By Vicki Scott
We had a cancellation last Friday for one of our van volunteers at George Wallace Senior Center in Glencoe. These volunteers take hot meals to our homebound seniors. It is a job but a blessing and an honor.
I recently recruited my darling, precious husband Alan to “volunteer” to take the volunteer’s place. He gladly accepted, but he had to postpone plans to go to the south-central part of the state to take care of some business for me. Alan decided to go on Saturday, and I bargained with him to go without me. I promised a hot meal would be waiting for him when he returned home. This is something I have not done since the Goodyear buyout that left him retired and/or unemployed. We do not know yet. Either way, Alan gladly accepted my bargain and left to take care of business.
Imagine my excitement to be able to go to the Gadsden Mall by myself, because it was Clinique Bonus Week! This is a sad weakness, but I have learned to accept it. On my way to the Clinique counter, I saw the clearance rack and could not pass by without looking. It did not take long to realize that I might have needed to have my darling husband with me, but I trekked on.
At FYE, I heard one could pick out songs and put them on a CD. This was true, and I went crazy! The store clerk/customer service representative probably was glad to see me go since I had no idea what I was doing and asked a lot of questions. It was such a fun experience, though, and the store clerk/customer service representative should get a raise. She asked me if I wanted in on the rewards club and I told her I did not get out much.
When I finished at the mall, I left for Publix in Rainbow City. I love Publix, because they take your groceries out for you and will not accept a tip. I do not mind tipping, but I just get so stressed about it because I never know when to tip and how much. I don’t want to insult anyone when they have done a good job.
A young lad almost ran into me at Publix, and I watched him hurry toward a tall man. I glanced at the tall man and thought, “He looks like that funny weather guy.”
I soon was sidetracked at the Aprons table. The lady had just finished cooking an Aprons recipe of Cajun beef roast with gravy over rice and asked me if I wanted to try some. I couldn’t be rude, so she served me a plate. The lady used beef tips instead of pot roast, and it looked more like stew. While I was enjoying her delicious dish, she shared how much she loved her job. She asked
if the tall man I had seen earlier guy was Mickey Ferguson, the weatherman from WBRC Fox6 News.
I looked at him and who he was with in search of more clues. It was too late to go up and ask him after I finished my dish, as he was nowhere to be found. So I missed my chance to meet him for some stew. I feel like I read a similar story in the Bible.
I soon got ingredients for a pot roast dinner along with some other things I did not need and headed home.
My darling husband was home before I expected him and had to wait for his hot meal, but he didn’t complain. I told Alan about seeing Mickey Ferguson, and he said he might have gone to Noccalula Falls to get a picture after all the rain. That inspired us to visit Noccalula Falls and get a picture. I don’t know if the tall man I saw was Mickey Ferguson, but I looked on facebook, and the lady with him looked like his wife. If it was not him, he and his wife have a decoy.
I would have asked him as much when I was at Publix, but I was on a mission for a hot meal and distracted by some stew.