stonehenge for lemons

I was in the produce section of my local grocery store the other day. bags of lemons were on sale, 3lbs. for 3 bucks. there was a tall lady in a fur coat with gray upswept hair tucked under a wide hat, picking up and examining each lemon sack, then tossing it back on the pile. I watched, then snuck a hand in from the side, grabbed a bag and hooked my cart around her. she turned to face me and said, you know lemons prevent kidney stones. I said, really? It’s the acidity, she said. Ah yes, the acidity, makes sense. I said. I now realize she reminded me of Julia Childs and a dear friend of mine who also posits such sage advice. even the lilt of her voice. she stood gazing at me, saying one juiced lemon a day mixed in hot water does the trick. I said, In hot water? Yes, she said. I couldn’t help blurting out to her I once had a kidney stone. non plussed, she said, I did not know that. I said, you do now. I guess if I had known about her wisdom sooner, I wouldn’t have suffered. I have a record of strangers talking to me in the grocery store. It’s the great gender neutral common denominator place. everybody has to eat. on senior day it’s 10% off, so there’s all kinds of peculiar folks roaming the aisles. human nature at it’s best. they’re kind of like my audience. It’s a good place for chit chat without commitment about tomatoes, potatoes, dairy, whatever. takes your mind off the world. I take questions too. of course, it takes a character like me to make it work. probably my getup. suave cart work. so I’m just passing it on about the lemon stonehenge connection. remember, hot water.

your pal, atomthought

artist@Large • in the grocery store.