neighborhood cookie watch

Sometimes things don't happen and I have to think up things to write about.

Then there are days like today.

I had finished my run. I was outside cutting my dahlias. The neighbor boy headed my way with a packet.

I knew that meant one thing: it's fundraiser season.

He asked if I wanted to buy cookie dough. Of course! I told him to wait outside while I ran and got the checkbook.

When I came back outside, I talked with him a little to find out what prize he wanted.

Then, a young man rode up on his bicycle. He asked me if I had a towel. He had just eaten a cupcake and his hands were all sticky. His repetitive questions helped me understand that he was harmless. I told him to hang on, while the neighbor boy was still waiting for me to pick my cookie dough and write the check, and I went inside and got Christian (he told us his name) a damp paper towel. He used it and I told him I would take it when he was finished. Then he rode off.

The neighbor boy and I resumed my cookie dough shopping.

I chose the white chocolate macadamia nut. It's my number one choice of store (fundraiser) bought cookie dough. Mostly because those nuts are so expensive I don't buy them myself. Otherwise I'd make the cookies from scratch.

The neighbor boy told me he'd be back with his order form. This was his sister's.

Bill will get to chose a cookie dough too. (Of course, he doesn't read my blog so we could keep this a secret and I could buy two white chocolate macadamia nut and he wouldn't know…)

A week off

This is my week off.

Technically, I have the entire summer off. But that's from my job at the church as Jr. High Youth Director and Assistant for Adult Education. I'm still Wedding Coordinator which never has a day off. And I have my summer job with Heather doing landscaping.

I'm not working for Heather this week, I don't have any weddings, and I haven't volunteered to make anyone else's garden pretty.

Woo hoo!

Oh wait, I can't get too excited. I created a summer to-do list. I have to get working on that.

We're fixing up the guest bedroom (which I mentioned here), I have a couple of exterior windows to paint and scrape, I have that table for the guest room that needs work done to it, and there's just normal house cleaning that I didn't get done over the weekend. Not to mention there's a neighborhood ice cream social tomorrow night, a card-making (stamping) party Wednesday night, a teen's musical Friday night, and a wedding that we're attending Saturday night.

So much for the week off.

I also have a summer bucket list of sorts. Most of those things listed above are on it. I also have:
     finish reading Anna Karenina

Guess what?

I'm almost finished with it.

I may try to finish it tonight.

I also have:
     strawberry picking
     play with Lego's
     go to the beach (and not get burnt)
     frame artwork

It's not exactly a thrilling summer to-do list, but it will keep me on track.

Did you make a summer list?

Where everybody knows your name

We have a little grocery store right down the street. It's just under one mile, walking distance. At least eight months out of the year.

The little bodega is a weekly stop, and we usually end up there two or three times.

It's a great place to grab our fresh produce (brought in locally when possible), they have organic meats and everything in between.

It was on my list of places to stop this morning, after I had breakfast.

That's when bad things happened.

Or didn't happen.

I got the coffee maker ready, I poured beans into the coffee grinder, and... nothing. I reset the coffee grinder and tried again. Still nothing.

I tried a third time.

Nothing.

I ate my breakfast, had watered down coffee (that's a longer story that doesn't contribute to this one), and headed out to do my shopping. I headed to Meijer because I needed to stop there anyway.

My choices were very limited when it came to coffee grinders. I chose the KitchenAid, hoping that by paying a little bit more, it will last a little bit longer.

(As a side note: we have gone through at least four coffee makers and three coffee grinders in our thirteen and a half years of marriage.)

I stopped at the neighborhood bodega. I feel like I'm walking into Cheers. They know me and I always get warm, friendly smiles. They will do what they can to help me find what I need.

This morning was no different. I was even given a white chocolate truffle. Yum! That's when I mentioned that the chocolate made up for my coffee grinder breaking. They had a fresh pot of coffee brewed, would I like a cup? Yes, please!

Thank you friendly neighborhood grocery for the coffee, the smiles, the chocolate, and the hospitality.

gobble gobble

While running this morning, I came across some wild turkeys that live near the creek in our extended neighborhood.

They were huge.

There were at least five, the others were back across the street. They ran off when I tried to take their photo.

This photo was as close as I could get/wanted to get to these three and was taken with my phone. My phone is not a smart phone, so I couldn't zoom in.

I think they know Thanksgiving is close.

superhero status

I feel like a superhero.

Along with saving dogs and fixing signs, add helping stranded person to that list.

I was running along, like I do, and a woman was pushing a toddler in his stroller. She said more than hello, so I stopped to talk to her.

She had locked herself and the toddler out of the house. She wondered if I could call her sister and ask her to come and get them. She meant, could I go back to my house. I offered the use of my cell phone (because I always take it with me). She gave me her sister's number and I called.

I didn't feel like it was a trick because even though I offered the phone to her to use, she declined. The sister did sound suspicious until I explained to her why I was calling.

After I hung up the phone the woman thanked me and I continued my run.

I need a cape and a superhero name...