Unexpected Ice Cream Break
Thursday afternoon my husband bought me an ice cream cone. He was unaware of this event and it was unplanned on my part, but it was very nice after the adventure of mishaps that I had.
You see, it started with an appointment to get my oil changed at the local Car Care Center at 2pm. I had this plan to drop my car off and take Melise on a walk around town in the stroller. I had a few errands to run - post office and visit Roy's grandma - all within walking distance, so I felt this would all work out well! I parked my car outside the car care center, made sure the guys at the garage knew it was there, and took off with Melise.
First, I went to the Daily Grind. Now, I've been very well behaved for a long time. I have spent hundreds of dollars on practical stuff like groceries without spending a cent on coffee (not counting the coffee beans I bought at the grocery store) - that's some kind of record for me! So, anyhow, I knew I had just a few dollars in my wallet and there was the coffee shop and I was about to take a long walk in the sun and I could really use an iced mocha . . . You ever just get the feeling that every thing is falling in place for a reason? But when I went to pay for my coffee I couldn't find my wallet! I dug and dug through my purse, but finally gave up and had to write them a check. That was the first clue that my luck was not so hot that day and my spidey-sense was really not working. But I didn't get the clue.
My next stop was the post office. I made the two block walk at a relaxed pace. I ran into a nice woman from church and chatted for a while. I perused the sale items outside of the hardware store (I was tempted by the shiny copper bundt pans, but I don't think I've ever made a bundt cake). I made it to the post office and mailed my box without incident (I paid with a check, of course).
Standing outside the post office, I was halfway to Roy's grandma's house and making good time. I decided to make a few little stops along the way. First stop was the Creature Features Pet Shop where I chatted up the owner and let Melise unsuccessfully chase two kittens (anyone interested in a siamese-ish kitten?). Next stop was L&L Ready Mix to visit with the ladies with whom I had briefly worked a while back. At this point, I had been away from my car for one hour. Time to wrap this trip up!
I hurried over to grandma's - and she wasn't home! I really need to learn to call first. I turned the stroller and started power walking back toward the Car Care Center. I was about seven or eight blocks away. Halfway back, Melise started crying, so I stopped to give her some water, but she wanted to be held. Now I was tired, hot, sweaty holding a sweaty, grumpy baby, pushing a stroller along a sidewalk that suddenly seemed cruelly uneven and I ceased to feel any optimism about the the rest of my trip. In fact, I had an inkling that something was wrong, that for some reason my car's oil would not be changed after the hour and a half that I had been gone. I searched my brain for the source of the inkling (besides the bad luck I'd had so far).
I reached the Car Care Center and saw my car parked exactly where I'd left it. That didn't mean anything because they could've just parked it back there again, right? I got to the car, reached into the sweltering heat to turn the key and get the AC running. No key! I looked all round the seat, the dash, the floor . . . I stood up in frustration and heard a jingle! I turned quickly to see where I had knocked them loose from. They weren't in the car . . . . not on the ground . . . they were in my pocket! My inkling had been trying to tell me that I had carried the keys all around town and thus the guys at the garage were not able to move my car and change my oil! Ugh!
There Melise and I stood - both of us sweaty and grumpy - with car keys in hand and no way to turn back the clock.
At least the guys in the garage were nice about it - had a good laugh with me - and went straight to work on my oil. I took Melise into the C-Store next door. I looked long and hard at the ice cream in the freezer, but just felt like it would be silly to write a check for such a small amount. I dug in my purse, hoping to find a few quarters, but, alas!, I had recently baby-proofed my purse by removing all the loose change! What nightmare world was I living in? But then I found a treasure: our Co-op card! It's like a credit card that you can use at any branch of the co-op, like the gas pumps, Car Care Center, and the C Store!
And so . . .
I got my ice cream!
The world was a bright and happy place again. Melise even agreed.
The only downside to the ice cream was that the bill is sent to my dear husband who didn't get to share in our treat.
When he sees these pictures of a certain ice cream monster I'm sure he'll forgive us . . . What do you think?
You see, it started with an appointment to get my oil changed at the local Car Care Center at 2pm. I had this plan to drop my car off and take Melise on a walk around town in the stroller. I had a few errands to run - post office and visit Roy's grandma - all within walking distance, so I felt this would all work out well! I parked my car outside the car care center, made sure the guys at the garage knew it was there, and took off with Melise.
First, I went to the Daily Grind. Now, I've been very well behaved for a long time. I have spent hundreds of dollars on practical stuff like groceries without spending a cent on coffee (not counting the coffee beans I bought at the grocery store) - that's some kind of record for me! So, anyhow, I knew I had just a few dollars in my wallet and there was the coffee shop and I was about to take a long walk in the sun and I could really use an iced mocha . . . You ever just get the feeling that every thing is falling in place for a reason? But when I went to pay for my coffee I couldn't find my wallet! I dug and dug through my purse, but finally gave up and had to write them a check. That was the first clue that my luck was not so hot that day and my spidey-sense was really not working. But I didn't get the clue.
My next stop was the post office. I made the two block walk at a relaxed pace. I ran into a nice woman from church and chatted for a while. I perused the sale items outside of the hardware store (I was tempted by the shiny copper bundt pans, but I don't think I've ever made a bundt cake). I made it to the post office and mailed my box without incident (I paid with a check, of course).
Standing outside the post office, I was halfway to Roy's grandma's house and making good time. I decided to make a few little stops along the way. First stop was the Creature Features Pet Shop where I chatted up the owner and let Melise unsuccessfully chase two kittens (anyone interested in a siamese-ish kitten?). Next stop was L&L Ready Mix to visit with the ladies with whom I had briefly worked a while back. At this point, I had been away from my car for one hour. Time to wrap this trip up!
I hurried over to grandma's - and she wasn't home! I really need to learn to call first. I turned the stroller and started power walking back toward the Car Care Center. I was about seven or eight blocks away. Halfway back, Melise started crying, so I stopped to give her some water, but she wanted to be held. Now I was tired, hot, sweaty holding a sweaty, grumpy baby, pushing a stroller along a sidewalk that suddenly seemed cruelly uneven and I ceased to feel any optimism about the the rest of my trip. In fact, I had an inkling that something was wrong, that for some reason my car's oil would not be changed after the hour and a half that I had been gone. I searched my brain for the source of the inkling (besides the bad luck I'd had so far).
I reached the Car Care Center and saw my car parked exactly where I'd left it. That didn't mean anything because they could've just parked it back there again, right? I got to the car, reached into the sweltering heat to turn the key and get the AC running. No key! I looked all round the seat, the dash, the floor . . . I stood up in frustration and heard a jingle! I turned quickly to see where I had knocked them loose from. They weren't in the car . . . . not on the ground . . . they were in my pocket! My inkling had been trying to tell me that I had carried the keys all around town and thus the guys at the garage were not able to move my car and change my oil! Ugh!
There Melise and I stood - both of us sweaty and grumpy - with car keys in hand and no way to turn back the clock.
At least the guys in the garage were nice about it - had a good laugh with me - and went straight to work on my oil. I took Melise into the C-Store next door. I looked long and hard at the ice cream in the freezer, but just felt like it would be silly to write a check for such a small amount. I dug in my purse, hoping to find a few quarters, but, alas!, I had recently baby-proofed my purse by removing all the loose change! What nightmare world was I living in? But then I found a treasure: our Co-op card! It's like a credit card that you can use at any branch of the co-op, like the gas pumps, Car Care Center, and the C Store!
And so . . .
I got my ice cream!
The world was a bright and happy place again. Melise even agreed.
The only downside to the ice cream was that the bill is sent to my dear husband who didn't get to share in our treat.
When he sees these pictures of a certain ice cream monster I'm sure he'll forgive us . . . What do you think?
Posted by Susan at August 28, 2009 
Categories: Rural Living
Tags: haxtun post office oil change map c store car care center ice cream co-op walking walk
Categories: Rural Living
Tags: haxtun post office oil change map c store car care center ice cream co-op walking walk
Wow, you're really doing it rural...CO-OP living and all!
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