Kmart on Death Watch???

I get a little panicked when I read about the state of the economy and how its affecting retail. If I ever see Target on the list of closings I don't know what I will do. We just lost the S&K store where my husband and son bought their suits. Where will they shop now? Its sad.

But if there was ever a retail store that looked like it was in serious trouble, it would have to be our Kmart. I don't know how other locations are faring, but ours? It must be in serious trouble. I generally go to Target for those miscellaneous things like shampoo, cleaning supplies, contact solution...etc. Most of the time, these items are overpriced at our grocery store. But if I just have to run by and pick up something quickly on my way home from work, I go to Kmart, just because its on my way home (well, almost. Closer than Target, anyway). I ran in there on Thursday, and I couldn't believe it. It was hot, like they couldn't afford to turn the AC up to a comfortable level. And half of the lights were turned off, making it a little dark and scary in there. Its always been a little understocked, understaffed, and somewhat dirty, but this....this was unpleasant enough to make me want to drive those extra blocks to Target. It felt sad in there. And it made me not want any of their sad stuff that was sitting around in the heat and the dark. I guess combining with Sears and offering Craftsman tools hasn't helped all that much.

I just can't imagine what our world is going to turn into. Not that one sad little Kmart store means the end of society or anything. But things are changing. I guess it had to. Nothing stays the same forever. But I haven't got a clue as to what its changing into...? Maybe something better? Maybe not. I have a feeling things are going to get interesting though.

Can't get it in gear...

I just can't get in gear to write a blog. I think I am still on island time or something. I have pictures of the trip, but they were downloaded onto Bruce's computer. I haven't gotten ambitious enough to do any copying and pasting just yet.
I will, though. Maybe this weekend. Its hard to get back into the swing of things after a vacation.

I had a really nice thing happen this week. I have finally found someone to come and help me with the housecleaning. Her name is Ana, and she came for the first time on Tuesday. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to come home from work and walk into a nice clean house. It was cleaner than its been in a long, long time. I mean, I keep things neat and picked up. But she got it really clean. It smelled so good, and I was so happy that I didn't know if I wanted to cry or do the happy dance.

She is coming every other week for now. Until I can figure out how to afford to have her every week. But it was worth every single penny to come home to that. Seriously. And its so clean, that I have been really careful to try and KEEP it clean. Its like extra motivation. And that is a good thing.

I'm Back

We got back today from a week of fun in the sun on Bald Head Island, NC. It was an excellent week and the only bad part was that it had to end. I still have a lot of things to do to get myself (and the household) back together and ready for the week ahead...including grocery shopping. You know how you always go to such great lengths to not buy food, and try to use up anything that might spoil while you are gone, but then its always such a pain to come home and have to immediately restock the fridge and the pantry or go hungry.

I have a ton of pictures that we took. When I get a chance, I will go through those and see if any are blog-worthy. In the meantime, have a good week ahead. Its hurting my feelings to have to get up and go back to work tomorrow, but I will get over it. I was happy to get home and see my pets again. I can't tell you how much I missed them. A HUGE thanks to my son Stephen who babysat the whole zoo while we were gone. All 3 dogs, 2 cats and 2 goats were healthy and doing fine after all of his excellent care.