Respect and Civility

True confessions of a fashionista!

The other day I was busy prepping for the upcoming Oakwood Market and hustling in our veggie/flower garden.  Wow! What a job - thinking, planning and scheduling in my head (the worst part) all the while crawling around pulling weeds, repairing raised bed borders and planting our starts and seeds (some even saved!) in some kind of organized fashion. Well not organized in a manner that would probably not make sense to you or anyone else but still. . .

Peggy’s Pink Peony - a burst of beauty

Anyway, I reached a point in all of the chaos and decided to crawl out of the compost bin, shake off the worst of it, tucked my muddy gloves in my back pocket along side my phone (brilliant), hopped in my truck and headed off to pick up a few supplies needed for the garden and the bakery. 

First stop took me to Lowes to pick up a bit more potting soil and the first time I have ever been actually greeted by one of the employees,  He called me sir and asked if he could direct me to whatever I was looking for.  Very considerate in view of the fact the place was absolutely crawling with customers. Not only did he direct me to the product (I knew where it was but what the heck) but he followed along and watched intently as if he might leap to my aid should I need it - age and all I guess. A manager type drifted by, he and my (personal aid?} spoke and he too addressed me as sir and asked if I needed anything else.  

“Nope but thanks” and the three of us moseyed up to the lengthy line to the registers. Weird - suddenly we’re homies?

As I was frowning at my now muddy phone the lady in front of me asked if I wanted to go ahead of her.  Again weird! She had very little in her cart and again, the sir bit.  I suppose I frowned again with all of this sir stuff.  Mocking my age or are people just that courteous these days?  I wasn’t sure. Anyway she insisted and practically leapt back out of my way! On my way to the truck with the bag of potting soil on my shoulder I felt oddly like Moses parting the Red Sea. People leaping and jumping out of my way!  Probably the silly hat I bought on a trip to Lake Superior long, long ago. The OD green army/baseball style hat bears the message “MIND TRIP” in an iridescent, glow-in-the-dark lettering.  By the time I got back to my truck with the potting soil I had been sir’d and excuse me’d to death.

A quick stop at Target - uhm not my favorite destination and no doubt it showed as i was once again sir’d and excuse me’d and some actually jumped out of my rushing ways - to-and-fro - trying to avoid me as I raced about to put an end to the misery of being there.

Last stop was Meijer and all went well, well except the lady greeter oddly ataken back as I raced in. There was no sir or even a greeting - just an up and down unapproving once over that gave me pause and it dawned on me that I might have muddy shoes or perhaps I did look a bit worse for wear.  Nonetheless I grabbed the organic blueberries and a few ripe bananas that work so well in the breakfast cookies and proceeded to the self-checkout.  

I noticed the greeter lady quietly discussing some solemn matter with the self-check attendant as I was ringing up my purchase and then as I headed for the exit it happened - almost in slow motion - the greeter asked me why I needed such a large knife.  At the same instant other customers entered and the automatic entrance doors opened revealing the reflection of a dangerously armed madman. He wore a hat just like mine!  His hair leapt out from under the hat like some kind of rabid animal! Ever hear of shaving dude? His sweatshirt was ragged and covered in paint and who knows what else.  His jeans were faded, filthy dirty and ripped in numerous places. A ferocious knife dangled menacingly from his side and I briefly wondered if I should call security but wait!  That was no knife!  It was my trusty Hori Hori - my absolute favorite garden tool and yes that reflection was humiliatingly me! 

Hori Hori - best garden tool ever

I tried to explain that my Hori Hori was a garden tool but the greeter wasn’t having it. Suddenly all of the sirs and excuse me’s made sense in a “I can never go out in public again’ way. I fled, and for the record, please don’t share this with my beloved. I can’t face the ridicule and the endless “what is wrong with you?!?”

Thanks in advance,

Mike

PS see you Saturday June 1st at our Oakwood Market - remember mum’s the word