SCRATCH WHERE IT ITCHES…

       A pre-release opened the inner sanctum for me—no gatekeeper in sight. Several guys were having coffee in the dining room, and the kitchen was dark… so I turned on the lights… and then Dean and his wife popped through the back door! The first thing Dean did was turn off the lights—not realizing they were on… so we began the morning with a laugh.

       Good news! A nearby church had a huge hot dog feast yesterday (with expensive beef dogs), and they brought their leftovers to us! We had hundreds of those gorgeous wieners, hundreds of fresh buns, and two huge aluminum pans of creamy coleslaw. The three of us "tested" the stuff—can't be too careful…

       With applesauce that we added, that was lunch, and we gave out seconds and thirds, with enough left over for tomorrow! Not only that, but we served as large a crowd as we've ever had. They were laughing too, so I passed Joey's wisdom on to Dean, "Joey said you can tell they like the food when they're laughing."

       We needed 14 sack lunches, to complete the 45-lunch refrigerator stash. I made those before serving time. We also needed 23 PBJ sacks, but it was 12:15 when we finished the two meals, and my feet were done. Dean and his wife can do the others. Lunch was easy and over, and dinner was in the oven—no sweat.

       We had a very interesting fellow among our homeless residents today. He's not young, or necessarily old; the only thing you can really ascertain is that he's been rode hard and put up wet. His jeans hung low, not out of a need to be fashionable, but just because. His hair was a mess. His teeth were here and there. But he had a keen interest in lunch—and seconds. His biggest problem was an itch. When he came to the counter, he kept pulling up his shirt and scratching his belly. In fact, he had to take care of that several times before he could reach for a plate… When he returned for more food, he was scratching all around his neck.

       By that time, Cutie Gatekeeper had made several appearances in the kitchen, and I had informed him of the "night theft" that's going on in there. Anyway, I called up to the front desk to inform him that "number 14" has a very suspicious itch. I've never seen anything like it.

       While we were serving that group, Dean left to take one of the pre-release to his job. I handed the young man a sack lunch and they went out. Soon, Dean returned to say his truck wouldn't start, so I gave him my car keys and sent them on their way… but not without giving him a perfunctory "eye," and adding, "it's new."

       When he came back, he was all smiles. "I like your ride! That little camera when you back up is really cool!" I didn't tell him that while it's cool, it's not the complete answer to backing up.

       None of the girls was there today, but all of their parents were. I gave the sisters' mom the special Beanies I've been saving for their last week (we think this is their last week), and I gave goodies to the other mom. Everybody was happy. Yes, Dean wanted some for his grandson too.

       Word reached Dean that "some lady" called yesterday to ask if they needed a Monday volunteer, so I think Miss Lillian might have help tomorrow. I got nothin' else—unless sore feet and a big smile count. Á bientôt!