A good day, and a belly laugh at the supermarket

Wow!  What a good day.

After walking with Penne a couple of times this morning I shopped for some good produce (parsnips, green peppers, sweet onions, egg plant, parsley, tomatoes, spinach etc.) at our local Mennonite owned fruit and vegetable market.

Next I took out some old and tired shrubs from my garden, planted some new hibiscuses, thinned out and transplanted some oyster plants, then dug in some good cow manure, and spread some mulch.

After lunch (a bowl of my home made cabbage and tomato soup) I settled down to listen to the Metropolitan Opera’s live production of  Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” broadcasted on our local Public Broadcasting Station.

Even as I listened to the Opera I continued to read John Updike’s 1974 novel “A Month of Sundays”.

Opera over I made another batch of Baba Ganoush – a healthy enough snack which I will munch on a bit of sliced and toasted baguette.

Dinner was a stir fry with onion, green pepper, parsnip and carrot (these two first par-boiled) and a bit of chicken.

As I cut up and prepared the veggies I listened again to classical music on the PBS radio station.  It was a treat, with the Pittsburgh Symphony playing this music

BRAHMS: Piano Concerto No. 1

BRAHMS: Symphony No. 1

Oh the joys of retirement.

Not only joy, but also a belly laugh.

Late in the afternoon I zoomed down to my local Sweet Bay Supermarket to pick up a bit of cheese and a few other items.

My clerk/cashier was Grahame.   He is a high school student aged about 16 or 17.  Grahame is more than  6’ tall and is always enthusiastic and even joyful about his work. He has a quick wit.  

Sweet Bay workers wear green shirts so I always call Grahame “the Jolly Green Giant” – which he likes.  [“Jolly Green Giant” is a brand name in these United States] 

Today Grahame asked me about my face, and the mess caused by the CARAC cream which I have to use to destroy some pre-cancerous cells.

I explained this to him, and added “it’s an awful mess”.

Without a blink he responded with his innate wit, by saying “but it brings out your eyes”.

I laughed like a madman. 

I love quick wit, and never more than when it comes from a youngster.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Shoe insults

Last year I consulted with a local podiatrist: Dr. Robert F Herbold Jr. D.P.M. 4717 Swift Rd., Sarasota , FL – 34231  because I was being bothered with a couple of bunions  (yes I am at that age). I was very impressed with this Doctor.  He agreed that I had bunions, but he ventured that it was much too soon for surgery. (Now there’s a first). Instead he recommended some “arch supports” to relieve the tension for my feet, a tension which was exacerbating the bunions. What’s more -  he told me that he sells these arch supports at the miserly sum of $2.50 each (about 1/5 of the price in the local pharmacies). He is an honest man, and I recommend him to anyone with foot problems. So, a couple of weeks ago, having purchased some new walking shoes, I knew that I needed to buy a couple of new arch supports I took myself to his office. Once there, my mind went blank. I wanted to ask his front desk Clerk if I could buy some “shoe inserts” , as I could not rem...
Read more

It began in Bristol U.K. "A man dies" and "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Image
I well remember the swirling controversy in Bristol, U.K. when a (Presbyterian) Minister the Revd, Earnest Marviin created a ":Rock Opera", called "A Man Dies"  in and for his congregation in the Lockleaze area of Bristol, U.K. Earnest Mrvin I was a sixteen years old member of the Plymouth Brethren Church back in those days, so I most likely disapproved of "A Man Dies" .  We, (the Plymouth Brethren),  disapproved of everything! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I had forgotten all about "A Man Dies" until earlier today when saw these pictures on the "Bristol, Then and Now"  Facebook page.   St. James Presbyterian Church, Lockleaze, Bristol  The Bristol Then and Now page includes the following commentary: Lockleaze, Bristol  -  'Jesus Christ Superstar' began at St.James (Presbyterian) Chur...
Read more

The background, the couple, my friends, the wedding ceremony, the Shaykh, the Priest,

Image
The background   I have known the Keller/Bonsey family since 2000 when I became the Rector at St. James's, Cambridge, MA. They (Elisabeth Keller and the Revd. Steven Bonsey with their four children Noah, Sam, Josiah and Annie) had come back to Cambridge from Hawaii where Steve had been the Rector of an Episcopal parish. Steve had just been appointed as a Chaplain at Tufts University (no Sunday morning duties) so the entire family was able to enrich our common life at St. James's - which they did with great love and joy. I count them as friends and have stayed in touch with them since my retirement.  Noah, the oldest son is eloquent in Arabic (he spent a year in Damascus when Syria was a safe place).  He has developed a super career as an analyst of social media in the near East.    Noah worked in Tampa for a while a few years ago, so he and I were a...
Read more