It Doesn’t Take Much

Like the joke of Rodney Dangerfield used to tell, when he would fit his car into a tight parking space, he felt satisfied. It doesn’t take much to make me happy. A good hamburger slathered in mustard, piled high with onions, French fries and a pool of Heinz ketchup, a pepperoni, onion, banana, cheese pizza, or a cooling breeze on a hot day as I mow, all of these can please me.

Monday I babysat for my granddaughter Hannah. It has been several months since we had our last outing. She likes to shop, especially at the dollar stores, and I needed a few things there. A baby’s birth card, some snacks for a short upcoming trip, and a box of chocolate covered peanuts for me. I always get her some kind of a treat when I babysit with her: chips, a candy bar, or cookies. When she asks for a snack, I tease her and say, “Did you say you want a smack?” She’ll correct me and after we go back and forth several times, she gets her snack.

I needed a few groceries and we made our way to County Market. What I wanted was on sale there. It didn’t take long to gather and pay for my selections and load them in the trunk. Dodging the raindrops we meandered down the covered walkway to Peebles. I don’t usually shop there, but I wanted to select a gift for a newborn baby boy at our church.

Christian Garcia is the assistant to our Pastor and Rachel Garcia is his wife. Asher is their newborn son. He has a head full of dark hair and is cute as a button. With my summer head cold, I have been keeping my distance. No use sharing it with anyone that small. I thought I’d shop at Peebles for something that perhaps wasn’t already purchased for the little one. I didn’t want to buy clothing. Babies grow out of them after wearing them only once or twice. If anything, I’m frugal and practical.

With the help of Hannah, we chose a blanket set and several bibs. I tossed in two pairs of tiny socks just for something different. I plan to give it to his parents Wednesday evening during the Wednesday evening prayer service.

P. S. The snack Hannah’s chose was Twizzlers. They were labeled as Dr. Pepper. I’d never seen that flavor before, she wanted them, so Dr. Pepper it was. The candy had a sweet mild taste that was similar to the brand name drink.