who else would go to a library?,

The weather was great last night for the chef's BBQ. I was watering some new sod last night and I was concerned. It may have even sprinkled a little. Rain is really hard on a bakery trying to sell bread at a farmer's market, but it would be even harder on forty or fifty charcoal grills at a bbq. As far back as i remember, I don't think it ever rained on a GCM chef's BBQ night.

We put in a new phone system, a week or so ago. Works pretty well. Seems like there are more of them, well I know there are. Our incoming call volume has to have gone up. Damn things are ringing all the time. Either that, or I've become my father. Whenever they ring for four or five times, I find myself spending time trying to figure why it's not being answered, instead of answering it. We've added another line as well, so now I guess there is opportunity to have it ring more. I answered a call yesterday. A lady from Flint, Michigan. Placed an order like she was in the store looking at me. A pound of tea cookies, fifteen large cookies, three cinnamon raisin bread, on and on. Said she got our number from the library in Flint. Don't know if that means it's scratched in the bathroom wall or what. "for a good bakery call 847-328-9434", doubt it. She asked that I send her any brochures we might have. I told her we don't have much like that, I said " we rely on our website for that" and then realized what a silly comment that was, to someone who found our phone number at the library. But God Bless her. Stuff is goin' out Monday, overnight mail. Don't matter to me where they come from, so long as they come.

I've been talking 'bout this BBQ thing. A little story about the way a bakery works. Yesterday we were busy as hell. The volume on Wednesdays has become an issue. We wake up on Thursday, knowing that we need to start for the markets on Saturday. We were finishing up the items for the BBQ, my son comes back, says "you know a Japanese woman Kumiko". It could only mean one thing. She is an internationally known writer for B&C magazine in Japan. B&C, I think means "bread and cakes". It's not like our trade magazines here in the states. They profile a bakery each month from Europe or the states, as well as a Japanese bakery. Full of colour pictures. Sure enough, I stepped thru the door between the shop and our store and there was shadow cast over the bakery. I thought it was gonna rain. The worlds largest hummer limo out on Maple street. Two, three parking places, PLUS the loading zone. It was a herd of Japanese bakers form Donq. I understand they have eighty or ninety stores, scratch baking in each of them. They were doing a US tour. They weren't here long. Shot loads of pictures, and off they went. I felt bad, if I had known they were coming. Kumiko is great, knows more bakers than Peter Yuen. Both here and abroad. This outfit Donq is very, very into the Coupe du Monde. The Japanese as well. They already have the team picked that will compete in the coupe in 2012.

Gotta get upstairs. Gotta get started on that order for Flint. I'd hate to force her to make a repeat trip to the library to look up our number.