New topic. I've posted before about the odd assortment of people who have appeared on my doorstep for one reason or another. You may recall my mentioning the man selling fish products door to door from the trunk of his car. Though the list looked tasty enough, I just can't see myself buying food products that have been stored with old beer bottles, jumper cables and a spare tire.
A few years back I had a middle-aged man appear looking for used books in order to make enough money to get the ferry to return home to the mainland. I gave him a few paperbacks and he tucked them into his plastic bag and continued on. The following year he was back again looking for more books. At least this time he didn't spin the story of using the money for ferry fare. I gave him a couple more.
Two years ago I posted about an elderly gentleman selling a book about the (recent) history of Old Perlican, a fishing community on the northern tip of the Avalon Peninsula. There was a story about the old man and how he lost both hands in an electrical accident back in the 70's. I bought a copy of the book for $20. He gingerly pinched the bill between the tines of his right hook and tucked it into his shirt pocket.
We have had charitable fundraisers, security system salesmen, politicians and purveyors of religion appear at the door. Sometimes the traffic has been so heavy it's hard to imagine that we live on an island. I guess that suburban door to door 'visitors' are universal. Perhaps the oddest thing I've seen at the door was the week after Halloween of this year. Supper was on the go in the kitchen and darkness had fallen. The doorbell rang...
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| The Happy Vegetables. |
I opened the door and three young people stood before me, ready to get into their spiel about Oxfam. I have nothing against this fine organization but their people were more than a little creepy showing up at the door, in the dark, dressed as vegetables. Seriously. One was a carrot, another was a celery and the third was a vegetable yet to be named. Note to Oxfam: it may be in the best interest of your fundraisers NOT to show up at people's doors dressed as food items at supper time. Their being a couple days late for Halloween didn't help the oddness of the encounter. I can't help but think of a Barbara Walters interview in this situation. "If you were a vegetable, what type of vegetable would you be?"
What's the oddest person/thing that has appeared at YOUR door?
7 comments:
Did anyone else see the vegetables? Did you have vegetables for supper? Did you dream about vegetables?
I've been thinking, and I don't think I've ever had a truly weird door-to-door visitor. If I have, I repressed it. Perhaps that's why I don't eat very many vegetables.
We don't get many people ringing our doorbell unless we are expecting them.
You on the other hand, seem to have a strange aura about your house that beckons to these people!
Probably the oddest things to knock at our door are some of Dave's relatives.
It would have been safer for thos Oxfam people to show up well after supper. I guess you could always say something like "you vegetables look mighty tasty", in a really slow, creepy voice. That'll get rid of them real quick.
You really do get the most interesting charactures in your part of the city.
Oh man, I probably would've tried to bite 'em. Mmmm carrots.
Sorry. Vegetarians are vicious.
We live pretty citified, in an apartment, so we don't get much traffic up here on the third floor. My parents sometimes still get a lot of religious types. And the Schwans truck selling frozen food. I kinda miss that :D
My favorite unexpected door knocker was an upstairs neighbor who came to my door with a bowl and a smile hoping to share whatever --in his words-- "fabulous thing you've had cooking all day and has been making me drool..."
[it was beef vegetable soup and had been cooking in the crock pot all day]
I gave him a bowl and a few days later he shared a pizza with me.
It was a win/win and a pretty funny way to meet a new neighbor.
Kate- Perhaps it's best to repress some visitors...I wonder what re-pressed veggies are like?
Gigi- 'strange aura'...I like that! Sounds WAY better than 'an aura of strangeness'.
Cathy- Har! Dave's relatives! I'm telling him you said that!
DH 2001- Thanks for the comment...but I'm STILL not going to click on that attachment!
Katey- That's funny about the frozen food truck. My folks live in a village of about 70 people and a meat vendor (er, sorry!) drops by to ply his wares.
Karen- sounds like pick-up line #587...he, he, he...'a bowl and a smile'. I guess all of those hours I spent hanging around the library when I was single were wasted...
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