Mid-summer afternoon errands



    from the desk of....



     Late Friday afternoon found me driving in light commuter traffic from Sonora over Melones to Angels then up the highway 4 corridor to Murphys.

 I was on my way to pick up mail that had been too large to fit in our local post office mailbox. Blue skies, sunshine, temps in the mid-80's, windows rolled down, wind in my hair, Santana playing on the CD player. 

     In our society where everything is expected to appear in a microwavable nano second I love shopping and ordering miscellaneous items/products online, then waiting for them to be delivered to my mailbox, without having to drive around a shopping center parking lot waiting for an available parking space to open up.

Long gone are the days I enjoyed walking about endless miles of Silicon Valley malls. Where upon entering you're automatically greeted with a rush of cool artificial air carrying the scents of mingled perfumes, new shoe leather, the aroma of myriad food courts and loud chatter. With all of this sensory overload, why is it there is always a tired child crying somewhere in the background that you notice first?

                               

Having survived that initial experience you're now surrounded by two levels of aligned cookie cutter glass front shops and their artfully designed window cases, each jockeying for the shopper's individual attention. A wide expanse of Italian marble tiled floor squares lead you in and to nearby strategically placed escalators for your shopping pleasure, while elevators are always a bit of an inconvenience to reach, standing off to the sides, separate and alone.
Elegant greenery potted in unimaginably large-sized urns are situated near benches in designated areas available for exhausted shoppers loaded down with their many purchases and mothers with tired children in strollers. Been there done that. Zao zing to big city life....

                             
I love small town life and post offices.Go figure! Aside from collecting packages, mail and other assorted items I love the smell of the post office~ it carries the unmistakeable scent of paper. As a writer and a voracious reader, I always associate the post office with bookstores and libraries~  always my two fav places.  So, I was not disappointed when I opened up my post office box and discovered the 2 latest Pottery Barn catalogues, or receiving packages of books (previously ordered), at the counter. One errand down, now on to the next.

     
Arriving back in Angels Camp I tooled over to CVS. Everyone was out and about getting ready for their weekends. Starbucks and McDonalds scattered patio tables were filled. Inside CVS I stocked up on household cleaning supplies (steam cleaning our dining room carpet is today's project) and picked up issues of Elle Decor and Traditional Home magazines to add to my stockpile of reading material.                           

Arriving  home I excitedly opened my book packages. I received pulitizer prize winning authors, Joseph J. Ellis' First Family (Abigal & John Adams). And, Cleopatra, A Life by Stacy Schiff. Very exciting. I love having books about the house that I can read when I have the time to get to them~ at my fingertips.

Jeff arrived home shortly afterwards carrying grocery bags from Angels Market. Barbecued chicken and country ribs with mac salad. He cheffed up oven broiled buttered French bread slices to go with dinner. Whatta great way to kick-start the weekend!
                           
                         
                           

    That's what I'm talking about!