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Borrego Springs, CA

Monday, January 30, 2012

Generation gap?

The last two days have been taken up with necessary mundane chores, with a few hikes with Emma in between.  Today was shopping day for me, and I had a list.  First stop was J C Penny.  I needed some new sheets for the bed.  Am I the only person left in the US that thinks January is the month for white sales?  When I asked the very young salesgirl where the white sales were, she said that she didn’t know what I was talking about.  I wanted 400 thread count sheets with extra deep pockets, and nearly passed out at the price.  I guess it’s a good thing I don’t buy new sheets very often.

After a few more stops for essentials, I ended up at the grocery store in Ocean Springs.  I took four of my cloth shopping bags into the store with me.  It was not a major grocery day, but the things on my list were heavy items such as milk, laundry detergent, softener, bleach, and large cans of fruit and tomato juice.  When I reached the check out, I told the checker and packer that I had brought four bags so everything could be distributed without any one bag being too heavy.  They both nodded their heads in agreement.  I stressed that I didn’t want a bag too heavy to lift for this old body.  When I got to the car here is what I found: only three bags were used, and almost all the heavy items were in one bag!  Grr!  Hello young people!  Do you not understand English?  So, I repacked the bags and put them in the trunk.  I know these are small things in the scheme of life, but they do irk me at times.

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Back at the refuge, Emma and I enjoyed our afternoon outside with our avian friends.  There are lots of chipping sparrows around, and they’ll soon be displaying their slightly more vibrant breeding plumage. 

66 MS Sandhill Crane NWR 201214

I heard some loud chipping sounds across the way, and grabbed my camera.  What I found was one excited Carolina wren.  It was just very upset as it sat on the Blue Ox toad hitch of Don and Mary’s rig.  In another month or so, these little buggers will be trying to build nests in every nook and cranny that’s available.  I’ve had them try to set up housing under my slide topper awnings in the past.  I like wrens.  They’re so bubbly and audacious!

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

28 comments:

  1. I didn't know white sales was a thing of the past -- bummer!

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  2. Me neither but I haven't purchased sheets in a long time. Guess I'm in for a surprise.

    Love those little Carolina Wrens. They are so insistent and full of fun. Great Pictures!

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  3. Bummer shopping trip!! Love the wren photos, they are so bubbly and cute.

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  4. Hey Judy, I think the white sales were over on January 5.... And how did sheets get soooo expensive? hmmm. We have a resident population of cheerful wrens, and we love 'em. Our house is rough cedar outside, and they keep it bug-free! I hardly every have to sweep away the webs & bugs any more. Win-win!

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  5. Kids these days remind me of Paul Revere's ride, a little light in the belfry.

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  6. Oh, no, I was planning to shop for sheets tomorrow... I have plenty of them for the old thinner mattresses but I need the deep pocket type like you. I bought two sets that are Egyptian cotton with a high thread count and they have worn out much faster than any we have ever had before. Maybe I will patch the tears and avoid the sticker shock you experienced!

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  7. Russ has a grand niece named Wren and your description of wrens fits her to a "T"! Never thought of it that way before.

    Funny, I wrote today about being upset with a grocery checker also. Don't think it is necessarily the age. It seems SOME people who work with the public just don't care. It happens...

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  8. too bad about the 'white sale'...I just bought a set of flannel sheets at costco..made in portugal..can be used year round..cost?..under $25..deep pocket and very soft and comfy!!

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  9. We got some wonderful sheets at COSTCO last fall. I think they were 550 or 600 thread count. They feel so smooth! They are on the bed in the Alfa, and the set came with 4 pillow cases instead of the usual two! If you haven't bought the sheets yet check out COSTCO.

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  10. I've bought sheets at Costco and also at Overstock.com - I like the 1000-thread count and can't afford them otherwise.

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  11. I saw something on the news the other day that JC Penny's wasn't going to have sales anymore and just have cheaper prices on everything all the time. Yea, right. I buy sheets at stores like Ross, TJ Maxx, and Marshall's. You can't always find what you want but if you can the price will be better.

    I get mad at Walmart's turntable of bags. More than once the next person got something I paid for. I try to check and check for things when I get to my vehicle. I live 12 miles from town so it's not convenient to run back if something is missing. I took my sales receipt and circled the things that were missing one time and they replaced them.

    Martha

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  12. There are at least two of us who thought January was the month to buy linens on sale. I can really relate to the frustration of how grocery clerks don't know how to pack a bag. I caught a guy one time placing a loaf of bread in the bag and then mashing it down with both hands. I nearly flew across the counter and insisted on checking the bread. If it had been messed up I wouldn't have accepted it. Today I took one bag into Bel Air, bought 2 qts of miller hi life and a bunch of bananas. The guy put the beer into the canvas bag and then reached for one of their bags for the bananas. I get so frustrated and love to shop at the food co-op or even Whole Foods where they don't mind if you pack your own grocery bags.

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  13. Sheets? You mean you're supposed to use sheets???

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  14. Love the wrens too! The first one I ever identified built it's nest in the washing machine hookups at a Florida State park.

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  15. We have a king Sleep Number bed in the coach. Have been using regular mattress sheets, but they're too loose, so finally bit the bullet and bought a set from the Sleep Number store Saturday --- 30% off sale, and still the sticker shock got me where it hurts.

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  16. I always have to remind the baggers to put the leafy greens in a different bag than the frozen items. Melted lettuce is not fun. Love the wren picts. Have you ever heard the song of the Winter Wren? It is beautiful!

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  17. I don't know where they get the young kids who are checkers in our local grocery store back in Montana--I have to educate them every time I buy groceries. "No, don't put my bread in the same sack as the laundry detergent. Don't put my tomatoes under the cans of corn----" I told one of the guys one day, "just think!!" They hate to see me coming!

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  18. Yes, there are still many white sales to be had. All around the world in fact, on any given day even. Where?? On Sale Boats of course:))

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  19. I think some young people just don't listen. Carolina Wren's are one of my favorite birds. We had a very nice family of them in our house in Georgia. We had more fun watching them than any of the other birds.

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    1. I saw a few fliers earlier in the month, but they call it "home sale" now instead of white sale. I always keep my eye open for the department store "doorbusters" before Christmas. Last year I got great flannel sheets at Carson's for $22!

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  20. Hi Judy! I just found your blog, and your travels look like a lot of fun! The best part is one of my hiking and travel companions is a pup named Emma, too :) I write a hiking blog, 1,000 Miles On My Own Two Feet http://1000milesonmyowntwofeet.blogspot.com/ and there are shots of her there. We, too, are about to travel full time via RV. Looking forward to following your stories. Thank you for sharing and happy trails to you and Emma!

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  21. Sorry, never heard of a 'white sale' and I'm no teenager!

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  22. I hate the heavey bad thing too. I stopped using the cloth bags for that very reason. One day they did that in a plastic bag and as the fool lifted the handle just ripped and it all went crashing to the floor. I don't know why this is not a training thing to NOT fill the bags like that. Oh well we try.
    Love the bird pictures.

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  23. Yep..January IS White Sale month..Don't tell me that is becoming an "old dinosaur" too!! You know what also is becoming obsolete??...percale sheets. I LOVE the old percale sheets that came out of the dryer all smooth and no wrinkles...Some of the new cotton sheets look like my face when I take 'em out of the dryer:-/

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  24. The multitude of catalogs I get in the mail seem to still be doing a winter white sale! But I don't get Penneys any longer so don't know about them...

    I guess I am usually lucky with my checker and carryout kiddo (if there's one available!) Even our clerks at the W store spin the rack around to be sure they've gotten all of my bags and they usually put them in my cart for going outside too! Even when we travel I don't recall having such bad luck ... Keep trying! If nothing else, step to the bagging area and wait before you pay. Then you can over-see what's being done!

    Sleep well!!!

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  25. Oh, the bag thing! What an exercise in frustration. After taking in 2, 4, 6 or more bags and asking them to please USE THEM ALL - to absolutely no avail - I have finally decided that the stores must TRAIN the baggers to use as few bags as possible so they don't have to pay the 5 cents they offer when you bring your own bags. Usually, as I am watching the scanning and paying, Odel stands at the side of the bagger and grabs bags away when he considers them full. Another great use for a partner!

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  26. Now that you mention it, dont remember seeing any white sale ads here either. Oh well, go to Kohls according to their commericals they are having the biggest sale of the year every weekend!. I have had my grocers re-bagged before. Even though I tell the bagger to pretend he is bagging for his 90 year old great grandmother....guess he thinks she is WonderWoman. Being used to carrying heavy trays at the restaurant I'm not a total wuss but surely the milk, bag of flour and every canned goods doesnt have to go in the same bag.

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  27. Last year, I had a little bird build a nest & lay eggs on my cargo carrier. I was glad I didn't have to go anywhere, but I think with the daily activites of me being around the RV eventually scared them off. They abandoned they eggs :-(

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