Rob333, you certainly have a point there! I hadn't thought about the changing over-all economy and how it affects us all in some way or another. Annie1992, when we first got a bigger freezer Quite a lot of years ago, One of the first things we did was buy a quantity of beef From a meat processor in a city about 50 mi from us. They constantly had ads in the newspaper, Different 'package deals', each one contained X number of pounds of a variety of cuts, Chose the package that best suits your needs, and you get X number of pounds of pork or chicken free. It sounded like a good deal so we went for it. Never again! ! ! That was without a doubt the worst beef we've ever had! Tough, stringy, tasteless, very pale colored. Now I feel sure that this is not the run of the mill experience When buying meat this way. But it only took that one experience to make me extremely 'gun shy' about buying in large quantities. Especially if they are highly advertised and 'cheap'! Whether it is marked down because of package date, Or as a draw to get customers in the store, 'On sale' is pretty much the only way I buy meat anymore. I try not to buy anything that isn't on sale, But that isn't always easy to do around here. Rusty

This is all so interesting! Gelsons, which is a small, local chain, which used to be very upscale, is not what it was. You used to be able to get anything at Gelsons and the quality of their produce and meats was legendary. Then you couldn't get just anything there, but they'd order it for you. Then they'd only order it if their distributors had it and they had many fewer offerings on the shelves. They also seemed to have joined that thing where brands can rent shelf space because there bloomed whole shelves of cheap strawberry and grape jam for PBJs and all the lovely selections of different jams was no more. Finally, the produce started to be meh, and the meat was no longer top tier. It used to be that at Gelson's you didn't really have to look at the produce. Pick up one from the top, it's pretty, put it in the bag. Pick up the next one, it's pretty, take it home. No more. They now have wrinkly peppers! That might not sound shocking to everyone, but it's horrifying in a place like Gelson's. And the last straw was when the meats turned tough. I'll still stop in if I'm parked nearby, but I do most of my shopping at Trader Joe's (great prices and good quality) or Whole Foods (great variety and top to near top quality, though not sorted for perfection like the old Gelson's). Whole Foods, however, has taken to having more and more of only their house brands and less variety. I know they need to make a buck, but they're relying too much on computer models. A recurring pattern is I find a product I like and then have to order it direct from the maker or on Amazon because they don't carry it any more. It's like they swallowed a Trader Joe's pill and only want their name on stuff. :) At least with the branded products, you can get them on Amazon. You have to beg for canned tomato puree. It'll be on the shelf for awhile, then disappear. The only people who use it are people who cook, so it doesn't have a big sell through and they don't reorder until someone complains. And it's not the kind of thing TJ's has at all. :) Plus, if you order meats for a party form the butcher at Whole Foods, they might or might not have it when you come to pick it up. So you see, I'm currently on a hate of most grocery stores. The only things I buy at the big chains are paper goods, and a very few national brand staples. Every single Trader Joe's parking lot is crazy. They also are far more likely to have packaged goods which have gone off. Even one of their freezer tote bags had a smell problem. They give refunds cheerfully, though, and always make good. And everyone is so nice there (it's company policy) and they empty your cart. So even though they don't have everything (they were founded as an accessible gourmet store for people with educated palates on teachers' salaries), and the parking is crazy-making, it's my current favorite. Yeah, they only have some favorites during specific times of year and others disappear, but they don't nix whole categories and shelves. Can't get a rutabaga there though. :)

I would also not ship animals by cargo. If you can take them on board and stow them under the seat, that is one thing, but in the cargo hold is just too traumatic for animals IMO. My mom took a cat cross country by plane, years back. She made him an on-board reservation, and bought the under seat kennel from the airline. He was sedated and it was still pretty rough for him. Her first flight was on a puddle-jumper from a small town airport to a big INT airport; on that short flight he had to go in the cargo hold because there is no door on the crew compartment and they can't risk having an animal get loose somehow and distract the pilot. The small airline crew were so good with him, loading him last, and since it was a small plane he was unloaded on the tarmac when she got off the plane and immediately handed to her. The crew was very cautious with him and verified that he did belong to her as well. Even so, mom said he was so very cold from his very short time in that cargo hold, and she felt so badly for him. I would opt for taking them on the drive. Get a big crate and stuff it with familiar blankets and such; they will be comfortable and hopefully settle in for the long haul after a short time. Good luck.

Thank you all for the kind words and support. The FAA announced today that weather was not a factor in the crash. The young man will be buried tomorrow afternoon. We are still waiting for Patty's sister and BIL to arrive from Reno so arrangements can be made.