Pickled Tink

Have I ever told you how clever I am?

Well, let me say it now: I'm pretty clever.

While we were in AZ during home leave in Jan., Neil's 16-yr.-old sister Clara was stressing over asking a boy to the annual Sadie Hawkins-style dance. And I solved her conundrum.

There is a whole gimmicky culture that has evolved around girls asking boys to this dance -- the young ladies can't just ask the guys, they have to do it in a clever, highly elaborate way; worded and played out like a riddle/joke/creative turn of phrase. The guys have to figure out the identity of the girl who is asking them in order to respond.

Clara had several legendary examples from years past that are now embedded in the high school Sadies lore. Things along the lines of a bag of nuts left in someone's locker, with a note that reads "I would be nuts not to ask you to Sadie's!" Or moon pies, with the note "I'd be over the moon if you went to Sadie's with me!" Or this gruesome one: a cow's tongue left on the doorstep with "Will you go to Sadie's with me? Whats the matter, cat got your tongue?!"

Well, Clara had the boy picked out and was soliciting advice on how she should ask him. I enjoy plays on words (hey, I used to write newspaper headlines for a living), so I threw a few ideas out and then I, the sister in law, who she probably thinks is so lame and dorky, struck gold with the following:

 PICKLED TINK

As in, "I'd be pickled Tink ... I mean, TICKLED PINK to go to Sadie's with you!"

 

The question couldn't be complete without spelling her name out on pickles to randomly scatter, along with unmarked pickles, on the porch of her potential date.

Helloooo, this is this kid's front porch? (Or rather, his parents'??) Cha CHING!!!! Now I know why Clara asked him to the dance ...

We're whispering in the video because it was at night.

The finished product!!!!

Don't worry, he said yes :) Score one for the dorky sister in law (me).