Strawberry Lady

One of the tasks Eleanor inherited from Chauncey after she left her job is going to the Farmers Market on Tuesday mornings.  Chauncey took her the first time and showed her which vendors he liked.  There are only six to eight vendors so it is easy to keep track of where to go for what. 

During their initial visit, Chauncey pointed out the lettuce lady, who doubles as the strawberry lady, the egg couple and his favorite fruit guy.  As he and Eleanor passed a long table full of well organized fruit, Chauncey said, “Don’t go there.  He’s the mean fruit guy.”  And, in fact, few people are ever at his stand.

What Eleanor likes most about this particular Farmer’s Market is hearing Spanish.  The market is in a latino neighborhood.  Most of the vendors and customers are Spanish speakers.  Once, after Eleanor had paid for her strawberries, she heard the familiar, “Que le vaya bien (May everything go well for you).”  She had not heard this phrase since her last week of work. 

The Strawberry Lady

Eleanor spent over 20 years as a clinical social worker providing therapy to children and their families.  Meetings took place at the child’s school or in the home.  The parents were typically from Mexico and spoke only Spanish.  Eleanor spoke Spanish and developed strong connections with the parents because of this.  Often, after painful conversations about a family’s struggles, a parent would say to Eleanor as she was leaving, “Que le vaya bien,” or “Que Dios te bendiga (May God bless you).”  This was a way of expressing gratitude for whatever relief the conversation had provided. 

The strawberry lady’s words reminded Eleanor of the people she had helped not so long ago, in a world where Spanish-speaking immigrants search for ways to make a living and raise their children in a way that differs from how they were raised.  Eleanor promised herself to offer the same blessing she had been offered the next time she was at the Farmer’s Market. 

Camping Tricks

“What do we do with the toilet paper?,” asked Eleanor.  She and Chauncey were camping with their friends Trent and Olivia and their 4 month- old rottweiler Stella.  They were high up in the Sierras, away from bathrooms and most other campers. Olivia and Eleanor had known each other since they were four but this was their first camping trip together.

Stella

“Throw it in the campfire,” replied Trent.  He had been camping in the wilderness since he was a teenager and knew that leaving used toilet paper in the woods was not a good idea for many reasons.  Stella disagreed with Trent and frequently came back from her wanderings with the white stuff in her mouth.

Eleanor and Chauncey were in a Coleman tent designed to sleep 10. It even had a flap in the middle which could be zipped to create two rooms. They had bought the tent to take their two daughters camping many years ago and were surprised that it could still stand.  Olivia and Trent were in their pop up camper equipped with a stove, refrigerator and lots of storage compartments with all the food for the week.  Totally bear proof.

Coleman tent

Granite Creek

Many hours were spent by the river.  Everyone seemed to have a project or two.  Olivia worked on a quilt, Chauncey read his novel, Eleanor drew, and Trent tried to make it through, Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting for You, a self-help book which Eleanor and Chauncey had recommended.  When he got fed up, he went fly fishing or lay in the hammock.

In the evenings, there was the usual beer tasting, meal preparing, mosquito swiping and pinochle.  Hoyle’s Book of Rules was close by to settle any arguments about scoring.  The most successful team of Pinochle players was Olivia and Eleanor.  They were able to keep count even in the most trying of circumstances.

One evening, Eleanor put her purple scarf around her shoulders and became Izolda, the Tarot reader.  Olivia, Chauncey and Trent each brought a question, and Izolda used the cards to guide them towards an answer.  Being new to Tarot reading, Izolda had to consult with her book as she struggled to interpret the cards.  Olivia, Chauncey and Trent were patient, though, and pretended, at least, to have been enlightened by the experience.

On the last night, the campers went down to the river and looked up at the sky.  Eleanor lay down on a large, flat rock and, within moments, saw one of several shooting stars.  She felt deep gratitude for Trent and Olivia who had led her to this place and helped her feel safe in the wild.

Zuma

Chauncey was always the first to spot the dolphins.  There were several of them moving slowly southwards just beyond the waves.  A surfer sat on his board watching as they passed by a few feet in front of him.

Chauncey and Eleanor arrived at Zuma around 11AM and had to set up at lifeguard station #12 because lifeguard station #9, their favorite, was too crowded.  It was foggy and cold.  Eleanor suggested playing smashball to warm up. 

They set up at station #12.

Chauncey was deeply involved in reading a novel when Eleanor put on her wet suit and went in the ocean.  This was the first time in several years that Eleanor had worn her wet suit in August.  She felt a little silly as she looked around and noticed all the younger swimmers, mostly teenage boys, in bathing suits.  The water temperature was 58 degrees.  It felt good to be warm.

The waves were big and powerful.  Swellwatch, a website with information on surf conditions, warned that there was some tropical storm activity in Baja which was causing some unusually high waves.  Eleanor was alarmed when she was hit in the knee by a rock while walking back into the water after a wave pushed her halfway up the beach on her boogie board.  Later, Chauncey reminded her that there are no rocks at station #9.

The water is clean and healing.

Eleanor thought about the reasons she loved going to Zuma.  The beach is wide and long.  Even when it’s crowded, there is always a spot.  The water is clean and healing, despite the occasional rock.  Eleanor and Chauncey return from Zuma relaxed, their muscles loosened by the waves.

As they were leaving, Eleanor and Chauncey heard three, middle-aged men singing a Crosby Stills Nash song as they walked along the boardwalk down the beach.  They sounded like the originals, almost.  Another gift from Zuma.

Old clothes

Eleanor likes to keep order in the house.  For this reason, soon after her daughter Lila arrived home from college, Eleanor suggested that her daughter clean out her closets and drawers to find clothes to sell to a local resale store.  Eleanor had helped Lila unload the car and saw firsthand the clothing resources available to Lila.

Eleanor had helped Lila unload the car.

Eleanor gathered a few items of her own, including, the red Albert Nipon dress she wore as she and Chauncey left their wedding reception.  The dress was a gift from Eleanor’s stepmother, a Cuban professor with a flare for the dramatic.  Eleanor and Lila both tried the dress on.  It didn’t fit either one of them.  They admired the dress for a few minutes.  Lila made it dance on the hanger.  Then, it went into the sell pile.

Lila’s boyfriend, Chive, was enlisted to help carry the clothes from the parking garage to the two resale stores. The first store claimed to buy only designer clothing.  Eleanor felt confident about the Albert Nipon label. 

The store owner was a petite blond in her fifties, dressed in tight, white pants and a colorful, flouncy top.  She wore blue eye shadow.  She educated Eleanor about clothing as she examined the offerings.  Studying the Albert Nipon dress, she said, “Oh, yes, Albert Nipon.  We sold a lot of him when we first opened in the early eighties.  But, not now.”  And, about a green silk shirtwaist dress from Brooks Brothers given to Eleanor by her father, the owner said, “No, no one comes in here asking to look more conservative.”  Eleanor, Lila and Chive left without a penny.  Chive commented that the owner had not looked at him once.

Eleanor remained optimistic and encouraged the others to continue on to store number two.  A friendly, young Asian girl greeted them and asked to see what they had brought.  Chive sat down on a bench nearby having lost interest in the whole process. 

The dress was a gift from Eleanor's stepmother.

The girl considered each article of clothing carefully.  She held the item up to the light, felt the material and, more often than not, folded it up and placed it in the “NO” pile.  When she got to the Albert Nipon dress, she took more time than usual.  She held it up several times.  She turned her head and looked around the store as though she wanted to consult with the store owner about the dress.  Eleanor was excited.

No one else came to check out the dress.  The girl selected six items, including the dress, out of about 40.  She priced each article and offered Eleanor 35% of the total in cash or 50% of the total for store credit.  A pair of short overalls Lila had purchased for $6.99 were priced at $9.50.  The Albert Nipon dress, originally $200, was priced at $10.50.  Eleanor handed Lila a certificate for store credit worth $34.50.  Lila and Chive were dismayed.  Eleanor was not.  She felt relieved to be able to cross off selling used clothing as a career option and return to her drawing.