Bake Sales and Malls

Today my daughter had the day off from school. It was a professional day. It was also a day to vote, and we get to vote at our local elementary school. It happens to be my daughter's school. My point is that we made the trek to her school today even on a no-school day.

Last night I made 4 dozen oatmeal cookies and two dozen Cappuccino Chip muffins. Some of the cookies had chocolate chips in them, some were plain, and some had dried cranberries and pecans. I had way too much fun making all that food. Good thing, too, since the PTO raised a whopping $20.00 for all that effort. [said in typical smarmy fashion]

Then the business side of my brain elbows its way into this line of thinking and insists that it is not just the 20 bucks that the PTO has gained. All those voters come through the door, after walking through a cold rain and chilly wind, to be greeted by a smiling parent accompanied by his/her child, standing behind two table-clothed folding tables heaping with home baked treats. And hot coffee. With Real Cream!!

Yes, the treats cost money. Where else are you going to get such goodies, in such variety, at such reasonable prices (blueberry coffee cake for 50 cents?!?!)? And why not treat yourself, since a measly fifty percent of eligible voters even bother to vote? Anyway, it's called "Goodwill." That's what the PTO and our school gain by holding the quaint Election Day Bake Sale.

My daughter and I carried our paper sack full of confections across a playground field and back to my car. The grass was wet and the wind was whipping; it's a perfect day to go to The Mall.

We had high hopes when we arrived, parked and scrambled into an anchor store. Winter clothing was top on the list and we found a wonderful selection of children's coats. [She's already left the lining of her coat at her karate class tonight - not even 12 hours owned and already we have to search a lost & found bin.]

The store we shopped in had a long line of check-out stations.... and all of 3 were open when we were ready to check out. No rush, though, for us, so we ambled into a line and waited. Then it began. A run of sour luck in 3 stores in a row.

It started when a manager at this first store got our attention and told us to move over to a shorter line. I was happy to remain where I was but he insisted. So we move over to the "shorter" line and proceed to wait for the couple in front of us to count change for 5 minutes while we watched the people who had been in line behind us get checked through our old line. Oh, well. No hurry today.

Next stop, another anchor store for fancy shoes. More waiting for the sole sales person to finish a phone call so we could get some shoes to try on. And when we were ready to pay, we waited behind a woman who filled out an application for a credit card AND a shipping form. She wrote slowly and deliberately. Whew. No problem, no hurry today.

Last stop, big electronics anchor store - oops - no - wait - daughter forgot her rain coat in the last store - go back - found it! - okay, over to the electronics store to pick up a computer. This time, a "geek" would not be torn away from his conversation about pruning rhododendrons to get my computer. He scornfully looked sideways at me and walked away with his friend so they could pretend he was selling his friend a computer! Not kidding!

So my daughter and I did a little dance at the deserted counter and cupped our hands around our mouths, saying, "Heeelloooo?!? Is anyyybodyyy there?!?!?!?" Until a red faced "geek" came out from his lair and made very quick work of getting us out of there :)

I should sleep now. Or at least lay down.