Been There Done That
Topic: Livin' Large At Walmart
Ahhh yes, the American dream store. Walmart. Better yet, the Walmart Supercenter! What did we ever do before Walmart was born?!?!?

So, today I exercised my right to shop at a discount. You know, there was a time when I wouldn't dream of shopping at Walmart for anything other than maybe household items like sheets or small appliances like a toaster or a cheap microwave. But, these days, things being as they are financially, it seems like my life revolves around going to Walmart. Pathetic, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong. I am not, nor did I ever, look down my nose at Walmart, or K-Mart or Bradlees, or any other discount department store. In fact, I used to practically live at a store called Clover, which was the discount version of its upscale parent, Strawbridges in Philadelphia. But Clover died years before I moved down here to the Sunshine State, and Bradlees followed in Clover's footsteps. Too bad, I loved both of those stores. I never cared much for K-Mart. Can't explain why. Maybe its that old comedic cliche, "Attention K-Mart shoppers, we have a blue light special in Aisle 3 for the next 10 minutes." Made the place seem rather cheap and tacky. And although Walmart doesn't announce blue light specials, they have their own promotional spiel in the guise of their little smilie faced "roll back" guy. Yeah, he's cute, but you know, his rollbacks really ain't no big thang...

Anyway, here in the land of The Mouse, where one has to travel miles to buy the necessities of life, having a Walmart open less than a mile away from where I live was...admittedly...a bit of a God-send. They did their market research well. Since that store has opened, I'm guessing that they are making big bucks hand over fist. I can tell you from experience that its always packed, no matter what time of day. I think I read on some vacation forum somewhere that the people from the UK just love coming to America and going to Walmart. Living in this tourist driven area, I can certainly believe that. Why even I have actually bought...*cringe*...*ugh*...(I can't believe I'm actually admitting this)...some clothes and shoes and purses! Heaven help me! Never, in all of my life did I ever think I'd be going to Walmart to buy my wardrobe!!!!

So, today I ventured out to get a myriad of supplies. Hey, I can do that since its a Walmart Supercenter! LOL! While I was pushing my shopping cart through clogged aisles, I heard something that I hadn't heard in years. There was an announcement about a last chance to get a free steak knife in the middle of the store...no purchase necessary! Boy, did that bring me back. I didn't think they did those demonstrations anymore! I didn't go for the free knife, but I did have to pass by the demo on my way to the food section, and when I did, I snorted in laughter. You see, the guy up there was spieling exactly the same way, you know pounding the knife on a table to show how unbreakable it is, and cutting all sorts of uncutable items and such...and probably using just about the same script...as they used to do when I was a little girl.

Ahh the Circle Of Life. Some things never change.

Bradlees is dead. Long live Walmart!

Hallelujah Brothers and Sisters. We are saved.

Birds of a Feather
Mood:  quizzical
Topic: Letting go
Well I was going to post this yesterday, but I got really busy. Don't ask me what I was doing, because I really don't remember. I just remember that all of a sudden it was time to go turn in.

Yesterday I saw this crane family that roams around my little subdivision. I've seen these birds since I moved here last year, only then there was only two, a male and a female. I don't know exactly what kind of cranes they are, but they are big...nearly 5', and they always travel together. I've been told that they mate for life. Anyway, I hadn't seen them all winter, and then the past couple of weeks I've seen them with two little ones. They're so cute! When I first saw them, the babies were kind of pinkish, but now they are beginning to get their natural brown feathers.

What struck me is how these big birds seem to be almost oblivious to what goes on around them. Don't get me wrong, they do get scared once in awhile, in fact, when I first saw them my Golden Retriever spooked them terribly when she tore out the door after them. But, for the most part, they just wander around the neighborhood and seem to be pretty people friendly, even with the addition of the little ones.

It will be interesting to see just how long these juveniles stay with their parents. As I said, I don't know much about these big Florida cranes, but I'm guessing that the young ones stay with their parents for quite some time.

Now to get to my topic...letting go. For most of us humans, letting go is very hard to do. In the animal kingdom, parents (or in most cases the mother) always know the proper time to let their offspring go out on their own. They teach them how to survive, take care of them while they are helpless, and then, at that perfect moment, when they know their young no longer need them, they let go and in most cases, never see them again.

Humans, OTOH, have a hard time knowing that perfect moment. I guess its because we think more, read in between the lines more, worry more. We raise our kids and even if we know we did the right thing, we still hesitate in letting them make those first grown up decisions by themselves. I guess partly its because we dont' want to lose them. Afterall, up until that point, we've spent all of their lives with them, and have hopefully formed a very strong bond. And partly, I think its because even though we've shown them the path, we still worry that we didn't do enough, that we didn't take everything into account, or prepare them for anything, no matter how remotely possible, to happen to them.

Recently I have had to learn to let my daughter go. She isn't going anywhere physically, but it was very hard, and still is, for me to let her make her own decisions, not to interfere, not to give her "the mom look" when I don't exactly agree. But, she's 17 and she needs to learn to find her own way. And she's a good kid, and has a good head on her shoulders and I know she'll make it. But the big question is...will I?

First Post
Mood:  chillin'
Now Playing: Nothing at the moment...
Topic: First Time For Everything
Okay, so I'm late at trying this blogging thing. But everybody's doing it and my daughter keeps telling me its a great way to blow off steam so...here I go. :)


First of all, I don't know how often I'll add to this journal. I tend to write in spurts. Sometimes I can't stop and sometimes I don't want to say anything, either verbally or in a post or email. I guess that's because I'm manic depressive. Sometimes I think I might have adult ADD since I have always had trouble focusing on something long enough to see it through. But...who knows. If you listen to TV enough, eventually, you'll find at least one maladay you can relate to. Hopefully, it won't be the kind that Viagra cures. LOL!

So anyway, I'm sitting here in my beautiful home wondering how I'm going to pay for it. How can that be, you ask? Simple. Take some advice from someone who should have listened to her inner Jimney Cricket who sounded a lot like Dorothy in MGM's Wizard Of Oz. If you ever go searching for your heart's desire, don't look any further than your own back yard. Because believe me, paradise is pretty but offers little opportunity to help keep you there!

I don't mean to sound cryptic. I guess the bottom line is...if you decide to relocate, make sure you have a job first. THEN buy a home. Don't do it the other way around, or you might find yourself screwed...like me. Oh I know I'll find something eventually, but unfortunately, it looks as though I'll be working two jobs and at my age, that ain't fun. And the irony is...if I work two jobs, when will I get to ENJOY paradise? See what I mean?

Don't get me wrong. I'm glad I made the move. I love it here. My health is better, my environment is safer, my gasoline bills are higher...LOL...but its a great place that pretty much forces one to relax. I guess that's what happens when you live in one of the most desireable vacation spots in the country.

I am still wowed by the fact that there are some people who save up for years to come here, and they will only be able to come here once, so they do as much as possible to make it memorable. Yet, here I am, living right in The Mouse's backyard, able to go to Disney, Universal Studios, Sea World and all the other Orlando attractions any time I want. Its weird. Its like being on vacation forever in some respects, but at the same time, its my home, its where I live, its like going to the mall on a Saturday afternoon. LOL!

Okay, that's enough for now. I do have some rants, but it took me so long to set this blog up, that I'm tired and just want to go to some of my other internet haunts and lurk. Maybe I'll write more tomorrow...maybe not...whatever...