I didn't think this was so strange at the time.

But my sister was a little astonished. She asked how it is that things that don't bother most people, like talking on the phone* bug me a LOT, but I can go up to people and ask for all sorts of strange things without batting an eye.

See, a few weeks ago it was drizzling as I left the house with Evangeline to drop her off at school. Now, I really hate umbrellas (I *really* do), so unless it's really torrential, I don't bother with them. Eva's last year teacher kept offering me umbrellas in misty weather, and I finally had to explain that it's not lack of funds it's simple antipathy. Which she didn't understand, but it was better than her thinking I'm incredibly impoverished. Evangeline had a raincoat, for crying out loud! What need had she of umbrellas?

But I digress. We had no umbrella that day, and no real raincoat either, and just as we passed Ana's school the drizzle turned into a downpour. I should've seen that coming. I hadn't seen it coming, but I *did* see Ana's school counselor entering the building, so I ditched Evangeline, darted to the woman, and asked her for her umbrella. I mean, she was going inside! She didn't need it anymore! (Plus, it was broken and wouldn't close properly, so she probably would've ditched it now that I think about it.)

I got back to Eva and handed her the umbrella just as the skies *really* opened up.

Eva: Connie! Why do you have to do something weird and embarrassing every single week?
Me: Shut up. You're dry, aren't you?

I got totally sopping wet, by the way, and it took me the whole day to dry my clothes because the drier was broken so I had to hang them loosely over the oven on warm. The week before I'd hitched a ride with a family with kids in Eva's uniform on the grounds that they probably wouldn't do any harm with their kindergarteners in the car. This was also apparently "weird", and it was "weird" today when I asked my neighbors with the huge untended yard (they have several children) if I could have their leaves for my compost.

Well, on the last the neighbors probably think it's weird as well, but given that last week I backed them up to their mother when the supermarket called and told her they'd been wildly misbehaving (the store wasn't completely wrong, but the account was greatly exaggerated) it's really the least they can do for me. (And honestly, I only spoke up because I was so relieved *I* didn't have to tattle on them! They were rambunctious, but I saw the whole exchange between them and the manager and the manager really overreacted. But I would've had to tell her if the store hadn't called, and I was so happy at being relieved of that unpleasant duty that I thought I'd spread the joy around a bit.)

Anyway, the end result of this winding post is this: a. I'd be glad to take your leaves, onion skins, and other "brown" compost materials off your hands for you and b. that's not so weird to ask, is it?

* Regarding phone calls, I have only these words to say: "She's one to talk!"