How to Have a Lemonade Stand

1. Choose the hottest day of the summer, so far.
2. Do not plan ahead. Never mind that the 5-day outlook in the paper, that you read and discuss every day, has been telling you that today will be hot. No no. Wait. . .
3. . .until lunch is over and your mom is thinking Please, God, all I need is ten minutes with no one talking to me. Please, would that be so hard? Maybe I could read a few blogs in peace and quiet. Or sleep. Yes, wait til then.
4. Say, "Mom, can I have a lemonade stand today? Can I? You said one time I could when it got hot. So can I? Huh? Can I, Mom?"
5. She will sigh and say, Yeah, I guess. Then say, "I need signs. Emily, can you help me make signs? Ben, can you help me make signs? Mom, can you help me make signs?"
6. Say, "Mom, what shall I use for a table? Mom, do you have some pop I can sell? No? Can I get some pop from the warehouse?"
7. Call Dad at the warehouse to ask if you can get some of his pop from the 'pop fridge' to sell. Hand the phone to Mom to explain what you mean.
8. Say, "Mom, can you take me to the warehouse to get some pop? Dad said it's ok. Can you take me, Mom? How soon can we go? Hey! [pat pat poke] Can we go get some pop when you're off the phone?"
9. Have Emily take you to the warehouse for pop.
10. Color in the big letters on the sign that Mom drew on her big roll of paper.
11. Have Emily carry the table out under the oak tree.
12. Ignore Mom who has been through this for seven summers and says that people going by on this curve on a brilliantly sunny day can hardly see anything in the shade of the oak tree.
13. Set up the table and a chair.
14. Have Ben carry out a cooler of pop and ice. Mix lemonade and take it out.
15. Try to tape the sign onto the table. Have the wind blow it off.
16. Try again.
17. Get hot and sweaty.
18. Cry.
19. Get Mom.
20. Have Mom try to tape the sign, weight it down with magnets, pin it to the tablecloth, tie it to a bucket of sidewalk chalk, and weight it down with the cooler.
21. See the wind blow it straight up.
22. See Mom get all hot and sweaty.
23. See Mom cry.
24. Just let it flap in the wind like Mom says to.
25. Wait for cars to come by.
26. Wave at them.
27. Wait. Get hotter. Wave at trucks.
28. ditto
29. ditto
30. ditto
31. Come in for a drink.
32. Wait. Get hotter. Listen to Ben and Steven having a great time in the creek.
33. Cry.
34. Watch a car...yes!!! pull up and stop.
35. See a nice lady with short blond hair ask for lemonade.
36. Realize you forgot cups.
37. Run into the house for cups.
38. Run back out. Pour her some lemonade.
39. See her give you a dollar.
40. Dig the change out of a yogurt cup.
41. Hear the nice lady say you can keep the change!
42. Wave as she leaves.
43. Run into the house and show Mom your dollar.
44. Wait in the heat and wave at cars.
45. Buy and drink a can of pop. So? You still made 75 cents.
46. Hope the warehouse guys will come by.
47. Decide to go swimming with Ben and Steven tomorrow.

Quote of the Day:
"And this, kids, is Grass-seedus Sackerus, an endangered species because no one wants to do it."
--what Matt thought the tour guide should say here.