Double D's and Watching Eggs Boil

Saturday I woke up in Manhattan (the Little Apple) to fog and my first glimpse of just how much snow was left over from the previous two weeks. Quite frankly for the kids and I - it was a lot, but a lot less than what they had. Grayson and I went out in our jammies and took pictures and stayed outside until our cheeks and hands were cold. I really only had two things on my to-do list on Saturday:

1. Go say hello to Vesta at the Manhattan Arts Center;
2. Meet a stranger

So off to the Arts Center to see Vesta. Vesta Sargent lived across the street from my mom and my Aunt Dorothy as they were growing up in Riley, Kansas. My mom and Aunt used to babysit Vesta when she was small. It was so good to see her and be able to introduce my children to her. I haven't seen her since I left Manhattan in 1984 and she looked just as good on Saturday as she did in 1984. I swear that she hasn't aged a bit. Our time was limited because the Missoula Children's Theatre with Manhattan area children had a 3:00 show of Rumpelstiltskin, but we squeezed in a quick tour of the Arts Center. As a kid growing up in Manhattan, I participated in the summer children's theatre and it was a great experience and I looked forward to it every year. If you live in Manhattan, please be sure to support the Manhattan Arts Center. It is a great organization not only for children of the city, but the city itself. Oh and one more thing....if you know anyone at the Manhattan Mercury, please remind them that Manhattan has a local gem in the Manhattan Arts Center and they are consistently missing the opportunity to help it shine. Okay so I will get off my soap box.

Done seeing Vesta and off to Dillon's to pick up a few items for dinner. On our way in who do I run into??? None other than Tina...yup, Tina Horocofsky. She was on her way to play cards and watch the basketball game so with hugs and kisses we decide that we will try to get together for lunch on Monday.

Up and down the aisles trying to find items in a store that is remodelling and hitting myself in the head with the door to the orange juice - limited my patience to meet a stranger. But while checking out, Doone and I decided that we probably should stop by liquor to get something stronger than beer to drink. As most of you know, I am not a beer girl...never have been. It always tastes thick and well, just plain nasty to me. Cruising up Tuttle Creek Blvd., we pull into the liquor store and Mason proclaims that I should meet a stranger inside. Great idea and we all jump out (yes....that would include my two children) and head toward the door. Oh, hold the comments. To get a clear picture....picture this....liquor store is attached the gas station/convenience store and in the west corner of the parking lot is a car wash. And as I glance over my shoulder toward the west, I see several hunters in their orange hunting vest, camo caps, and coveralls standing in the one of the bays of the car wash. Nothing out of the ordinary...I figured that someone is in the gas station and they are watching over their guns.

Inside - two girls working the counter, the 4 of us and two hunters. "Oh, lord," I thought to myself....."please let them be done hunting because booze and bullets don't mix." Mason whispers to me..."go meet them." So I maneuver around the vodka, the tequila and wine racks over the check-out counter. With hand extended, I interrupt their comments about the bottle of wine, on the counter, titled B*tch and went into my spiel, "Hi, my name is Donna..." In a blink, I was shaking hands with Dave and then Dan. And with the same enthusiasm, they began to tell me about their day of hunting. It started out cold and in the snow and within an hour of being out in the field, it turned humid and muddy. But they got some nice size pheasants and now they were going to go home clean the birds and have some drinks. Whew. I told them that when I first saw them I was fearful that they were purchasing the alcohol before hunting. They just stared at me as if I called them "chicks" and they said "that would be stupid." I nodded in a agreement. With their adult beverages loaded into brown papers bags and paid for ($50 and some change), I wished them a great evening and headed back over to Doone and the kids who were looking at wine coolers. As they walked out I heard Dave say to Dan, "That's kinda cool that she is meeting a new person everyday." Or did Dan say that to Dave...oh bother, I am not sure.

As we left the liquor store (box of margaritas and fuzzy navel wine coolers), we glanced over at the car wash and they were still there. Washing off their ATV. I shouted across the parking lot and told Dave and Dan goodbye. Of course the first thing that I say when I get in the car is "In my day, we hunted old school...by walking. Not riding around on a ATV." I then asked, "Does anyone remember which one was as Dave and which one was Dan?" Nope. And then for some reason, Mason asked a questions about someone's bra size and Gray threw out DD which morpher into the moniker - "Double D at the Liquor Store."

We got home and told everyone about the Double D's. And as the sun set, I assume the Double D's were cleaning the birds and drinking; we on the other hand, were drinking and watching eggs boil. It was a strange day, but that's how we roll in Kansas.