Stand and deliver?

What could be more all-American than a bunch of kids doing a lemonade stand?

The one down the street could have been straight out of the kind of Walmart commercial that would run in early May. Mixed ethnicity, mixed genders, wearing the kind of kid clothes one might find at Walmart, with a folding table and chairs and a jug of lemonade -- or in this case, fruit punch. One dollar, served in a stylish plastic cup.

What $1 buys you.

Of course we love to see kids doing things together, doing things outdoors, doing things that don't involve electronics, and not punching one another. We also love the entrepreneurial spirit in our youth, and they had that, flagging down passing cars like their house was on fire. So we love the lemonade (or other beverage) stand, and we hate when overzealous officers (and grumpy neighbors) shut them down for stupid reasons, like demanding a nine-year-old file for a permit.

Now, this punch was really watered down, as if they were trying to stretch the one Kool-Aid envelope they managed to wangle out of Dad, or if they just couldn't figure the directions on the 4C can, but that's okay. I'd rather have it weak than feel like my teeth were rotting just looking at the crystallized sugar.

All in all, though, I keep hoping to find a Lucy Van Pelt style psychology booth.

I could use some help. I think I may have pantophobia. And look! Five cents! What a bargain! I don't even care if my insurance won't cover it.