Thursday, May 16, 2013

Newly Minted Possibilities

Tonight's blog post needs backstories - not just one, but two. But I'll make them relatively short and they'll make the post worth it. I promise.

Backstory #1 - I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. My parents have been together for 57 years. When I think of the Marriage Equality stuff, I think of that small-town upbringing and my parents' marriage and it makes me happy and excited and a little... I dunno... let's call it "wistfully ponderant." (You already knew most of this if you've been paying attention.) 

Backstory #2 - In small-town South Dakota (see above), whenever there is a major life event being celebrated (birth, graduation, milestone birthday, wedding, shower, etc.) people make cream cheese mints. When I was growing up, the "mint molds" - were in short supply and people would trade them back and forth. 

We borrowed a bunch of them prior to my older sister's wedding, so that we could make tons of mints - I believe they were in the same colors as the bridesmaids' dresses - blue, green, and yellow, maybe? (Or was there a peach color, too? I remember having to mix food colors at some point.) 

When we were getting ready for graduation, it was a challenge, because lots of people all needed those roses and leaves so that they could be prepared for their own parties. 

For Christopher's birthday party last winter, I made mints, in fact (blue roses and green leaves), to match his birthday cake. They looked like this: 


They're kind of time consuming, but overall they're pretty easy to make, which might be why they're a cornerstone of so many of the memories of the celebrations in my life. 

So... there are the backstories. And now on to the "real" story.

With all of the Marriage Equality stuff going on this past week, we've been kind of insular in Minnesota. Pretty much everyone we know knows what's going on, but you kind of forget that you haven't talked to everyone about it at every turn. 

Well, on Monday evening, the phone rang. By the caller ID, I knew that it was my folks - who had just returned home from their night away celebrating their 57th wedding anniversary. 

I picked up the phone, and the first thing I heard was my mom saying "So, what color mints do you and Christopher want?"

And, you know, just hearing that made all the rest of the celebrations pale in comparison.

I think you'll agree that it also solidified my parents as, quite possibly, the coolest parents around. 

(Although - a reminder - we're not planning any mint-related celebrations at this time.)

3 comments:

Michele E said...

In addition to sharing the molds for every occasion (you forgot the diploma molds for graduation), I remember how the entire family or neighborhood would get together and press mints together. Everyone would sit around the kitchen table, mint mix in one bowl, sugar dip in another. I loved those parties as much as the event! Thanks for sharing.

Robin said...

ahh - the mints. And now you have your very own set of molds.
And yes, our parents are pretty much the coolest ones. (and Tim want's to know why you made me cry...!)

Glenda in Co said...

Oh Robert, love the mints story. I just made 20 dozen last Thanksgiving for my Aunt's and Uncle's 50th. I am hoping to find some molds that aren't older than I am by December for my parents' 50th. - Glenda