Shopping trip

I has left my purse at my brother- in- laws, so to make the trip (40 min) worth more I decided to run some errands in Canandaigua, which is 15 minutes further. Since we live in such a small town, trying to get to any decent stores is an hour trip in any direction, so we try to make it count when we do go.

I went to a pet store to stock up on dog food and other supplies, and since I don't feed my dogs junk that means going to a premium store. I found scoopable wheat cat litter in a large paper bag, so I am giving it a whirl. I think I got 20 lbs for $14, which all things considering is not bad. I will be able to compost it directly rather than find a spot in the weeds way out back, which will be nice. Of course, the idea of using a food for the cats to crap in seems a little, well, indulgent, given that there are starving people in many parts of the world. However, since their own governments, not I, are keeping them in that condition, I think I am safe to say my cat litter choices will not likely effect the situation.

I also stopped at the Cananaigua Spice Co., which was said to be a bulk spice shop. The web site, www.canandaiguaspice.com has a long list of things the store does to be environmentally friendly, and the idea of getting spices in bulk appeals to me. I got there, and everything was in plastic. When the owner came over and asked if I needed anything, I told her about the avoiding plastics, and she started telling me about the regulations and laws governing bulk food sales. Apparently they are getting so stringent businesses cannot afford to keep them going. She then offered to take my list and fill it directly from the bins in the storeroom into paper bags, if I did not mind hand written labels! She then said if I plan on coming again and know what I want, I can call ahead and she will have it waiting for me, or I can have the bags refilled when I get there.
We also bought a bottle of Wet Fart Hot Sauce! I have been collecting hot sauce bottles, like Kick Yo Ass Hot Sauce and Hellfire Wing Sauce. I love the names, pictures, and descriptions on the bottles. She had several more kinds there, so I think I will pick a new one up every time I go. We use the hot sauce in chili, popcorn, and other concoctions.

She was very nice, she sourced local and organics as much as possible, and I plan on stopping by there whenever I am in the area. Turns out there is a Wegmans, Lowes, Pet Depot, drug store and the spice shop all within a 1/2 mile, so I can combine a trip to see family with all my errands for a month. Seems like a win win to me!

Oh, and I used my canvas bags all night, they worked great.