Mom, A Squirrel Ate My Pie

Last week Wednesday, I worked feverishly to prepare Valentine treats for all my loyal customers.  Sweetie pies, cherry pies, lemon tarts, sugar cookies and more.  I was back up early Thursday morning to package everything, and left around 10 am to begin my deliveries.  If everything went as planned, I hoped to be finished by noon.

Well, of course, things didn’t go as planned.  At my third stop, I knocked.  From inside, I heard (what seemed to me) a large dog begin to bark.  Immediately, my brain sent my legs an urgent, RUN! message.  Leaving the treats on a chair, inside the mostly enclosed front porch, I ran back to the truck.  I smartly grabbed my cell phone and dialed, but, alas, my phone was not working.

This meant that I couldn’t get directions to my next stop, either.  Thankfully I had been paying attention when Dwight gave them to me earlier.  I found the next place, even with the extra 1  transcribed into the address on my written flight plan.  Just one more stop before picking up Caleb, Naomi’s little friend.

By this time, Naomi had broken into a full blown whine.  “I’m starving, Mom!”  “When are you gonna get me McDonald’s?”  We made a pit stop.  I didn’t end up finding my last address before pick-up time.  Once my wee ones were safely dropped at school, I made another delivery and headed home.

From home, I called the folks with the dog, to let them know where I had left their treats.  A couple hours later, Dwight called.  “That pie that you left on Arthur, a squirrel ate it, and the card and cookie are no where to be found. Here’s the man’s number.”

The gift giver was very gracious, and after we had a nice conversation about raising chickens, I promised to replace his goodies, free of charge, by 8 pm.

At 8 pm, I knocked on the same door for the second time that day.  This time, I was met by the home owner and his half gnawed pie box filled with the remains of a perfectly delicious Caramel Pecan Apple pie.  ” You may just throw that one away,” I suggested.  ” You didn’t want to keep it?” he asked, smiling.

We never did I find that beautiful, cellophane wrapped sugar cookie.  I hope your Valentine’s Day was less eventful.