Awe-Inspiring Abundance

It's good for me to sometimes leave my very limited remote bubble here and enter the outside world, if only to realize how odd my life is in the grander American scheme. This was really highlighted by my trip to a grocery store in suburban Albuquerque last Friday.

I went to Albuquerque to pick up the traveling kid from the airport. Because his flight was coming in on the later side and we had to drive so far back home, I did not want to stop on the way home at the grocery store. We wouldn't have gotten home until 11 p.m. So instead I went to the store before picking him up. 

The grocery store I went to was just a Smith's, but it was in what is quite clearly a major area of commerce for the Albuquerque suburbs. In fact, I entered the heart of American consumerism. My exit off the freeway brought me to a road lined with every store and restaurant I've heard of or read about, but never actually shop at. Like Chick-fil-A. And Target.

I realize these are not uncommon for most of you. But they are for me.

Thankfully, this was a big road with good traffic flow, so although it was busy (keep in mind, this was Black Friday), I made it to the grocery store without too much delay.

And there I was taken aback by the experience of sheer opulence that is American grocery shopping.

This store was as big as the entire Walmart I typically shop at, except instead of half the store being things like storage containers and camping equipment, it was all just . . . food. There was SO MUCH. So many options, so many displays, so many perishable things that I never see.

I just stood there in the produce section for a minute, staring around me in awe. 

They had a fancy cheese section! And a seafood counter! I mean, I couldn't buy anything from it because whatever I bought was going to be a sitting in a cooler for six hours and that seemed like a bad idea for fish, but still. It was there. I do not ever shop anywhere that has a seafood counter.

When you drive roads like this regularly, the nearest seafood counter will be a couple hundred miles away.

In the end, I didn't buy too much. A few of the fancy cheeses and some multi-color "snacking tomatoes" were about the extent of the indulgence for me, but it was fun to visit the Other America for a little while before returning to my little bubble.

Snapshots: Thanksgiving and Beyond

This girl decided to dress up for Thanksgiving. She dressed her doll up, too.

She also made placemats for everyone. These were made and laminated at school.

And she got up and secretly made this Thanksgiving banner first thing. She has a passion for decor.

I apparently took this photo of my dinner and A.'s and forgot to put it in the Friday food post. So here you go: Salad and sloppy joes.

I went to pick up the traveler from the airport Friday and sat in front of this giant illuminated snowflake for an hour. It kind of gave me a headache after awhile.

I wasn't overly enthused about the art above me, either.

And last, a pack of dogs being fed in the living room.

There you have it! My life, snapshotted.