Phones, Finances and Filler
When did phones become so complicated?
When I was growing up, everyone I knew had ONE phone in their house. They knew their phone numbers and their friends' phone numbers. The women were usually responsible for keeping them written in a little book, sometimes in their purses, in case they needed to call numbers they didn't have memorized.
Gradually, people got a second phone for convenience ie. the 2nd floor of their houses. Then, they got cordless/portable/mobile/cell phones (terminology has really evolved) ... for emergencies. Recently I mentioned the fact that getting a cell phone didn't make financial sense for me since I was already paying for a "home phone", that's a land line, by the way, and I was informed that "most people" don't HAVE home phones. Just cell/smart phones. Of course, the young lady I was talking to was half my age (mid to late 20s). I felt put in my place.
I'm a phone dinosaur.
Speaking of finances ... I don't have a lot of money. I live in an economically depressed area ... where most people seem to have cell phones, incidentally. The A&P grocery chain, acquired by Metro in 2005, moved out of the area and filled their former premises with their discount subsidiary called Food Basics. I usually shop at FB for staples like milk, eggs etc, since it's closer, and on my way home from most places that I work. However, I shop at Metro for specials and items not available at FB. Their meat and fruits/veggies are also better. You pay at least 1/4-1/3 more for these items.
Immigrants usually live in the area until they get their financial legs under them and then they move to the suburbs. There are some die hard residents in the area, like my next door neighbours and a couple of households across the street. We've been here for at least 30 years, and I don't foresee anyone leaving in the future. I just can't afford to, but even if I could, the location is central to my work as a substitute teacher, my various medical support systems are nearby and I'm comfortable here.
I can get all kinds of middle Eastern foods within walking distance as well. They're the latest wave of new residents of the area. Over the years, I've been lucky to be introduced to new cuisine without having to go out of my way to track it down.
This post dropped without notice ... it was going to be a lot more interesting after further editing. In fact, I intended to find and post some pictures of the gardens in our previous home but I can't remember WHERE I put the bags of pictures.
So, here's a quick dessert I had this past week. Vanilla ice cream with home made blackberry sauce.
I made vanilla flan today. It would have gone well with yesterday's Chipotle Beef Tostadas. I'll do a proper post of it soon.