Times Are Tough ALL Over

I can especially see it in the thrift stores the last few times we have been in them.

Usually when we got to Springfield we visit a few. Sometimes looking for something specific, sometimes just to see what they have.

Yesterday we were in one of our favorites for Hubby to look at some jeans. I wandered around to see what they had - I'm nosy...

I spotted a great-looking Targus laptop case - black leather, many compartments - it was marked $2.59 and I was opening each compartment to check it out. As I opened one of the Velcro compartments with a "RRRIIIPPPP!!" this elderly gentleman (I use that term loosely!) stepped around the corner and announced "THAT is MINE!! I SAW IT!!" and he grabbed it out of my hands. "MY projector fits right here and my laptop goes right here!" And off he went. Proudly carrying the wonderful bag.

Well, perhaps I should have stood my ground. On the other hand, if he wanted it bad enough to snatch it from my hands I would have felt pretty stupid wrestling an old man to the floor right in the Thrift Store For The Blind.

And I probably had 175 pounds on the guy.

Okay - maybe he wasn't too sharp...

It's a Spring Thing

Insomnia. Yes, I get it at other times of the year, but this year the allergies are really starting to get me. I lie down and my head hurts from congestion. I get out of bed and sit up for a while, either drinking hot tea or maybe just writing for a while, and it improves.

So I go back to bed. After all, it is only 3AM, why not go back to bed?

I will be back up within a half hour, head still hurting.

I went through this last night and this morning, and was still miserable when I got up this morning.

Thankfully, Hubby slept through most of it. Although, he seemed to think I was up most of the night.

On the other hand, these Ozark hills are blooming and beautiful. You can see the former old homesteads by the lush lilac bushes and Daffodils coming up in otherwise strange places.

We have been here since 2004 and still every spring will bring a surprise or two since this place has been here for so long.

I know that eventually Spring will give way to the long, hot days of Summer and those days will run me into the house and the air conditioner. I know Autumn will come and bring a whole different set of allergens. Then the cold of winter will be here for a while before Spring once more bursts forth.

They all have the good and bad. I am a bit hard put to pick a favorite. But probably I enjoy the feeling of walking through "green kool-aid" I get sometimes when I step into the heavily wooded area around my house. I can smell the lilacs, I can listen to the birds, I can enjoy the sight of the flowers and the buds on the trees, and know there's always more to look forward to around the corner.