Are you as ready for autumn as I am? Man I cannot wait for the occasional cool day we’ve had to be the crisp all the time weather of fall. It is my all time favorite season with, oddly enough for this beach loving girl, winter a close second. I know I live in Florida where the rhythm of the seasons, such as they are, are a bit different from other parts of the country but my heart knows when it’s time to bust out the long sleeves and hot cocoa even if the weather report says otherwise. Methinks it is time.
I love how we mark time by seasons. Not just the four mind you, but other seasons. Like the way my grandmother marked the time between Labor Day and Memorial Day by not wearing white shoes. Ever. Grannie Ree was a genteel southern lady who was a stickler for observing certain seasonal rites. I don’t hold to that one as much anymore but I guess I do have my own seasonal dos and don’ts. Like not wearing those little woolen beanie hats in the summer because you know, you live in Florida where there are maybe three days out of the year when it is actually cold enough for such attire and they aren’t in July.
But you know who gets the seasonal liturgy all wrong? Walmart.
I noticed last year that small packs of various Easter candy were popping up along the Valentine shelves but this year they have really messed with things. Certain things belong to certain seasons. Like the little chocolate candy coated Cadbury eggs belong to the season of spring. And my kids have longed been miffed by my insistence that eggnog not be consumed until November. But come on people, it is a holiday beverage! If I were really hardcore it would be December but I am willing to give thanks with a delicious cup of that creamy frothy goodness in my hand.
But what has Walmart gone and done? They. Have. Eggnog. Now. In. September.
What is wrong with these people? You don’t sell eggnog, clearly a winter holiday drink, in the middle of September. It’s just wrong. Part of the joy of eggnog in my opinion is the fact that it is only a once a year limited time beverage. It’s special because you can’t just have a glass whenever you want one willy nilly. It’s like the foods that are just served only at those special meals.
(Hobby Lobby also gets it really wrong. I took this picture because I was highly amused by the irony of the words as they were unpacking their Christmas stock in August.)
But back to my recent trip to Walmart.
Occasionally I will come across a product of some sort and really like it to the point that I find it worth sharing. I may be new to the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser game because I was surprised recently to see one devoted specifically for bathrooms. (My only previous experience with magic eraser involved paint coming off the walls and one very upset husband.)
As a person who grew up in a family of six with one bathroom I realize how very spoiled my family of seven is to have a home with not one, not two, but three bathrooms. It is wonderful to have that kind of availability especially when we have company over but keeping that many showers clean can be a trick. I have tried all sorts of stuff to remove soap scum and what have you, even the vinegar and Dawn dish soap concoction, but I’ve never really been completely satisfied with the results. It may very well be that I just dislike cleaning tubs and want a real magic eraser to just poof it done so I don’t have to worry with it. But I tried Mr. Clean and was relatively pleased by it so I guess he can be my magic genie for now.
I have mentioned before that Sam likes going to the grocery store with me each week. He barely walks in with me before he is off doing his own thing and right now with all the Halloween paraphernalia out he has plenty to occupy his time. I passed him in that area on my way to grab shampoo and he greeted me and we both carried on. About thirty seconds later I hear the sound of someones feet running up behind me and this odd voice saying, “Why so serious?” I am not going to lie, I was completely freaked out when I turned around and saw my son which he found to be hilarious.
I snapped a quick picture (barely looking at him) just so I could share the creepiness with y’all then I strongly suggested he take the mask off before he freaked out anyone else in the store. I just really think these kinds of masks ought not be allowed, you know? (I actually started this post with this story but changed things up when I remembered that Facebook will grab the first picture and use it in your link. Uhm, no.)
We are having the difficult conversation with Sam that he is too old to go trick or treating this year. Despite the picture to the contrary he isn’t into the scary stuff but loves the fun of it and the dressing up, visiting with all sorts of people, and candy. We might compromise on some sort of costume-ish outfit (he is currently trying to figure out a Batman costume that won’t cost him all his money) and let him help walk with some of the kids that usually join us around the neighborhood.
Sometime next week I will share a bit about how we interact with this day that can be such a point of contention amongst so many of us. Suffice it to say for now that it took us a few years to figure out where we stand and how we do things but I look forward to it every year.
The trip to the Walmarts (don’t ask me why Rob and I have started saying it that way…we just have) was strange between the too soon to sell eggnog and Sam’s creepy clown mask. But it ended on a cute note. While I was grocery shopping I had their automotive department fix a slow leak in one of the van tires. When I went to pay for it one of the workers came inside with an itty bitty kitten they had found in one of the car pits. I sent a picture to Rob of said kitten and got a hard no. Good thing I was just kidding, huh? I did find our that they called a no kill shelter that was going to come pick the little guy up.
So that pretty much sums up last week’s trip to the store. Not sure what to expect today but hopefully I can withstand the temptation of the eggnog (my waistline needs me to resist) and no creepy clown shenanigans from Sam.
Happy Monday to you though!
Sunday was as much of a feast and celebration as we anticipated. And Monday was full of friends and grilled food. Oh, and a pretty delicious dessert. I will be sharing two versions of the recipe on She Feeds Her Family tomorrow. Opinions were pretty evenly split as to whether the chocolate cherry was better than the snickerdoodle caramel apple.
The Common Place 