Taking Things for Granted........

My last post “So Much to be Thankful for……..” talked about many of the things Barb and I are thankful for but don’t necessarily take for granted. This subject of this post was brought on by a recent package I received from one of my sisters.

There were a lot of things that I took for granted prior to full-timing; never ending water supplies,  sewer systems, electricity (or clean electricity), freezer space……. The list goes on. Over the past 8 months I have begun to realize and appreciate these things and adapt accordingly. I guess I knew that these things would be different when we hit the road but until we actually experienced it we did not fully appreciate it.

One thing I was not expecting was the fact that I am not able to get some of my food staples where ever we are! Growing up in the Midwest all my life you get used to certain foods being available at all times. No I am not talking about Lutefisk (yuck) or Swedish Meatballs (yum) Lefse (yum). I am talking about things you should be able to get at any grocery store. The three that have turned my world upside down the most are (in order of importance) Western salad dressing, Townhouse crackers and Hormel Chili!

Would you believe I have not been able to find Western dressing west of the Dakotas?!?! Seriously, it is “Western” dressing, and not available out west! Townhouse crackers……could not find them in Canada last summer, had to have them imported by friends that were coming up. Hormel chili has been hit and miss, sometimes I find it, sometimes I don’t. I get the fact that Hormel is a Minnesota company and may not be found out of that area, but the other two?

So, a big “Thank  you” to my sister Judy who sent me 10 bottles of Western dressing in a USPS Priority Box! I don’t even want to tell you what each of those bottles cost, but it is totally worth it.

 

The flipside of this situation is that we get to experience new foods that I would have never tried before. I wrote about my first experience with Fleischkuechle in North Dakota and my food horizons continue to be expanded.  I am what most would call a picky eater so getting me to try new things is quite a feat but out here in Utah I have been introduced to the fine art of Sushi dining. Now sushi is available in the Midwest but not as prevalent as it is out here. We have been having Sushi about once a week and I am even an accomplished chopsticker now!

I would be love to hear what food experiences other have had when they first started full-timing, feel free to comment on some of your biggest surprises below.

This week we have ben spending a lot of time with the grandkids, holiday programs, tree lighting events or just visits and spending time with them. Next week we may head down to Lake Mead for a few days.....stay tuned!