11 October 2015

Shopping Fun & Other Things

So yesterday we did our usual weekend shopping. Let's see ... there's the initial stop at Wally World ("Home of the Reavers"), then its twin across the road. That's the really big store, where if 20 rolls of bathroom tissue are good, then you'll love their 120-count barge o' TP.

We moved on the big natural foodmart in mid-town, where hippies gather in all their mismatched clothing and abnormal hairstyles to discover how many ways producers can print "organic" on a package without mentioning what exactly makes their 13-bean Euro soup mix any better than anyone else's.

A brief stop at the spice store, where all temporarily reverts to normal - and smells good in the process.

Then the Southside Dodge 'Em Cars, where supermarket shoppers have the opportunity to establish two-way traffic with their full sized four-door 1-ton pickup trucks. Those trucks are the ones which usually pull in at a 30 degree angle across two spaces, and still make other drivers swerve into the oncoming lane in order to avoid impaling their cars on the full length beds and the trailer hitches (never used) which stick out into the too-narrow driving lanes.

On a side note, I actually saw some using a pickup to haul a load of brush away from a job site. Who knew those trucks could actually hold something besides barking dogs? :)

Gas dropped to $2.46/gallon, so I topped off my tank even though it wasn't down too far. When prices get this low, everyone starts getting twitchy as we await the inevitable 30-cent hike.

Then we stopped at the local Carl's Jr., which is the parent corporation of what were known as Hardee's burger joints in the Midwest. And just our luck: it was "let your kids run around and scream like wild animals day". Never let it be said that the dozen or so little kids running amuck didn't add a certain atmosphere to the meal.

It's one we're not anxious to repeat, however.

Still no snow in the forecast, either, which is a little strange now. We usually get lots of flurries and snow showers by mid-October, but our temps are stuck in the upper 40s to around 50. A number of drivers got spooked by the 3" snowfall in late September and had their studded snow tires mounted already. Most of us try to wait until there's snow in the forecast, to preserve both the studs and the pavement ... but of course that leads to long lines at the tire shops as everyone wants said tires installed at the same time.

Ah, well, that's life in snow country. Speaking of which, we took the plunge and bought studless winter tires for the new Escape. We'll see how they do. I slid through too many stoplights, without them, to ever want to repeat the (ahem) fun of playing slalom in a 3-ton SUV again.

But today it's rainy and in the mid-40s, so the fun is of a different sort. And before I forget, happy birthday to Younger Daughter, who turns 20 today.

Thanks for stopping by, friends.

8 comments:

Ed Bonderenka said...

As for organic, my wife wife will not by HFCS products.
Reads the labels.
Bought us some snack bars to keep in the glove compartment.
One reads: Does not contain any of the to 12 allergens.
So good to know there is no hay or cat hair in there.

angrymike said...

It's funny when the 5'3" women pull into the local store, crawl out one door just to try and jump up to retrieve there kids in the Ford F250 with 35" tires, never could figure out how ppl get stuff in the bed with a 6" lift kit on those big old Fords.....

Chickenmom said...

Happy Birthday to your daughter - 'hope she had a wonderful day! Shopping is a necessary evil. I hate it.

Rev. Paul said...

Ed, even if you're curious about what's in a product, it's probably best not to look, these days.

angrymike, there seems to be a better-than-even chance that the jacked-up 1-ton truck with tractor tires is driven by a woman who can't see over the steering wheel. At least it's that way here in Anchorage.

Thanks, Chickenmom. She had to work on her birthday, but consoles herself with the overtime that shows up on her paycheck. :)

Guffaw in AZ said...

Carl's Jr. used to be family-owned. And only in California. As such, it was a must, traveling West from AZ thru Blythe.
Because it was the appeal of the different, foreign.
Then, Senior died and Hardee's acquired it - and made it all over the West.
Between the higher prices, and the repetitious 'Gang Member Day' at my local one, I stopped going.
Since I moved, the nearest one to me is difficult to turn into, and farther away. So I just don't bother.
And Happy Birthday to your daughter. You are lucky to have your family.

gfa

Rev. Paul said...

We had been to that particular fast food place only one, nearly 12 years ago. Now we know why we never went back - and won't, again.

And thank you - I know how blessed I am, and am grateful.

threecollie said...

I could get behind the idea of a barge of TP. There's a lot of folks here....

Rev. Paul said...

ROFL!