Today went and got the Jeep worked on (oil change, and tire rotation). Went out to a great lunch with Dan.  It turned out that he had a light afternoon scheduled, so we also went and talked to our banker about investments, then went to the two grocery stores in Ann Arbor that specialize in organic goodies.

Our first stop was Trader Joe's, a place that my friends have been trying to get me to visit for ages. We got organic cherry cider, cashews, and other goodies. I am very pleased to report that I have finally found a local place to obtain pine nuts, something I became a bit addicted to out in New Mexico. It looked like they had a nice selection of fish. And I bought some herbal teas. The prices were very reasonable, and I was very pleased.

Our next stop was Whole Foods, a much bigger grocery store. We bought some bakery goods, and checked out the huge selection of cheeses from all over the world. I nearly bought some sheep's milk cheese from France, but it was a soft cheese, rather like brie, and I didn't think anyone would eat it but me, so I refrained.

Before we went in to the store, a panhandler came up to the truck as soon as we parked and held a little note up to Dan's window, asking for a bit of money to buy food. When Dan saw him, he nearly vomited. The guy had had bone cancer, and no longer had a nose. He had a big hole in his face where his nose should be, you could see down into his throat through the hole, and the rest of his face was also deformed. Poor Dan just isn't used to seeing people in that sort of shape and was shocked by it. So I took care of things, and even coaxed the man into smiling. Despite his obvious problems, he seemed to be a sweet man, and he still had a beautiful smile. I had to hold Dan in the produce section for awhile, until he felt better...

But that smile, in that shattered face, haunts me. People are so beautiful...

And writing out the monthly check to the big soup kitchen in Detroit will have a bit more meaning next month...