I doubt the temp has gone down at all in the 10 minutes since I took this screenshot. Probably gone up, in fact. Checking … no … okay, still says 108 degrees.
I know Seattle and Portland had a little burst of 100+ temps, but we’ve been at or above 100 for about three weeks now. If I wanted to live in weather like this, I’d move to Death Valley.
Enough already! Look at that cooling trend — 20 degrees less by Thursday. Can’t come soon enough, I say.
Our friends and family are welcome to visit us at any time of year, but if you’re smart and thinking ahead, you’ll come visit in April. I think it’s gotta be the best time to come see us. Here’s why:
If you come visit us in April, you’ll be able to see…
So, yeah, this has gotta be the best month to come to West Richland and visit. Cari has always said that spring is her favorite time of year. That’s partly because her birthday is in spring, but I think the above also has a lot to do with it.
It was just an ordinary trip to the Richland Wal-Mart, until we walked in and these were the very first thing I saw….
They had a big display of Tastykakes right at the front entrance, as if they somehow knew the tasty awesomeness that’s included in every box. For those of you who grew up out west, Tastykakes are as much a Philadelphia institution as soft pretzels and steak sandwiches. I grew up eating them (you can tell just by looking at me) and used to have my parents send me a couple boxes every year when I was at Pepperdine. My good friend (and Baltimore photographer) Phil R. has even blessed me with boxes of Tastykakes on a few occasions in recent years.
Tastykake Co. has tried on a few occasions to branch out and sell product out here on the west coast, but it never seems to work. They were available in some local convenience stores several years ago, but I haven’t seen them out here since then.
Cari’s not a fan, but Sean and T both liked what they tasted tonight. Not that it really matters; I’ll buy ’em just for me if that’s what it takes.
In tough times like this, it seems some of our fellow Tri-Citians have found a novel way of making a few extra bucks: by turning in criminals.
So far this year, Crime Stoppers has paid out $3,800 in rewards to 20 people, with $1,400 given just in October and November, said Mike Blatman, the law enforcement coordinator for Crime Stoppers.
“It kind of fluctuates, but it is up,” Blatman said. “It’s largely because of the economy and the holidays.” …
This year, reward money paid is about $1,200 above the average of $2,667 a year, Blatman said.
Depending on your outlook, that’s either really creative or really desperate. Or maybe a little bit of both. 🙂
Full story at the Herald web site.
Since leaving my last company job in mid-September to work for myself, I’ve been contacted by search marketing companies on both coasts wanting to know if I’d consider relocating the family and coming to work for them. In one case, I had to think about it a bit; in another case, it was a quick, “thanks, very flattered, but not interested” reply.
The reason? Money. Not salary, but cost of living. It’s one of the main reasons we enjoy living here. Cari wrote a few months ago on her blog about surveys showing that Tri-Cities is the least expensive place to live in Washington … and, as I remember my time in 2006-07 when I lived half of each month over in Seattle, it’s true.
This past week, a similar survey came out reinforcing this idea: the cost of living in the Tri-Cities is about 36% lower than Seattle, and about 11% less than the national average.
Fact is, our dollar goes further here … and that’s why we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.
How does something like this happen?
There’s a story in our local paper that talks about a Petland store in Pasco that recently sold four puppies that were sick with Parvo. Two of the four have died. Yikes!
Here’s the part I don’t get:
It’s unclear whether the puppies were infected at the store or before arriving in Pasco from a Midwest supplier, Washburn said. The local Petland no longer will take puppies from that supplier, she said.
A Midwest supplier? I guess I never thought about it much, but … a Midwest supplier? So, like, there are dog factories and distribution chains just like we have with food, toys, furniture, auto parts, and everything else? Do they ship these dogs in big 18-wheelers, too? I’m not one of those animal freaks all of a sudden, but that just seems strange to me. But I suppose pet stores need (animal) inventory just like any other place….
Still, when all of the animal shelters in the Tri-Cities are overflowing (wish I could find that link) with unwanted pets, what on earth are people doing buying dogs at a chain pet store that come from the Midwest?
This whole thing is bizarre … maybe it’s just me?
[where: 5109 N Road 68, Pasco, WA 99301]