Bobcats And Boils

We started yesterday with a trip down to the Pickens County Courthouse in Carrollton to drop off a form we had been sent from the tax assessor wanting to know if any changes have been made to our property since we purchased it. They also included a note that we had to stop in and sign up for our homestead exemption. That confused us because we thought we had already done that right after we bought the place. As it turned out they sent us that note in error, because we had indeed taken care of that already.

During our drive down there we got a thrill, because less than two miles from the house a bobcat ran across the highway right in front of us. In a lifetime of trekking through the outdoors I’ve only seen a couple of bobcats in the wild before that, and the only ones Terry had seen had been in zoos. Country life always has something interesting to show you if you keep your eyes open.

When we were done in Carrollton, we drove into Tuscaloosa and spent a couple of hours browsing through the Alabama Antique Market. This is a huge place with over 55,000 square feet of antiques and collectibles to browse through. And unlike so many antique malls these days, it’s almost all really antiques, not a bunch of foo foo decorator items. We saw some really neat stuff, but the only thing we came away with was a small $5 chair that Terry can use when threading a warp on her Louett Spring loom.

We had skipped breakfast, so by the time we were done there we were both hungry. I suggested the Juicy Crab and Terry was quick to agree to that. This is quickly becoming one of our favorite restaurants, and if you have never had a seafood boil, you don’t know what you’re missing.

Terry had a combo that included crawfish, shrimp, and black mussels, along with a boiled red potato and ear of corn (top), while I had shrimp, black mussels, and sausage, along with a boiled red potato and ear of corn (bottom). We both chose the mild house special flavoring, which was spicy enough to be delicious but not so much that it set fire to our taste buds.

It’s always nice to spend time with my sweetheart, and I’m so glad Terry is feeling well enough to enjoy a day out.

We left the restaurant with our tummies full, but still had a couple of stops to make on the way home. The first was at Publix to pick up some dog food and treats for the kittens, and then at Tractor Supply, where I wanted to get some Carhartt pocket T-shirts.

They had a good selection in several colors, so I choose four, and when we got ready to check out, the clerk told us that there was a special that would give us a 25% discount. That was nice because it meant one of the shirts would have been free. But she was new and couldn’t figure out how to ring it up and had to ask another employee for help. He couldn’t figure it out either, and all the while the line behind us was getting longer and I’m sure the people waiting were getting frustrated. They finally called a manager over, who said that the discount only applied to a certain style of Carhartt shirt. And of course, it wasn’t the ones I was buying. Go figure.

By the time we got home we were both pleasantly tired from our busy day out and about, and happy to change into some comfy clothes and watch TV for a while before it was time to write the blog and then get ready for bed.

And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.

Thought For The Day – Happiness is not a destination, it’s a way of life.