End of the Elf

The freezing cold dreary wet weather, we’ve been having for about a week, kept me limited to the immediate area ─ buying groceries from the local redlining us with inferior goods market, going nowhere except the Community Room, that market, the Pain Cave.

Today was a break in the weather. It’s still freezing cold, but the sun came out and rain isn’t expected to begin again until tomorrow. So, with today’s Pain Cave session being rescheduled to Friday, that trainer can spend quality time with his family, I was off to the craft store ─ to replace a floss color I’d run out of, and then further out of the area to the Sprouts which carries Cascadian Farms organic hash brown potatoes, which my sensitive stomach loves, and is never in stock at the Sprouts closer in.

After driving all that way, there was only one package remaining. I did, however, notice a ton of Sprouts own brand of organic hash browns. That’s new, but tells me why it’s getting harder and harder to find the Cascadian Farms brand.

Oh well, I’ll try the Sprouts brand, see if my sensitive stomach will accept it.

The drive wasn’t in vain, as this particular Sprouts is a hop skip jump to where the new senior complex is going up, and across the street from the upscale Stater Bros. So, I got to kill two birds with one stone ─ check in on how construction of the new complex is going, and look for the elf before she disappears back to the North Pole, not to be seen for another year.

So that’s how I spent Christmas Eve.

After considerable effort, I found the elf, for the last time this year, hanging from the ceiling in the liquor department.

I didn’t always find the elf, but it’s been fun looking, getting hints from the cashier when I’ve given up ─ like the time she was inside the sushi case.

I must have passed that location four times in my search but, expecting her to be hidden high up, I totally failed, gave up, told the cashier, “I give” and she spilled the beans so I could snag a photo.

But, mostly I found her on my own and helped someone else out. Like the little girl in produce I overheard say to her grandma, “I’ve got to find that elf”.

“I found it”, interjected I. “Do you want to know where it is?”.

She did, indeed, so I directed her to the Deli where elf was hidden in the letter D.

For good measure, while out of the area, after not one single 2019 Christmas Pikachu popped up in my area, after giving up hopes of spotting one before they too went back to the North Pole, I found one in Stater’s parking lot.

The new senior complex is coming along, and looks huge.

Though, with 140 apartment homes, it’s actually smaller than our 178 unit complex, and the age limit is 62 or better, rather than 55 as is here.

It’s a nice area, with everything in walking distance ─ a mall, senior center, walking trail, shops, stores, restaurants, nail salons, craft stores, parks, but all that glitters is not gold, so I’ve no plans or a reason to move.

I’d already researched the management group behind construction of the new complex, when I first saw the complex was in the planning stage, and what I learned wasn’t good. All kinds of complaints. Worse than the complaints about our staff and Corporate office. And whereas we have agencies that protect us and get on Corporate’s case, I don’t know that the new complex has this level of protection for its seniors. However, looking at the kinds of complaints made against that company's staff, it's a safe bet they do not and are likely to not be kind to their residents. Not to mention, with a new building, there’s bound to be poor construction issues with this not working, that not working. It takes time for a building to season itself.

So, I’ll keep an eye on that property, go to the grand opening in 2020, but keep it on the back burner as I stay put.

So that’s it for my exciting Christmas Eve. LOL. Tomorrow, Christmas Day will be even more exciting, as plans are to do laundry.

There really is “no place like home for the holidays”. Home alone, no travel, no stress, no mess.

Happy Merry from my Place of Peace and Contentment to You All.