Big Turkey

I'm walking Otto the other morning and I saw this GIANT inflatable turkey in one of my neighbor's lawns. I burst out laughing when I saw it - - I was alone! Crazy person on the street. Today, I made the boys drive around until I located it again (my neighborhood has non-block-like streets and sometimes on my walks with Otto, I meander aimlessly.)

It is clear that these folks are not limited by extravagant Halloween decorations. I am looking forward to how they deck the halls for Christmas. Will there be a giant inflatable santa? Will there be an all out sleigh and reindeer on the roof? The anticipation is killing me. Frankly, I was also secretly curious to know if there was a cornucopia shaped bouncy-house somewhere in their backyard.

Lately, I have realize that I am moderately inflicted with a kind of agoraphobia. Actually, it more like large-store-intolerance. Since coming back to the US, I have had repatriation issues with big retail centers. I find I can tolerate Target in small doses - mainly because I HAVE to do stuff there. But, I cannot bare any kind of Safeway, Giant or any other super-sized grocery store. Costco and Sam's are entirely out of the question. The crowds are too much and I am overwhelmed with the choices of products. With regards to Costco, I question what is the world I would ever do with 8,000 rolls of toilet paper in my home at one time? My little local grocery store is right up my alley and I still shop every day similar to my life over seas. It is absolutely certain that my grocery bill is higher because of this - - but my sanity is priceless, right? Besides, I cannot think far enough in advance to determine what I am going to have for dinner on more than one consecutive night. (Question: can one night be "consecutive"?)

Knowing that I abhor going - - still, I reluctantly bit the bullet and went to Safeway today to do the lion's share of my Thanksgiving shopping. It was a hellish experience. Why, oh why would I choose to go to a place I cannot stand on the very day when 120% of the human population is also clawing their way through the isles cramming their baskets full of cranberry sauce and fixins' for stuffing? What a dope. I rarely drink and I never drink anything amber colored, but I swear that I felt that this might be the one time I wanted to have a scotch. Straight-up.