The Grocery Store
"Life is like riding a bicycle. You have to keep moving to maintain your balance." ~Albert Einstein
Annarose spent Friday night at Ella's house in East Campus. Saturday morning, I rode over to pick her up. I planned to run a few errands on the way home, so I brought my big Chrome bag to have room to carry everything. While we were riding, AR commented that she was hungry. We decided to stop downtown and pick up a treat before running our errands. After ordering coffee and pastries, I realized I had left my checkbook at home. Dang! So much for errands on the way the home. We left and rode home where I dropped off Annarose. My gears had been slipping a bit lately, so I wanted to run by Klunk to have Karl adjust them for me. I could have done it myself or had Tim do it, but we had been swamped lately. I also planned to run by Michael's to pick up some art supplies for a project we were working on. Then, reluctantly, to the grocery store.
I had let our food stores get low. We were down to one kind of cereal that no one really liked. Cans of beans and artichoke hearts filled the pantry. The refridgerator contained lots of condiments without much to put them on. Even the freezer was almost empty with three partial bags of corn, some old Boca burgers, and half a bag of frozen fruit. I dreaded when the kids told me they were hungry, "How about some capers with ketchup and saurkraut?" I offered with a smile. Their crestfallen faces told me it was time to go grocery shopping. I couldn't avoid it any longer.
It's not that I mind grocery shopping or that it's hard on the bike. With being a mom and trying to run a small business successfully, it's hard to find the time for a proper stock up. I resigned myself and headed out to run errands leaving Tim at home with the kids. First, I went to Klunk to find Karl swamped, he asked me to bring the bike back around 4 when he closed for the day. Then over to Michael's for our art supplies. Then Hy-Vee. Gerbes is much closer to our house. I prefer Hy-Vee for big stock up trips; they have good produce and health food sections.
I worked my way around the store stocking up on everything for the next few weeks. The cart was overflowing and getting difficult to push around corners. When I had to start from a stop, I really had to lean into it to over come inertia and get the cart rolling. I called Tim to see if he needed anything I may have forgotten. "Could you pick up some Mendota Springs?" He asked. "Sure thing" I replied heading to the soda aisle. I got 4-12 packs putting them on the bottom shelf of the cart. Who knew when I'd be back at the store?
Then Tim called me. "I just put in a load of laundry. We need laundry soap." "OK, I'll get some laundry soap."
I went to the laundry aisle and got a 100 oz bottle of laundry soap. I was starting to get a bit concerned about fitting everything in the bike cart. Being a seasoned bicycle shopper, I knew it would be close, but it would fit. Besides, I had my collapsible basket to hold the two gallons of milk. Then I remembered that we were out of toilet paper. Now toilet paper doesn't weigh much, but it takes up lots of space...crap - no pun intended. I contemplated the toilet paper situation. Clearly I couldn't fit 48 mega rolls in the bike cart with all these groceries, I settled for 12 double rolls.
Tim called again. Max wanted me to pick up some fudgsicles. OK. I headed to the freezer section feeling wreckless. How much could I fit in that little cart? My record to date was 17 bags, two gallons of milk, two 12 packs, and laundry soap. Maybe I'd pick up a turkey and a slab of ribs just to make things exciting.
I headed to the check out line and started unloading my groceries fantasizing about the good old days when the cashier did this leaving me free to read magazines. Several people got in line behind me, saw how much stuff I had, and went to a different line. Finally, some woman with too much free time got in line behind me and stayed.
"Wow. Someone's going to be happy to see you when you get home with all those groceries." She commented with a smile in her voice.
"Yep." I replied. While I am an incessant chatterbox around friends and family, I am not a check out line chit-chat kind of person.
"I hope you have someone to help you unload all those groceries at home." She pursued.
"Yeah, I have two kids. I'm sure they'll help." I replied flatly.
"Teenagers?" She asked. Clearly, I must need all this food to feed two strapping teenage boys and a house full of their friends.
"No, they are younger kids."
The cashier and bagger had started talking about whether they could fit it all in one cart, or whether the bagger would need a second cart. So far, they were making it work with just the one cart and gloating about their ability to do so.
Then we got toward the bottom of the cart, produce...great. "Is this parsley?" The cashier enquired. "No, cilantro." I replied.
"What are these?" He asked holding up a bag of fresh fennel bulbs.
"Fennel" I answered.
"Is this spinach?"
"Uh-uh. arugula." I answered feeling a little embarrassed. Not only had I broken some unspoken grocery store rule by buying too many groceries at one time, I had apparently committed a second breech of grocery store etiquette by buying lots of freaky UPC-code-free produce that no one recognized.
Finally the checking was over. The bagger and the lady behind me waited in breathless anticipation of my total. How much will all her groceries cost? The cashier announced "That'll be $254.71" handing me the two foot long receipt. I could feel the lady and the baggers silent gasps. 'I can't wait to tell my friends about this' they seemed to be thinking.
"Do you need help out to your car, Ma'am?" He asked hopefully.
"No thank you" I replied. I absolutely did not want help out to my 'car'. I could just imagine the break room talk about this one. 'She spent so much on food she couldn't even afford a car to take it home in.'
I was a little nervous as I headed out to the bike, would it fit? What would I do if it didn't? Could they hold the groceries for me while I took the first load home, then come back for the second load? That'd be embarassing. I guess I could call Tim if I had to. I started loading the cart, the 12 packs on the bottom, prop the toilet paper up against one side, then start loading in the bags. I had my doubts, but it all fit with the 2 gallons of milk going in the collapsible basket. Now to get home.
As with every destination, there are lots of ways to get from Hy-Vee to my house. The most direct, heavily trafficked, and flattest: Broadway. Slightly longer, slightly less trafficked, and slightly hillier: Ash. The hilliest and least busy: West Rollins. I opt for Rollins for lots of reasons. Mostly because I like the anticipation that comes with wondering if I will be able to make it up that huge hill between Stadium and College Park with a cart so heavily laden.
Everytime I make this trip with a cart full of groceries I have this slight feeling of dread that I might not be able to make it up that hill. I envision myself stuck in that valley unable to get out...pushing a bike with a fully laden cart is way harder, almost impossible, than riding with one. This dreaded daydream involves me just not being able to make it up the other hill for some reason. I will sit down on the curb next to the road, stranded there. I will be thankful for the groceries, because at least I will have some food so I won't starve to death. I figure I can just sit on the curb eating for a few days until I eat enough of the food to lighten my load and make it up the other side of the hill. Of course, I realize that this is completely absurd. One of my friends lives a block from this valley, my house is only 3/4 miles away, and I can always call Tim for a ride. But it's fun to think about these types of goofy things.
Needless to say, I made it up the hill and home with no difficulty.
I disconnected the bike cart and left it home for Tim and the kids to unload.. Try that with a car. Then I took off for Klunk. Karl stayed open late and replaced my rear derailleur cable for me. Thanks Karl, you rock! It cost less than $15 and my gears are shifting like a dream.
Annarose spent Friday night at Ella's house in East Campus. Saturday morning, I rode over to pick her up. I planned to run a few errands on the way home, so I brought my big Chrome bag to have room to carry everything. While we were riding, AR commented that she was hungry. We decided to stop downtown and pick up a treat before running our errands. After ordering coffee and pastries, I realized I had left my checkbook at home. Dang! So much for errands on the way the home. We left and rode home where I dropped off Annarose. My gears had been slipping a bit lately, so I wanted to run by Klunk to have Karl adjust them for me. I could have done it myself or had Tim do it, but we had been swamped lately. I also planned to run by Michael's to pick up some art supplies for a project we were working on. Then, reluctantly, to the grocery store.
I had let our food stores get low. We were down to one kind of cereal that no one really liked. Cans of beans and artichoke hearts filled the pantry. The refridgerator contained lots of condiments without much to put them on. Even the freezer was almost empty with three partial bags of corn, some old Boca burgers, and half a bag of frozen fruit. I dreaded when the kids told me they were hungry, "How about some capers with ketchup and saurkraut?" I offered with a smile. Their crestfallen faces told me it was time to go grocery shopping. I couldn't avoid it any longer.
It's not that I mind grocery shopping or that it's hard on the bike. With being a mom and trying to run a small business successfully, it's hard to find the time for a proper stock up. I resigned myself and headed out to run errands leaving Tim at home with the kids. First, I went to Klunk to find Karl swamped, he asked me to bring the bike back around 4 when he closed for the day. Then over to Michael's for our art supplies. Then Hy-Vee. Gerbes is much closer to our house. I prefer Hy-Vee for big stock up trips; they have good produce and health food sections.
I worked my way around the store stocking up on everything for the next few weeks. The cart was overflowing and getting difficult to push around corners. When I had to start from a stop, I really had to lean into it to over come inertia and get the cart rolling. I called Tim to see if he needed anything I may have forgotten. "Could you pick up some Mendota Springs?" He asked. "Sure thing" I replied heading to the soda aisle. I got 4-12 packs putting them on the bottom shelf of the cart. Who knew when I'd be back at the store?
Then Tim called me. "I just put in a load of laundry. We need laundry soap." "OK, I'll get some laundry soap."
I went to the laundry aisle and got a 100 oz bottle of laundry soap. I was starting to get a bit concerned about fitting everything in the bike cart. Being a seasoned bicycle shopper, I knew it would be close, but it would fit. Besides, I had my collapsible basket to hold the two gallons of milk. Then I remembered that we were out of toilet paper. Now toilet paper doesn't weigh much, but it takes up lots of space...crap - no pun intended. I contemplated the toilet paper situation. Clearly I couldn't fit 48 mega rolls in the bike cart with all these groceries, I settled for 12 double rolls.
Tim called again. Max wanted me to pick up some fudgsicles. OK. I headed to the freezer section feeling wreckless. How much could I fit in that little cart? My record to date was 17 bags, two gallons of milk, two 12 packs, and laundry soap. Maybe I'd pick up a turkey and a slab of ribs just to make things exciting.
I headed to the check out line and started unloading my groceries fantasizing about the good old days when the cashier did this leaving me free to read magazines. Several people got in line behind me, saw how much stuff I had, and went to a different line. Finally, some woman with too much free time got in line behind me and stayed.
"Wow. Someone's going to be happy to see you when you get home with all those groceries." She commented with a smile in her voice.
"Yep." I replied. While I am an incessant chatterbox around friends and family, I am not a check out line chit-chat kind of person.
"I hope you have someone to help you unload all those groceries at home." She pursued.
"Yeah, I have two kids. I'm sure they'll help." I replied flatly.
"Teenagers?" She asked. Clearly, I must need all this food to feed two strapping teenage boys and a house full of their friends.
"No, they are younger kids."
The cashier and bagger had started talking about whether they could fit it all in one cart, or whether the bagger would need a second cart. So far, they were making it work with just the one cart and gloating about their ability to do so.
Then we got toward the bottom of the cart, produce...great. "Is this parsley?" The cashier enquired. "No, cilantro." I replied.
"What are these?" He asked holding up a bag of fresh fennel bulbs.
"Fennel" I answered.
"Is this spinach?"
"Uh-uh. arugula." I answered feeling a little embarrassed. Not only had I broken some unspoken grocery store rule by buying too many groceries at one time, I had apparently committed a second breech of grocery store etiquette by buying lots of freaky UPC-code-free produce that no one recognized.
Finally the checking was over. The bagger and the lady behind me waited in breathless anticipation of my total. How much will all her groceries cost? The cashier announced "That'll be $254.71" handing me the two foot long receipt. I could feel the lady and the baggers silent gasps. 'I can't wait to tell my friends about this' they seemed to be thinking.
"Do you need help out to your car, Ma'am?" He asked hopefully.
"No thank you" I replied. I absolutely did not want help out to my 'car'. I could just imagine the break room talk about this one. 'She spent so much on food she couldn't even afford a car to take it home in.'
I was a little nervous as I headed out to the bike, would it fit? What would I do if it didn't? Could they hold the groceries for me while I took the first load home, then come back for the second load? That'd be embarassing. I guess I could call Tim if I had to. I started loading the cart, the 12 packs on the bottom, prop the toilet paper up against one side, then start loading in the bags. I had my doubts, but it all fit with the 2 gallons of milk going in the collapsible basket. Now to get home.
As with every destination, there are lots of ways to get from Hy-Vee to my house. The most direct, heavily trafficked, and flattest: Broadway. Slightly longer, slightly less trafficked, and slightly hillier: Ash. The hilliest and least busy: West Rollins. I opt for Rollins for lots of reasons. Mostly because I like the anticipation that comes with wondering if I will be able to make it up that huge hill between Stadium and College Park with a cart so heavily laden.
Everytime I make this trip with a cart full of groceries I have this slight feeling of dread that I might not be able to make it up that hill. I envision myself stuck in that valley unable to get out...pushing a bike with a fully laden cart is way harder, almost impossible, than riding with one. This dreaded daydream involves me just not being able to make it up the other hill for some reason. I will sit down on the curb next to the road, stranded there. I will be thankful for the groceries, because at least I will have some food so I won't starve to death. I figure I can just sit on the curb eating for a few days until I eat enough of the food to lighten my load and make it up the other side of the hill. Of course, I realize that this is completely absurd. One of my friends lives a block from this valley, my house is only 3/4 miles away, and I can always call Tim for a ride. But it's fun to think about these types of goofy things.
Needless to say, I made it up the hill and home with no difficulty.
I disconnected the bike cart and left it home for Tim and the kids to unload.. Try that with a car. Then I took off for Klunk. Karl stayed open late and replaced my rear derailleur cable for me. Thanks Karl, you rock! It cost less than $15 and my gears are shifting like a dream.
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