Monday, July 23, 2018

The peddler's helper


It is official! I have been licensed by the City of Buffalo. I am now a Licensed Downtown Peddler's Helper.

That is the greatest! It is much cooler than being a Peddler, say I. My great-great-great grandfather, Meinrad Kunz, he was a peddler. I know because I found him once in the City Directory in the 1850s. But I am a Peddler's Helper.

Above is a picture of me helping at the City of Buffalo Department of Coffee and Donuts, our donut booth downtown. It is just a once-a-week thing so it is not as if it takes up all my time. The time it does take, I make that count. You can tell by looking at the picture that I am peddling as fast as I can!

Here is my license.


Because I can just tell that there are people who think I am making this up.

Now here is a funny donut story. Last time I checked in, it was Leonard Pennario's birthday. I had in mind that it would be a great day to resume this Web log, which had kind of hit the skids on account of my breakneck-pace work schedule. I was going to write about how the Pennario project was coming along, what a high priority it is for me right now, and celebrate his birthday that way.

Instead I celebrated his birthday with donuts, doh.

Oh well. Who knows, the donuts might help pay the bills while I am finishing the book.

Besides, Pennario liked his sweet treats.

He would have approved!

Monday, July 9, 2018

But first, donuts


Howard is making donuts. That is a picture of them up above, in progress.

We sold donuts the other day at our downtown booth. The spotlighted donut is, as seen in the picture, the "1901." It is a tribute to the Pan-American Exposition, held in Buffalo in 1901, where donuts such as ours, such as Howard's I mean, would have been in the offing.

The donuts are hearty. They could be a meal. I cannot allow them in the house, is all I can say. They are crunchy on the outside and dense and delicious on the inside.

A tantalizing closeup:



Here I am selling them at the booth. This is a celebrity shot with the poet Joe Dinki.


Because parking was impossible Howard and I took the train. He took this picture of me.


I am having fun living the bohemian life, I will tell you that.

Howard and I were selling donuts and Freezies on Saturday and in a rare lull, these two girls came up to me, two teenagers, and they said, "You are smiling so happily we thought you were smiling for a picture."

I said: "I am happy here in the donut booth."

We do not sell donuts every day so that leaves me time for my serious work. The folks at St. Anthony's where Leonard Pennario was baptized are pressuring me to get the book about him done and I have that on track for this year.

But first, donuts. 

He would approve.