500 Miles, 500 Miles

When I was in my early teens, folk music was all the rage. Performers like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Pete Seger, Woody Guthrie, and Peter, Paul and Mary, all had big hits. My sister Maureen has some singing talent, or at least she did back in those days, and I can vaguely remember her in a talent show at Howard Junior High, as it was back then, with an acoustic guitar singing some folk song. As well, in our shared bedroom she had a famous black and white poster of Bob Dylan as a very young man. So, when I hit 500 miles on my bicycle odometer a song from my youth flooded back into my faded memory. Those of you old enough to remember 500 Miles from Peter, Paul and Mary will undoubtedly begin singing it in your head!

I almost stopped along Pershing to get the shot at exactly 500 miles, but thought better of it. Probably should have because I took this in a big hurry, so I could grab Baxter's leash and walk with Regina and Argyle. You don't mind that it's a bit blurry do you?

Outside of my Gatorland trip I have done a few things. Not many, and none nearly as exciting, however, I'll let you decide if there is anything worthy forthcoming...

Most every day this week, while riding my bike, this is what the sky has looked like, meaning exactly what you think it means. Rain, and lots of it. We've had a few hours of sunshine here and there, but mostly pretty wet and gloomy. Not my kind of weather at all.

Darn that cell phone tower in the picture!

The other day I asked Bruce if he knew why I was a Big Lots fan.

Him:  Because it's cheap?

Me: That's only part of it.

Him: What else?

Me: A treasure hunt honey.

Him: I'd rather go to Publix.

Me: But where else would I find Bud's Best Cookies? Or, for that matter, these:

Who knew anyone could make 1,000,000 bite-sized cookies an hour??? As to the late Laura Scudder, mother of four!, how about that story??? You know me--it's all about stories. Now, if only Big Lots would carry Charles Chips, I'd be in heaven!

The cupboards were pretty bare so a trip to Big Lots was in order. I won't lie to you, I do like a good bargain. In the old days, Big Lots was pretty suspect with items very close to their expiration date. Not so anymore, although it is still wise to check those dates just to make sure. I was more than surprised to see that all the orange carts had been replaced by bright red. While checking out I mentioned it to the cashier and she replied, "Probably got them from Target." Anyway, here's my cart which came to $42.00, the most I've ever spent at one time while shopping there.

The same groceries would cost $20 more at Publix. I still go to Publix, however, I'm all about the philosophy--"a penny saved is a penny earned." Nowadays it's more like, "a dollar saved is a dollar earned." 

To make room for my purchases, I moved stuff around, throwing a few things out. At some shopping trip in the past I purchased a box of fortune cookies at BL ($1), envisioning some photography project. 

Could there be any packaging more cheesy? I mean seriously, "Luv Yu?' Before throwing the outdated box away, I decided to see just what those fortunes said. Remembering this fantastic little piece from an old "New Yorker" magazine,   I was very curious to see what the "fortune tellers" from Luv Yu had to say. Ready? This is pretty earth shattering stuff folks, so prepare yourself....

Frugality is important??? You can tell these must be from the Great Recession! Every time I look at them I can't help but laugh at how silly they are. That said, one at a time, especially after a meal, one tends to read something into a fortune cookie message, don't you agree? The same goes for horoscopes. And then there is the matter of dreams. Aren't you glad you don't live in your dreams? I'm not talking about the aspirational kind, no, I mean those when we are sleeping. 

Do you remember your dreams when you wake up? Every so often I do, but usually they are like these bubbles, floating around, and then gone!

I know I've had some crazy dreams lately, but what they've been about is another story. Last night cooking was on my sleeping mind. I suspect that is because during my meal times this week, I've been reading The Blue Willow Inn cookbook, given to me by my brother Pat, many Christmases ago. A word of warning, the recipes are not for those worried about calories! Nonetheless, on Monday, after buying some fresh okra, I decided to give Mr. Bruce a little comfort meal before he left town. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn and fried okra. Except I had no buttermilk to soak the okra in. Consulting the above cookbook, I discovered that,  by golly, soaking okra in ice water is the ticket. Absolutely delicious. And vegan, for those inclined!

Yesterday was bridge, and more bridge.

My partner, Debbie, had a rough go yesterday. I keep reminding her it is only a game. Calling her later, she confessed yesterday's afternoon session almost brought her to tears during her drive home. She said she never even once cried over her recent breast cancer, so that tells you something about bridge. It's really pretty crazy how intense it can be. If you let it that is. I'm more of the "isn't this supposed to be fun" type. Still waiting for that to kick in!

Finally, I kept forgetting to post this picture of me while I was indeed having fun at Gatorland.

Big sports weekend, so I better quit blogging and get some chores done before it begins. Happy day to one and all!