POTPOURRI ON WHEELS

      Doug was at his post, filling baking sheets with pizza when I arrived. First, he apologized for "being an ass today," in spite of having only said hello. He wanted to get a jump on anything unseemly that I might see in his behavior, as he had taken yesterday off to bury a loved one, and Miss Lillian had left the place in ruins. Needless to say, Doug's attitude was in a knot; but, after sweeping up a load of spilled coffee grounds and other trash, he threw those pans of pizza in the ovens and settled down.

       "I ain't givin' them nothin' but pizza and fries today," he announced. No amount of whining on my end would sway him to give "my children" some fruit. Furthermore, Lillian had left him practically bereft of sack lunches, then she'd had the nerve to leave a note about their distribution (all must be accounted for), and she had signed it "Staff."

       The head cook and bottle washer was not happy with any of that, but I made him 32 sack lunches, and by the time I left, we'd fed everyone and he had dinner in the oven. His brain had already gone home to watch the race (don't know anything about no races, but it's a big one).

       As always, I poked around in the pantry for goodies, and I found about a dozen packages of cupcake decorations—little cars from the Disney movie, "Cars." Those candies are very hard, but that's what makes them stand up to being set in frosting, and they're awfully cute! I took them from their packages and added them to the bag of tiny packs of gum for additions to each plate.

       So each plate had two pieces of pizza, fries, gum, and a candy car. I feel the need to say here that today's pizza was the worst we've ever served. The bread didn't rise, so it was gummy, and instead of a tomato-based sauce, there was something white and seemingly nonexistent on top. If there was cheese, I missed it. That menu was nothing but baked starch with deep-fried starch on the side.

       About 15 minutes before the pre-release were called in, Doug made an announcement for one fellow to come to the dining room. That was the man who shies away from the crowd. Doug wanted to let him eat his lunch alone and in peace. Humanity is alive.

       Our teen sisters were there, our 9-year-old, her 1-year-old cousin, and the 6-month old. Doug swears the little ones come to lunch only on Sundays… and well, they're in school, so I think he's being harsh on them. Anyway, I didn't feel like making sure each kid got the same thing today, so I let the three older girls draw numbers, 1, 2, and 3. According to the number they drew, they were allowed to choose from a selection that included a paddle ball, Play-doh, and bubbles. All got gum and Christmas candy canes filled with Hershey's kisses. I had a toy for the 1-year-old, but I skipped over the infant. In fact, all I saw of her was her stroller. Her mother was there, of course, and I watched to see if she would be trying to take food out, but she didn't. She does have a sense of entitlement that precedes her.

       Oh, that tall young Chinese fellow… I've been digging. It's reported that he's from Beijing via New York. It's also said that he came to our shelter from prison, but he is not one of our "pre-release." The report on WHY he was in prison is sketchy, and I came away with the notion that he had moved something illegal from one state to another. His English is so very limited that I must imagine he was used. I took him a can of sardines and a tiny can of anchovies, but today I learned that he doesn't want the anchovies. There was another fellow, however, who snatched them eagerly.

       I did make a special plate for the 1-year-old, with cheese and turkey. Doug was verbally thrashing me for coddling the folks, though he's got a deadpan sense of humor that always catches me off guard, and I know he's got a soft spot for the kids. I pretended to be appalled at his attitude.

       That's about it. I was hanging around after the last diner left and suddenly realized that nothing hurt! This is BIG! I've been seeing a trainer at the gym for 3 weeks, and he's been telling me that we're working to strengthen my body core. Today, I left the shelter pain free for the first time in more than 4 years, so it appears that my trainer is worth his weight in gold—pure, French gold…