A & W Rootbeer

I went grocery shopping today at the Albertson's store on Litchfield Park. They had a wonderful 10 for $10 sale. I wanted to pick up some milk they had on sale for $1.47. They actually had a 99 cent sale on the milk, so it was well worth my time to shop there. In the same shopping center, there is an A & W/KFC restaurant. I stopped in and bought a large, ice cold draft diet root beer. I filled my paper cup and waited for the foam to dissipate...and added a little more root beer.

I have several great memories regarding A & W Root beer. I remember my dad piling us three older kids in an old car and taking us down to a drive-in that was in downtown Idaho Falls. I am not certain of the street, but there is a DI there now. The car hops would bring us all out a frosty mug of root beer. My sister, Vickie was so small, they brought her a "baby" root beer in a tiny mug. She took longer to drink her little mug than Lynn and I drinking a large mug of root beer. We'd drink the frosty stuff and listen to country music on the radio. Dad always said, "What does A & W stand for?" Then answered, "Amburgers and Wootbeer!" and he would laugh at his own joke. Then dad usually took us to the Idaho Falls Airport to watch the airplanes take off and land. He loved to watch them and I loved to be with my dad. In those days, we could pull right up to the fence that was around the runways and watch the planes. Once, dad drove over to the hangers where the small planes were kept. He paid for the pilot's gas, and he took us up in a small Cessna airplane. The pilot was a nice guy. He took us to circle our home a few times and we flew around Idaho Falls. It was the first time I had ever been up in an airplane and I was just amazed. My dad was as thrilled as I was.

My next memory of root beer has nothing to do with A & W root beer, though. We had many, many great family get togethers at my Aunt Jimmer's house. Her name was really Donna. When my mom and Aunt Donna were very young, there was a song on the radio called, Jim Bell, or some such name. My mother was a tease, and started calling her sister, who she just adored, Jim Bell. My Aunt Donna did not like to be called Jim Bell, so she started calling my mother, "Dumb bell." My mom didn't like that, so she agreed not to EVER call her sister, Jim Bell. After Donna promised not to call my mother Dumb Bell any longer, my mother smiled, and said, I will just call you Jimmer! How my sister, brothers and I loved our Aunt Donna. My mother was still calling her sister, Jimmer and she was Aunt Jimmer to us. Her house was next to my grandmother's, and we all had such fun out there. Aunt Jimmer irrigated and sometimes we got to play in the water. She had a cow when we were small, then had a goat when we were older. She raised bum lambs and had chickens. Back to the root beer memories. In the summer, all of my aunts and uncles and cousins on my mom's side of the family would get together out there. LOT's of food was prepared. I remember making tons of melon balls and putting the fruit back into the scooped out shell along with grapes, and berries and tons of whipped cream. Everyone brought their special home made rolls, pies, salads, etc. The men grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. Early in the day, in a huge wash tub, my aunt and cousin would start the homemade root beer and add the dry ice. It seemed like it took FOREVER before it was ready. Actually, I think I liked the A & W Root beer so much, as it reminded me of the homemade root beer we had on special occasions out at Aunt Jimmer's. Fun, family and lots of food--That's what I remember about those family get togethers.

That brings me to my greatest root beer memory yet. Weffers bought a six-pack of A & W root beer in cans last year. We planned to do root beer floats for family home evening. I think Mr Wonderful had to work and didn't get his float. Then on top of that, the next day, he WAS home and Stephanie used the last can of root beer to make another float. Mr Wonderful put ice cream in a mug and wanted to know where the root beer was....and I had to tell him Weffers used the last one....He really looked sad. I told him to get in the car. He looked at me like I was a little nuts. He thought I was going to Fry's to get some more canned root beer, but I drove to the A & W on Litchfield (that I just went to today.) I ran inside and told the girl at the counter that I had an emergency--My husband was in the car with melting ice cream (it was last August, and 110 degrees, so his ice cream was not in the best shape) and I needed a root beer and needed it fast! She handed me two cups and told me to just take the root beer! I told her I would pay. She said it was fine--never had a root beer emergency before!

I like to take my grandson, Chewie for an ice cold A & W rootbeer once in awhile. They used to serve it in frosty mugs. Once, I bought him a mug so he could have frosty rootbeer at home, and it is a good thing, as now they just serve it in the paper cups. I love to sit and tell him my root beer tales....just as I have shared with you today.