Do you ever look at something and have it trigger a memory?

That happened today as I was looking at the Walmart ad.  I saw a variety pack of Good Humor ice cream (24 pack/$9.98), and for some reason it reminded me of those hot summer days growing up on Chicago’s west side, and my sisters and I waiting to hear the clanging bells of our neighborhood Good Humor man, Jose, driving his truck down our street every afternoon.

Jose was a really nice guy who would remember our names year after year.  He would even let Wally, who lived down the street, hop on his truck and ride with him to the end of the block.

There were times when my sisters and I would have to pool our coins in order to buy a refreshing treat.  We always got the same thing.  Two of us would get the strawberry shortcake, and my one sister always got the chocolate eclair bar.  By the end of the week, when our funds were running low, the three of us would have to share a banana flavored popsicle because it was the only item we could afford.

Summer after summer Jose, a young man, would return to our neighborhood selling those Good Humor treats.  And each summer my sisters and I would scramble to collect our change.  And then, one summer,Jose noticed my older sister, who had hit her teen years rather attractively.  Suddenly, Jose would give us a pretty handsome discount on those delicious Good Humor ice cream bars.  Those summers in the neighborhood were awesome!

I know it won’t be the same as buying from Jose, the ice cream man, but I may just have to pick up a box of those Good Humor ice cream treats.