Trains and Triple O !

Hi everyone. I guess I did it again. I have been so incredibly busy that I haven’t been able to find the time to write stories for my blog and I must admit, I miss writing. I have also had several people comment on my second book, After Dinner. They have enjoyed it so much, that they want me to write a third. Which I won’t be doing by the way. I wrapped up all the story lines but left it so I could write a third. I can’t imagine I will. So, I can’t even use that as an excuse for not writing stories for my blog. 

I have been busy running my new business which is running a dog kennel. St. Paw’s Dog Services. It is starting to pick up and I have been quite steady. I enjoy the dogs and it keeps me active. Anyway, these next two stories you are going to read, were written back last spring. I hope you find them interesting and I’m sorry for the delay.

One Sunday afternoon this past winter, Ken and I looked after Kale and Lucas because Lindy had to work. Our grandsons, like a lot of kids are on their tablets or whatever playing video games and Ken was adamant that he wasn’t going to let them spend the day doing that. Ken had been wanting to check out the train museum in Peachland B.C. for quite sometime, so we rounded up the boys, jumped in the truck and headed to the museum. The boys didn’t really seem to care whether they went or not but I think they decided it was just easier to go then fight it. We got the usual, “when are we going to get there?” “How far is it?” and so on.  Just for the record, it took us about half and hour from our house.

We arrived to find the museum was in a pretty old, smaller building on the main street. The lower floor was devoted more to the history of the small town and it was full of antiques. It was almost hard to maneuver around. We spent some time wandering through reading up on some of the local history and then made our way upstairs to where there was a small train set up that was a replica of the Kettle Valley. I was truly impressed, as were the boys and Ken. The only thing was, I thought it would be bigger, but that’s okay, it was still impressive. You could tell that the caretaker was proud of the display and so he should be. 

We also encountered some old telephones and type writers to which the boys were baffled. There was one phone there that looked like it came right out of Little House on the Prairie. “How did this phone work,” asked Lucas. Ken showed him. I laughed as it was a rotary phone that some people still use today but Lucas had never really seen one.

Kale was more intrigued by the old type writers and since there was paper in it, he gave it a try. He was a little annoyed as to how long it took to type something and said so. I told him that that was the type of type writer I learned on and that my brother was very proud of himself when he had earned enough money to be able to buy one just like that one when he was the same age as Kale is now. Kale was mortified. 

After the museum tour, we took the boys to lunch and both thanked Grandpa for taking them to the museum and admitted they had really enjoyed it.

So, if you are ever in need of entertaining your grandchildren and want to do something a little different, check out the Peachland Train Museum. They have a lot to see in there and I think it’s time for them to find a bigger space.

I decided back in February that I would give up hamburgers and pizza for Lent. I try to do that every year. Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I was out doing some grocery shopping and it was lunch time. I was hungry and decided I was going to have my first burger after Easter. Which was it going to be? I thought about a Big Mac, but I know they aren’t the best choice health wise (my doctor said it was okay for me to have one once in a while, but he didn’t really recommend it.) I decided to go with a Triple O. I went threw the drive threw at Spall and the highway and ordered my Legendary burger with bacon, no cheese, pickles or onions, with fries and a small gravy. When I got to the window, the owner told me the gravy was at the bottom and to be careful how I take the burger out of the bag as the lid on the gravy could stick to the paper on the burger.

I was so hungry and I anticipated that burger all the way home, (about 10 klms.) When I arrived, I heated the gravy after I carefully took it out of the bag, just like the man said. Unwrapped my burger, put it on a plate, heated my fries, grabbed a glass of water and climbed into my seat at the island and proceeded to bite into my burger. Wait a minute, I thought to myself, something isn’t right. I took another bite and again thought, okay something is wrong here. I opened the burger and while yes indeed they had put the bacon on, (because a couple of times they have forgotten to,) there was no meat. My burger didn’t have any beef in it. I found my phone book and looked up the number for Triple O and of course, there wasn’t one, so I phoned the Chevron station and asked to speak to someone at Triple O. The gentleman I spoke to said they had their own number and he would give it to me. “What seems to be the problem,” he asked.

I told him and he couldn’t believe it. “Seriously, would I waste my time calling if I was lying,” I asked him.

He said, “No, I suppose not.” Then I heard him call over to the owner of Triple O and explained to him what had happened. I then heard the two of them laughing about it. The owner came on the phone.

I told him I was the lady that was just there and you told me to be careful because the gravy was at the bottom of the bag. He said he remembered me. I told him there was no meat in my burger and he said that was impossible and I wouldn’t have gotten so mad if they weren’t laughing about it. He said he would check the camera and as far as he was concerned, the meat made it into the burger. “No, it didn’t,” I said.

Then he said to me, “well, maybe it fell into the bag.”

“OH, how is it going to do that? It was very nicely wrapped in paper. It didn’t fall out into the bag.”

We argued for a few more minutes and finally, he said that next time I’m in town, come in and he would give me another burger.

The following Sunday, while we were having a family dinner, I told my girls about the incident with the burger. “So, now I get to have a free burger.”

“Oh no you don’t,” Lisa and Lindy said at the same time. The girls, who had both worked in fast food places in high school, told me of incidents like mine and that when food had to be replaced, some workers would spit on it. They both said they never did that and I would be horrified if they had, but they said that they had seen it happen a few times. I won’t be going back for my free burger. Heads up, always check your food before you drive away.