Here and There...

Its 9:56 am

    Looking at a gloomy,muggy day outside the window. Where it was bright,sunny and 95 degrees yesterday,we got a late night thunderstorm dropped rain for 20 seconds and left us with the aforementioned mugginess.
   How was everyone's weekend? I worked (wow,does that feel good to actually say!) Saturday and Monday. Our store was extremely busy and I was asked to be a jack of all trades for the past two days,which was pretty cool. Gives me a chance to show that I can do various roles and do it well. Got a lot of nice comments on how well I did which is always nice to hear. Of course I'm feeling the bumps bruises today....I am not quite capable of bouncing back like I was once did when I was younger...
    But it wasn't all work and no play as Lori and I had Sunday off and we crammed in a lot of activities as we normally do.
  Sunday morning saw us take in the first Farmer's Market of the year. It was pretty sparse which is normal because the produce isn't quite ready as of yet. But was exciting was seeing several new vendors with tables at the Market. This bodes well for the Market as the past two years has seen the number of vendors down due to the economic downturn. You just hope this small sign is a good one for our area,we really need all the good news we can get. I can tie this in with the fact I have seen lots of folks who are buying their first homes and are getting all the supplies to remodel these houses at the store. Of course the areas are not the best but when new blood moves in and pushes out the dead weight,many neighborhoods can be reborn again.
  We didn't buy anything at the Market and we did the avoidance dance with the high powered spice seller who tries to force you to buy things you really don't want to.
 We next headed to Taylor,I have written before these trips...we go to the Christmas Tree Shoppe,they always have some cool bargains that we stumble across and this trip was no different. Found a nice cookbook for 2.00,a pair of autobiographies for .74 cents apiece and the first City of Ember for 1.25. We also picked up some items for the pantry. It was a smaller trip as we saved our budget for Block's and headed there next.
   Block's was busy but not crowded as we pulled in and shopped for some plants for the yard. We spent about 30 minutes poking around at plants and ended up buying 2 flats and a hanging plant. I think we'll have to invest in a couple of Shepherd's hooks for the new plants.
  Our neighbor Marlene was coming over for dinner so we headed back to home,we needed to stop by the Eastern Market of Canton, aka "Marv's" to pick up a extra steak.
 I also have written about this store as well. Its a small store tucked away in a run down mini-mall. We had went there on the word of a good friend last year. We found some deals and made it a point to revisit it. When we did so,we found that it had been sold to a guy named Marv...this guy is aces. Super friendly,very glad to see you and always has the freshest meat in town.
  Now when we went back in Feb. of this year,we shocked to find the store closed,it had been hit by a fire a mere 2 months after Marv had taken over.
 We thought the worst since the market was next to a pizza chain that had been getting hit by a serial arsonist at the same time of this fire.
   So when Marv's was reopened,we stopped and got the scoop. Seems like it was a pure accident,one of the workers had done a load of laundry at the laundromat,which included a huge pile of towels which she dried and wheeled back. Instead of emptying the basket to help the heat disperse,she left them there in a storage room....at the towels ignited due to how hot they were,the fire destroyed a lot of shop,including Marv's inventory.
  The sad thing....he didn't have renter's insurance so now he owes the landlord 200k for the repairs to the store. He is really up against the wall as far as if he'll make it. Being off the beaten path plus being in such a beatdown mall,he might not make it but as long as he is open,we'll support him.
  I set the BBQ up and we grilled the steaks,had a baked potato and fresh broccoli for dinner. Had a real nice visit and talked about the upcoming yard sale Marlene is going to host in a couple of weeks. We are to combine our stuff and see if we can make a few bucks for the chair fund. Our first try at selling stuff at a consignment store didn't really go well as we only made 11 dollars. Now we have shopped at the store and its a nicer store except we (once we had items up for sale that is) glaring problem. The staff doesn't sell,they don't engage the customers and don't highlight pieces that may appeal to buyers. Now while that may work during the winter months,its a big mistake in the summer time as yard sales and church sales take away customers and dollars..and if you are just sitting there on your ass and not engaged,you're going to struggle.
  But we have done pretty well with yard sales,I don't mind sitting there and selling,Lori hates it...having people pick and comment on your stuff and tastes is not always a fun thing to hear. How do I know this....well,I have been guilty of doing just that when I am looking for items.
   Wow,Derek Jeter is in 14th place on baseball's all-time hits list. He is on pace for another 200 hit season if he stays healthy,he is having another good year. Too bad the Yankees aren't.
Speaking of sports,I added my buddy Jay's blog on Blogs to Follow list. Jay,like me,is a college football fan and follows a smaller school in South Alabama. He has created a Sun Belt Insider blog which covers the schools in that league. Its a damn good read and if you love college football like we do,you'll enjoy it...just tell him I sent you!
 
Last item.....Detroit Lion defensive tackle Nick Fairley was arrested again this past off-season,he has been busted twice for pot and now for driving recklessly and having a open container. The local sports media is shaking its head...between Delmon Young's anti-Jewish remarks,Titus Young sucker punching a teammate,and 4 Lion players being busted on various charges,question has been asked...what athlete has disappointed you the most? Have all the promise in the world and then shoots him/herself in the ass?
Its a good question and the one I throw out may surprise some folks being I am a Yankees fan....but Los Angeles Dodger's pitcher Steve Howe is my pick....a hard throwing lefty,Howe derailed what could have been a special career with a nasty drug problem that had him bouncing from team to team,suspension to suspension before he could fulfill that early promise. Howe ended up killing himself while loaded in a car accident.

Other players included Jim Leyritz,Len Dykstra and Len Blias who died of a cocaine overdose after being drafted number 1 by the Boston Celtics.

How about you? Who would you pick and why....


See you on Thursday!