Hi everyone! Hope all is well in blog land? On Tuesday L and I braved the dire Covid warnings [''necessary errands ONLY''] and we did our annual Christmas outing to the over-the-bridge garden center [post to come soon/ next week?], continuing on to grocery shopping. Both of us had somewhat empty fridges due to NO Thanksgiving and no wonderful TG leftovers.
I was somewhat apprehensive because blog friend Julierose who lives in my metro area, , had been to her grocery story early that morning and she reported empty shelves!!!
Below is my store's paper goods aisle, last week.
Oh no no again. How scary. How annoying. I felt so bad for her, too. I was hoping that the empty shelves, early AM, were due to Monday's big storm and power outages, plus the long holiday weekend with few deliveries. Fingers crossed, lists in hand, off we went.
First stop was the gourmet organic health food market. L double parked while I ran in for my vitamin elixirs, as I cannot take pill form vitamins.
I could live for quite a while on just these stacks of root vegs and squash. This is the fancy version of my regular market so my hopes were up.
L was waiting for me so I couldn't look at the flowers in detail, but as always, abundant and lovely.
Then we headed to a very big, football stadium [not really but big], nice airy clean store that has things we usually cannot find at the local stores. My Triscuits, L's dill pickle chips, lol.
Lots of space, not many customers; many precautions of line spacing and clean carts, and so on, the bulwarks of our 2020 survival now.
This store also had lovely flowers. If closer to Christmas I'd have bought these orchids for my girlfriends. Maybe we'll get back?
They had ample, even lavish amounts of food, good fresh produce selection, deli, cheeses, fresh meats.
I was tempted by these beautiful meatballs, but at $12.oo a package deemed them too expensive. Though I suppose my homemade cost almost as much for the ingredients.
They even had Charmin! I didn't see paper towels though, and in produce, celery was sparse as were avocados [which were very much on sale, for football guacamole, maybe. Like 5 Haas avs for 3.oo. Sold well, scarcity not due to covid shortages.]
But the best thing, the reason for this post, I was so amazed:
This huge store is cleaned by robots! Like giant Roombas, puttering along, oblivious to the humans around them.
I have never seen such a marvelous thing. Isn't he the cutest!
Successful shopping and something new to admire, a good day's work! That said, the very strong winds, 40 mph maybe, were exhausting! So hard to wrestle one's cart to the car, then again into the house.
Let's hope our grocers can continue to stock up for us, and thank the truckers, farmers, factory workers who make the products we want and need.
More soon!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach....
below--too windy for the beach! Baby Mo fights the gusts, wearing his English robins Christmas sweater.
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Fun looking robot! I've never seen anything like it!!
ReplyDeleteStores in my neck of the woods seem to be stocked up okay. Paper products were a bit sparse, but that's all I noticed.
It's wonderful to see the abundance in your stores. I'mg glad you got out, even in the wind. That robot is a hoot!
ReplyDeleteYour beach looks on the chilly side. Love Mo's outfit - a real snug little pug.
ReplyDeleteHow pleasant to have such a well-stocked grocery store to yourselves.
That robotic cleaner is so funny and amazing!!
ReplyDeleteI went to the grocery early this morning and they had re-stocked a lot--so hoping i got enough to last through the Holidays--but may have to run back for a "quickie" bread/milk etc pickup ...I even scored a roasting chicken...
that will be for Christmas dinner...
There were only a very few--maybe 6 others--in the store, all masked and gloved...but i am wiped out now...will be having a "take it easy" day for sure...Isn't it cold? Raw out there--and you have that wind right off the water, too...I love Mo's little pom-pom sweater--so cute...Stay safe now :() Hugs from over the Sound Julierose
Cold and windy here too but the sun has shown brightly so that was a cheerful highlight. Strange that suddenly our Norton anti-virus program is deeming your blog a "known threat" site when I try to access it on my desktop, thankfully it doesn't happen with the tablet. Maybe that cleaning robot spooked it?
ReplyDeleteGood you could get out with L and didn't have to go alone! The produce in the organic store looked really good, and the red roses I could see in one picture were gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteProbably the (hopefully) temporary shortage of paper goods was caused by people stocking up a little AND the holiday weather. I know I got a little extra for just-in-case. The almanacs are saying probably a mild winter, but I never completely trust them! And I always forget you have to haul stuff up stairs to your house! I would want at least a dumb-waiter so I didn't have to carry stuff up the stairs...
The robot is cool! I think I've seen a picture of one before, somewhere. It seems like a good idea, I wonder how long it runs on a charge? I like that they make them tall so you don't trip over it!
I think winter is near - we got a sprinkle of snow this morning but it didn't stick around.
Mo looks adorable in his sweater, hopefully it's as cozy as it looks!
Stay warm!
Mo's face says it all. 2020 has been some kind of year. Boggles my mind that people go crazy for paper products when they are afraid they'll have to stay home for any length of time. My boys in the states say that the organic and specialty markets are usually better stocked than the chain stores, and they prefer smaller shops because it's easier to get in and out. That robot is a hoot!
ReplyDeleteHigh end grocery stores are so calming and so much more peaceful than regular grocery stores. The robot is pretty cute! I've never seen one before. Love the eyes.
ReplyDeleteWere the meatballs $12 for eight? Hmmm, maybe worth it. They did look tempting. For Thanksgiving I did a turkey breast in the slow cooker, the dressing too. We had a nice amount of leftovers to get through the weekend. I'm going to make posole with the broth made from the turkey.
Mo looks very huggable and super cuddly in his sweater.
We bought a tree. It's on the patio waiting for us to be in the mood ;) You?
Yes, I finally got my tree up today. It is a mini quilt that I pinned to the valence of our RV to help keep the sun from shining through the closed blinds slats into my eyes while I sit here at my lap top computer. I finished it in January this year. The only tree that will fit in here has to be small and flat, so a mini quilt. All in plaids.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds so cute and a perfect solution. I'd love to see a picture of your little tree quilt.
Deletelizzy