LMNOP

In March of 1984 my hobbies were peekaboo, thumb sucking, bounce-dancing to music, and mimicking the use of everyday items like a cup or a hairbrush.¹  In summary, I was a baby.  But even though I was just nine months old at the time, I can still remember when President Reagan uttered these now-immortal words:

"Now, Therefore, I, Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim March 6, 1984, as Frozen Food Day, and I call upon the American people to observe such day with appropriate ceremonies and activities."
(Skeptics, please see the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library or  the Library of Congress.)²

Frozen foods are part of a long list of things in American society (voting, wearing bike helmets, etc.) that, although the majority of sane people dismiss them as trivial, are a huge point of focus and pride for their small groups of devotees.  However, as days of celebration like today show, frozen foods are on the up and up.  You need look no further than a standard calendar for proof of this fact; Frozen Food Day comes every year, while we vote but once every four (I'm sorry, but you just cannot convince me that the little elections held in between presidential races are real). 

Reagan called upon us to observe this day with "appropriate ceremonies and activities."  He declined to define "appropriate," and I think that, more than anything, is Reagan's legacy.  Although you just know he was brimming with ideas and suggestions for how to celebrate frozen food, this was his way of acknowledging that sometimes the best leaders lead by simply setting the stage for greatness and then letting their followers do the rest.

In the end, I decided to celebrate with a classic, elegant shrine to frozen food.  I have posted a picture here to encourage others to commemorate as well. ³; Take a few moments to look at the picture as you reflect on what grocery stores would be like without frozen food sections, what your own kitchen would be like without your freezer there to complement your refrigerator, and what frozen mixed vegetables would be like if they didn't exist.  Enjoy this small glimpse of personal nirvana, Ronald Reagan style.

Don't go yet!!  Did you notice the footnotes in this post?  Are you wondering where they lead?  Are you also wondering why this post is also filed under "Behind the Scenes?"  Thanks to Typepad's new "post continuation" technology and to my remembering how much I enjoyed watching "Pop up Video" back in the day, I am starting a new, occasional feature.  If you click to continue reading footnoted posts, you will be taken to a continuation page featuring explanatory information that gives you a unique, "behind-the-scenes" peek at how this blog is made.  Enjoy!