--- title: "Looking at the Backside of a Mule" date: 2025-09-26 author: "Laurie Stroud" featured_image: "https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Lonna-in-pageant-dress.jpg" categories: - name: "Food Prep" url: "/category/news/more/food.md" tags: - name: "Featured" url: "/tag/featured.md" --- # Looking at the Backside of a Mule **The Home Front When my daughter, Lonna, was in school, her friends talked her into being in the junior high beauty pageant with them. It would be fun, right? She came home and talked her dad and me into it. Then, I realized that I had to come up with a plan. I didn’t know a lot about beauty pageants. So, I put my feelers out to friends and family seeking advice on the best way to procure a dress, makeup, and hair for my lovely little lady. One friend said, “Just make her look like Cinderella.” Another said, “There is a lady over in the far east side of Alabama who rents gorgeous dresses and advises the girls on pageant walking, makeup, and hair. She even does that for contestants for the Miss Alabama pageants and the Miss America pageants. Appointments are hard to come by, so call early. And you can’t be late! She won’t see anyone who arrives late. You will lose your appointment.” Well, that sounded like a plan to me, so I called and made an appointment. Now, this was in the days when we all had cell phones, but not iPhones or GPS maps. We still had to call the business and get the address and the driving directions as well as check out the map that was folded in the glovebox. [![Lonna in pageant dress](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Lonna-in-pageant-dress-201x300.jpg "Lonna in pageant dress")](https://birminghamchristian.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Lonna-in-pageant-dress.jpg)Post Mule Parade, Danna Standridge’s daughter, Lonna, Miss Hayden Junior High.The esteemed pageant lady herself gave me directions over the phone on the best way to get to her from where we lived. And again, I was cautioned to **be on time** for the appointment. It was going to take me at least two hours to get there from my house. And it kept going through my mind, I can’t be late, or all this will be for naught. So, my daughter and I embarked on the day of our appointment with happiness. We knew we would be on time because we left even earlier than needed. All was going well. We were having a good drive and ate some fast food as we headed east. We drove through the country and through small towns, just enjoying the scenery. Then, about two-thirds of the way there, we were coming up on this beautiful little town named Winfield. Traffic slowed down considerably. People, mules, and wagons were everywhere. As my daughter and I were trying to make it through that town, we found ourselves smack dab in the middle of a parade of mules! With mules in front of us and behind us, we realized we were in the parade. We were going slow, plodding along at a mule’s pace, so that all the spectators lining the sides of the town could see these fine mules. And time was just ticking away. This momma was watching the clock and getting nervous. All the side roads were blocked, so there was nothing to do but be in the parade with my beautiful daughter in my big green Suburban… with the mules. Heavenly day…we were gonna miss that appointment! Out of desperation, I pulled out my cell phone and put in a call to the pageant place. The esteemed lady herself answered the phone. The conversation went like: “Hello…I’m bringing my daughter to her appointment…using the directions you gave us. And…ma’am…I’m looking at the back side of a mule!” She laughed and asked, “Are you in Winfield?” “Yes, ma’am, we are.” And she laughed and laughed and said, “Oh, I forgot all about Mule Day! I should have routed you another way. Mule Day happens every year.” I said, “We are going to get there as soon as I can get us out of this mule parade. We may be a little late. Will you still see us?” She laughed some more and said, “Yes, just come on and let me know as soon as you get here.” The appointment went well. My daughter looked lovely in that dress with her hair done up just as directed. It was all worth it- the mules, the long drive, the tensions over being late – my daughter had a memorable time with her friends in the beauty pageant, and she won Miss Hayden Junior High. Enjoy Lonna’s favorite childhood recipe, Fruit Pizza. *-Danna Standridge, Author of* Happiness is Homemade Y’all!*For speaking engagements and cooking demonstrations, email dannastandridge@yahoo.com. Join her in the kitchen on Facebook [@DannaSwannStandridge](https://www.facebook.com/DannaSwannStandridge) and YouTube [@dannastandridge8749](https://www.youtube.com/@dannastandridge8749).* **Lonna’s Fruit Pizza** **Ingredients:** - 1 roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough - 1 block cream cheese, softened - ½ cup powdered sugar - Sliced fruit: strawberries, kiwi, peaches, bananas, grapes **Glaze:** - 1 cup orange juice - ½ cup sugar - 1 Tablespoon corn starch **Instructions:** Pat dough onto a lightly greased pizza pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Let cool completely. Combine cream cheese with powdered sugar, blending well. Spread over cookie. Arrange fruit over cream cheese. **Glaze.** In a saucepan combine orange juice, sugar, and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and cook and stir till thickened. Cool then pour over fruit. Refrigerate till time to serve. Enjoy!