Friday, January 15, 2021

January grocery shopping

Patterns in the frost on my car window before driving to shop early on Wed. Jan. 6. I thought that way I would avoid crowds of people, some of whom still ignore "mask required" signs. 


 


I enjoy finding many things at bargain prices at Hopey's Grocery store in Black Mountain. They frequently have bulk displays, like this one in the crackers aisle. But I look carefully to find what I need, and don't usually buy many of the discounted "past their date" items. 


This was before the latest snow, but there was rime ice, or hoarfrost on many of the mountain peaks. Here I was driving into Black Mountain, passing the Hampton Inn on the far left, with the exit from I-40 coming onto my route...which was NC-9.

When my light turned green I still tried to catch a shot of these whitetops...but got more cars instead.

After going under I-40, I could see the mountains a bit better as I drove into Black Mountain center itself. 




A lovey Christmas present, a bit delayed from a friend. Some cheerful flowers. I added them to the same vase that had held my Christmas bouquet (and removed the faded ones!)


Today's quote:

I pray this day for the courage to be . . . *
The courage to be humble 
in the midst of inequity and pain, 
to know that the power has been given me 
to make a difference, 
although not to end all suffering or 
to save all the whales that populate our days.

I pray for the courage of endurance, 
to keep acting in the wake of challenge, 
to keep trying in the aftermath of failure, 
to keep hoping in the lull that 
comes after encounter loss or change.

May courage give me patience 
and patience give me healing, 
and may I ever know Love’s healing presence 
at the center of my days.

* Acknowledging debt to Paul Tillich for his well known phrase, “the courage to be.” Which article, it should be known, is still worth reading.

by Maureen Killoran, UU Minister, retired

18 comments:

  1. Taking photos while driving!! I only can do that because my husband is driving.

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    1. I assumed she wasn't the photographer!

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    2. I was barely moving, and the only car behind me passed me by before I closed window, put phone down, and increased speed to 20 mph.

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  2. Hello,
    The mountains look pretty capped with the white snow/frost. I love your flowers, they are cheery!
    Take care, have a happy day and weekend!

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    1. I love seeing those in a distance, and keep forgetting my phone can't zoom in to see them just because my eyes can!

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  3. ...it nice to see full grocery shelves.

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    1. This store does pile thing out to sell. Other stores have big gaps in cleaning products, or even some of the frozen foods I like.

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  4. What a nice gift!
    I look at the Reduced Price - Bargain shelves too. I have found food packages marked down even though they are not damaged and still have a good date on them.
    Have a blessed day!

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    1. This little local store (there's one more in Asheville as well) has really reasonable organic produce, though it's limited...and there are usually a few packaged goods I want. They have bread and chips at ridiculously low prices.

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  5. Lovely views and sky. I'm surprised the store even has the outdated merchandise available. Anywhere I've worked we had to remove it, by law.

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    1. Here they can have outdtated merchandise out as sale items. It's kind of a bargain store, and damaged and out of date things are what you know you're buying.

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  6. I don't eat things fast enough and frequently go past the "sell by" date. I avoid buying it though, if I can. Now that I'm doing pick up, I have less control over that. Beautiful mountains!

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    1. I have definitely changed my eating habits. Now that Covid limits my shopping, I like Hopey's because it's right around the corner from me. I now make a big pot of soup each week, and add different things to it as I use it, so it's not the same each day.

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  7. I like the view of the mountains with the snow on them. Our stores discount the items that are close to the seel by date and place them all together is an area of the store. They sell quickly.

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    1. I loved these pretty mountains! Yes, that's a way lots of stores choose to sell items that are about to expire. A lot of them are still perfectly good...but I've found chips can have stale oil on them. Bread I can freeze, and usually eat it toasted.

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  8. When you say January, do you mean that you just shop once a month?

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    1. No, I tend to get fresh produce at Hopeys weekly...as well as whatever I'm low on. I can't figure out how to order a pick-up list of groceries, though it's available. I just choose to shop at early hours, and can tell by the parking lot how crowded it will be. I'm definitely a bargain hunter.

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  9. Pretty Blooms ! It would be my pleasure if you join my link up party related to gardening here at http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/ .

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There is today, more than ever, the need for a compassionate regenerative world civilization.