ANOTHER BLOW TO RETAIL THERAPY

Our neighborhood mall provides air conditioned comfort for summer walkers, and warmth on sub zero winter days. But more, much more than that, it has been home to a discount department store that meets your needs and fulfills your desires. That’s all ending. In another blow to retail therapy, Stein Mart has just declared bankruptcy.

Blow to Retail Therapy: Stein Mart leaves us without retail therapy — Another Blow to Retail Therapy: Stein Mart declares bankruptcy

As a child growing up in the post depression years, the inside of a department store was like a field of dreams. With no internet or TV, entertainment was limited to the radio and movies. Even if you didn’t have a dime, the department store atmosphere was an escape from the humdrum world we lived in. The fragrances from the cosmetic counter, glamorous store clerks, latest fashions, and shiny new housewares promised a better world.. When I was old enough to earn my own money, it was delightful to wander from department to department, admiring all the shiny merchandise before I made a purchase.

Later, after I’d graduated from college and moved to Chicago, I was mesmerized by the glamour and sophistication of the Marshall Field Department store. I would go there after work and simply wander around, admiring the latest fashions. Since I could sew, I often copied a designer fashion for a fraction of the price. And the store windows! Especially at Christmas, they were full of wonder and beauty.

According to Forbes magazine, the appeal of department store was due to these five factors:

Inspiration
Immediate Gratification
Convenience
Taction (the idea of touching, feeling, trying products on, i.e., getting help or confidence in a purchase)
Experience (the memory or social delight of being somewhere)

As a parent, I enjoyed shopping in department stores for my children, even though I was often on a tight budget. But the one of the best things of being a grandparent was shopping with my granddaughters.. I loved taking them to the mall and buying them special things that maybe their parents thought were too extravagant. What a joy to see their faces light up as they bought a pretty dress or a pair of fancy boots.

The pandemic is merely hastening the beginning of the end. Everyone’s ordering online for products they can’t smell, feel, or really see. A picture is one dimensional. What looks good online might not suit you at all. Shopping on a computer doesn’t even come close to the fun of trying on clothes in a department store with a friend or relative along.

There are a couple of chains hanging on for dear life—Kohl’s and Tj Maxx, for example. But will they last forever? Sad to say, I’m afraid retail therapy is coming to a sad, slow end.

August 12, 2020August 12, 2020

LESSONS LEARNED FROM DERECHO

Derecho storm 2020 swept through our city on Monday night, downing trees and wreaking havoc with electric power lines. Some neighborhoods have more trees than others, so power outages are sporadic. We live on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by great big old trees. Usually a blessing, but not during this latest wind/rain storm that barreled across the Midwest at 90 miles per hour. We got through an 18 hour power outage, but as octogenarians, it was tough. Here are the lessons learned from Derecho.

Morning coffee is a necessity. But if the power’s off, you’re not going to have any. Unless, of course, you are a camper or someone who has the foresight to have a battery operated coffee maker. We don’t do any camping these days, so we were out of luck.

Lessons learned from Derecho. Have battery operated devices. — Lessons learned from Derecho. Remember the Scout motto: Be Prepared!

Learn how to open garage door by hand. Years ago, we sold a vintage Volkswagen convertible and spent the proceeds on an electric garage door. There’s just one problem. It doesn’t work in a power outage. We were told at the time how to open the door manually, but we forgot. Consequently, we weren’t able to get to our car to go searching for someplace selling coffee until after we could get in touch with the garage door company. This is after 10 o‘clock. Hey, there’s a little hand pull that unlocks the door. Then you push it up by hand, folks. Simple? Yes. How could we have been so dumb? By that time, we’d made an emergency call to our son who went scouting around the city and found us some coffee at a McDonalds. That’s pretty good coffee, by the way.

You may need some sleep aids. The power went off at 6:30 p.m. No TV, no internet. Fortunately, we had several flashlights and candles to light our path. We drank wine, ate some gifted chocolate candy, and talked for hours. I can’t remember much of our conversation. I guess we solved all the problems of the world.

By this time, we’re wired. Still waiting for power. Finally decided to go to bed and sleep though the whole thing. That didn’t work. We’re both waking every hour, wondering if /or when the power is going back on. Our next door neighbors said they had the same experience. Looking back, I think I would have taken a Benadryl or whatever you keep in your medicine cabinet to help you get to sleep when you’re upset.

Heating/cooling system stops working. In our case, it had been 90 degrees outside. After the storm, we opened the windows, but the house was still hot and stuffy. We got to wondering about a winter power outage. We have an all electric home. This power outage lasted 18 hours, but at least we were warm. What if it happens again in January? Again, we need some camping equipment. We’re going to buy some camping heaters ASAP, before we forget what it’s like when the power goes out. Might even invest in a coffee maker.

Ditch the damned diet. It’s hard to eat healthy at a time like this. You don’t want to keep opening and closing the refrigerator and freezer doors. Can’t make smoothies because the blender doesn’t work. No soup, because you can’t heat it. Grab some peanut butter and crackers. Cheese. Junk food, if you have it stashed in the cupboard. Maybe some chocolate bars. No restaurants for us during this pandemic. So, it’s drive-through hamburgers and French fries for dinner. Don’t weigh yourself when it’s over.

Remember the boy scout motto before the next Derecho: Be prepared!

August 10, 2020September 1, 2020

STOP! DON’T FEED THE GEESE

Our city is blessed with a beautiful park, and a pond which is home to many ducks and geese. Often, you’ll see parents and grandparents helping little kids feed the geese. They think it’s sweet, but it’s not. According to many wildlife and environmental organizations, the parks department should post signs : Stop! Don’t Feed The Geese

Stoop! Don't Feed the Geese. It's harmful to their health — Stop! Don’t Feed The Geese. Bread is bad for their health.

Bread is actually harmful to geese because it contains too many carbohydrates, and makes them fat. Bread, crackers, popcorn, and other high-carbohydrate foods are like junk food to birds. They provide very little nutritional content, and birds that fill up on them will not seek out other, more nutritious food. Furthermore, when bread gets wet it becomes sticky and can get lodged in the bird’s digestive system. As a result, impaction and fermentation may lead to death. This happens even when the bread is dry and stale.

While you may think that it’s kind to feed the geese, you can be jeopardizing their health, as well as polluting the environment. Wild geese have plenty of healthy food in their habitat. Let the geese find food on their own so that they and other animals in the environment can stay healthy.

The park is now overpopulated with geese. Little children walk among them, and the parents think it’s perfectly safe. Often, the geese stop traffic as they waddle across the across the road. They’re not in the least bit afraid of cars, dogs, or people. So, what’s wrong with this scenario? Geese who rely on humans for food lose their natural fear, and may become aggressive toward humans who do not feed them. Consequently, it’s not really safe to encourage a small child to wander into a flock of geese.

When humans regularly feed the geese, it can also cause the ponds to become over crowded, leaving weaker birds vulnerable. Overpopulation can increase the likelihood of disease outbreaks, such as botulism, duck plague, and aspergillosis, a fungal infection.

Talk to the maintenance personnel at the park, and they’ll tell you that it’s overrun with feces. And no, it’s not good for the grass, and doesn’t make for good fertilizer. Feeding geese bread will cause the birds to defecate more, leaving bacteria which helps spread disease.

Why does our city encourage this harmful practice? I suppose it has something to do with politics. Once, I complained about it on a local online chat room, and was lambasted as a mean spirited killjoy . Can’t you just see the headlines if the city council banned geese feeding in the park? All of them would be voted out of office for suggesting such an ordinance. We have a four term mayor, but if he proposed such a ban, he’d probably lose the next election. And so it continues.

I know it’s not going to happen. But I wish our city parks department would post signs near the water: PLEASE DON’T FEED THE GEESE.

August 8, 2020August 8, 2020

LAST CHANCE FOR FREE BOOK

All of us are reading a lot more during the pandemic. I don’t know about you, but I’m running out of good books to read on Amazon and at the library. During these last dog days of summer, I’m offering you a copy of my first novel. Fire up your kindle, and **download a FREE BOOK: TAKE THE MONEY: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE IN COSTA RICA. This offer runs out at midnight, tonight.**

Synopsis:

fly away with me via Kindle to romantic Costa Rica — TAKE THE MONEY: ROMANTIC SUSPENSE IN COSTA RICA @ https://amzn.to/1AgDW8a

What would you do if you witnessed a murder and the victim gave you $60,000 just before he died? Should you keep the money or call the police? Julie Lawson has only moments to decide.

Julie goes for a drive in her boss’s new Porsche, but a joyride turns to terror when they’re rammed from behind and tumble into a ravine. Knowing he won’t survive, Kevin Dufrain urges Julie to take the money and run because, “they’ll get you, too.” She boards a night plane to the cosmopolitan city of San Jose, Costa Rica and meets mysterious businessman, Bud Jimenez, who helps her find a job at the “Memphis South,” a popular nightclub run by Texas beauty, Nellie Compton. But when Julie discovers the killer has tracked her down, she heads for a beach near the Nicaraguan border.

Julie’s small plane is forced to land in a remote Indian Village where she meets the passionate and charismatic Dr. Enrique Rojas, a widower who runs a medical clinic for the impoverished natives of Costa Rica. Here, Julie thinks she’s found the secret thing she always wanted to do, but it may be too late. The killer is still on her trail and the DEA suspects her of drug trafficking. Her fragile hopes for happiness seem about to shatter. Now, Julie must lose herself to discover what’s really important in life.

Take the Money is a compelling tale full of passion and courage. It takes you from a corrupt, inbred, southern Indiana town to the mountains, beaches, volcanoes, waterfalls, rain forests, and all of the fabulous natural wonders of costa rica.

August 3, 2020August 3, 2020

WEIRDNESS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

The other day, I stopped to rest on a bench while walking through the park. As I sat under a shade tree, a couple passed by , leading a large white dog. They walked out of the park, which means they live here in the city. Something about them struck me as rather weird. Why? Because the man’s wife was petite, and the dog was big as a horse. I couldn’t understand why someone would want a dog that outweighs their wife. That’s when I realized that I’ve formed some opinions as to what constitutes weirdness—things that might seem completely normal to others. Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder.

Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. Having a dog as big as a horse seems strange. — Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. Having a dog as big as a horse seems strange to me–but normal to others.

Here are some other things that strike me as weird:

A movie star who lives in a separate country from his wife. I’m talking about George Clooney and his wife, Amal. Publicly, they claim to adore one another. And yet, she lives in New York with their twins, and he lives in Italy or some other country. Every so often they get together in another house. Does absence make the heart grow fonder? As far as happy marriages go, that seems rather weird to me.

Elderly women with long, stringy white hair. My mother had long white hair, but she wore it in a bun. I don’t know why some older women ( and men) believe stringy white hair hanging down their back is attractive, but honestly, it just seems rather ghostly.. Are they living in the past—at a time when their long hair looked glamorous? It doesn’t now.

Bodies covered with tattoos. . Tattoo parlors have turned into profitable businesses, so tattoos are now considered mainstream. . Although I wouldn’t want one, I can see someone getting one or two tattoos. But when they cover your entire arms, chest, and back? That seems weird.

Extra long acrylic fingernails.. Shorter nails are understandable.. Especially if you work in the public eye. But how do you clean a house, peel potatoes, and weed the garden with nails that look like talons?. How can you open a bottle of pickles or a stuck window? What kind of indolent life must you lead in order to keep those long, pointed nails intact and clean?

Wearing a wig when you have your own hair. For much of my life, I didn’t know ordinary people do this. Then, I worked with a woman who had short black hair. One day, she got sick, and I stopped to visit her in the hospital. Much to my surprise, I saw that she had thick, naturally curly gray hair. It was vastly more flattering than the wig. Why wear a hot sweaty wig unless you have to because you’re bald? I can understand cancer patients. Or someone in show business, like Dolly Parton.. But this lady worked in the business office. That seemed weird.

Men who smell strange women’s hair. You may have read my blog about Joe Biden. Seems he’ has a fetish about smelling women’s hair. Just so you know I’m not taking sides, I think Donald Trump’s hair used to be weird. He’s toned it down since he got to be president, but it looked orange and squirrelly at one time.

An octogenarian who writes a blog, saying it how she sees it, may be also seem strange. Weirdness is in the eye of the beholder. .