I am having a bit of fun looking at the differences in grocery products and costs here compared to home. One huge difference is in the size and price of a loaf of bread. The number of slices of bread per loaf 🍞 here for what I would call the regular lower cost grocery store loaf, is 18-20 slices for $1.39usd ($1.93cad) compared to 12-14 slices in the equivalent quality Canadian bread loaves costing $2.79cad ($2.01usd). On the other hand a six ounce jar of Japanese yuzu marmalade here is a high $10.45usd so in Canada the same jar could be $14.48cad, also known as, “NO WAY ON GOD’S LITTLE GREEN EARTH AM I GOING TO PAY THAT MUCH FOR MARMALADE!!!” Hahaha….so in cases like that I stop mentally figuring the exchange rates; I just purchase the product and enjoy it! What is shocking to me is how many grocery products, even figuring in the exchange rate, are substantially lower in price than in Canada…at least in our part of Canada…far more products than I thought. Grocery prices for many items we found in the Hannaford’s grocery near Red Hook were so good that before we came home from the cabin our kids stocked up on groceries for themselves and ferried them home to NYC.
This morning we have been graced with light rain. Just as it began falling I took a short walk to Duane Reade pharmacy for some meds. It was lovely striding along with the tiny drops cooling me off. When I arrived at the pharmacy the clerks were determined I was going to have my annual ‘flu shot because, “the kids go back to school next week and they gonna be spreading’ that stuff everywhere!” The one sweet girl took me by the arm and started leading into the back of the pharmacy to the injection site before I understood what was happening and managed to avoid a poke in the arm that I didn’t want. I explained I was from Canada and my ‘flu shots are up to date. Then my arm was released from her determined death grip and I was allowed to make my purchases. We are finding many pharmacies in our neighborhood are aggressively promoting all manner of vaccines and we wonder if it is an attempt to counteract the misinformation and scare tactics presently being spread around this country and our own. You certainly could not accuse the staff at our local Duane Reade of being lackadaisical about ensuring every customer coming in had every opportunity to be vaccinated!
We may or may not follow through with our plan to wander over to the Morgan. It feels like it should be a lazy day today; a stay home to read books and hand wash some undies kind of day. Traffic is gridlocked here more than usual so there are many more impatient drivers, car horns blaring at other drivers who can’t move anyway.
The possibility of heavier rain and winds this afternoon and evening has prompted yet another possible flash food watch, as well as possible tornado activity closer to the upstate areas and over east closer to Boston. Weather watches seem to be issued well in advance of any and all possible problems, hours and even days ahead of the arrival of forecast storms. Good to be prepared, of course, but the dire possibilities seem to actually occur so rarely that New York City dwellers seem to pretty much ignore them and continue on about their daily business until the last possible second when the direst of events are already in progress. It will be interesting to see what really does happen with the weather today.
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