Dan Antion

Keen Observations – #1LinerWeds

Not the best angle, but I’ll take what I can get.

I have been doing the grocery shopping since March, and I think I might be getting the hang of it. It’s been a while since I bought something on sale, only to find its you-need-to-eat-this-by date is tomorrow at 6:00 am. I almost know where everything is in the three stores I visit, except Target which constantly changes their layout – last week, I discovered that I now must go down the chocolate aisle and return back up the chips aisle. I’m still susceptible to falling for the $4.99 in 50-pt bold black letters on a yellow sign while the 6-pt “per pound” hides along the white bottom edge – $11.94? Holy bait and switch, Batman.

I am also getting used to the notion that there are no longer things like bread, cereal, and chicken. Heck, it’s no longer even good enough to send me to buy ‘English Muffins’ ‘boneless chicken breasts’ or ‘Special-K’ – and lets not even talk about the 4,000 flavors of Goldfish and Triscuits.

Needless to say, I usually take a shopping list. I sometimes augment the list with pictures of the brand / flavor / variety that we buy. My one-liner for today is not shopping related, but taken from the Tuxedo Cat shopping list we have. When I picked up the list, I couldn’t help but laugh at the wisdom of Abraham Lincoln.

“No matter how much cats fight there always seems to be plenty of kittens.”

This post is part of Linda G. Hill’s fun weekly series One-Liner Wednesday. If you have a one-liner, I’d encourage you to join in on the fun. You can follow this link to participate and to see the one-liners from the other participants.

Maddie is looking at the bunny.
And the bunny is looking at Maddie.
Smokey came for a peanut. Maddie was content to watch.
I love that you can see his wings in motion.
The bees really like the Bee Balm.
There you are!
Special-K used to come with “Red Berries” now with “Real” strawberries. I’ll stick with the original please.
“Oreo” should be enough. I shouldn’t have to choose.
How many kinds of Goldfish can they make?
Chickpea Puffs ??? Not if you were the last snack food on earth.
Rose of Sharon.
Double Rose of Sharon.
We have been walking very early (I am wearing shorts, not walking on stilts).
“I keep telling you. They don’t want to only see our shadows.”

66 comments

  1. Grocery stores are designed by the devil and force you to buy more than you need. And it’s never healthy.
    Btw… I don’t know about anyone else but this post format is totally hosed in my end. Text over pictures and hard to read.

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  2. Grocery store design is a high price job – often held by psychologists. Motorola used them to pick the paint colors for their new building here. Greens/blues for the rest areas and hot colors for work areas, so on and so forth.
    The many choices of one product just simply drive me crazy. 😜

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    • When I worked for Weyerhaeuser, they explained how they used psychologists in designing the building to encourage productivity. Talk about feeling like a rat in a maze.

      At least some brands label one version as “original.” Otherwise, I am in trouble. Could it be that we were spoiled with simplicity?

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  3. Your Rose of Sharon is beautiful, and the bee on the move is an amazing shot. 👏🏻👏🏻 Maddie looks so comfortable on her cot, it always makes me smile. :-) I use to go to the store without a list, but now I make one and put things in order by where they are in the store, sort of, so I can keep on my goal to get in and get out. It stills stops me dead in my tracks when I see an empty shelf because it boggles my mind that this particular item is either not in stock or sold out. There’s also no such thing as running to the store to get one item we’re missing. We just go without and put it on the list for next time. I tend to buy the same brands and types so when something is missing it causes me to ‘shop’, and I for one will not miss those arrows on the floor if they are gone some day. I must admit the only product that causes my BP to increase if it is missing is Peets coffee. Have a good Wednesday, Dan.

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    • I was in a mood yesterday, Judy. After bringing my cart into the store and wiping it down, one wheel started clunking. Then, they didn’t have the first four things on my list. Talk about spiking your BP. They were out of the strangest things. I guess I was too early on a day when they restock a lot of items.

      Maddie has days where I think she’d stay outside in her cot all day. It’s the strangest thing, but it makes her happy, so we oblige.

      I hope you have a goods day and plenty of Peets.

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  4. LOL! She’s right we do like seeing Maddie too. I didn’t think you were on stilts. Nope, I thought you were wearing riding pants and ditched the crop cause you’ve got the leash instead. 😊

    I hadn’t heard that quote from Abe Lincoln before, but it’s true, isn’t it! 😂

    I like Special K with red berries, and original Oreos, Baby Girl LOVES the Double Stuffed ones. I don’t normally buy Goldfish and had no idea they came in so many flavors! I generally skip that row all together, and the chips aisle too.
    My old grocery store switched things up several years ago with a store remodel and I swear it took me two years to get to know where all the things were again. So far I’m doing pretty good at the new store here, but should they change it up I’m doomed to be lost again for who knows how long?

    The double Rose of Sharon is lovely.

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    • I did think of riding pants. It’s funny what those shadows look like. I should have taken this from the side, when it looks like I’m riding Maddie.

      I used to get the Special K with red berries. Now, the Editor buys somewhat dehydrated strawberries. They are really good. Otherwise, I like the cereal plain, even though it’s the most boring cereal I’ve ever eaten. I don’t think my doctor would approve of Cocoa Puffs.

      The bees seem to like the double Rose of Sharon better than the singles, but I don’t have much luck getting their pictures. The Bee Balm is low enough that I can snap a few. I took those with my phone, which is why I was surprised that they came out well at all.

      I hope you are having a good week. May the shelves be full of the variety of Oreo you like !

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  6. There is just too many choices of most things on the grocery shelves…..if they’re even on the shelves when you’re shopping! Although the arrows on the floor keep customers moving in one direction (at least those of us who follow directions !), it’s also a good way to get us to walk every aisle in the store and perhaps pick up an item we wouldn’t have otherwise seen! Good marketing strategy.

    The worst is, just when I get where I can write out my grocery list according to store layout, they send in the troops and change everything again!😡

    Maddie sure loves her deck and cot. So cute the way she’s perfectly content to watch the critters scurrying around with no desire to take up chase.

    The photo of the bee in flight is amazing Dan. The Bee Balm looks like it has nothing left to give, but apparently the bees would disagree!
    🐾Ginger 🐾

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    • We are trying to keep the Bee Balm alive and kicking, Ginger. It’s about the only thing we water these days. The bees really do love it.

      Maddie loves her cot. Some days, shes content to take a short rest. Other days, she just goes to sleep and is dead to the world until I drag her in.

      The stores and the arrows just don’t work for me. I am forever needing to visit two down-arrow rows, which requires a trip up an aisle I don’t want to visit.Whatever it takes, I guess. I do manage to get in and out fairly fast.

      I hope you enjoy the break from the heat, or at least maybe the humidity.

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  7. After 4 weeks of being stuck at home post-surgery, I’m now back in control of the grocery shopping again. All I can say is ‘Hallelujah’!! Not that I like grocery shopping, but being subject to someone else’s version of priorities has been challenging. My version of shopping is to be prepared for sudden catastrophic events, while Gille’s version is that we still have 6 shrivelled up carrots in the fridge so shopping can wait until Friday.

    We are both happy with this return to ‘normal’.

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    • I have been the inadvertent hoarder. My wife buys for the long haul, but I had no idea how much/many of each thing to buy. I know we eat pasta, so I bought lots of it when it was on sale. Then I bought more the next week. I’m getting better, but I think we can survive the zombie apocalypse, at least for a while.

      I’m glad to hear that your back out and about. Take care.

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  10. My husband had the chore of food shopping when I was going through all my surgeries a few (actually four!!) years ago. Gave him a whole new appreciation for that job. I will never learn the layout of any store and am prone to writing things on a list as I realize we need them. I’m the one stopped in the aisle looking to see if I need anything down this particular one because I will religiously go up and down each aisle–I never know what I might need! The variety of one particular item boggles the mind. Your photo of the bee’s wings is wonderful, Dan. You can see the speed in them. Maddie–she is so cute. Of course, I want to see her and not her shadow! Love that she and Smokey and Bunny all get along so well. Perfect harmony in nature. Have a good one. Gonna be another wet day today. Oh, remember the pro painter we were gonna have do a bunch of work? Tomorrow will be a week since he came to the house and jotted down everything we want done. sigh so much for professionalism….

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    • If that’s a pro, I’d hate to see a fly-by-night painter.

      I do have a much greater appreciation for the grocery task, Lois. I’d like to say, “I’ve learned my lesson, let’s go back to normal,” but I guess the job is mine for a while. We aren’t allowed to both be in the store.

      Maddie is live-and-let-live with everything except cats. If a cat comes in the yard, she will pull me off the porch and drag me across the grass.

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  12. Shopping is a whole lot easier when you live by yourself. I can make on-the-spot substitutions without any second thoughts, so it’s rarely a problem if they are out of a particular item or brand. I knew that there were many goldfish varieties, but it is Oreos that get me–they come in all colors and flavors and there are even special holiday editions.

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  13. It’s interesting to see the bold land of plenty displayed while some are starving.  It seems to me the manufacturers could share instead of putting out hundreds of the same product.  But I’m in a contrary mood today.  Love the photos and Maddie is gorgeous.

    Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad

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  14. I don’t envy you going to the store. I went to take a picture for a post a couple of weeks ago and blessed The Producer for doing all the shopping. I laughed out loud at the 50 pt sign bit. So funny. Great shots of the bee. You gotta now spend thousands to get a camera with enough speed to stop the wings. No? Aw, come on. Super post, Dan

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  15. No chickpea puffs, Dan? C’mon, where’s your sense of adventure? I’ve had cauliflower puffs that are actually very good – they remind me of Cheeto puffs, which used to be an addiction. In regard to the Oreo’s, I agree with you. Although I no longer eat them, I was never enamored with the flavored variations. Sometimes plain is best.

    LOL about the kittens. Yeah, Gibbs and Ziva would probably fight and makeup with little ones if they weren’t fixed long ago. Happy Wednesday!

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    • I don’t buy Oreos often. I lean toward the original variety of most everything. Except, I do buy sour cream & onion chips.

      MiMi & MuMu are likely the product of such a fight/makeup.

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  16. So funny, I just saw this quote the other day! It made me laugh then, too. I find people who do grocery shopping learn life lessons we get no other way. I thought I’d learned everything I needed to after this many years but corona days shopping has forced me to learn the real meaning of being flexible.

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    • I’m not sure if I’m up to life lessons yet. I’m still working on finding the expiration dates, ingredients and true cost. I am learning a lot about people. Everybody has to eat, so I see every type of reaction to this crazy pandemic.

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  17. 😂😂😂😂Hubby is right there with you on the chickpea puffs. I must agree because he actually bought them for me to try. I have been known to enjoy a healthy snack of the odd sort…soy nuts, veggie chips…but those were AW-ful.
    Your bee photos are terrific. I love them all.
    Those are too many choices of Goldfish. But we did try one recently thatI am enjoying a lot. Cheddar and pretzel duo. That is odd for me because I don’t normally care for them much. I’ma real Cheez-It fanatic, especially the extra toasty ones. Here is no justifiable reason that I can see for groceries to be skyrocketing through the roof. People are buying more groceries than ever now. Commercialism is an insatiable monster. Ang in there Dan.

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  18. Wow! It’s been so long since I’ve bought Goldfish crackers, I had no idea there were so many options. Cheddar was always my go-to flavor. Thanks, Dan – now I have a craving for Cheddar Goldfish crackers. LOL
    On another note, I’m having an issue scrolling your posts on my iPhone and iPad. No issue on the PC. Has anyone else experienced this glitch?
    Stay well, Donna

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  19. My husband has done all the shopping too. He’s found his way around the store(s) with a list, and often checks it off, yet still misses an item he went for. I don’t think it is because it wasn’t at the store, it was likely due to the target factor of relocation. I enjoyed reading your perfectly titled and delightful post, Dan. Love the pictures (bee wings and all – the close-up flowers too!) and how you tied it all together! PS – do you really not have bread, cereal, and chicken available at your stores?

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  22. Hi Dan – I hate it when they move everything around – but I’m only shopping for me … so can change my mind … we’ve been lucky down here … but I’m in town and access the smaller versions and they seem ok. I’m avoiding all starchy things! & choclately things … still may go down to the lonely sea and sky on a boiling day and get a salted caramel … debating!! Good luck with the shopping lark – at least buy something …?! Stay safe – Hilary

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  23. Great one-liner. Wise man and good president, that Lincoln. These photos are amazing, and so is Maddie, being content to watch Smokey run by. I’ve never had a dog that would do that.

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  24. I find the endless choices intimidating. I can shop in a few minutes. I grab and go. I hate going with my husband. He checks, reads packages, and ponders decision. I can’t live that way. It is much better for him to do shopping alone. Helps us stay married

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    • Well, our stores are asking for “only one person in your party to be in the store at the same time.” So, I guess our marriage is safe. I do get a lot of funny looks when I bring some things home.

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  25. My husband’s been doing much of the shopping. We’ve have a few surprises, but I think it could be the fault of the list. Don’t know why he couldn’t interpret my shorthand
    .

    comsoupsb(cream of mushroom soup, store brand)
    Cocsoupsbbc(cream of chicke, store brand, big can)
    Klim (milk)
    Cklimnf (canned milk, non fat)
    Cchk6pk (canned chicken, 6 k)

    We are both learning

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