Monday, January 26, 2015

A Little "Me" Time


My husband had to work this Saturday.  I had all kinds of plans of the tasks I was going to accomplish while having the house to myself. So much for plans...it turned out to be more of a "me" day.

I left the house when he did (around 6 a.m.).  First stop Walmart.  Not exactly what I wanted to do, but somethings just have to be done whether you want to or not. And if you  have to go to Walmart early morning is the best time. By the time I was finished at Walmart it was light enough for my first adventure.

I have not been able to stop thinking about the silly herons at Horseshoe Lake - the ones I saw while walking the dogs (without my good camera) and then couldn't find the next day when I returned with a photographer friends and my good camera. I got to the park about 7:30 a.m. and found 3 herons. The first couple I saw were a little too far away.



Then as I was driving back toward the entrance I spotted one that gave me the opportunity for a few good shots.





I can't believe that this is the same bird. He scrunches himself up pretty small.


And like any good 80s girl, I do enjoy a flock of seagulls. There wasn't much ice left on the lake, but they managed to squeeze onto a little patch out near the middle of the lake.

Next stop a new grocery store about 40 minutes from my house. (The park was about halfway there so it totally made sense to stop, right?) 
There were all kinds of delicious looking goodies in the store. I found it to be a mix of organic foods and regular grocery. The prices were pretty reasonable. I couldn't resist some avocados...good that they limited me to 4. It it had been closer to Superbowl I might have gone through the checkout lanes multiple times and made a huge batch of guacamole. I bought a couple different kinds of the fresh sausage. Our favorite so far was a Chicken Parmesan. I am looking forward to the Chicken Basil. 
My husband was extremely happy that I brought home a block of Tillamook cheddar. He is a complete cheese freak. So it is currently hidden from him. My mother-in-law had brought us home Tillamook cheese when she visited relatives in Oregon last summer. So good!

I found this sticker on bags of cookies intriguing. Am I to believe they intend to say their cookies are special because they are freshly baked in store in small. I suspect more cookies are oven baked. I was proud of myself for not buying any - they did look good.
There was a huge shelf of snack mixes. I have to be honest, I don't think the name makes this particular blend sounds particularly appetizing. Now the "apple pie" blend on the shelf above....that might be a different story.
I shop pretty consistently at Aldi. There are a few items they don't carry and I pick those up at other grocery stores. I would definitely shop at Fresh Thyme again. It is too far for regular shopping, but when I am in the area I will stop in again.

Sometimes you just need a day to pursue your interests and recharge. This was my day :)


10 comments:

  1. How very true, taking a day to pursue your interests is an excellent idea!

    LOVE the pictures! Which reminds me, I keep meaning tot hank you for the note cards. I am a terrible blogger but I will post about them!

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    1. Thank you! I am the terrible blogger that took so long to get the cards to you :)

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  2. Great day indeed! Love those pics! You have such a good eye!

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    1. Thank you! All this picture taking is making me want more photography equipment :)

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  3. Those pictures are gorgeous! I love herons, they are so graceful. This is sort of a depressing but hopefully uplifting in the end story, but when my dog Wicket passed away we had her cremated. When I was ready, we went to her favorite spot on the river where she had so many good swims and romps and released her ashes into the water. Right as we did that a big, beautiful heron came out of the woods and swooped down low over our heads right where we released the ashes, then flew away up the river. We took it as a sign that Wicket's spirit was finally released. It was actually very comforting.

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    1. Such a sweet sentiment. I love that herons can seem both awkward and graceful - hopefully I can too :)

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  4. Replies
    1. I love that you can find pretty everywhere. But we are lucky to have some great natural resources nearby :)

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  5. I am in love with Fresh Thyme! I pretty much plan on splitting shopping between Aldi's and there from now on. Their meat and fish selection is so good and so many fresh veggies!

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