The Woman Who Tied My Shoelaces In Public

Mr. Z and I set out yesterday morning for the Goodwill Second Hand Book Store on Clark Rd. Sarasota.

 En route we took a walk at the Red Bug Slough Preserve, an oft ignored parcel of natural Florida.

  The preserve is named for the cotton stainer bug (scientific name: Dysdercus suturellus)

 https://www.visitsarasota.com/parks/red-bug-slough-preserve

This link describes it well.  There are no paved walkways; the walking is on sandy trails.

 Zion savoured all the new smells, his nose worked overtime.













Red Bug

 As we drew near to the parking lot on our way out we encountered an older couple (I sometimes choose to forget that I am an older man!) with their two miniature Dachshunds, one entirely black.
Stock photo'

The woman explained that her dogs were a bit yappy, but Mr. Z soon worked his calming magic on them.

Then the woman noticed that my shoe laces were somewhat awry (mid-way between teenager sloppy and Longboat Key elegant).

 Despite my gentle protests she insisted on getting onto her knees and re-tying the laces on both shoes.

 Well I never.  Was she a neat-freak or a concerned citizen who didn't want me to trip?

 I'll never know.  But it felt distinctly odd to have a complete stranger re-tie the laces  -  in a public park!

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

 About those ough words.  Just how are they to be pronounced?

 In the case of the word "slough" I've heard it pronounced three different ways.

 As in bough
As in through
As in rough




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