop of embarrassment.

4 comments:

  1. Diane, I hope our husbands never meet. It would be too dangerous! They're too much alike.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And ... bonus! the table top gets cleaned! and they usually need it!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fantastic! You surprise me sometimes Diane - I had you pegged as a good sensible girl.....but no, you're a closet ice hockey player and upsetter of waiters! You go girl!! (and your husband sounds like I'd like him a lot!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Have you heard of dessert pizza? A sweetened pizza base, or maybe not sweetened, but with delicious sweet toppings instead of savoury.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?