First I will tell you about the famous Ribbon Jell-O. Then you will understand about the shims.
The first we heard about the Ribbon Jell-O was when our son came home from a friend's house a few months ago proclaiming the wonders of this amazing Jell-O his friend's mom, Cherri Sandbulte, had prepared.
It's a seven-layer Jell-O, beautiful to behold, crafted of Jell-O in sedimentary deposits of black cherry, cherry, lime, lemon, orange, peach and strawberry flavors. It's lovely to look at through a glass serving dish, a rainbow of gelatinous jiggle, light and delicious on the palate.
So, when the Sandbulte graduation party rolled around a couple of weeks ago, word went out that Sandbulte would be serving the exalted Ribbon Jell-O again. Alas, our son's grad party was the same day and time as Sandbulte's, so he was unable to again take part in this ultimate Jell-O experience.
As the grad party season gained momentum, Sandbulte's reputation and the aura around her Jell-O seemed to flourish. As a result, Sandbulte and my wife, Phyllis, both offered to make the Ribbon Jell-O for another graduating senior on the circuit. Sandbulte graciously shared her recipe with Phyllis, who went to work. To make the Jell-O, as the recipe explains, one must make one flavor, pour it into a 9-by-13-inch glass dish and let it set up in the refrigerator. Each layer is only about 1/8-inch thick. After each layer sets up firmly, one can add the next layer.
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Patience is a virtue among makers of Ribbon Jell-O.
Phyllis, however, noticed that as she added layers, some would be thinner on one side of the dish and thicker on the far end. She deduced that our refrigerator was not level.
So, at the party, Sandbulte's Ribbon Jell-O was again a Bon-Appetit-quality showcase. Phyllis' was tasty, but her layers were a bit askew. Wide cherry. Narrow lime. Wide lemon. Narrow peach. She pleaded her case on grounds of the canted Kenmore and drew sympathetic response. Both Jell-Os disappeared because, even at a grad party, there's always room for Jell-O.
The next weekend, we showed up at the Boyce family's grad party, where co-host Mark Boyce greeted Phyllis with a bundle of shims -- wedge-shaped shingles of cedar -- so Phyllis could properly level her layers and create a Ribbon Jell-O of Sandbulte-esque standards.
I went home and got out the level. I had always thought our refrigerator was level. Sure enough, when I put the level on top of it, the bubble centered perfectly. Hmmm.
I opened the refrigerator and put the level on the shelf where Phyllis had let the Jell-O set up. Sure enough. It was slanted.
There's a lesson in all of this for graduates and their Jell-O making parents: As you go through life, try to stay on the level. But seek friends who'll be there when you need a shim.
SAM COOK is a Duluth News Tribune columnist and outdoors writer. Reach him at (218) 723-5332 or scook@duluthnews.com .
