Winter has settled in, with cold and snow and slush and mittens and with all the beauty and the bother that winter in the midwest brings. So it was that I finally took out my bright red coat to wear to the grocery store. I love red coats. This one fits me perfectly, has weathered many cold days, and is easy to find among all the blacks and blues of winter warmth.
As I buttoned up for my first fire-engine red warmth of the season, I remembered the last time I wore this coat, late in last winter’s season, and to the very same grocery store I was headed to.
On that blustery March day, after checking out, my shopping cart laden with food and flowers (which I can’t resist), I headed to my car, pushing the cart through the slush of winter. Suddenly, a voice called out “Hey, Toots, I like your coat!“. I looked around and realized it was the man who gathers the shopping cars to bring in. I will call him Chuck.
Chuck is a friendly chap who talks to everyone and never seems to be at a loss for words. He always talks to me, whether about the flowers in my cart, the sleek sports car that just pulled out of a space, how to make spare ribs (when he bags groceries) and just about anything else. Chuck is a hard worker, enthusiastically directs traffic while gathering carts and is a good soul. He always has something to tell me, though this was the first time he called me “Toots“.
“Thank you. It is a warm coat and I can always find it” I answered, as he took my cart to add to his growing line-up. “I like it” Chuck repeated. Then, just as another shopper passed by, Chuck proclaimed, with all the gusto of a March wind, “Your coat reminds me of my red drawers! I like to wear them all the time, too!”
I always enjoy random conversations, especially at the grocery store. Chuck meant his words as a compliment and I took them as such, as did the Antler Man who occasionally calls me Toots when he knows I’m headed off to Chuck’s store. I’m actually headed there now. I wonder if Chuck will notice my glare resistant glasses (and I wonder if they will work). I hope he doesn’t mention my coat.
Steve or Chuck? haha! I love your coat too, Toots, it looks great on you!
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Dang. I’ve gone in twice to edit the name and it isn’t showing. Oh well . . . Thanks, Janet.
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Don’t you love people like Chuck, who seem to enjoy their job while bringing a smile to the customer’s…loved this, Penny. I hope you’ll share more Chuck stories in the future. 🙂
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Thank you, Jill, and yes, I do love the Chucks of the world. Perhaps I will share a few more stories of Chuck. 🙂
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I love this post, and I love your coat!! What are glare resistant glasses? How are they different from sunglasses?
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Thank you, Nan. The glasses are somewhat like sunglasses and supposedly reduce the glare when driving, especially at night. We bought 2 pairs for a whopping $15, so, we’ll see how well they work. I noticed bit of a difference this afternoon. I’ll see how they hold up at night. 🙂
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People like Chuck make us smile and your red coat is perfect for those cold days.
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They certainly do, Gerllinde. He’s given me several chuckles over the past few years. Thank you. It’s been cold here this past week.
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You’ve found your color! The hot pink is a tonic for winter days! Have a happy Thanksgiving.
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Thank you, Marilyn. It is good to see bright colors on the gloomy, overcast days of winter hereabouts. Thank you and happy Thanksgiving to you as well.
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Great picture of you, Penny, and a cute story. I agree with others that you look good in red. I’ve noticed that if anyone wants to get attention at a social gathering, they should wear red!
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Thank you, Sue and right you are about red and attention. 🙂
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Penny, guess what? I have a red winter coat that is almost identical to yours!, and I tend to get compliments when I wear it, especially if I add my red trousers and red woollen hat. I always suspected we were kin but now I know it, even though we live in opposite hemispheres. I thin red is a colour that creates good cheer, especially in cold weather.
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How fun is that? We’ve covered both hemispheres, Juliet. Your red trousers and woolen hat make it an even more bright statement! Love it – and agree that red creates good cheer.
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Hey, Toots! (By the way, my older brother calls me that. He’s done that since I was a baby.) 😁
I love your red coat, Penny! You look fabulous! Red is my favorite color. You’d think that I would also have a red winter coat. I don’t! I have a green coat. But I need a new one, so perhaps I will search for a red one!
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Back at ya, Toots! Love it! It’s interesting how those pet names older siblings give can last a lifetime.
It’s a fun coat and it makes me feel good. (that I got it for under $10 at Goodwill makes it even better 🙂 ) I saw it on a rack – or it saw me – tried it on and it became mine. Have fun searching – and have a good Thanksgiving.
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Have a great Thanksgiving, Penny!
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Oh I’m guessing he mentioned it again, Toots ))… But I am at the age when I’ve become a bit like Chuck; sometimes catching myself telling the same stories over and over again (and who knows how many times I didn’t catch myself). I am happy to patronize stores where our local versions of Chuck are employed. …
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
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Oh, Sallie, I repeat myself all the time. I will sometimes preempt with “I may have told you this already”. 🙂 I will admit to often going to this particular store because Chuck and other engaging employees like him are employed. Life is good.
Thank you, Sallie, and Happy Thanksgiving to you.
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Dear Penny, Chuck sounds like a person who enlightens the day for the customers at that grocery store. I bet lots of customers come away with their spirits lifted. People like Chuck are part of my Thanksgiving litany of gratitude.
As to that red coat—red and purple are my two favorite colors–with gray next on the list. As a child, my favorite color was orange and I had a deep bronzed orange coat while in high school. I worked and paid for it and felt like a queen when I wore it!
I”v never had a red coat, but I’m thinking that maybe a warm, red, padded jacket would be a nice gift to give myself this Christmas. Thanks for the idea! Peace.
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Chuck was part of my own gratitude list, Dee. He talks to everyone and is such a pleasant sort. We need more Chucks in our lives.
I love purple as well, Dee. I have a dress coat that is a muted green and I wear purple gloves with it. 🙂 Those memories of clothes we bought and cherished and, if you were like me, wore them out are good memories, aren’t they?
I hope you get that red jacket for yourself this Christmas, Dee, and I hope you had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Thanks for stopping by.
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Red drawers! I’ve got to get me some.
Hi. Good essay. Take care.
Neil S.
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Thank you, Neil S. I hope you had a good Thanksgiving.
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What a fun and humorous encounter, Penny! I would have laughed out loud at “toots,” a silly word/name I use with my granddaughters! I don’t know where it came from in my own choice of pet names, but it’s long been mine. I can’t imagine using it on someone else, but I think I rather like Chuck! He sounds like a character. And friendliness is valuable these days as a diminishing pleasantry! I love the color red and would really like to have my own red coat! Do you know where I buy my coats? The Goodwill! We have such mild weather it is too much expense to buy heavy outerwear that will rarely be worn. So I check the Goodwill regularly and have bought some gorgeous coats for pennies on the dollar. I have a beautiful tan coat and another gray…I need to go looking for red, I think. 🙂 If I find one, I’ll send you a photo. Stay warm and safe, dear friend. The storms I hear about right now are really something. Brrrr!
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Debra, I have no idea where “toots” came from, though I remember members of my parents’ generation using it, sort of like “honey”. I was surprised, in a nice sort of way, when he called out to me and he is, indeed, a character.
I bought this coat two winters ago. Can you guess where? Yes. Goodwill! I saw it, tried it on and snatched it up on the spot! I hope you find one. Everyone needs one red coat!
Several inches of heavy snow have fallen here, making a mess and taxing rush hour traffic. It’s pretty, but, not quite ready for it. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving, Debra.
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[…] two characters from the movie, the original Bert and Ernie, and another character you might recall, Toots, with her earrings dangling and her infamous red […]
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You are an adventurer waiting for an adventure
that will alwAys find YOU!!! Love this story!!! Some day look to your right, I will be sitting there going where your adventure takes you next!!!
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I think you may be right, Mary Anne. 🙂 I think I’m an easy adventure target. Come along any old time, my friend.
PS – This particular grocery store is close to you. “Chuck” is always a pleasure to see.
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[…] – surely the only thing in the store older than me. With my signature scarlet red overcoat (of Toots fame) and my ballerina flats, I hoisted my box of foil in an attempt to slay a box of Saran Wrap on the […]
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