Are you a waver?
When I was a kid, my school bus driver used to wave at everyone … as in every single person he passed. It took me a long time to realize it was a wave. He kinda just lifted three fingers off the wheel. Never the whole hand, just three fingers. Kinda weird, but I figured that was his thing.
Years later I got my driver’s license and stopped riding the bus. One day I dropped a friend off after school and actually passed my old bus. As I approached I could see those three fingers raise off the wheel. It was only at that instant that I understood, it was like a wave of revelation washed over me. Being a new driver I knew the rule, “two hands on the wheel”. A small smile crept onto my face as I gripped the wheel with my thumb and pinky, leaving my other three fingers free to “wave” to my old bus driver. He gave me a slight nod as our vehicles passed and I felt like I just joined the club of wheel-wavers.
Do you still see a lot of people waving? Back in the 80’s everyone waved. Or maybe I just thought so since I rarely left my little town where everyone knew everyone. I started paying attention to this recently. I noticed a few trends.
The vast majority of people I wave at on a dirt road wave back. This could be a country thing. Or maybe it is just because we are usually going slower so there is more chance for eye contact. If the person is standing in their yard along the dirt road, I get the full hand wave. And sometimes a real puzzled look. That’s when I know that my gps has sent me down another “No Winter Maintenance” road and the person I just waved to is wondering if he’ll have to winch me out of a ditch.
People driving in towns are a toss up. Older people wave, but not so much with the younger generation. I get it … they have an emoji for that. But I like to receive a wave. It’s warm … a kind of “you are welcome here” type thing. Even if I’m somewhere new and I don’t know the person, it makes me feel like we are acknowledging each other, like, “hey human, good job at surviving today.”
Little kids have the best waves. I went by an elementary school the other day and all these freshly made people were lined up on the sidewalk. Since the speed limit was 15 and I was being super careful and slow, I had the time to do a full hand wave out the window to them. Immediately twenty arms were waving so emphatically to me that you would have swore that I was Santa going by.
There is one situation where I refuse to wave anymore. It was summer and I was passing a beautiful home with immaculate landscaping. There was a small pond that had flower beds leading down the bank to the water. As I got closer someone came around the house on a lawnmower, carefully maneuvering by the flower bed. I wanted to show them appreciation for the beauty of their yard, so I gave them a wave of gratitude. I saw him smile and raise a hand to wave back. You know, when driving a zero turn mower it is pretty important to keep both hands on those levers. I drove by, hoping he got it straightened out before hitting the water. Turns out, “Two hands on the wheel” is pretty good advice.
Highlights this week
How about we give a big Hello Wave to Kitchen Repose! This Williamsport eatery has been buying ingredients from our farms for awhile now and making some amazing meals with them. And we have some on the store! Try their heat-n-eat breakfasts, frozen smoothies, energy balls and granola! Make sure you read Carnie’s (the owner) story!
I’d not only wave for these Steak Fajitas, I’d pull over and park! The key here is to slice that sirloin and pound it out flat. Norway Ridge’s black Angus sirloins are going to be great in this recipe. (and they are on sale this week!)
We have green and red bell peppers and onions coming from our organic Danville farmers too.
Can fish wave? If so, they’d be waving their little fins to volunteer to be in this recipe for Spicy Salmon with Steamed Bok Choy.
We have some organic baby Bok Choy from our Lancaster farms on sale. Wild For Salmon, out of Bloomsburg, supplies us with all our salmon cuts.
Maybe we just need a little something between meals to hold us over. Check this: Painterland Sisters skyr, Kitchen Repose granola and some sliced apples?
Want to level it up? Use some apple pie filling from Windstone Landing Farms.
We talk a lot about food here … a lot. But it’s just not great food that you can get locally … we have two amazing herbalists that make natural soaps and lotions for us.
Maple Hollow & Bespoke Apothecary are well known for their expertise and extreme care they put into every product. Whether it is a bar of soap, a healing salve or something to soothe your cough, you can be confident it was made with love.
This week Maple Hollow has some Almond Elderberry body lotion on sale.
