Dearest Blue Bell,
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art much colder and more delicious.
Seeing as our separation came so suddenly, this summer just wasn't the same without you. Movies seemed to lack their vivid color. Pool days were missing a very noticeable element of fun. Long nights were spent staring at an empty spot in my freezer where you normally stayed. I tried to soothe the ache that was eating away at my heart by eating other brands of ice cream, but none of them would suffice.
When the news of the Listeria outbreak first came out, people began stocking up on sacred pints and half gallons, but alas, I didn't think to join them. Never did I imagine that a halt in production would actually come to fruition! Never did I imagine myself having to explain the gaping hole in my life to my non-southern friends, who haven't experienced your one-of-a-kind taste! They just can't understand since they didn't know what they were missing in the first place. But, I knew what I was missing, and I am so sorry that I took you for granted.
Many news reporters spoke of a months-long wait before the factories could produce you again. So, many months I awaited your glorious return. After all that time without you, hearing the news that you really would be returning brought me near to tears, and I could hardly sleep the night before you would be in a store near me. Though I left my home early, the first few places I stopped at were already out of stock, which worried me. But Blue Bell, when I finally saw a small crowd gathered in the freezer aisle at an HEB miles from my house, I gleefully shoved people aside and almost got a black eye to hold one half gallon in each of my arms. We have survived so long without one another that the "2 per customer" limit wasn't an issue to me. I was simply so overjoyed to have you again. Know that you are well worth stealing that plastic spoon and being eaten on the way to the cash register. No feeling could compare to the joy that my tastebuds experienced. My mouth overfloweth.
As I sit here with you beside me, I don't care that summer is coming to an end. With Homemade Vanilla in hand, movie nights are once again technicolor.The pool is drained, but sitting on a lawn chair with a bowl of Dutch Chocolate in my lap is much better than swimming. That empty spot in my freezer is now occupied by a half gallon of Cookies and Cream, and the ache that once ate at my heart has been soothed with each spoonful of goodness. I couldn't be happier to have you back; thank you for being the best $8.50 I have ever spent.
With much love,
A Survivor of the Blue Bell Famine of 2015
