I love my neighborhood

Not the one I live in. It totally sucks my Err.
The one I work in. THAT is my neighborhood.
It used to be busy and business-y. Not so much now. Higher crime and poverty pushing in have moved business to the next town over in the way that urban sprawl does. Which really, if you think about it...is less of an urban sprawl and more of a shift. No lie, the poverty and high crime that has pushed in is that from the neighborhood where my family was from. I suppose, I am just another generation who's come to stay.

I spend most of my life in this area, I shop there as much as possible, which isn't often because there aren't many businesses left. Of the businesses that remain, there is a PetSmart and an Anderson's General Store.

Anderson's is just a cool place. Its supposed to be an old fashioned general store. This means you can buy dog food, soap, fancy pants beer and tulip bulbs. They have a nice butcher that is reasonable and helpful, a bakery that is clearly straight from the depths of hell because it is so damn sinful, a garden center and areas where you can remodel your bathroom. There are all kinds of people there. Uppity white women buying herbs and imported idon'tknowwhat, rough necks buying beer and Dickies, old folks browsing over locally grown apples and $.99 sugar baby watermelons on special, rats like me buying neckbones or hamhocks for greens and other stuff. No one looks out of place there.

My purchase yesterday was a half-peck of Ohio grown yellow delicious apples (and really, I have no idea what a half-peck is, but will tell you that it tickles a city girl to buy apples like this in the city), a LED light up collar thingy for Wonder Dog (because it is never light on our morning walks anymore), Burts Bees soap for my shower, a magazine that is hard to find for my mom (they always have it), and 2 cans (yay, metal cans!!!) of coffee with chicory. You can't help but leave happy.

I drove around the empty shopping district (the grocery, Best Buy and others are gone, a cheap seats movie and Waffle House remain). There's a Target (that no doubt has limited days as they are building one in that neighboring town I was telling you about earlier), a Hobby Lobby, an Office Max, and a Pet Smart. There were twice the amount of stores here at one time, but they're all gone and the parking lots are empty and eerie.

Wonder Dog managed to get himself a puncture wound in his front paw. My boy who's got issues to begin with, hurt his paw and was limping. And finally trusted me to help him. He looked to me to fix it. And that, folks, broke my heart, because I didn't know how and couldn't get in to see the vet until two days later. Because I am a totally sap about things WD related, I decided it was time to replace his old, now flat, too small for a tall guy like WD bed with the grand master pimp bed that I saw at Pet Smart when I adopted him (but couldn't afford because, people, new dogs...particularly new big dogs with issues.... are expensive).

I love Pet Smart anyway. Even when I don't get to take my dog (I know, I'm a dork) I love being around the other dogs. I'm reminded of adopting my dog from a Mingle with the Mutts sponsored by Pet Smart. But this store is somewhat different than others. Its almost totally devoid of designer dogs. Mixed breeds like mine don't get sideways looks. Big tuff dogs like mine, don't get looks. There are some little dogs with older folks, but mostly, there are powerful breeds. Rotties, dobes, and pitbulls. My guy, with his muscles, tuff guy swagger, and gentleman's collar, wouldn't have raised any eyes.

I saw the most beautiful red pitt as I was carrying out a dog bed that was so big it made me feel silly. His man let him out and then had him wait until he got his wallet and locked the passenger side door. Leash dragging, the pitt did not run away and go eat someone's face. Instead he watched his man, wiggling and waiting. And instead of everyone acting like loose pitt would eat their face (he picked up the leash, by the way, when he began walking into the store) an older lady stopped him to pet the pretty red dog and talk to his owner.

Even after a long staff meeting in what is currently a complicated job situation, I left for home in a really good mood (which got exponentially better when WD went totally ape shit over his new bed). Its good to be somewhere that the world makes sense to you. Where people nod up instead of down. Where they say, "how you doin'" and "alright" and look you in the eye when you pass by. Where people catch the door because they have home training. Where the people checking you out get your jokes and don't look at you like you're weird. I suppose its how you feel when you're home.