Travel Tuesday

We still haven't been traveling, so this is going to be a stretch! But, hey, it's somethin'!

Last Wednesday, Sandy surprised us by saying that they were coming in town for the weekend. I put it in gear and started planning--food and activities! So, on Thursday, Butch and I headed out to run the errands. Believe it or not, running errands together is the highlight of my week these days. Really, it's about every other week---we try to save up the errands so it's more exciting. I'm not kidding!

We were going to the liquor store, Starbucks, Sprouts, farmers vegetable stand, grocery store and then Sonic for lunch.

It started off to be a good day when, at the liquor store, Butch discovered that this particular place had Maker's Mark for $8.00 less than his regular place. This place, "Red's" is now going to be his "go-to" place. Plus, he had some sort of incentive from American Express for visiting small businesses. We didn't go for that, it was just on the route for our errands. Still, a nice little plus! 

When we're going to be out and about, Butch always drives me through Starbucks so I can get my "ventiicedblackteashakenwithtwoequalsnocane"---just part of our travel routine. 

From there, we got on the highway. I've mentioned this before, but have to say it again. There's just something about getting on the highway these days that makes me feel like we're on a road trip! I guess it's because here in Nashville, we mostly drive around town without getting on highways. 

As we're cruising along, we're listening to the radio. Butch has been enthralled with this Sirius station---Underground Garage. He's been telling me about how they play unusual songs that you don't hear very often. In my opinion, I'd change that to "songs I've never heard of before, ever!"

                        

Case in point. Have you ever heard of the Cocktail Slippers? What does that even mean? Perhaps the group was drunk, drinking cocktails out of slippers and said, "Hey, we should call ourselves---the Cocktail Slippers!" Yeah, good idea. Never heard of the song either. That's okay, I like a wide variety of music. It's only fair that Butch gets to choose sometime. Okay, on with the errands.

We stopped in Sprouts for only the second time of my life. The first time a couple weeks ago, I discovered they have pork steaks. Actually, they call them "pork blade steaks". Pork steaks are a St. Louis "thing" and were not sold here. Since I happened upon them at Sprouts, I'll definitely be back--even if it's out of my way. 

This time, I was there for the pork steaks, but came across this. First of all, I had no idea that aloe plants could get this big. My second thought was, "holy smokes"---this must be for BIG burns!" Really, what do you do with this and how long does it last? Does in need refrigeration? You can't tell from the picture, but they are about 18" long and 3" wide at the base. Anyone?? Any ideas?

Next we went to the farmer's stand. The same one we went to a few weeks ago on our way home from the farm. I stocked up on veggies for the weekend. 

From there it was Kroger's for the rest of the groceries and then Sonic for lunch. Of course, we needed to "hand sanitize." One thing I learned is that these "flavored" hand sanitizers don't especially go well with burgers! I carry one called "cherry merlot" in my purse. The smell stays for quite awhile. This is the first time it was annoying. At happy hour on Friday night, Greg was saying that the one he used was clashing with his drink! I thought it was interesting that I'm not the only one who had a problem with that. Minutiea, I know. But that's my life these days, full of minutiae (another word I don't think I've ever used. Had to look up the spelling).

On Saturday, we were having a pool party. We're barbecuing pork steaks, making fresh green beans, roasted potatoes, sliced tomatoes, Sister Shubert rolls, and a new recipe---skillet corn. For dessert, we're having another new recipe--peanut butter banana pudding. I'll be sharing recipes soon. In the meantime....

...I decided to enjoy my fresh vegetables, artfully arranged (okay, just piled) in a basket. Hey, little things make me happy. Always have. 

Our day of errands---well, couple hours---was really fun. That's about the extent of our outings with a little geo-caching thrown in. I used to hate running errands. Who knew they would become such a source of enjoyment!!