Just Your Average Day in Floyd
AKA: The Bride and Big Foot
~ I drove into town on Tuesday to hang flyers for Saturday’s Spoken Word Night and to pass out brochures for my cousin Tammy, who is promoting an ICAN Birth Expo in Roanoke this coming April. My first stop was the Harvest Moon Health Food store, a grand central hub-bub in Floyd with one of the best community bulletin boards.
Upon entering the store, I picked up a basket to get a few groceries and a woman wearing a short white silky dress brushed by me. She had jewelry and make-up on and seemed a little overdressed for Tuesday afternoon Floyd shopping, I thought.
My friend Katherine, who works at the Harvest Moon and is the resident herbalist there, is what most people would call a Minister but what she calls a Priestess. We don’t currently have a Justice of the Peace in Floyd and so Katherine is often called on to do weddings. I was in the middle of talking to her about the price of cheese when she held up her hand and said, “Excuse me a minute…I have a wedding to perform.”
“OH! That explains the woman in the white dress. I love weddings! Can I come?” I asked.
It was a stress-free Valentine’s Day wedding that took all of 5 minutes, officiated by Katherine in front of the Harvest Moon with the bride and groom’s baby looking on from her stroller. I got to help by taking pictures.
Now, as if that wasn’t enough of a quirky twist to an average day, here’s what happened next: After the excitement died down and I relocated my abandoned shopping basket and finished my shopping, I headed out to my car carrying my bundle and saw a man’s barefoot footprints IN THE SNOW! (And this was before it had warmed up.) I felt as if I had discovered BIG FOOT, and so I went back inside to report my findings.
The woman’s face at the cash register dropped, but soon Katherine solved the mystery for us. “Oh, that was probably Carl. You know he never wears shoes,” she said.
“I know. But in the snow?!” I exclaimed.
After that, I went about my business, but not without wondering how Carl’s feet were holding up.
February 17th, 2006 8:35 am
Great story…..didn’t you get married in barefeet??
I would have cracked up and let the mystery take me away…..instead of getting answer.
February 17th, 2006 8:41 am
I’m always way too curious to not try for the answer.
I didn’t get married barefoot, but I think Joe did. I wore very cool white granny type boots. I wanted to go barefoot but then my dress would have been too long!
February 17th, 2006 9:04 am
You make me want to move to Floyd. It just seems so cool there.
February 17th, 2006 11:06 am
Cool wedding story. The feet, though, not so much!
February 17th, 2006 2:23 pm
Hi Colleen LOL, this is a great story indeed. What a wonderful place to live Floyd must be!
Carl’s feet must be tough as naile.
DL
February 17th, 2006 2:27 pm
LOL your town sounds so interesting, it makes me want to give VA a try again!
February 17th, 2006 4:50 pm
What a strange but interesting day you had. It’s the smallest things that can make us smile isn’t it?!
February 17th, 2006 5:17 pm
Somehow I doubt any of that could happen where I live… we’re so boring here! Enjoy your weekend.
Here via Michele’s 🙂
February 17th, 2006 5:20 pm
Ah, yes….just another ordinary day in Floyd!! Makes us all want to become writers just to be able to tell about it all.
Thanks for another wonderful post, Colleen.
February 17th, 2006 6:38 pm
That was an interesting day! Thank you so much for taking the brochures out there!!! We actually received a call from the Roanoke Civic Center wanting to know why we didn’t chose to do the expo there! We’re still such a small group, we didn’t have the funds for it. But, next year may be different! This whole expo has really taken off! Thank you for helping us out Colleen! xoxo
February 17th, 2006 6:40 pm
Strange behavior is in the eye of the beholder. Thanks for the inspiration, I wrote a post defending Carl’s activity.
February 17th, 2006 7:04 pm
Just another day in Floyd! A Wedding at the local Health Food Store, and a man who walks Barefoot in the snow…And YOU WERE THERE! Hooray…And that you had your camera with you, too…
Floyd’s Motto could be: “Always Expect The Unexpected, In Floyd” (lol)
February 17th, 2006 7:25 pm
Dad had to officiate at a wedding on the beach once. Unlike the wedding party, he wore shoes. He says his toes are too crooked to go barefoot. But I bet he walked to school in the freezing cold with two feet of snow on the ground each day, five miles, uphill both ways. Uh Huh, I bet he did!
February 17th, 2006 10:21 pm
Sometimes I picture Cicily from the television show Northern Exposure when I think of Floyd. I wanted to move there, even though it was fictional. Floyd is the real deal though.
It looks like Amy and I may be in Roanoke next weekend, we’re looking forward to it.
February 17th, 2006 11:00 pm
I just have to visit Floyd sometime this summer! You make me want to move there. Love the wedding story – but why on earth does Carl go barefoot? Who is he?
February 18th, 2006 8:26 am
I can honestly say I’ve been held up for many reasons while waiting to check out my groceries, but never for a wedding! Great story.
February 19th, 2006 12:15 pm
What fun.. I feel like I was there with you. I must try to visit Floyd. 🙂
February 22nd, 2006 2:57 am
Just gotta say that Floyd reminds me so much of a Garrison Keillor (SP?) monologue. The stories are so funny and unique and absolutely riviting.