Sheep Hour

Ok, it’s time to get out and see some world, I said to myself.

With address book, stamps and postcards in my big rainbow-coloured purse, I eased my bike to the foot of the driveway and looked around. It was warm out! The air smelled so fresh. Wet, fallen leaves were matted across the ground forming a calico carpet. There were yellow boat-shaped ones and peach-orange 7-pointed ones.

Right or left? Well, I always go left toward Uptown Waterloo. Why not go right today and see where that leads?

When I came to the railroad tracks, I decided to follow them south into …KITCHENER!

Oh, following the tracks was a good idea. At times the foot/bike path disappeared and there was no place to ride, so I walked the bike, watching the bed of crushed rock in front of my feet for any heart-shaped stones.

Looking up, I noticed I could peek into every backyard as I passed. This person grows tomatoes and peppers. This one hasn’t used the compost bin in a while; it’s covered in vines. This person’s neighbours probably don’t know how much junk is back here. This family keeps their yard so neat and clipped. That one lets the yard go wild.

Soon I was approaching Michael’s neighbourhood and decided to go see the house that Dana and Coffee and Melle will soon be inhabiting. I was getting a bit hungry. Breakfast had been hours before, and I’d not brought any bran bars or water. Silly me.

I peeled away from the railroad tracks and followed Louisa Street toward Margaret Ave. Oh, there is Bud’s Restaurant. I’d been meaning to duck in there and see what it’s all about. Perfect timing.

Well, I really felt like a time traveler. The formica tables with chrome edges are the original mid-century modern. There is no pretense in this friendly little place. I ordered a grilled cheese and got just that… a grilled cheese on a Corelle plate barely bigger than the sandwich. I asked for tea and the large, warm Eastern European woman at the grill pointed to the tea bag selection and hot water. I picked a Pyrex mug like the ones my grandparents had.
Even though they were closing the grill and sweeping, she insisted it was fine for me to sit and write a postcard before going on my way. A newspaper article and reader poll tacked up on the wall shows that quite a few people voted theirs to be the best breakfast/bruch in town!

Next to Bud’s is Euro-Can, a store that carries Polish products, magazines and newspapers. I don’t know any Eastern European languages, except how to say a few polite phrases in Romanian, which really doesn’t count because it’s a romance language. If you’ve studied Latin and Italian, you can understand enough to get the gyst of a Romanian newspaper article. But I really don’t know if the products around me were all Polish or if there were teas and candies and canned goods from the former Jugoslavia, as well. Probably.

I squeezed my way up and down narrow aisles in this tiny store, taking my time studying pictures on labels. Behind the glass counter there are scores of strings of fat smoked sausages hanging in the open. Michael and I had been in here once before, as we pass it en route to his place.

I ended up with a box of Pu-ehr tea, which the matronly woman at the cash register told me, in broken English, was not only excellent for weight loss, but which her other customers swear up and down helps them with menopause problems. Hmmm. I’ll have a cup tomorrow morning, I thought. I also bought a bag of something for 1.29 that I thought was an herbal drop similar to Ricola. I must have examined one package and reached for another, because I later discovered I’d bought some sort of tisane from a tree that looks to me like an oak. Maybe someone back at work reads Polish and can tell me what I bought.

Continuing on my journey, I explored L L Market on Lancaster around the corner from Dana’s new house. This is a convenience store cum nursery. The quiet Asian woman running it was busy moving huge pots of hardy mums around. What gorgeous colours she has among her chrysanthemum offerings. And healthy! I think her pots are well worth the $10 she is asking.

I found Dana’s new house! Hey, it’s the cutest house on the block. The front is already landscaped (no mowing) and everything! AND, as you can read on her blog, the house nextdoor is now up for sale. Anyone want to start a retrofit urban intentional community? Now’s your chance. House #2 is already for sale.

I kept riding south and before I knew it, I was at Victoria Street. I never imagined I would ever be on my bike in that part of town. This is the part of town where business owners keep the bathroom key at the service desk. Hey! I’m near K-W Surplus! That’s one of my favourite places in the whole world!!! I almost never make it out this way. Let’s GO!

If you live in this area and have never been inside the building with the Spirfire flying over the roof and Russian tank parked outside, you MUST check it out. Especially if you are a sucker for a good deal, you must. They have everything under the sun. No really. You don’t believe me? Okay, here is a sampling of things they have:

mosquito nets * plastic models and model paint * jigsaw puzzles * those little toys our parents gave us to keep us quiet in the backseat, like the drawing board with the red plastic stylus and grey film you lift up to erase your drawing and start a new one * soap dispenser shaped like a dolphin * science kits for kids * huge nylon national flags * camou everything * camping gear of every sort * hammocks * toques * school supplies * dice * rubber rafts * snow shoes * combat boots * dispatch cases * gas masks * towels * fifty wooden clothespins for 88 cents * safety goggles * oven mits * shower curtains * tool belts * shop aprons * beaded curtains * picture frames * blank books * beakers * test tubes * scalpels * forceps * roach cl…er, I mean hemostats * power tools * wood carving tools * air hose * sledge hammers * the reacher for your grandmother after she falls and breaks her hip and is in a wheelchair for a month * the Helping Hand project holder with magnifier, table clamp and two clippy dealies – $5.95 * huge spool of twine big enough for that kite you wanted to fly to the moon * hockey sticks * cupboard doors * tires * plexiglass * oars * little scraps of leftover kitchen countertop * phonographs * golf clubs * wine rack that mounts on wall and holds five bottles – $6.95 * dog food * wind chimes * bird feeders * car stuff.

Get the picture? I didn’t even GO in the computer room! You need almost as much time to do KW Surplus as you need to do the Louvre. There’s just too much for one outing. Here are the flip mits I love so much. When you need your fingers, just flip the mitten out of the way and it stays out of the way courtesy of a little bit of velcro while you fumble with your house key. Similar mits were $10 next door at TSC.
To be candid, I would have stayed for the computer room, only KWS doesn’t have a public washroom and TSC does. I made my purchases, asking the clerk please to hurry. I was dancing in place. Oh, that’s another neat thing about KWS. There are always a few young women working there who have outrageous attitude.

As if you didn’t have enough in your shopping cart already, what with those dozen pair for a dollar dice and 88 cent blank books, now we come to TSC (Tractor Supply Co).

This is a great place to come if you need a deer lick holder, post hole digger, or ear tags for your cows. They also have bird seed in big bulk quantities, cobs of corn for my revolving squirrel feeder, udder wash, harnesses, Mane & Tail, fly reels, leather oil, pond liners, fuses, arc welders, tractor mufflers, hydraulic jacks and toys by ERTL and Schleich. It’s also a good place to come to use the washroom after spending too much time nextdoor.

As I was leaving, I noticed a flyer for the Ontario Trail Riders Association. So if you’re wanting to take your horse out on local trails with other horse people, contact these folks.

Oh! It’s getting toward Monkey Hour!