In the Fifties, Every Planet Looked Like Arizona

             
            When I went to the foodbank on Wednesday the Second Harvest truck was in the driveway being unloaded and so the line-up was running inside rather than out to the sidewalk. It looks like it’s as much of a surprise to the foodbank as to its clients exactly what kind of food will be delivered. The friendly driver offered boxes of various items to see if they wanted it. “How about some boxes of pears? These are good!” and “Take some of these chips!” When they were done unloading the driver shook hands with all that had helped and one of them told him to drive carefully. The driver commented while pulling down the back door that it was going to be difficult to get around that day because of the strike, as taxi drivers were planning on blocking off some streets. Before he got back into the cab he waved and said goodbye to the people in line. One of us waved back.

            After the truck had gone, Joe, the manager asked the line to swing back to the other side of the door.

            There was talk in the line-up about turkeys being given out, but it became clear later on that it would be turkey vouchers. The line took longer than usual because of the big delivery. Someone noticed that the sign on the wall by the fire escape, telling people not to sit there, was gone. He speculated that maybe the person who had been living up there had moved out.

Joe came out and smoked twice while we were waiting, both times lingering around the door. I heard him tell someone that last year his staff only had one day off during Christmas but this year he wanted them to have three, including Boxing Day.

            Once inside, there was a bit of a wait because the elderly woman in front of me wanted a turkey voucher but the receptionist kept telling her that she had already been given one. The lady was confused, perhaps because she didn’t understand English or perhaps was just confused in general.  When it was my turn, the desk volunteer asked me if I wanted a turkey voucher or a ham voucher. I chose the turkey and was told that they would be giving them out between December 16^th and December 23^rd. I asked if there would still be turkeys left if I waited until the twenty third but she said, “Ya never know!” I took my voucher and number 34 and went home.

            When I came back they had just started to call the numbers. The elderly woman and her friend of about the same age were standing near me with their two wheeled carts. A younger man came over to them and showed her his cart, explaining that she could adjust hers so it would hold more food. The square, canvas bag of hers was sagged at the bottom of the wire cage. He lifted it up for her and showed her that there was a flap on the edge of the fabric that could hook up and around the top of the frame and then stick to the Velcro on the side so that it filled the inside of the cage. Her friend said, “Nice man!” and the lady patted the shoulder of the man’s brown leather coat and said, “Thanks you!”

            There was a woman that I recognized from when she worked for several years as a cashier at the No Frills at King and Jameson. She stood out because she was always so upbeat and struck up a friendly conversation with every single customer she served. She was immaculate about her appearance and did her hair in a bun with elaborate and colourful lacing. She still looks the same and was still talking to everyone as if she knew them. The only difference now is that she moves around with a walker.

            Once my number was called to get food, I reached into my bag to give them back a can of fruit salad that I’d taken a couple of weeks before without realizing that it was sweetened with Sucralose. I took a can of cranberry sauce, a bag of Buffalo Bleu Kettle Chips, a couple of cans of organic soup and a bag of sticky granola. Then she waved me away from the cold section with an almost panicked gesture as if she were directing me away from an accident. “There’s nothing there!” she said. I looked over and saw that was the case ad wondered why Sue was even there that day if they had nothing. In the bread section I took a bag of bagels and a large loaf of some kind of orange coloured bread that had a slightly sour taste. In the vegetable section there were pumpkin sections, bunches of a day or so past fresh dill, and a bag of pink grape tomatoes which the lady told me were beautiful for stewing. On my way out, Sue called after me and asked if I wanted my turkey. I told her I’d planned on waiting till the last day that they would be available. She warned me though that even though the voucher says that December 23^rd is the last day, they probably wouldn’t be open on that date, so I’d be better off picking it up next week.

Once I’d gotten the tomatoes home, I smelled that they were off and threw them out.

I watched an episode of Radar Men from the Moon called “Battle in the Stratosphere”. Cody’s rocket ship was about to land on Earth and the Moon agents were shooting at it with their ray gun, so it wasn’t in the stratosphere. It’s interesting though that we think of the stratosphere as a place but not so much the atmosphere, even though they are both places in the same way. The previous episode was called “Enemy Planet” but the “planet” was the Moon, which isn’t a planet. Also, it seems that every planet and moon in our solar system has a surface very similar to Arizona.