A drive in the country

Had a more pleasant day than anticipated today when I was invited to go for a drive in the country by my step-dad, Jack (technically he's my legal father, but I call him step-dad to distinguish him from my bio-dad). It's not that I wasn't anticipating a good day - I was - but it was the kind of good that involves hanging out at home, just lounging and puttering and talking to the cat. That's my idea of a good day.

I join my folks for breakfast every Sunday morning these days, and this morning I brought up a topic with Jack that I've toyed with for a while now... going into business together. Jack is going insane being retired. He's so bored it's not even funny. He's desperate to get back into business for himself even though he's going to be 71 next month. Myself, I often think about getting out of what I'm doing now and it seems like the only other logical option would be to start my own business. So wah-lah, a perfect fit.

Well, maybe not. Jack is only interested in businesses that involved food - either a grocery store or a restaurant of some kind. He had his heart set on a restaurant a couple of years ago, but the deal fell through suddenly at the last minute when his partner backed out for no reason. We still don't know why. I think Jack is wishing that same restaurant will come available again so he'll have another chance, but it probably won't, so he spends a lot of his time driving around looking at other businesses that are for sale.

That's what he wanted to do this afternoon, and when I mentioned it might be a cool idea for him and I to go into business together, he invited me to come along. It was a really pleasant drive in the country, southwest of the city through Mississippi Mills, Hopetown, Balderson, Perth and Carleton Place. The store he wanted to see was in Hopetown. It's right beside a church and across the road from a big cemetery where they were having a huge public memorial service today to raise funds for the upkeep of the cemetery. The store was really teeny, and crammed with all kinds of things I've never seen in a convenience store, like rubber boots, fishing rods and tackle, nuts and bolts, work gloves, not to mention bread and milk and canned goods etc. They even managed to cram a tiny cafe in there...three tables and a tiny kitchen off to the side where they make coffee and sandwiches and stuff.

I really doubt Jack would be interested in it, even though he seemed really taken by it...he kept saying "now that's really country!" LOL. But it's at least an hour's drive from where he and mum live along roads that Jack said more than once were treacherous in winter. So I doubt that the Hopetown store will ever become Jack's Foodland.

Even so, it was a really nice drive. On the way home we stopped at the Balderson market, which is an amazing warren of interconnected shops...cheese shop, ice-cream parlour, kitchen gadgets, several different crafts corners, new oak furniture and accessories, antiques...really fun to wander around and explore. I didn't buy anything.

I wonder how Jack feels about my idea of going into business with him. Wonder if he takes me seriously, or whether he thinks I'd make an acceptable partner to work with. Who knows. Jack keeps his feelings pretty close to the vest, unless it's about the French thing or the Immigrant thing or the Liberal thing.