How is this going to end?
People often ask me where I get the ideas for my books. For me, it’s usually sparked by something in my life or the life
Today’s news that the entire 99c store chain will close struck a blow to my well-being. I have many, many happy memories that grew from my visits to their stores.
The miniature roses blossoming both in the front of my house and the back came from there. True, I paid $3.99 for each one, but at the regular nursery, they would have gone for $9.99.
I discovered Rustik multi-grain bread at the 99. Grainy, chewy, and tasty, it was exactly what I wanted. It cost me $1.29 at the 99, but would have cost $5.99 at Albertsons or Von’s. If they were out of the multi-grain, they often had the sourdough. I didn’t mind that it was a day old. I read somewhere that bread fresh out of the oven makes you gassy. At my age, a fate not to be tempted.
It was there I discovered the Hami melon, its appearance similar to a regular cantaloupe, but oval instead of round, and crisper and sweeter. I hoarded some of the seeds and am hoping for the best.
I found sugarless Ghiradelli’s chocolate chips. Oh, happy fate! It wasn’t the sugar I craved, anyway–it was the rich, smooth, bitter chocolate. No more gnawing on blocks of baking chocolate to satisfy my coco-lust!
At the point of my life when small print is the bane of my existence, I found $1.29 magnifying glasses and now have a half-dozen placed strategically around the house. I have as many scissors as I need to have a pair on hand no matter where in the house I may be.
The place was full of Italian pastas, made with semolina wheat, not modified glue like most American pasta.
They had dear little lemon cookies with no frosting.
My Melanie and I would visit on Saturdays, collecting cat food, dog food, and poop bags from the pet department.
I picked up little boxes of Rice-a-Roni long and wild grain rice for $1.29, and in produce, boxes of tomatoes, blueberries, and mushrooms, all at bargain prices.
I bought ropes of garlic, bags of onions, stalks of celery, and triple packs of Romaine heads. One of my favorite things was the bag of small lemons. I liked that I could use the whole lemon at one time and not waste any.
They’ve already commenced a going-out-of-business sale. I don’t know that I’ll have the heart to attend.
Alas, poor 99. I knew it well.
People often ask me where I get the ideas for my books. For me, it’s usually sparked by something in my life or the life
Most moms remember well when they were trying to toilet train their toddlers. The child in question discovered early on that the best way to
I have a half-dozen moments in my memory that are enormous– unforgettable. They’re the kind that come as a surprise and make you remember exactly
I only met my mother-in-law one time. From family descriptions, I knew she was once beautiful but in her sixties, she looked pretty much like