8:22 p.m. - 2009-09-21
Today I had four espressos and I was still sleepy...
I was deffo intending to fill-in-the-blanks about Saturday so...List form! Sort of.

1. We both had an early start, Ned going to volunteer and I started out for Lancaster. The important to me landmarks were still there on the way down. I picked up the Turnpike...somewhere...oh, Norristown.

2. My first stop was Lancaster City to the Central Market. It has changed. I most likely will not go back unless there is a specific thing that I need. There was a large contingent of homeless and one dude smelled so ripe. I felt very bad as it would be unbearable for me not to be able to get clean every day.

3. After L. City, I headed out to farmland. Except that I kept on getting lost because I think that perhaps that is one of my strongest skills. I ended up taking the Strasbourg Pike and then I took up a crossroad up to Bird-in-Hand. I found a nice antique center where I bought three quilts and was mistaken for a dealer. Antiques dealer, that is.

4. I did get to see many, many farm animals which I am All About. Tons of goats, (yay, Me1!) chickens, sheep cattle, mules and horses. Saw a few different kinds of buggy/wagons as well. A big wagon where the mules were taking in a load of corn (my people call it maize) at a full canter. I saw a two-wheeled what I would call a gig, as well. And the usual black and grey buggies.

5. Intercourse was frenetic and freaky and frankly painful. Huhhuhhuh. The town, that is. There was a tourist circus/human zoo going on and I wanted no part of it. I was there only for Zook's , Nancy's Notions and the other store in the back. (The next time that I go back shall deffo be in the week, not the weekend!) There were anti-puppy mill protesters, which I support, of course, but ironically, their dogs all looked hot, tired and really thirsty. I'd have left my dog at home.

6. A sad thing to see were the very many "Public Auction" signs. Sometimes for buildings, sometimes for land, sometimes personal effects were listed. So, so many of them. And there were horrid little cramped developments where once there were farms. Very sobering. Greed sucks.

7. I did actually buy a toy stuffed cat along with the quilts as it looked very cross and anxious. I decided that it wanted to be called "Fred" or "Bootsy" and I let it sit in the front passenger seat. He was a fairly fun companion.

8. I went to Good's Store and got necessary items. This means things that I thought would be a good idea. Also bargain Amish romance books. I found also Weaver's Store and that was very nice as well. I found a few hard-to-find kitchen tools there.

9. On the way home, somehow the Turnpike was not where it was supposed to be. Either that or else I wasn't where I was supposed to be. You guess which one is correct. So I rambled all over hill and dale, and made a small circle once. Then I asked for a sign, and there was a sign that I was in a town. A couple saw that was lost (must have been the perplexed scowl) and set me in the correct, although not user-intuitive direction. I had to go West to get East. I did find though, that I didn't actually need the Turnpike as I had wandered a fair bit East. So I made it home all right but an hour later.

10.This time, for the very first time, I wasn't sad to be on the way home. I was actually eager to get home and was ready to leave Lancs earlier than I'd ever been ready.

So that was that. I am still sleepy in spite of all of today's coffee. I have become a coffee fiend. Does anyone actually call it "java" in real life? I see it in coffee shop signs but I have never actually heard it said. I have heard "cup o' joe" though!

Cavalry - Apache