Today I planned a trip into the city, or close to it, to get a bunch of errands done. We were out of Oat Groats which we can only get at Bob's Red Mill. That being the furthest destination, I headed there first. I love going there and I really wasn't in a hurry so I did a little Christmas shopping in their kitchen gadget section. I bought some spatula's and pot scrapers to use as stocking stuffers (for adult kids). They are bright and colorful and useful. I bought four sets and tossed them into my cart on top of the 25 lb bag of Oat Groats.
When I loaded everything into my car I noticed that one of the little pot scrapers had fallen underneath the bag of oats. Sure enough, when I pulled out my receipt there was one missing. I grabbed my purse, hit the door lock button, slammed the door and turned to go back inside the store. Instinctively I reached into my coat pocket for my car keys and - you guessed it - my pocket was empty. A quick look through the window confirmed my worst fears. My keys were laying on the passenger seat and the doors were all securely locked. What to do? In all my years of driving I cannot recall ever locking my keys in the car. Fortunately we bought a roadside assistance policy for our 5th wheel and it covers the cars as well. Also, luckily, I had my cell phone and it was actually fully charged!
I called the 800 number, got everything settled and went back into the store to pay for my 99 cent pot scraper. It was a cold day but dry, thank the good Lord, so I decided to have some hot coffee while I waited for the Pop-A-Lock tech to arrive. I paid for my scraper and told the gal at the register about my keys and she gave me the coffee for free :)
I went outside where there were some tables and chairs, thinking I would sip my coffee and write all of this down. (I keep a small spiral notebook in my purse). Of course, the pen I keep in my purse was nowhere to be found. As I contemplated the ice cold chair I was sitting on imagine my surprise and delight when Mr. Bob himself walked up the entryway. You would know him anywhere. He looks exactly like his picture on all of his products. I watched as he escorted a woman to the door and then he turned to me and smiled. He said I must be freezing sitting where I was, and he pointed to the other side of the entry where the Espresso cart was, and said there was a heater over there and it would be much warmer. What a friendly guy. And if I hadn't locked my keys in the car I would have missed that. Made my day.
Blessings,
Red
Don't feel bad, Red. Back in 92, I worked for the cable company in Memphis. I locked myself out of my work van twice..... Both times in one day.
ReplyDeleteI take an spare key and wrap it in electrical tape and wire it to the frame under my truck in a place I can find but is kind of obscure. It has saved me a couple of times. Glad you had a good day.
ReplyDeleteAny day Bob's Red Mill has to be good, regardless of what happened.
ReplyDeleteGood for you. Wish we had a Bob's Red Mill down here. You need a secret key stash...
ReplyDeleteGreat story. glad to see you back to posting.
ReplyDeleteWow! Isnt life funny!?!
ReplyDeleteI sit in pity sometimes over how crummy my day turns out and then God shows me that He had a special surprise all along if I would just sit still and wait for it:)
I am so glad you got to see Bob and that he is a kind and wonderful man:)
I love his products too, but we dont have a store locally:(
Have a great day!
Hurray for free coffee! Glad it all worked out and can't wait to hear what you did with all those groats!
ReplyDeleteOat groats are nearer to you then you know. I buy them in the bulk section at the Win-co on the south end of Lancaster in Salem. They were in two bins on the very back wall. The were actually from Bobs Red Mill. I too shop at Bobs Red Mill in Milwaukie and it is a fun place, but I am only a few miles away. My sister lived in Salem and I was doing her shopping for her there at the Win-co in Salem. I pass through your area often on the way to see my kids. Janie.
ReplyDelete