The Jolly Blog: Penny Strikes Black Gold

The other morning Penny was running somewhere (as usual) and ran across a window that made her stop fast in her tracks. As she stared at the gorgeous gold-lettering she saw a magical place beyond the window. Though she was pressed for time, she hopped into Black Gold to take a spin.

She met an old, chipped Boston terrier and asked him how long Black Gold had been around. "I've been around for decades but this place will be a year old this coming Memorial Day." When she asked him about the name Black Gold he directed her to the pretty lady at the counter.

The pretty lady, Sommer, told Penny, "The name Black Gold ties all of our ideas and offerings together. We wanted a warm and inviting place. It's pretty much a cleaner and more organized re-creation of my living room, except everything is for sale."

Did you know a gold record is a musical recording that has sold over 500,000 copies for an album and over 1 million copies for a single? (When Penny saw a record of Band of Horses she spazzed out, did a beak stand and started singing For Annabelle).

Did you know "black gold" is another name for "cup of Joe" which is another name for "mud" which is another name for "tar" which is another name for coffee? (Penny raced along Black Gold's Rook.)

Did you know these kind of light cages are called "trouble lights"?

Did you know that Foxy Loxy was reading Mein Kampf in the 1943 version of Chicken Little? When Penny heard this, she ran right up to stare Foxy Loxy in the eyes and dared him to a race. He growled at her due to his taxidermic condition so she did a victory dance on his nose, "This one is for Henny Penny!"

To calm herself down, she buzzed over to the turn-table. The now-docile spotted hyena was informing the ceramic cherub that female hyenas dominate the male hyenas and outweigh them by three pounds. Penny couldn't help yelling "Girls rule!"

Penny posed for a picture with some other female folk which led to a discussion of Black Gold's name connection to HW Brands' book about the gold rush. Not primed for a book review, Penny decided she'd rather spend some quality time with the pastries.

Black Gold's selection of SCRATCHbread's V-bars and gold bars gave Penny a good reason to tack on an additional 6 miles to her daily run.

Before she left, Penny asked Sommer, "If you could bring anybody to Black Gold, who would it be?" Sommer smiled, "Lux Interior. But any time my dad stops by, he tells me a new story from his life as a musician. He never ceases to blow my mind." This reminded Penny to get in touch with her dad and tell him how great he was.

When Penny turned to leave, Sommer stopped her and pointed at the mural in the back, just beyond the curtains. "The mural will take you wherever you want to go. It's faster. Just say "Black Gold" as you run towards it." Penny blinked twice and then ran as fast as she could towards the mural. In a flash of feathers she found herself laughing and running over the river and through the woods.