rocket fuel

Today I paid Samuel $10 for a jelly jar full of rocket fuel. While I was making raspberry hand pies (a.k.a turnovers), Samuel came into the kitchen asking for supplies, ingredients, "corn starch, flour, anything at all". I gave him a bowl of whole wheat pastry flour and he went on his way. He was having a secret club meeting in the back bedroom and I gathered from his request that he had found a *reason* for his meeting that he was happy with.

About five minutes later he came back into the kitchen asking for some more ingredients. I told him I didn't have much and gave him another bowl of flour after looking around a bit. He and Eva had long ago cleaned out many of my "supplies" during their last round of concocting witch's brew out on the patio. Stores of baking soda, vinegar, corn starch have all been turned into something else. No matter, he seemed pleased with the whole wheat pastry flour, which is great because I was using spelt for the pies.

I returned to my pies and over the next half hour Samuel came in and out asking for water and then some of my olive oil. I gave him a little peanut oil, a little more grudgingly than I am happy to admit. And then voila! He offered me rocket fuel for $10. Of course I was intrigued.

After Samuel handed me the jar of rocket fuel and I handed him ten dollars, or rather Eva and I handed him ten dollars, Samuel left to put his money away and Eva and I contemplated the rocket fuel.

"Do you think it really works, momma?" Eva asked me seriously.

"I don't know," I told her. "Do you have a rocket to try it out in?"

"No," she shook her head. "But I have a horse that can use it."

So we added a little, glug glug to the back of the unicorn. Then we waited to see if it would work.

Samuel had said the rocket fuel "was the first rocket fuel ever to be able to take you to another planet". I wasn't sure what to do next but Samuel had already thought of that. Eva told him we gave some to her unicorn and he said, "No no, it doesn't go in a horse!" He then asked for some toilet paper rolls and disappeared into the back bedroom again. When he reappeared he was holding a toilet paper roll that had tape across the bottom. He spooned some of the rocket fuel into the roll and taped up the top. Then he told us to follow him outside. I had no idea what to expect at this point.

"See," Samuel said, "a rocket needs fuel!" Then he showed us how to throw the rocket, now full of fuel. Basically, you chuck it really hard into the air and then it lands on the ground. After a couple of times it pretty much explodes onto the pavement.

I have to say I was impressed. It was creative, really fun and even included Eva. She liked it so much she paid for two extra rockets after the first. Did I mention the rocket fuel did not come with a complementary rocket? Rockets were $3. Eva got a deal and paid just $1.22 for the third rocket. Pretty good, I would say.

Samuel now has big plans for setting up a rocket fuel stand out front, complete with rockets and jars of fuel. "How many people do you think will stop to buy some?" You just never know...




Here is the rocket and the rocket fuel. Samuel added the fuel to the rocket.




Here are Samuel and Eva with the rocket fully loaded with fuel, ready to launch.



Here is Eva after the first throw, watching to see what will happen. And finally, you can see the rocket after it has been thrown repeatedly.