Look, folks! We’re getting perilously close to the 10,000 mark on the old hit-o-meter here. And it only took me fifteen months to get there! Not that I ever look at it :: nose growing another inch :: Truly, I don’t think it’s an accurate reflection of my readership, since half the hits are from me…
I only have time for a quick entry today. I was sick nearly unto death yesterday, and I don’t feel all that much better today. Except that the fever has broken and I actually have the capacity to get out of bed… I believe husband and I have been victims of what is officially called "the flu…" The thing they don’t have enough vaccines for this year…though we wouldn’t have been in line for one anyway. Jeez, I haven’t been so sick in years, not since I had pneumonia six years ago. Looks like it’s going away a lot quicker than the pneumonia did thank God. I’m too old to deal with this kind of illness anymore. Being pre-menopausal, pre-menstrual, and arthritic daily lay me low enough. Piling the flu on top of that was nearly deadly! Or it felt like it, anyway…
Even though the thought of food for the last twenty-four hours has been enough to send me running swiftly in the other direction (if I could get out of bed), there is something going on in our little village of Scappoose that is really bothering me. It seems a perfect local demonstration of something that is very wrong with American culture.
Two weeks ago, the local grocery store in town, went bankrupt and locked its doors. It finally lost the battle with the big, bright Fred Meyer that was built down the road about five years ago. Apparently, the little market put up quite a struggle…and rather than reading the handwriting on the wall and selling out before things got desperate, they played it right down to the wire. Which means that they were locked up, presumably by a utility company, their bank, or other creditors. With all the merchandise still on the shelves. The produce, the meat, the dairy, all left sitting on the shelves or in the fridges.
So, what’s wrong with that? Well, last I heard, Oregon has one of the highest, if not THE highest, hunger rates in the country. We have a huge number of people who require food assistance every single day. But in the name of…what? The law? Commerce? Bank practice? …we’re going to let thousands of dollars worth of food sit inside a building and rot because somebody didn’t pay their bills. How much of a waste is this??? All hail, Capitalism!
I'm sorry to hear you are so sick. I hope you can get some rest. I hear it's also good for a growing-nose condition. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a shame that they wouldn't at the very least bring in liquidators to sell that food. But, yeah, giving it to a food bank would be a nice gesture too. :-) ---Robbie
Get better soon! Don't cha just hate it when big business runs out all of the little guys! It's happened here way too many times and they're still coming. To me, it just seems as though all the US will look exactly alike pretty soon, since there will be nothing out of the ordinary. Cookie cutter towns..that all run together, with the exact same fast food, chain restaurants, and shopping centers with the exact same stores. Boring!
ReplyDeleteSorry about you feeling so bad! Isn't it amazing how swift the law and "justice" works for commerce vrs. the little man?
ReplyDeleteOuch, missed this entry while I was admiring Hairy Butt. Glad you're feeling better. We've started hitting Market of Choice. At least they are a LOCAL chain and their prices are comparable. Trouble is Fred's is probably the only choice in your area unless people want to drive into Portland. :-(
ReplyDeleteJackie
That is insane about the store wasting food! :-(
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you've been ill. Hopefully you're well into recovery by now!
Hope you are back on your feet soon!! Congrats on the 10,000 mark! If I don't get back to routine posting and reading, I won't ever make it!!! Kristi
ReplyDeleteCommiserations that you had to endure the affects of an influenza visitation! Lisa, I had the flu vaccine but I still suffered. Let's face it, the vaccine only protects you against a particular strain, so if you are unlucky, another strain comes along and gets you.
ReplyDeleteI understand what you mean about the hit-o-meter. But I am sure you do get lots of hits anyway. I hit your site a couple of times whenever I am online, which is quite regularly. In the UK, the cheats tell each other to refresh pages. It cheers the old dears up!
Annie :-)
You are right Lisa, Oregon does have the highes hunger rate in the country and the highest number of children suffering from hunger in the country. You would thnk the IRS or whoever locked out the owners could have it in theri heart to donate the food items to The Food Bank. I think this would be a good letter to the editor subject. Or maybe contact one of our local TV stations.
ReplyDelete