Tuesday, November 10, 2009

My Quest for a Couple Eggs


Hello Friends,
I was neck deep in cake batter, making one of my Red Devils Food Cakes for the Cloverdale LDS branch's annual Cake Walk to raise money so the branch's teens could go to Capital City for the district's Gold and Green Ball. The Cake Walk was tonight's MIA activity. You remember the Mutual Improvement Association. The Cloverdale Branch of the Mormon Church holds MIA every Tuesday evening at the Seventh Day Adventist Church. As you know, there aren’t enough Mormons in Cloverdale to warrant a building of our own. The Adventists are generous with the use of their building, as long as we leave it clean and tidy.

Our branch youth enjoy going to Capital City to attend the Gold and Green Ball held in the Confederacy’s one and only real LDS chapel. The chapel houses Capital City’s three branches. It’s the pride of all Confederate Mormons.

The chapel holds up to 100 people, and comfortably I might add. There is a small cultural hall with one basketball hoop on one end and a small kitchenette on the other. There are several classrooms. The Branch Presidents all share one office. The Relief Society Room is decorated nicely with a rose carpet, wood paneling and a piano.

During church last Sunday I was asked if I’d be contributing one of my cakes. I humbly agreed, claiming they “weren’t that good”. Of course, everyone corrected me by reaffirming the moistness and perfect balance I’m able to achieve between chocolate and the marshmallow frosting.

I started making the cake the moment I got home this afternoon . Half way through the recipe I discovered I was short two eggs . I thought to borrow some from next door but remembered I owe them a cup of sugar from last week. I didn't want to add a couple of eggs to my tab, it just wouldn’t be kosher. I had one alternative, a quick trip to the Piggly Wiggly.

I ran out the door and down the canal. I made a left, then a right and then another left. It was 5:02 P.M. The Piggly Wiggly parking lot was full. Everyone in town seemed to be shopping at the same time. I made it into the store and worked my way to the dairy section. The eggs were easy to find. Finding an open check out stand was hard.

I stood in line and waited and waited. Buying groceries in Cloverdale requires patience. Our stores don’t have the fancy bar code reading computers. Our checkout clerks do it the old fashion way, they punch in the prices. Now, one must be alert because it is easy for a clerk to ring up the wrong price. Why, just last week I had a clerk try to charge me ten dollars for a can of 10 cent green beans.

I finally reached the check out. The clerk punched in the price, I paid and was back to my flat in no time. I was going to be late for the first few rounds of the cake walk. It didn't really matter. I knew once I walked in with my Red Devil’s Food Cake the tickets would sell out.

Ah, living in Cloverdale is paradise. Why would you want to live anywhere else?

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