6 • March 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC. Grocery Shopping by Gabriel A. Fraire ~ gafraire@comcast.net


The fi rst time I tried


Healdsburg, CA. ~ Grocery shopping is a fun day for dad and the kids. You learn very early in parenthood that noth- ing gets done too quickly. Once I learned that lesson I slowed down and worked on just enjoying the process. This philosophy is essential in any type of shopping trip. One doesn’t zoom down the aisles, grab what is need- ed and head for the door. That was how I always shopped before children. When I was new to being a parent it took a while to get the message.


to rush through the store I almost lost the kids. I


wasn’t going fast I just forget their legs are much shorter than mine. The great thing about my girls is that they eat well,


their


mother sets a great ex- ample


and


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6 • March 2017 • UPBEAT TIMES, INC.


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when they were young we lived in the country and didn’t have TV so I never expe- rienced the kid’s wanting some uneat- able junk they saw advertised on TV. They also never threw things into the basket. They were actually very helpful as long as I went at their speed. One day we were moving along and as is often the case when you are strolling up and down the aisles we kept pass- ing a woman going up and


down the aisle in the opposite direction. She had two small boys with her.


At one point she stopped me and asked, “Are you ba- by-sitting today?” To which I answered, “No, these are my children.”


She said,


“Oh, I know. I just meant it sure is nice to see a dad with his children. I wish my hus- band would help more with the ‘women’s work.’”


Then she


added, “I wonder


how wom- en fi nd men who behave that way?” I looked at her and then her sons and I said, “I


don’t know but you have an excellent opportunity to raise two of them.”


Gabriel A. Fraire has been a writer more than 45 years. He often writes about his children. He can be reached through his


website: gabrielfraire.com GUYS IN THE WHITE HATS? WHAT’S WITH THE Fact to Fantasy


Using Autobiographical Material in Fiction


JOKES & Humor # 3


Santa Rosa, CA. ~ We all have so much rich experi- ence to draw from in our own lives. But how best to turn that into the stuff of fi ction? New York Times bestselling author Ellen Sussman will share her insights and experience in bor- rowing material from her own life to add emotional depth and passion to her novels. Red- wood Writers General Meet- ing. Sunday, March 12th, 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. $5 / members, $10 / nonmembers. Arrive 2:00 to register & network. Flamingo Hotel - Empire Room, 2777 Fourth St. Santa Rosa ~ (707) 523-4745.


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therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.” Vincent Van Gogh


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There was an elderly couple who in their old age noticed that they were getting a lot more forgetful, so they decided to go to the doctor. The doctor told them that they should start writing things down so they don’t forget. They went home and the old lady told her hus- band to get her a bowl of ice cream. “You might want to write it down,” she said. The husband said, “No, I can remember that you want a bowl of ice cream.” She then told her husband she wanted a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream. “Write it down,” she told him, and again he said, “No, no, I can remember: you want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream.” Then the old lady said she wants a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top. “Write it down,” she told her husband and again he said, “No, I got it. You want a bowl of ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry on top.” So he goes to get the ice cream and spends an unusually long time in the kitchen, over 30 minutes. He comes out to his wife and hands her a plate of eggs and bacon. The old wife stares at the plate for a moment, then looks at her husband and asks, “Where’s the toast?”


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