Spring Saturday, Sun, Sporting Goods, and Strawberries

It was a Saturday to brag about.  The sun shown.  The temperature was hovering in the upper seventies. Some overgrown perennials got some much needed haircuts.  Some weeds were removed.  I was especially impressed with myself because I finally remembered that I had some monstrous biodegradable paper bags in the garage specifically designed for yard waste, and I remembered to use them!

My wife spent the day volunteering for a charitable organization at the Strawberry Festival.  She returned home at around five with two packages of fresh local strawberries.  We had some dessert shells in the freezer.  A little whipped cream, and we'd have ourselves some strawberry shortcake!

We were both too tired to cook, so we consulted our twenty year old and agreed to patronizing our favorite Italian eatery for dinner.  I was under-dressed for a restaurant, sporting shorts, a baggie collared shirt and sneakers, but I was tired and comfortable and didn't care.  In the same shopping center as the restaurant was a grocery store conveniently inviting us to complete the ingredient list for our treat.

After dinner, I scurried into the store to get my whipped cream while my wife and son waited in the car; got to the self checkout area; and pushed START to begin my transaction.  The time saving device talked to me. It said, Welcome!  Please place your first...Please place your first.....Please place....Please place your fir....Please....Please place.....   On and on, you get the picture.

This was worse than the time I broke the automatic sliding door at the sporting goods store.  I thought I was at the entrance but I was actually at the exit, and I forced the door open separating it from its track.  The sporting goods people were not happy with me.

Here we go again, I thought, not welcome in yet another store.... I must have looked embarrassed and helpless...and adorable because a kind young female clerk smilingly came to my rescue.  She said, "Step back, Sir."  I did and it stopped.  "Your shirt was in the way.  It should work now." 

"You mean it was me doing that?"  She nodded and smiled.

I've learned some valuable lessons from this incident.  First, not all store people are as nasty as the sporting goods people were, and I should bravely keep shopping for what I need;  next, I should stop wearing maternity tops and tuck it in and suck it in, and I will have risen above grocery store technology; and finally, there is no better way to end this day than talking and smiling about the day's ups and downs while eating strawberry shortcake made with fresh local strawberries...

I hope you have smiled on this perfect Spring Saturday!