New! Improved! And not worth a pinch of you-know-what!

Popped into the Indian River liquor store today to grab a six-pak of Busch Light. For many years they've come shrink-wrapped in plastic. That worked very well. Never had a problem picking one up or carrying it to the checkout. 

Well, perhaps it's another manifestation of that restless human urge to fix stuff that ain't broke, but today there was an entire pallet of Busch in the beer aisle, and every last six-pak was wearing a little cardboard cap. No more shrink-wrap. I search in vain for something that might be a hand-grip. Finally I grab it by the brim of the cap and proceed to the checkout. One by one they fall to the floor. There's only two still attached to the cardboard by the time I get there.

One of the escapees springs a leak on impact, showering the beer aisle with its contents. The lovely Korean woman who runs the joint is in a tizzy. She abandons her post and comes running with a mop. She's apologetic as hell. I'm even more apologetic. I offer to do the mopping so she can get back to the other customers, to no avail.

She insists, which is kind of her. It's not her fault, after all.

My hunch is blame most likely belongs to some millennial keener, armed with a fresh business degree and out to make a name for himself. A half cent saved on packaging across however many billions of six-paks Busch sells in a year will no doubt earn him a tidy bonus and a promotion, baffled consumers and harried shop-keepers be damned.

That's progress for you!

 

Watching the sunlight sparkle on Indian Creek

I've been trying to spend less time with my face in the laptop.

That's why I found myself on the stoop, breathing deep of our forest air, focusing on every precious breath, and all the usual mindfulness verities.

Every year, with the spring melt, the creek will rise enough that we can see it from the stoop. 

Indian Creek originates at Mary Lake. From there, it trickles into Gowan Lake, and then into a marsh just upstream from me, and from there to the marsh at the north end of Bass Lake, from where it emerges as the Indian River, which meets Georgian Bay across the road from the Indian River liquor store.

That joint is one of my great real estate regrets. It sat there boarded up and for sale for two years. Every day when I drove home I'd say to myself, that'd be a great spot for a LCBO outlet, especially after they moved the only LCBO in Owen Sound from the downtown to the east side.

While I was thinking about it, a lovely Korean couple bought the joint and opened a LCBO outlet. I can't help but think the place is a gold mine. There's an awful lot of folks up Balmy Beach Road and out at Cobble who have ample booze budgets and would much prefer to stop on their way home than to drive across town.

Anyway, it was a beautiful sunny day here, although a little on the cool side. But what was really cool was, with the creek high, you can see the sun sparkle on the water, right from the stoop!