What I See on Wednesday. . .

I know I am supposed to share a recipe today but it was an exhausting day and we had pizza.   We have a little place that has a special on Wednesday that you can get two large one topping pizzas for for $14.  You cannot beat that, feeding a family of four.  
It is so funny what you see when nobody thinks you are looking.  It is funny what you hear when nobody thinks you are listening. These days not much shocks me.   Today while pumping gas I watched as our local bum gets out of her brand new Hyundai and walks across the street to her perch to beg for money.   We have a group that share this particular spot to beg from and they rotate on shifts.  This strikes me as funny because I am sure they make more money begging than most people do working.  They are not paying taxes on any of it.  Every time I see someone give them money I just want to shake them and tell them to wake up and see the brand new car sitting in the gas station parking lot  that they are funding.  
People are stealing wallets out of women's purses in stores as they are shopping.   People are stealing pocketbooks off women's shoulders in the parking lot.  This is happening in the morning hours not at night when you might expect this kind of behavior.   People are breaking down doors and breaking into homes in broad daylight.   It has become a normal thing to hear in the news or on the street.  We are gradually going to a state of what ever you want just take it, whether it is yours or not.
When I go shopping I am going over in my head what I am buying and what I am looking for and most days I am not thinking about anything else.   Since all of this theft and purse snatching I have been paying more attention to my surroundings.  I usually do my shopping first thing in the morning, 8am.   The other day while I was in the store where these thefts have happened I decided I would do a little people watching while I was shopping.  I have to say I was amazed at how many women had their pocketbooks laying open in their buggy.   A couple of them even walked away from their buggy with their purse still in it open.   It is easy to get distracted when shopping, especially in this type of store.  Ladies please keep hold of your pocketbooks and keep them closed.  
When these stories hit the news (Facebook) I began watching more closely those around me.   I have seen a couple of out of place people wandering around.  I always keep my purse close to me and I keep my eyes open for people that do not belong and at the Mart you never know what you might see.  Please be safe when out shopping or going to and from your car in mall parking lots.  I remember one of our friends that just happened to be a police officer was out shopping with his wife when a would-be thug attempted to rob them.  The shock that must have fallen on this fellas face when our friend pulled his gun and pined him to the car to wait for back-up.   This was in our local mall parking lot more than twenty years ago.  
These are my tips for women when going to and from your car with packages or not.
1.  You should always have your keys out before you leave the store.
2.  Walk with your head up and with a purpose.  Do not look like a victim.
3.  Look around you, who else is in this parking lot.
4.  Look at your car as you approach it.  Is there anything odd about the vehicles parked near you?
5.  Once in your car, lock it and immediately start your engine.
6.  Do not sit in your car and balance your check book or check receipts.
 If anything looks odd when you go out to your car, go back in the store call a friend or alert mall security and let them walk with you to the car.  I promise, if they are worth a grain of salt they will not mind and they will applaud you for calling them.

More on the hobo front. . .

I was talking with one of my friends the other day and we got on the subject of pan handling.  We were talking about all the people that are standing on the corner begging for money.  They don't even go through the pretense anymore of saying, "will work for food," because that is a lie and everyone knew it.  They just say need money and then through in a "God Bless You," for good measure.   Please do not get me wrong, I know there are people out there down on their luck and in need.  I also know the people that really are in need are not the ones standing on the corner begging for money.  The people that really need help are too proud to ask for a hand out.  So here is the rub; my friend and I were talking and she said that one of her friends was in the Waffle House one night late and she looked around and all the guys that stand on the corners were there.  They were laughing and joking about how much money they had made that day.  One pulled out his cell phone to call his wife and tell her he was on his way home.  Now, the Waffle House part is hear say but, think about it the next time you start to give them money.  If you would like to make a donation where it would really help people in need, look to your Salvation Army, GoodWill, and if you are near Winston-Salem look to Sunnyside Ministries or the Samaritan Inn.  All of these places work to help those that are truly in need.  I am not saying this to be callous or heartless, I know there are people in need but, I do have an issue with people just asking for a hand out.  Just a thought.

Hobos and other stuff. . . .

Big T calls anyone that is standing around on the side of the road a hobo or a bum.   This started when he was very little and had just started talking.  Now that he is older and there are so many people out on the side of the road these days it has gotten more frequent.  We were in town the other day and there were a  group of people milling about out on the corner from a restaurant and T said, "look it's a bum convention."  I admonished him and told him that not everyone on the side of the road was a bum or a hobo.  These folks were actually waiting on the bus.  He replied oh, it's the bum bus.   Some days it is so hard to hold it all together.   I told you all of this to tell you the following.   Dear hubby travels a lot and always stops in Sheetz to grab a drink and a snack, he knows most of the managers of the Sheetz in North Carolina.  He had stopped in one today and this manager had actually been in two other stores dear hubby frequents.  They made some small talk and then got on the subject of people begging for money and loitering.  The manager was talking about a woman that would ask for money all the time for gas.  He said he had run her off at two other stores for the same thing.  This particular woman had also hit up my hubby for money so, he knew exactly who the guy was talking about all the way down to the fact she was driving a beat up old red pick up truck.  So anyone that frequents the Sheetz, be on the look out for this woman.  She sometimes has a man in the truck with her.  She is asking for gas money but never puts any gas in the truck.