Fall Into Me

One minute I'm 'Sweating As The Oldie" and the next thing you know...mm-mm-mmm...feel that crisp fall air. Oh how I love this time of year. Love it, love it, love.

If we were back on Block Island, this would be the time when the crowds begin to lose their massivity (is too a word!) and the ocean still feels warm (it's all relative. To a Block Islander it's still pretty warm. To a Mainer it's a pasta boil. A Southerner wouldn't get in without a dry suit.) It would be the time for sweatshirts and shorts - so what if it's not the most attractive look, who cares? The flip flops would be put away - for most of us - and the tennis shoes dusted off. Where did I pack my socks?

In Maine, the pine trees would begin their shed and the moose would be a tad more likely to be spotted. I did so enjoy certain aspects of Maine. New England, for that matter. But I'm tellin' ya, ain't no mountain high enough to keep me from being able to borrow my cousin's Bissell on an hour's notice.

It's not quite pure fall. There's not yet the hint of cinnamon, pumpkin and the promise of wearing colors entitled 'Aubergine' and 'Ochre'. But it's close. And that's almost enough to put me in a good mood. Almost.

One Trick Pony

It's the cursed shopping cart thing again. I can't take it! I swear the state of current shopping cart etiquette reflects the state of today's American society.

I went to Wal-Mart yesterday morning to gather some quick supplies for a zoo-bound picnic lunch. Now, understand that this was 7:30 in the morning and crowds were non-existent. (Those of you who 'knew me when' probably paused in awe and wonder that I was actually out and about -dressed and everything - at 7:30 in the morning) I noticed that a car with two women were driving around and around looking for the closest parking spot. I did mention this was 7:30 in the morning and there weren't a lot of people? I got one of the furthest parking spots and it was only 4slots down - come on, people!!!

Into the store I went and, as is so often the case, kept passing these two women on a regular basis. They quickly became obnoxious on my scale of 'Pleasant Sharing of the Planet with Others'. They just fit my definition of trash. I admit it. And not from appearances. (Although I did want to tell them that 80s hair went out with the 90s.) It was that indefinable something where these people are in a world unto themselves yet at the same time making sure that verybody around them NOTICES them and gives the Everything That Is Within Their Rights. It really goes straight up my ass and I tend not to be entirely charitable in such cases. Anyway...I watched one of these women cruise around loudly exclaiming she couldn't find the Vanilla Ice Cream something or other that was advertised. She hit aisle after aisle looking for it, at one point yelling from aisle two to aisle one to update her friend that it wasn't where she would put it if she worked there. Finally she walked around a bit until she found an employee (7:30 am and there aren't a lot of employees, either) and made them find these things that were on sale for her.

What does this have to do with shopping carts you might ask? As I headed to my car with my three bags and a new soft sided cooler in my cart, I passed the ladies who were parked at the first slot that was a non-handicapped spot. They left their empty cart right next to their car, smack dab in the middle of the handicapped spot and drove away. I, just a few spots down, emptied my cart and counted the steps to the nearest cart return. It was 14 steps. 14. Did I mention 14?

So...someone can cruise around for five minutes looking for the closest spot, spent countless minutes walking around the store to get a 99 cent deal, clog up the self check lane so nobody can get by them and yet they can't be bothered to walk 20 steps to return the cart?

Yeah, I know. In the grand scheme of things, the cart issue really is small potatoes. And yet, to me it really is a matter of common courtesy. Or the lack thereof. It's not war or politics, religion or child-raising. It's not a matter of large sums of money or putting somebody in danger. It's just really, really annoying. Sort of like my rants on the really, really annoying-ness of the subject.

Please, for the sake of close-to-snapping-people everywhere - return your carts.

Thank you.