An Edit & Some Ramblings

After much deliberation, I have deleted a great portion of Monday’s posting. Believing that sometimes too much information is just that … too much information. The remaining portion satisfactorily covers the topic of where I have traveled. Writing the stories associated with certain states was an exercise I needed to do for myself – and I didn’t need to subject you to my wordiness. At some point in time, I may throw in a ‘state’ story or two. But for now, that project is finished.

Which brings me to general ramblings of my yesterday (Monday).

I still wonder how I can remember some of those travel stories and NOT remember to buy cereal when I got groceries last night – it was right there at the top of my list. Good thing Richard still has some Frosted Mini-Wheats left.

The word at the top of this list may look like "corn," but on my list it was most definitely cereal.

It has been HOT here… 106*, 108*, 102* for the last three days. Today it should be down to 98*. Anyway, our pantry was looking a bit too slim; so Son #1 and I headed for our new Super WalMart last night – it opened on June 17th.

I figured that MOST people would have gone there and gone home already.

I really expected (HOPED) it would look like the picture.

I was so very NOT right.
We got there about 9:15 -- along with everyone else on our side of town.

So much for that idea.

The place was a ZOO (some people really do belong in cages).

I like quiet WalMart shopping. So I usually go about 7 or 7 :30 in the morning.

To ward off boredom during this heat wave, I have been knitting and crocheting. The other day, I spied a sweater that I had started for granddaughter Rebecca. So I finished that. Her brother, Jon, has requested a new hoodie. And suddenly, there are a several young pregnant gals in my acquaintance circle. What better way to get rid of some of the yarn that has been hanging out in my craft room for a much too long time.

It's another hot one today. Son #1 got up early and made a tuna/macaroni salad and now has chili cooking in the crock pot. And I am off to the "knitting corner."

Have a great Tuesday and thanks for stopping by...

Driving Through Some Memories

I copped this idea from Tammy over at Queen-Size Funny Bone. Strangely enough though, a couple of weeks ago I really was wondering how many states I had actually traveled through and which I had actually in stopped to visit. So, I printed out an alphabetical list of the states and a blank map to fill in. And promptly left both items sitting on my desk... in a pile with other important papers.

I have driven cross-country many times (June 1978 MA to San Diego; July 1982 San Diego to Massachusetts; September 2001 MA to Sacramento; April 2003 Sacramento to MA; September 2004 MA to Sacramento; August / September 2008 Sacramento to MA to Sacramento). I have decided to divide the states into categories:

1. States I have NOT been to or through –

Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota I did notice that these states are very north or very south… Obviously, this makes me a true middle-of-the-roader.

2. Drive-Thru States, with no real story connections (maybe a comment or 2) –

Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia

3. Drive-Thru States and those with a story –

Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Vermont, Wisconsin, Wyoming

4. States in which I have lived (some stories included) -

California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania

edit 6/30/09

Thursday Thoughts

I got an email today. It has been around a long time. Here are a few of the list that really made me stop and wonder...

EVER WONDER ..

WHY do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front? (So Walgreens can have a drive-thru pick up for prescriptions?)

WHY people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke? (I do this ALL the time. It justifies the calories in the double cheeseburger and large fries.)

WHY do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters? (DUH!!)

WHY do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage?

WHY do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering? (Now I figured this one out... There are ATM machines which the blind are able to use. If banks had to build a seperate type of machine keyboard built with braille lettering, it would be an huge extra cost for the bank.)

WHY is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'? (SCARY)

WHY is the man who invests all your money called a broker? (in some cases, how appropriate)

WHY is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? WHY don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

WHY didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

And… my very favorite… IF CON IS THE OPPOSITE OF PRO, IS CONGRESS THE OPPOSITE OF PROGRESS?

Manic Monday ~ POP

To read more fabulous POPs,

visit Mo's Manic Monday

My father worked for General Electric while I was growing up. Every year G.E. would ‘shut down’ the plant for 2 weeks in the summer. This meant employees would get a paid 2 week vacation exactly when they wanted/needed it. The middle 2 weeks in July were the optimal time for this. (It also meant that every year, my birthday was celebrated away from home.) For these 2 weeks, Dad would rent a cottage on Cape Cod in the Dennisport area. [I eventually developed some sort of eye allergy to salt water. My eyes would be cemented shut by “gunk” every morning. Being of a young, tender age, I thought I had gone blind. Our summers on Cape Cod became summers on a beautiful fresh water lake in New Hampshire.]

So, what does this have to do with POP? We had no television in the cottage. We made our own entertainment and listened to the radio. I guess my brain just works in very mysterious ways these days. HOWEVER… the POP song for those summers on Cape Cod was Patti Page’s version of “Old Cape Cod.” I remember just sitting and listening to that song time after time. It leaves me with the desire once again return to the naivety of my childhood summers on THE Cape. Ah, such an innocent romantic I was as a child.