Where Will You Be on Friday?

Will you be out with the Shopping Fanatics on Friday morning?
Or will you be snug in your bed or headed to work at that early hour?
Me?....I don't 'do' Black Friday.

Besides the fact that I don't have many people to buy "stuff" for during the Holidays, it's rare that I want/need something so badly at an insanely low price that I'd brave the traffic headaches, go out into the Chaos of Crowds and stand in lines a mile long to pay in order to save money on an electronic/appliance/toy/article of clothing/etc.
But that's just me I suppose....
Hey, I am all over a great deal but even I have my limits.

If you do have the "Shopping Monkey on your back" and you'll be hitting as many stores as time will allow in a Shopping Bachanalia, remember that all that "stuff" you buy needs to fit into your already crowded with "stuff" home and once you are done with the new "stuff", it will most likely end up clogging up a landfill somewhere....and we are fast running out of places to dispose of all our unwanted "stuff" on this planet.  Consider these points and buy judiciously if you have to purchase "stuff".

The teens mostly want cash or gift cards and Hubs and I don't need more "stuff". I'm going to try to find ways to support local businesses this year when I do buy.
I'll try to find gift cards/certificates to buy off of local small merchants(for consumables or experiences mostly)and try to stay out of the big box stores.

Speaking of big box stores and Black Friday, have a lookie at this SNL skit and tell me that this isn't where we are headed.....



Since I sold a few things on eBay on Thanksgiving(bless all those cyber shoppers with nothing to do but watch football on Thursday!lol) I'll be packing and shipping when I'm not strolling down the aisles at Rite-Aid on Friday seeing what food/HBA items I can bring home for free(or close to it).

Whatever you are doing on Black Friday, stay safe, stay sane and stay warm!

Sluggy

A Good Fall Day....at The Farm

I finally got a chance to get to a local farmstand last week to pick up some produce before the Winter sets in here.
It was a nice sunny, albeit chilly, day.
I hit a roadblock, literally, before I got there.  Seems PENNDOT also thought it was a nice day and chose the intersection of the road the farm is located on, where I needed to turn onto it as a great place to repair and replace the asphalt road...ugh!
So I had to find a new, scenic route to get to the farm.

But with only a short detour I did hook up with the road I needed to be on.
Usually by the end of October our trees are well past the fall peak color time and naked due to the winds.  But there have been little wind or rain this Fall, so there was some pretty foliage, like this tree I saw on the way....

It was much more striking in person I think.

Our destination is up ahead....

They have a big enclosed Pumpkin Pen here in back of the farmstand, where you can choose your squash.  That part is geared toward the little kids and it's decorated and there are things for the wee ones to do.  In order to draw the customers in, you have to cater to the kiddies....

Oh look!  One of those rare "squash-epillars"!

I hear they are hard to find in captivity....

Here's a "Self-Service" Pumpkin grader.  Find the hole your gourd fits through and pay that price.
I was in search of pumpkins for pie making so I got a wagon and help picking out my selections in a different section of the pen.  Can't you just imagine me pulling a red wagon loaded up with orange gourds?lol  I needed a nap when I got home...ugh

Instead of guessing the weight on this bad boy, they should have had a "Guess How Many Pies He Will Make?" contest. lol

After procuring my batch of pumpkins, a bushel of onions, a big batch of apples and red peppers, it was time to go pet the baby animals....

This guy let me snap his photo but wasn't interested once he found out I didn't have a snack for him.

Another standoffish customer.....what's this world coming to when the petting zoo animals are worldly and jaded?

This calf was very friendly though....and so soft since his long shaggy winter coat was coming in.
His horns were sprouting too so I don't think he'll be in the petting zoo again next year.lol
They also had a brooder of baby chicks.  Oh, to be able to bring a few of those home to raise my own eggs.  Someday......

And here's the brains of the operation....the one who keeps everyone in line and keeps things running smoothly--the farm dog.
This old boy followed me everywhere and then sat keeping guard on my car until I was ready to leave.

Business started to pick up for the afternoon as I left.  I was glad to see more support for this local farm!
I opted to take an alternate route home since the PENNDOT guys would still be stretching out the 2 hour asphalt job for the rest of the day.

Just some scenery I passed along the way home.

Not much color now but it sure beats staring at the 4 walls in the house, right?

There's nothing like a leisurely drive down a country road on a sunny day to clear your head.  Especially when you know by next month, the weather will be keeping you homebound for the forseeable future.
And the bonus is that you can bring home a bunch of fresh local produce that's a more frugal deal than buying the stuff the grocery stores truck in from much further away!

Now who's coming here to help me make pumpkin puree?

Sluggy