This, that, and "is plastic o.k.?"

This.

If you desperately missed my daily blog/face book postings it's 'cause all unwittingly I changed a Face book setting so that my posts went to one friend only, instead of to all friends.

Thom Smith of Dalton MA was the chosen "one friend only"!

I reposted most things to all friends today.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

That

Those nights when you are drifting in and out of sleep and in the semi-somnolent minutes you have strange concerns.

Three nights ago I could recall the name of two of the Canadian Maritime Provinces  (Nova Scotia and P.E.I.) but for the life of me I could not recall New Brunswick.   I had to look it up soon after I arose the next morning.

Last night I could not remember how to spell "worry".  I wanted to spell it with qu as the first two letters (as in quarry), but I know that was incorrect.  It took a while before I could get to worry not quorry.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is plastic o.k? 

The check out clerks/cashiers and baggers at Publix Supermarkets are programmed by Corporate to use a couple of phrases.  One is "it's my pleasure" when a customer says "thank you". One high school checker told me that when his teacher thanked him for giving a correct answer his Publix/automaton response was "It's my pleasure" to the merriment of his class mates).

These hard working store staff members are also programmed to say "is plastic o.k?"  when bagging. I want to snarl NO but I realise that the head honchos in Lakeland FL have decided that plastic should be the default bags.

Most often I remember to take my cloth bags.  The colourful ones I use are from the Market Basket chain of south eastern New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts.

They are often greatly admired, and why not?   )Thanks to Judy Beers of Wakefield MA who provided mine).

I see no point in putting some items in one of those small plastic bags on a roller.  After all the bananas have their own easy open "bags", the cucumbers will be peeled, and the radishes topped,tailed, and washed.

But I cannot entirely escape plastic.  There are next to no loose greens on the shelves. I know that the almost clamshell containers make for easier transportation and display,but could there not be a more environmentally friendly way of doing this?  Yes, there are Farmers' Markets, but I am less than impressed with the one in down town Sarasota.  I am not at all sure that some of the vendors are indeed local farmers.