Ode to Samoas

Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10 (NIV)

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth of your caramel core and the height of your coconut topping
My taste buds long for the feel of your buttery crunch.
For eating cookies brings good to Girl Scouts far and wide.
I love thee so much, I could eat you everyday
Your chocolate compels me, by sun and candle-light, before you melt.
To love thee freely, box by tasty box.
I love thee purely, no other cookie will do. Not Thin Mints certainly not Trefoils
I love thee with a passion increased by the chill of the refrigerator.
In grief, I watch the pounds add to my middle, but cannot set aside my childhood memories of your delight
I love thee with a love despite the weight I cannot lose.
I love thee with the breath of your unique scent.
Smiles, tears, of all my life! — and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death for surely Samoa Girl Scout cookies are served in Heaven.

My apologies to Elizabeth Barrett Browning but I am in a sugar induced coma. It is Girl Scout cookie time! You can have your Chalet Cremes, your Dosidos or your Tagalongs. For me, it is all about Samoas. They have exactly the right mix of caramel, chocolate, coconut and buttery cookie. I can and have been known to eat a whole box in one sitting. At fifteen cookies per box and SEVENTY-FIVE calories per cookie, that is one whole day’s allotment of calories. I do not care. In the old days, when the children were small and satisfied with fighting over the Tagalongs, I had no worries. Now, that he is older and a connoisseur of fine foods, youngest son has developed my addiction to Samoas. I eat the whole container in self defense because once a box goes in the fridge, it never comes out alive. I write my name and DO NOT EAT on the packages to no avail. There is no holding anyone back from perfection especially when it is only available one month out of the year. One of the best days of my life came in mid summer when I found a box of Samoas I hid and forgot. Oh, the joy! In Asheville, I made Vicki drive around a building and through an alley in order to double back to a corner where sign waving Girl Scouts hawked their wares. I was happy to buy her a box of Thin Mints. That meant I didn’t have to share my Samoas. Ordinarily, a generous person, my friends know I would give them the shirt off my back. Just don’t get between me and my Samoas. I have no self control or generosity. In Asheville, I was almost disappointed. When I asked for Samoas they didn’t know what I wanted. It seems in other parts of the country, they are called Caramel Delights. No matter. A cookie by any other name tastes just as sweet.