Life in Smalltown

Without leaving the comfort of my home, I woke up yesterday in Smalltown.  It's a pretty little town, sparsely populated but all of the inhabitants are very helpful and pleasant. 

Signs were posted all over the house.  Blanchetti Plaza, McMaster's Drive, Freezing Fuzz Crescent, Purple Smurf Road, Couch Potato Square. 

I started the morning at the Pure Yumminess Restaurant in Blanchetti Plaza.  Their slogans are "Exactly like breakfast at home without the work" or "We have everything you bought at the grocery store yesterday".  I had homemade granola with bumbleberry sauce and coffee.  Later I had cream of sorrel soup, watermelon with yoghurt dip and a fizzy rhubarb and berry drink.  Pure Yumminess, indeed.  And I didn't have to make it.

Later in the day I provided some marketing services for McMaster's Envelopes.  Miss Alice was offering a half price sale on homemade envelopes and needed a poster designed.  I placed an order as well, and ordered an "Open/Close" sign for Ev's Bloomin' Acres, who supplies the town with veggies and flowers.

Cross marketing is always going on in Smalltown.  Ev's Bloomin' Acres provided free bouquets for the library, restaurant and envelope businesses in exchange for discrete signage in each location. 

Advertising the Raspberry U-Pick at Mrs. Ev's 1/4-or-so Of An Acreage was very successful.  Three pickers arrived and everyone went home happy and full of berries and plans for special drinks at the restaurant. 

Later, I applied for a library card at the library and volunteered to read aloud in the afternoon.  We read one chapter of "A Wrinkle in Time" while munching on raspberry upside down cakes baked by the Pure Yumminess Restaurant.  Lovely!

Miss Laura is both the librarian and postmistress.  She is kept quite busy collecting library fines, delivering notes and flyers.   Because Miss Alice is so busy with her envelopes, Laura also babysits Alice's baby, Betty.

One of the things we like about Smalltown is that we're all very interconnected and help each other when we see needs arise.  Miss Beth often needs ingredients for the restaurant, and Mrs. Ev quickly runs to either her acreage or Slug Botanical Gardens to gather herbs or whatever. 

Yesterday was really the first day of un-planned summer holidays for both of my older girls.  We were away for two weeks and then in a daycamp for two weeks.  These hang-out days are what we all really like about summer.  I was surprised how quickly they came up with a game that happily involved everyone and there was no fighting all day. 

I love summer holidays.