I know that I have written on many different jobs I have done as I was on the farm including helping my dad when he was wiring a house and I being his flunky. I have even mentioned how as a trustee and when dad couldn’t find a boy to do manual labor I was volunteered. It seems that the titles to jobs I got as did for my brother and other farm kids the list is just endless. I am not complaining as one can see without all of these jobs I would have a lot less to write about. Therefore, I at this point will just say thanks dad. 
However, the best job I have ever been assigned was assigned by my mom. Now mom had given me some unpleasant jobs also but this one was the best duty I have ever had and I feel that is still true to this day. One Saturday evening a small group of ladies gathered in at our house to work with mom on a project I had not known about.(this was strange as I tried to keep up on all that was going on you know.) The women were all members of the Moscow Eastern Stars to which mom was a member. I am guessing I was near ten years old in age and I know it was mid-summer.
As each lady arrived they were carrying maybe a mixer and its bowl or an Ice cream maker or supplies to make what was shaping up to this group getting ready to make a big bunch of ice cream. Since this is exactly what the plan that evening was I must tell you all I was all for it! One of the ladies who lived about a mile away had brought her son Tommy who was a year or so younger than me. Since he lived close, I would go visit and play with him from time to time. This only made that Saturday night even better. How can you top homemade ice cream and someone to play with? This to me was a red-letter evening for sure.
I counted seven ice cream mixers. Two were still of the hand crank model and the rest were of the new ones with electric motors to stir that mixture into homemade ice cream. (Just saying those words comes out sweet.) The Eastern Star were going to hold an ice cream social later on that month and this group were out to make enough to serve all of Moscow and the rural areas if needed. Since there was a room full of ladies the presence of two little boys was not desired so we were sent off to the living room to watch television and play. We were allowed to do just about anything as long as we didn’t get in their way.
All that the women were preparing wouldn’t fit in our kitchen. So I recall one mixer was plugged in out on the porch and one or two were plugged in the living room. Now when they were all mixing at the same time the sound was near deafening. But I think Tommy and I got to thinking about seven mixers mixing homemade ice cream. That was seven gallons each batch they made. To our way of thinking, a bowl for each of us wasn’t much to be missed. Then we heard something that made the night even grander.
They were making different flavors of ice cream! Of course, vanilla but then chocolate chip, peach, blackberry, strawberry and I want to say even peanut butter. That was when Tommy and I went to negotiate a deal with them. Since many of the flavors were first time attempts, didn’t they feel it was wise to have qualified tasters to verify that what they were going to serve was only the best quality. To our surprise, they felt we were right in our thought. Better still, they also felt we were the two for the job! So each of us was handed a small bowl of ice cream to begin our job. They also suggested we test it in by the television. (This was to keep us out of the way.) When we would finish a bowl, we would go to the kitchen door to get a sample of a different flavor. This is how the rest of the evening went as I recall.
I do know that Tommy and I were thumbs down on the peanut butter. I am not sure just why and we both did really like peanut butter but it didn’t transfer into what we wanted it to taste like. So they pitched that batch and worked on the mixture and late in the evening, they gave us another bowl of peanut butter to test and they hit the mark this time and Tommy and I gave it two thumbs up. As the evening went on my dad kept the fuses replaced as one would blow out from all of the electric on one line. (It was a good thing dad was an electrician.)
To this day, I still don’t know just how many gallons those ladies made but I know it was enough to handle our township or so it seemed. Folks I must tell you if you hadn’t guessed by now I dearly love ice cream and homemade is the best. That night we got to try many different flavors and that was a first. Tommy and I got to sample many bowls and even though I have a major sweet tooth I learned that there is a thing called too much of a good thing. It was near midnight when the ladies were wrapping up that evening. Tommy and I were still test tasting but in much smaller amounts. By nights end my belly was not feeling too good. However, I will tell you there was no way I was ever going to admit I had met my limit.
In this, I found the job I had always looked for. As a matter of fact if the job were to become available today, I would have my application in ASAP. That was a night I will never forget. I got to watch every show I wanted to that night which were all westerns and as I watched them I ate ice cream until I wanted no more. That folks is also a lot of ice cream. A footnote is that they never came back and made ice cream at our house again. That my friends was a dog gone shame.
Rick Houser grew up on a farm near Moscow in Clermont County and loves to share stories about his youth and other topics. If you are interested in reading more of his stories they can be found in his books ‘There are Places to Remember” and’ Memories ARE from the Heart.” He may be reached at houser734@yahoo.com or mail to P.O. Box 213 Bethel, Ohio 45106.