Gone To The Beach: 08.12.2023

Saturday, August 12, 2023

Out and About ~ at Home Goods it is Halloween~

*Second rain squall has sent us scurrying indoors on this beautiful August day! Mo is so puzzled....*

Hi everyone! I had a mid-August post all planned but an impromptu girly out and about takes precedence.

Have not been out shopping at all this summer really. We missed Home Goods Summer Coastal event. No, HG is all about Halloween. Not Harvest, not transitional--just spooks and pumpkins abound. I love the huge painted signs.

Pumpkins aplenty!

I kinda love the pink glass pumpkins, pink is always an eye appeal for me. Best are bottom shelf, below, good butterscotch glass pumpkin and a butternut squash.

Not a fan of the metal stem on so many tho.

Interesting wooden punks and funny Squirrel. Below, cut off, are really great basketweave pumpkins like my pineapple.

You'd think I'd love blue and white pumpkins but they just don't do it for me.

He is VERY cute. And big.

A few other fun things: This small oven safe covered dish with the mushroom handle. Def a yes!

And behind it were similar small crocks for baked brie, one for me, one for friends who do Thanksgiving now. Brie size pumpkins with darling acorns and 'shrooms for lid knobs. Useful glass cloches/ cheese covers too, I like to put them over small bowls of tomatoes or berries to ripen.

A Friday afternoon in a beach area is probably not the best time to shop. The lines at Home Goods was almost out the door, much too long to wait, and sadly left I left my full cart and walked out. Must have been 30 or 40 people ahead of me in line.

***********************

Next up, a few blocks east, Trader Joe's. The flowers look like a giant meadow don't they.

I couldn't find a price for the tropical bouquet, center. It even had tiny green bananas, looked $$$?

Beautiful tropical plants, orchids, hydrangeas.

I loaded my cart with my fave frozen spring rolls and vegetable fried rice. Plus ''cocktail time'' snackies, hoping for sunset visitors:

Aren't the itty bitty tomatoes the cutest thing!

Tiny zuccs too, it said For Dipping? Maybe stir fry whole w garlic instead?

And flowers, flowers. I only go to TJs for cheese and flowers, really.

Note the blue sea holly!

It was super hot there away from the water. A far cry from 2020 when my friend stood in the snow and wind in this parking lot, only 6 shoppers at a time due to Covid. She called it the Hunger Games.

Now the stores don't even offer wipes, let alone one way aisles and distancing. Luckily my friend and i have always used cleaning wipes, and we had brought our own as always. Maybe that's why so far, knock wood, we have never had the illness? It is returning here in NY [city? state?]. I read almost 1000 new cases per day.

*********************

Blog friend Penny and I have been exchanging Happy Mail or as we call it Sparrow Post a la Tasha Tudor, for a number of years now. The once or twice a year exchanges are always an event, especially since the gifts go to/from New York to/from South Africa, via kind friends who travel. To me it was Christmas in August!

A generous stack of maybe almost vintage Nantucket fabrics from Minick and Simpson, and these darling special treasures and finds. The internet and social media have granted my childhood dream of a pen pal from far far away.

**************

The sun has reappeared!
It is ice cream time? For those who say Mo is spoiled, who wonder why I indulge his special treats and demands, just look at this darling expectant face. He brings me such joy.

Have a good week ahead! I'll post the other installment, journals, gardens soon. As always I am so sorry people have issues posting comments. Pls know I value every reader who visits and I love comments.