Finding Treasure At Arlington's Veterans Park & Food At Pantego's New ALDI

It is past 4 in the afternoon. I have been up for about 12 hours. Exhaustion continues to be my constant companion. Along with woeful sorrow and misery.

It took way too long, this morning, for the sun to show up so I could try and re-vitalize myself with ice water aversion therapy.

While I was waiting for the sun to show up I had fun complaining about Kay Granger. That's an interesting name. Sounds like she should be the head moll for a gang, The Granger Gang. I guess she sort of is, the Head Moll of the Granger Gang, I mean.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., has not been insisting I aerobicize myself lately. I don't know why. I am not good at self-direction and need to be told what to do. But, without direction I directed myself to Arlington, to Veterans Park and had myself a real good walk. Way too many rugrats are out of school on Spring Break and making way too much noise.

I understand the Fort Worth Zoo had a record breaking number of rugrats show up on Wednesday. Rugrats heading to Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington, is also causing traffic jams.

I had a bit of extreme fortuitousness happen while walking around Veterans Park. I came upon a treasure of pennies laying on the ground. 17 of them, just laying there, ripe for the picking.
This is by far my biggest one day haul of finding loose change while out walking. That's the pennies on the ground in the picture at the top.

After I was done hunting for money I went to the Grand Opening of the ALDI Food Market in Pantego. ALDI is a German owned grocery type store that is opening 11 stores in the D/FW zone. ALDI was very busy, its parking lot full, the store packed. ALDI's store model seems to be Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market with few brand names, fewer products, good quality at a lower price. With those prices being noticeably lower from what I saw.

ALDI appeared to be being run by grownups, like being in COSTCO, or Sprouts Farmers Market or any West Coast grocery store.

And ALDI runs with German efficiency. You supply your own bags, or buy an ALDI bag for a dime. You get your first bag free. The ALDI bags are huge with handles. The checkout person sits in a swivel chair. I'd not seen that in a grocery store before. As the items are scanned they go back in your grocery cart. You then roll your grocery cart to the bagging station. It all seemed to work quite well and real fast.

It was a bit of human gridlock today at ALDI's. That's to be expected on the first day a new store is open.

It was not quite as bad as the day Central Market opened in Fort Worth. My mom and dad were here at the time, October of 2001. They saw the grand opening mentioned on the TV news and asked if we could go. My mom loves grand openings. So, we went. There was a line to get in. My mom said she didn't want to wait in a line, that we'd go in the back way. And so we did.

It is from my mom I get my scofflaw, don't follow the rules, way of being.