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These stories as a whole or in part is Copyright © 1967-2005 by George T Mason of East Stroudsburg PA.. These stories may not be sold or used for commercial profit in any form or fashion. These stories may not be modified in any way. These stories may not be posted on a mirror site or any other Internet site without the written permission of the author. These stories may not be distributed on print, magnetic, electrical or optical mediums. These stories will not be lettered, written, printed, Xeroxed, laser printed, cut, carved, laid, inlayed, graved, or engraved, upon anything movable or immovable under the whole canopy of heaven whereby or whereon the least letter, character, symbol, or semblance of the same might become legible, or intelligible, to yourself or any other person, Without the written permission of the author or his next of kin upon his death.  That should cover that.

So the story begins with my mother wanting to class up the family and starts looking for new gourmet recipes to add to the family dinner selections.  If may not be out of place here to convey that dinner at the mason house was pretty routine.  Monday night was broiled chicken, Tuesday , Wednesday was Spaghetti, Thursday was steak, and Friday was usually subs from Main place deli.  This evening my mom tries a recipe for cucumber soup, which everyone in the gourmet world knows is served cold.  Dad come home from work in his usual form, gruff and I would try to enter in conversation with him by saying something like How was work?  Which he would answer "like work" and there it would end.  How I always hoped it would be something new day after day but alas that would have to come from his actions, not his words.  So mom serves this cucumber soup.

Now let me set this scene, The dining room table has been cleaned off and set with mothers fine linen  tablecloth and napkins,  The lucky kid got to pick out the salt and pepper shakers from the vast collection in the china closet, and the good silver and plates are used.  As memory serves this was Pam's first dinner with the Masons and she and Doug were first lectured about being 10 minutes late for dinner, and then for parking in the wrong place in the driveway.   The Driveway at the mason home was 459 foot long one blacktop lane ending in a parking area.   Everyone (Including guests) had assigned spaces for parking (Weather they knew it or not) and god forbid you parked on the lawn at any time! You would here about it for months.

So Dad comes in and takes his place at the head of the table. Mom brings out the first course, the legendary cucumber soup and carefully spoons it out into the soup bowls  My Dad had to be the first one to taste anything.  (I guess in theory if it did not kill him..... it was okay for us) and he picks up the spoon and blows carefully three times on the spoon full of soup and carefully puts the soup into his mouth.  A strange look comes over his face and he lowers the spoon to the bowl.  This time he blows on it twice and then places it in his mouth.  Once again he lowers the spoon to the bowl and carefully blows on it once then tastes the soup.  He then puts his finger in the soup blow and says angrily "The soup is God Dam cold!"  Mom tries to explain that it is supposed to be served cold (Being cucumber soup) and then a fight ensues (As usual)  Needless to say we never ate cucumber soup again.  In a move I still can't believe to this day, Pam still went on to become a member of the family.