Confessions of a Practical Blonde: For the Love of Cookies
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| Sharon Leary confesses her cookie addiction. |
Usually I don't have the opportunity to purchase from an actual Girl Scout that I know, but this year was different. I guess when I placed each order I forgot what I had already purchased.
In my defense, I did order two boxes of Thin Mints for my dad - the original cookie monster. But that still leaves me with six boxes to digest.
I do have a sweet tooth. I know I inherited it from both sides of my family. My Nana had a beautiful blue glass candy dish that was always filled when we went to visit. That blue candy dish resides in my cabinets waiting to be filled to the brim again.
My Grandpa Tracy had the ultimate sweet tooth. On each of my visits to Colorado, I can guarantee that I went home with a few extra pounds under my belt. Grandpa loved cookies, especially, what I describe as, butter creme cookies. My Grandmother still buys the cookies because all the grand children have acquired a taste for them.
Girl Scout Cookies
My favorite Girl Scout cookie of the moment are the Thanks-A-Lot. A shortbread cookie dipped in chocolate. There are eight types of Girl Scout cookies for sale this year: Thanks-A-Lot, Thin Mints, Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Lemonades, Classic Shortbread, Caramel Delights (YUMMY), Peanut Butter Patties and Cinna Spins.
Girl Scouts have been selling cookies for more than 80 years. Selling the cookies is directly related to their mission: Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place.
By selling the cookies, Girl Scouts learn how to plan an event and manage money. It's an important quality that everyone, not only girls, should learn how to do. Plus there are cookies involved.
Troop 271
Of course, I was a Girl Scout. I'm a proud alumnus of the Pioneer Valley Girl Scouts, which has recently merged with the Montachusett Council and is now called the Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts. I know this because my best friend from childhood is involved with her daughter Sammy's troop.
<L2>April Gaudet Frost, please call her Madame Frosty, and I weathered our Girl Scout experience together. In a recent e-mail conversation we joked about our activities, badges earned and recalled our troop leader, Mrs. Polaski.
I was a Girl Scout for one year. I don't know why I didn't continue on with the program, but I do know I had a habit of joining an activity for a year and not continuing with it. I was also involved with a jazz dance class for a year. I don't think it was because I didn't like the activities, I think it might have been a question of time and/or money.
Either way, I do have fond memories of both. April and I were about 9 or 10 when we were in the troop. We learned to roller skate together, every Saturday morning at the Riverside Rollerink. We tried our hand at sewing and most importantly we survived our overnight camping trip.
Outhouses and Bonfires
I remember being so excited about the trip. We were very young and being away from our families and staying in a cabin with a bunch of people we had never met before was daunting. We were given the opportunity to call our parents to pick us up early. April and I stuck it out. We had found bunks next to each other and after the initial nervousness we loosened up.
From what I remember about the weekend, besides getting the coolest-looking sleeping bag ever (thanks Dad), we had a scavenger hunt that made us use some of the skills we learned at our troop meetings. At the end of the hunt, we played softball and ended the day with a barbecue and campfire.
April and I discussed whether or not they let us cook our hot dogs over the fire, we had a fascination with fire and liked to burn matchbooks on the street. So it is very likely that this pair of amateur pyromaniacs were only allowed to toast marshmallows.
The bathrooms were also an adventure. They were actual outhouses. This is the first time I had encountered an outhouse. At night we had to bring a flashlight to find the darn thing. I remember going out with April at what was probably 10 p.m. and being amazed at the utter blackness of the night. We jumped at every hoot and noise along the path. We ran back to the cabin giggling from a mixture of fear and joy.
I earned two badges during my year of girl scouting: a skating badge and a craft badge. The badges, now called insignia, have changed quite a bit since the '70s. You can now earn badges in Computer Fun, Family Living Skills, Cookies and Dough and Uncovering the Evidence.
Cookie Monster Disciple
My cookie obsession began at young age. Often our dessert after supper was a cookie or two or three. My mom would make cookies a lot, but we also purchased our fair share of the store bought kind. For me, there is nothing better than a glass of milk and a couple of cookies for dessert. <R3>
I'm not only a fan of Girl Scout cookies. I have other favorites. Just like the Cookie Monster, I LOVE chocolate chip cookies. And pardon the lack of humility; I do make a fine version of the classic. And if you want to try a very delicious bakery version, no one does it better than Molly's. In fact if I ever had to choose a last meal, Molly's cookies would be on the menu.
To this day I follow my Cookie Monster Code. Yes I've developed a code. Each night after you eat your dinner (which includes at least one green item on your plate) and clean up the dishes, you can sit down and eat a cookie or two with a glass of milk. Or if you're so inclined, have one or two for a snack that evening.
For the love of cookies, I may be in a quandary, but is there a better predicament to be in?
Have a glass of milk with your Thin Mints, Madame Frosty. For more information on the Girl Scouts, log on to www.girlscouts.org.
