Snowbound, Day 3
Today I braved the Arctic wastes and lived to tell about it. Or, put another way, I paid bills yesterday and had to get to a mail box to post three that I couldn't/didn't want to pay electronically. As long as I was out, I dropped off a pair of Sam's workout pants at the dry cleaners to be mended, spent an hour at my local Starbuck's reading and nursing a cup of coffee, and picked up a few things at a denuded Whole Foods. The trip had its exciting moments but no real peril.
These are our trusty boots that kept my tootsies warm and me upright today:
I say our because Samantha and I share them. I think this is their fourth winter...third for sure...and they got quite a workout last winter. This evening Sam said she ordered herself a pair of "cheap" boots that will arrive shortly. And not too soon, I must say, as I noticed today that the fleece lining is getting raggedy.
Samantha's stretch workout pants had been washed once and were unraveling in the crotch. I suggested she return them whence they came, but she didn't want to: probably threw away the receipts, as usual. So I took them to the dry cleaners on the corner since they needed to be machine-sewed, and I don't own a sewing machine: a considered decision on my part.
From the dry cleaners I went one more block in the direction of Pennsylvania Hospital and a mail box at 8th and Pine. It was snowed in:
You can see that a path has been cleared on the sidewalk but it ends in a low wall of snow at the corner. Uh-uh. Not trying that. Instead I walked an extra block up to 8th and Spruce (and back again) along a block that Pennsylvania Hospital had cleared.
The Hospital doesn't clear a path, they clear the sidewalk, completely. They also clear from sidewalk to sidewalk, all across the street. Takes all the excitement out of crossing the street: fine with me.
From there, my route to Starbucks took me past the lawn behind Pennsylvania Hospital...
...with its handsome wrought-iron fence.
The Hospital was founded by Ben Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond in 1751; the cornerstone was laid in 1755 when construction on this building began. Ben Franklin's words are on the cornerstone:
In the year of Christ
MDCCLV.
George the second happily reigning
(for he sought the happiness of his people)
Philadelphia flourishing
(for its inhabitants were publick spirited)
this building
by the bounty of the government,
and of many private persons,
was piously founded
for the relief of the sick and miserable;
may the God of mercies
bless this undertaking.
Our Benjamin doesn't seem to have liked George III as well as he liked George II.
Once headed south for two blocks to Starbucks and Whole Foods (catty-corner across from each other) I had four corners to navigate on the way there and two more on the way home. This is what one of the better ones looked like:
Nasty, huh? I took my time and inched my way over anything that looked slippery. No close calls, I'm happy to say.
I wish I had taken pictures inside Whole Foods. I don't think they opened at all yesterday, so almost everything perishable was gone. In the produce section, for instance, they had oranges, apples, pears, and potatoes for sale but no berries, tomatoes, or lettuce. Very strange-looking: Whole Foods prides themselves on their produce.
Here's my list:
An onion. (None for sale. I bought a small bag of pearl onions instead.)
Cereal. (Purchased.)
Berries or bananas. (None. I'll be eating raisins with my cereal tomorrow.)
Toilet paper. (Yes, thank heavens.)
I meant to pick up and butcher one of the pineapples they had on sale for $3.99. I ♥ pineapple. Alas, I didn't pick one up as soon as I saw the display and immediately forgot about it. FanSee
These are our trusty boots that kept my tootsies warm and me upright today:
I say our because Samantha and I share them. I think this is their fourth winter...third for sure...and they got quite a workout last winter. This evening Sam said she ordered herself a pair of "cheap" boots that will arrive shortly. And not too soon, I must say, as I noticed today that the fleece lining is getting raggedy.
Samantha's stretch workout pants had been washed once and were unraveling in the crotch. I suggested she return them whence they came, but she didn't want to: probably threw away the receipts, as usual. So I took them to the dry cleaners on the corner since they needed to be machine-sewed, and I don't own a sewing machine: a considered decision on my part.
From the dry cleaners I went one more block in the direction of Pennsylvania Hospital and a mail box at 8th and Pine. It was snowed in:
You can see that a path has been cleared on the sidewalk but it ends in a low wall of snow at the corner. Uh-uh. Not trying that. Instead I walked an extra block up to 8th and Spruce (and back again) along a block that Pennsylvania Hospital had cleared.
The Hospital doesn't clear a path, they clear the sidewalk, completely. They also clear from sidewalk to sidewalk, all across the street. Takes all the excitement out of crossing the street: fine with me.
From there, my route to Starbucks took me past the lawn behind Pennsylvania Hospital...
...with its handsome wrought-iron fence.
The Hospital was founded by Ben Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond in 1751; the cornerstone was laid in 1755 when construction on this building began. Ben Franklin's words are on the cornerstone:
In the year of Christ
MDCCLV.
George the second happily reigning
(for he sought the happiness of his people)
Philadelphia flourishing
(for its inhabitants were publick spirited)
this building
by the bounty of the government,
and of many private persons,
was piously founded
for the relief of the sick and miserable;
may the God of mercies
bless this undertaking.
Our Benjamin doesn't seem to have liked George III as well as he liked George II.
Once headed south for two blocks to Starbucks and Whole Foods (catty-corner across from each other) I had four corners to navigate on the way there and two more on the way home. This is what one of the better ones looked like:
Nasty, huh? I took my time and inched my way over anything that looked slippery. No close calls, I'm happy to say.
I wish I had taken pictures inside Whole Foods. I don't think they opened at all yesterday, so almost everything perishable was gone. In the produce section, for instance, they had oranges, apples, pears, and potatoes for sale but no berries, tomatoes, or lettuce. Very strange-looking: Whole Foods prides themselves on their produce.
Here's my list:
An onion. (None for sale. I bought a small bag of pearl onions instead.)
Cereal. (Purchased.)
Berries or bananas. (None. I'll be eating raisins with my cereal tomorrow.)
Toilet paper. (Yes, thank heavens.)
I meant to pick up and butcher one of the pineapples they had on sale for $3.99. I ♥ pineapple. Alas, I didn't pick one up as soon as I saw the display and immediately forgot about it. FanSee