It didn't start off weird. I began the day waking up a little later than I wanted and quickly discovering that I was completely out of disposable contacts. I spent a few minutes searching through forgotten purses and overnight bags for leftovers and gladly found a pair. Cool. With my new eyes I set out to Malu Aina Farm arriving a little later than my aimed-for time of 8am. Mike and I spent a few hours picking up straw and added it and composted manure to the new compost pile. Due to a heavy rain the night before, he successfully got the truck stuck. Even after multiple attempts to "un-stick" it, Mike resorted to using the winch to pull the truck out of it's sticky spot. He claimed there were two winches helping. Do you suppose he meant I was a winch, too? Surely not. A beautiful bounty of asparagus makes sweating in the sun and smelling like manure well worth it. I made a killer portabello mushroom and asparagus omelet Easter morning - with fresh Malu Aina eggs no less!
That afternoon Tom and I decided to go to Roanoke for the afternoon. Our first stop was
Mill Mountain Coffee & Tea. It was crowded but the Southern Pecan decaf I ordered was delicious. We looked through assorted free publications about "this & that" around the Roanoke area. A postcard for the
Floyd Fandango caught our eye and might be a fun way to spend July 4th.
And then things got weirder... It wasn't the woman in the super expensive home decorating store wishing shoppers a "happy bunny day!"... it wasn't
Sun Ra walking down the street (our second siting)... it wasn't the guy in the wheelchair who called Tom "Chief" (twice) outside the
Roanoke Weiner Stand...
Although those instances were all a little weird, our bookstore and dinner experiences were weirder by far.
We stumbled into Cantos Booksellers, a small, independent bookstore. We'd been here before and witnessed a bizarre interaction between who we assumed was the owner and a patron. She accused the poor guy of "looking up the skirt of the book", loudly enough for everyone to hear. I was somewhat embarrassed for the guy but figured he must have been doing something to be a jerk. This time we were the only customers in the store. I found a book with an interesting cover and started to look at the table of contents to see if any of the chapter titles piqued my interest. Suddenly the same lady appears before me commenting on how it's a neat book - I agree - and before I know it she's being really pushy and asking if the book is in my price range and whether she can hold it at the counter for me. No, I reply, I'd really just like to peruse the contents a little longer. Crazy Book Lady suddenly flips out and sternly tells me that if I open the book it will wear out the cover and it can no longer be sold. Well damn, it will never be sold if I can't tell whether or not I like the book! Tom and I promptly left without an altercation but I did have the urge to spit on her window from the sidewalk outside. Apparently I'm not the only victim of Crazy Book Lady and you can browse wickedly similar experiences
here. I believe in supporting local merchants but I'd choose Barnes & Noble over that place any day. Moral of the story... Cantos = Can't Sell Books = Can't Get Along With Others!
And last but not least - Freaky Fiji Island Restaurant! The first time I've ever... been expected to put a lei around my neck before placing my napkin in my lap... dined in a windowless room with a drop ceiling like looked remarkably like someone's revamped basement... had a flaming appetizer called a Pu Pu Platter (and pronounced "poo poo")...
Think dimly lit, somewhat overpriced, senior citizen frequented... but surprisingly decent food... you must try it at least once!
What a weird day to remember.
