Oddities

Because things I've seen are not always what we'd call 'normal', I entitle them 'oddities'.  I will share a few here today, things I've seen recently that have caught my attention.

Yesterday we went over to the church to drop off some things for today's BBQ fundraiser. On the return trip, we stopped at a gas station that we frequent from time to time.  I noticed a man who was pumping gas two pumps to my right. I paid him no attention until he was pulling out of  the service station lot. He was driving a fairly new pick-up truck, with a double cab and a good sized bed on it. He was towing an old, rusty,small utility trailer.  Nothing unusual about that in these parts. But, as he pulled out unto the road,I noticed that the right rear wheel had an shredded tire that was flopping around as he drove. Cartoon-like.  He stopped at the traffic light, and when he started on his route again, he turned left on the same road we take to our house.  As he turned, there was a good deal of clunking going on, and I noticed that the wheel wasn't turning at all! The rim was dragging along the blacktop...leaving a trail. We could have followed the guy home by what he left behind him.  I have no idea where he was headed...hopefully to a junk yard!

At the same gas stop some months ago, we were parked in front of the convenience store. I was in the van,waiting for  Mike to pay for gas, when a Jeep pulled in next to me. It was one of the big,square, SUV types, not an open military-type of vehicle.  The driver got out of the car and went inside. When he came outside, my window was open. He spoke to me, as is quite common in  this area.  He joked, "Watch your arm, I'm going to get into the car."   I say,'joked' because there was absolutely NO door on the driver's area!  I asked him if that was legal. He told me that the police had stopped him and let him off without a ticket, but said it wasn't illegal,although it wasn't very safe.   I'm still scratching my  head about that one.  When the young man left I offered him a farewell and added, 'be safe!'

On another note,the other day we visited our grocery store.  While walking to the door, a gentleman stepped out, from between two parked cars, into our path. I immediately gave him a big smile, which he returned. Mike and I exchanged short conversation with him on our way into the store, and once inside, we watched people's reactions as he passed them. Some smiled. Some looked confused. Some totally ignored him. Children flocked to look at him or to speak to him.  We were amused at the reactions.  What's more fun than people-watching, especially when one of them is a nice, older gentleman who stopped on his way home from a birthday party to buy his dinner?  By the way, the man's name tag read 'Buttons' and he was dressed in the full regalia of  a circus clown...huge, funny shoes, white face paint and all!

It is the 'oddities' of life that make it all so interesting!