8.27.2011

irene is coming


we've made her a nice fruit salad.  you must always have something on hand for unexpected guests.

hurricane weekend!  hurricane weekend!  EVERYTHING is closed, including mass transit, we couldn't get out if we wanted to.  and we did want to, we had a birthday barbeque to enjoy, but it meant the serious possibility of then being stranded in connecticut for days.  with unhappy cats in tow.  so we're braving miss irene with relaxed cats instead.  it's actually nice, we're forced to be lazy.  no gym, no work, no subway... ruggy made several early morning trips for supplies before the sidewalks turned into pumpkins, waiting patiently in market lines wrapping around stores.  i picked up a few goodies yesterday before the hysteria truly hit.

(oona peruses the "wellness" section of her neighborhood organic market.  she knows this section well and can go it alone.  but the New Level Of Customer Service at her recently revamped haunt is eager.  without prompting, one attacks.)

eager rep:  WHAT CAN I HELP YOU WITH TODAY?

(oona sighs, and decides it's easier to give in than decline.)

oona:  just looking for some elderberry.

eager rep:  well hereyougo right HERE!  they alphabetize things but you know they start over at D for some reason and this line is 30 percent off be sure they know steve said it's 30 percent off!

oona: okay.

(oona escapes to the checkout line.  suddenly:)

eager rep:  DO YOU HAVE A STRESS TONIC FOR THE HURRICANE?

(speechless at first, oona laughs.  upon realizing he is quite serious-- and worried-- she attempts to reassure him.)

oona:  yes, i have a bottle of red and a bottle of white, so i think i'll be okay.

(the eager rep blinks.  he is truly concerned for oona's health.)

oona:  okay.  stay dry!

~fin~

while my encounter merely struck me as oddball, ruggy described his own in-store experiences as rude.  he lamented that peeps were using irene as an excuse to bump into each other without apology.  as far as i'm concerned, that's business as usual in this town, but ruggy's southern manners make him softer skinned.  lucky for me.  he's the kind of guy that moves a gal to the inside of the sidewalk.  the kind of guy you want next to you in a hurricane.

i think i'm gonna go get him a bowl of that fruit salad.  and some stress tonic.

20 comments:

  1. I'm not in Irene's path, but "stress tonic" sounds wonderful. Stay safe and dry!

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  2. Beautiful salad! Best of luck with the Hurricane! I'm quite sure you guys will be fine. I'm use to them since I live in Miami. Happy camping!

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  3. Ooooh, I likey that fruit salad. Do stay hunkered down and safe, I hope Irene peters out early.

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  4. Hopefully y'all's electricity will stay on. Cabin fever isn't too bad when you can surf the net, sew, and watch the telly.
    DJ is from Texas and when he came to Baltimore, his exact words were "I got to get you out of here" and thats what he did. Gotta love a southern guy!

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  5. Haha. In the event of an emergency, one must always know where the liquor is!

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  6. Peeps here get all excited about blizzards, but I say it's a perfect excuse to hole up and hang out ( oh yes, and pass the glass.) Interesting that you should mention elderberry, I just picked a couple gallons and am contemplating syrup. Or should I just make jam and eat it every morning?? Is this to kill the baltimore bug?

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  7. Good luck Oona and Ruggy! That salad look yummy-liscious and your stress juice sounds great! I'll even have a glass for you when the time of day is ... Ahem, more appropriate. I'm sure you will be fine with your fine southern gentleman!

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  8. Good luck! We're holed up in Astoria waiting for Miss Irene, but no fruit salad! I *might* have procrastinated and done my emergency stockpiling at the bodega around the corner, so it's junk food all around!

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  9. Sounds like the perfect excuse for a sewcation! Will Irene inspire an Oona does it? :D

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  10. I'm amused that I live further inland and get more hurricanes than you! Though our ice storm (Did you see the dude ice skating down Peachtree Street!?) was pretty insane. Even our resident Northerner was like "This is crazy, I'm not driving in this!".

    Anyway. Stay safe and dry and have some cheese to go with that fruit and wine.

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  11. Stay safe, lovely. And send me an email, so I can send you trinkets! x

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  12. We don't get hurricanes in Australia, they sound so ominous. Stay safe Kalkatroonians, and we'll see you post stress tonic. (BTW what the hell is natural stress tonic?)

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  13. Oona, you're so cruel!! I've been in Antarctica almost 12 months without even a hint of fruit that isn't tinned or bastardised by some snap-freezer someplace much warmer than here! Too jealous of that photo. Enjoy the Hurricane (I love the cyclones and Blizzards personally!) Tell Ruggy to enjoy that fruit salad .... *sniff*

    pubooi: What thirsty Antarcticans cry as someone cuts infront of them on the way to the bar....

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  14. If I were Irene, I'd be totally placated by that fruit salad. And some stress tonic, of course. Preferably red. ;) Stay safe & dry!

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  15. Damn that Irene, she has no consideration does she not know there was meant to be a bbq! Shesh! Hopefully it won't be a bad one and you can enjoy the you, wine and Ruggy time. I like the colours of your fruit salad though (aside from the fact that it looks tasty as!), looks like an Oona type fabric to me :)

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  16. So how did Irene end up impacting your neighborhood in New York City? We didn't even see a drop of rain where I am in North Carolina. Hope you didn't loose power and actually could have your "sew-cation" as suggested. :)

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  17. Y'ALL. nothing even HAPPENED!!!!!

    ~ shawnta: DJ is a GOOD MAN.

    ~ sigrid: yes, it cures all ills! i get the extract, 30 drops in a little water every couple hours. miracle elixir.

    ~ tanit-isis: interesting...

    ~ kirsty: it does! maybe that's why i grabbed my camera!

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  18. Well, as long a you enjoyed either the red or the white 'stress tonic', all was not voor naught. :)

    Glad to read you're ok.

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  19. A good hurricane strategy is essential and your strategy was excellent, Oona!

    Even way out here in the wilds of New Jersey, Irene's effects reminded me of a scene from "In the Heights":

    BLACKOUT! WE ARE POWERLESS!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1DitFK7I7g&feature=watch_response

    Until just a few hours ago, that is, when I heard a strange and quite unexpectedly welcome sound -- our radon fan suddenly returning to duty!

    Neighborhood children began cheering and whooping, their outside play once again replaced with iThingies, video games and TV. Generators ended their heretofore seemingly ceaseless whining!

    Praise the lord!
    Our power has been restored!

    Irene was a very poor guest
    She did her best
    To wet the bed
    In every room she visited

    Fortunately for us
    Her stay was short
    And her bed wetting habits
    Quite limited

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  20. "he's the kind of guy that moves a gal to the inside of the sidewalk."

    Swoon. My daddy does that.

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i thankya truly for taking the time to comment, i love a good conversation-- and hope you know my thanks are always implied, if not always written!