Errands.

 Today was a different day. Tim found a factory on line. They custom make tongue and groove flooring, and we've been debating what to put down in the 'big room' which is the combined living room and kitchen area. He wanted to see what they have. They are located in Titusville, about 16 miles from the new house, so we did a bit of work, but quit early and headed off. 

First stop was to the post office to get a package mailed. I was waiting in a line that continued to grow. Behind me I heard a woman's voice. She was speaking to a man. "Here," she said sweetly, "you go first." He was a bit surprised but thanked her. She continued on, her voice losing sweetness "I could tell that you were in a hurry. I saw you whip out into traffic at the light on Third St and you had absolutely no business driving like that!" She continued to bitch him out loudly in front of everyone. He looked dumbfounded. In a jolly voice, I said, "Merry Christmas everyone!"  

Second stop: We stopped at the new build to feed the cats and to measure our room once again. Just for grins, we took a measure of the bedrooms as well. Tim was quite impressed that a large flock of turkey paid a call in the the yard. 

Then we headed off for our next stop, to find that factory. The address 701 E Spring St. covers probably 40 or 50 warehouses, which are home to about 30 different businesses. To make things even more difficult, we found a sign that listed our destination as building 29, which we found after much looking. It was behind building 63, which was across the road from Building 6...there was really no rhyme or reason to the layout. To make things even more 'interesting', we approached the building from behind, so we weren't even sure we had the right building until we circled around and found the front entrance, which did not look much different from the back entrance. There was no sign with the name of the business...only the building number. 

I didn't hold out much hope. I figured that they made the product and sold through venders. Turned out that I was very wrong. The business is owned by a husband and wife team. The wife was quite knowledgeable about her product, and she strode through the factory showing us what they made. We were able to choose hickory, circular sawn. Tim thought we should not stain it. It was light, like the cupboards, light like the walls. 

My fear was that without a little bit of contrast, our space would have all the ambiance as a card board box. Tim was convinced as soon as the lady said that they would give the boards a light stain using a wood dye that they import from the UK. She says that it doesn't coat the wood, it soaks into the wood, and that if we ever end up with damage to the floor, we can buff it out, and the color will remain consistent. 

It was more than Tim wanted to spend, but the boards were 3/4 inch thick, which is much thicker than any flooring you would buy at a big box department store. The boards were straight and true, nothing flimsy about them. 

So we took a deep breath and ordered our floor. We saw some other stuff that might work for the bedrooms. She looked at us, and said, "Do you hire out?" We said that we did the work ourselves. She was quite impressed with that. She said, "I don't know if you want to bother..." She took us into a back room and showed us some boards. They were too short for their purposes, but she showed us how they piece together to make a pattern. She offered to sell us those for $3 a square foot. Tim snapped them up. 

Do you ever get the feeling that you are meant to meet someone? It was just the most interesting thing. We had people in common, experiences in common. We talked far longer than we should have, but what a wonderful thing to find a kindred soul! She has a dog there, a blue heeler that they have to watch very closely. She's not a friendly dog, nervous, wearing a thunder vest. But we talked so long that I made friends with that dog. 

She watched me closely. I kept my hands in my pockets but leant forward to talk to her each time she approached. She'd look at me and back away growling. The dog was reprimanded sharply (she was leashed), but I had a hunch. I said, "She's making my acquaintance. I'm keeping my hands in my coat pockets so I don't get bit, but she's very curious. Let's let her decide what happens next." 

Before that visit was done, I was forehead to forehead with that dog, and her tail wagged wildly. I told her she was a sweet baby, and her owner watched with no small surprise. The detente was reached within an hour. I love that feeling, of seeing an animal decide.  You can see the actual moment that the decision is made to trust. You can see it in their eyes. Their whole body language changes. That is no small compliment there. The owner said, "You must have dogs." When I said no, she said, "Well...you should."

So today we made new friends, quadrupeds and bipeds alike. We also bought all the rest of flooring for the house for $3200. It is a lot of money, but we both felt that a cheap floor would cost more in the long term. We just want things to last. 

After that, we headed off to Corry for our next stop. Our old friend Geez needed to stock up on his grains and beans and asked if we would stop in at Happs, the discount grocery, where you can pick up the microwaveable pouches of organic grains for  59 cents. Since we've been meaning to go there anyway, we decided to tick multiple boxes today. 

We stopped to have lunch at a pub in Spartansburg between the two towns. We'd never eaten there before, and it was filled with taxidermy, deer and elks mounts, antler light fixtures, the like. Tim said there was a stuffed alligator there, which I didn't see, but I did see the porcupine standing on his hind legs next to a sign that said, "Don't be a prick. Leave a tip." Made me giggle. 

I had probably the best chicken salad I've had in a long time. Tim ordered a turkey and bacon salad. I'm not sure that I've ever mentioned this before, but if you order a salad in western Pennsylvania, you are very likely to get your salad topped with an order of french fries. True story. 

Our last errand was for Levi. He called and asked if we would be willing to pick up two bb guns for Ruben and Amos' Christmas. Sure, we said. He explained exactly what he wanted. He couldn't buy them. Walmart doesn't sell BB guns to the Amish. 

"WHAT????" I said incredulously. He said he had a friend who tried to buy a BB gun but they had refused to sell it to him. Craziest thing I ever heard, but we headed to Walmart. We did the rest of our Christmas shopping, and picked up the two BB guns Levi wanted, and printed out the pictures from our trip to the zoo this summer to put into a photo album for one of their Christmas presents. 

We went to the self checkout. When we scanned the BB guns, the sale was halted and an attendant needed to come over and verify that we were adults. She looked at us and scanned her badge to bypass that step.

So Tim told her about Levi's friend. She was a little bit shocked. All she was required to do was to make sure that it was not a teenager or a kid buying it. She mused for a moment and said, "Well, maybe the employee wasn't sure of the age." I laughed. That comment is sure to delight Levi who has a beard halfway down to his belt and it has plenty of gray in it just like any other Amish man in the community. 

Tim thought perhaps it was because he didn't have a picture ID. The employee explained that he did not need a photo ID, that a hunting or fishing license was adequate. She wondered if perhaps the other employee simply did not know. In any case, we can now explain it to Levi and the word will spread through the community. 

Amish Christmas will be Friday night. I am very much looking forward to it.