![When I was five we lived on a ranch
still forty miles and five years
away from electric power
We only got to eat ice cream
when the hail lay deep enough on the ground
to be scooped up in the old hand mixer
Many a hot evening in August and July
five of us sat on those hard ranch steps
looking out at the Western sky
Watching the black clouds and the grey
building and rolling our way
Silently praying our Protestant Hail Marys
four for and Dad against](https://i0.wp.com/www.neilmeili.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Home-Made-Ice-Cream-5.jpg?resize=600%2C600)
Home Made Ice Cream
![When I was five we lived on a ranch
still forty miles and five years
away from electric power
We only got to eat ice cream
when the hail lay deep enough on the ground
to be scooped up in the old hand mixer
Many a hot evening in August and July
five of us sat on those hard ranch steps
looking out at the Western sky
Watching the black clouds and the grey
building and rolling our way
Silently praying our Protestant Hail Marys
four for and Dad against](https://i0.wp.com/www.neilmeili.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Home-Made-Ice-Cream-5.jpg?resize=600%2C600)
“23 skidoo” is an American slang phrase generally referring to leaving quickly, being forced to leave quickly by someone else, or taking advantage of a propitious opportunity to leave.
Photo Credit: William Bullock – Edmonton, Alberta
Neil and Dorsey at the International Peace Park, October 7, 2023
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterton-Glacier_International_Peace_Park