Thursday - 17 Dec/15

Here we go again. We slept in until almost 10 a.m. We must need the rest!

We each have an "Almost" cold. You know, the kind where you feel "stuffed Up". You have a coughing or sneezing spell once every few hours and it seems to go away - then comes back. Just enough to be a nuisance.

Charlotte did a little more hand stitching (no she hasn't got her hand raised to ask permission to leave the room - grin).

Went out around 1 p.m. to find needed craft items for Charlotte's upcoming projects. We made a stop at the office to pay next month's rent. It doesn't matter who is working the front desk - the greeting is always friendly. Today it was Linda (co-manager). When asked why they are always happy in the office she replied that they are "...always glad to take our money." (her words - not mine). Did I mention...sense of humor?"

As we left the park we could see linemen working on the power lines. Not a good day to have the power go out!

Instead of going to Hobby Lobby which is a few miles closer we decided to head for JoAnn Fabrics because we enjoy the slow ride along the lake. Charlotte particularly likes the parts where the oaks, draped in Spanish Moss, hang over the road.

Charlotte managed to find all items on her craft materials list except one: "Shrinky Dinks Frosted Ruff 'N' Ready" sheets.

• Shrinky Dinks are the classic shrink plastic product for creating permanent plastic ornaments, window hangings, magnets, key fobs and more from drawings, tracings, rubber stampings and more.
  Use permanent ink pens, paints, or colored pencils and then accent with glitter, embossing powders, wire, stained glass copper edging, and more.
  This frosted version gives you a rough side perfect for coloring, painting, inking, typing, photocopying and bakes translucent.

Heat shrinks the sheets making the creation into a miniature which often is used to decorate items.

Hunger called. I have a direct line (grin). We went to "Steak 'n Shake" a little bit up the road. True to its name, the menu features primarily steakburgers and hand-dipped milkshakes (Rated #1 by Zagat), though other entrees, side items, and drinks are also available. There is, however, no actual steak on the menu.

The corporation's slogan "Famous for Steakburgers" refers to its most prominent food item, the "Steakburger", so called because it is made from a mixture that includes T-bone, sirloin, and round steak.

Founded in 1934, Steak 'n Shake's slogan "In Sight It Must Be Right" originally referred the Founder's practice of wheeling a barrel of T-bone, sirloin, and round steaks into the public area of his restaurant, then grinding them into burgers in front of his customers. This practice was intended to reassure customers of the wholesomeness of the product at a time when ground beef was still viewed with some skepticism by the general public. It was widely thought that impurities were deliberately introduced into it. This practice of grinding the beef in public helped assure his customers because they could see for themselves that he was grinding steaks into the hamburger meat. This does not occur in public today; however the grill and cooking process is still prominently in view.

Even though it was after 2 p.m. the place was packed (with seniors). We discovered that on week days between 2 and 5, (a.m. or p.m.) all drinks are half-price which explained the crowd. Keeping with the season we both ordered Egg Nog Shakes. They were really good even if I couldn't taste the rum (grin).

The burgers were also very good. Pressing them down while cooking on the grill creates the signature crispy edges they are known for. The meal was actually less expensive than McD's!

Continuing our quest we went on to the JoAnn in Lady Lake. Still no Shrinky Dinks!

Despite the best efforts of "Mabel" (our GPS) to misguide us, I remembered where Michaels was located and we arrived with only one "U-Turn" required. U-turns are commonplace in this 6 lane section of Hwy. 27 and are required to access shopping areas on the opposite side of the divided highway.

Charlotte came out with an item! Success! she had indeed found the required "Shrinky Dink" sheets at Michaels.

We decided to cross the parking lot to the "Super Target". There was an item on our shopping (not crafts) list that we decided would be significantly cheaper at Target as compared to Publix. Target really a Walmart in disguise. It is virtually identical except that it is neatly organized.

I am really disappointed that Target messed up their venture into the Canadian market. They tried to open too many stores at the same time. The stores did not have sufficient stock on the shelves and they all ended up closing. Their huge distribution center, built a few miles from where we live, was since purchased by Walmart. It has become a "Twin" to the existing Walmart distribution center in the same industrial park.

We took the "Back Way" to OMS from Lady Lake. This is our usual practice allowing us to get away from the 6 lanes of "wall to wall" traffic. It was so warm (mid-80's) and humid (also mid-80's %) that travelling with the top off required the extra cool provided by having all the windows down just to be comfortable,

Our last stop was at Publix to purchase the items on our grocery list. We arrived before sunset. It was dusk when we finished. Being here means we receive nearly an extra hour of daylight in the evening when compared to home. (We live half way to the North Pole within a mile of the 45th.)

We unpacked all in time for Jeopardy. The "Fridge" and Pull-Out Pantry are now stuffed to capacity. We are going to sleep fully confident that we will survive the upcoming "Cold Spell" even if there are periods of steady rain (mostly Friday) during the 2-3 days when the temps drop below 70 F before returning to the "Plus 80's". (grin)