I just aborted a trip to the grocery store and local strip mall. Our temperatures are finally above freezing and Thursday’s snow is transitioning to today’s puddles. Schools have been closed for the past two days. Judging from the traffic out there, folks are recovering from a severe case of cabin fever.
I sat through a few traffic light cycles in order to get to the Shoppers. The roads looked more like 5pm on a Tuesday than 1:00 on a Saturday. As I pulled into the shopping center, I noticed cars parked in spaces that generally sit empty. Grocery carts were left on muddy, snowy, grass islands in the lot, their wheels the victims of an automated lock that engages when the carts are taken past the yellow line at the back of the parking lot. The line is actually black, a fact I’ve pointed out to the store’s management several times.
I took a not so quick pass around the outer perimeter of the parking lot without any sign of an empty space and decided it was really not worth entering the store. Looks like a good day to finish that load of laundry, swoosh a toilet or two, and return some calls and emails - if I can catch anyone in, that is.