The other night I was asked by someone at the Click and Clack knitting group that I was at what I missed about the US. The first thing that popped out of my mouth was, “parking lots”. Yes, parking lots. I know that that sounds kinda trite but it isn’t like I don’t miss my friends and family, it’s just that parking is a daily issue that is even more of an annoyance since getting the new car. Anywhere you go you have to plan out a parking strategy in advance, there is no swinging into a mega sized parking lot outside of a mega store where you can get everything that you may or may not need. The parking spaces are also sized quite differently since space is at such a premium. Instead of being able to park a Hummer you could park a hummingbird. The smallest parking spaces labeled, “Compact Cars Only” in the US are still larger than the normal sized parking space here. It just makes it more time consuming and frustrating to do, really, anything, that isn’t at home or within walking distance.
Odd things tend to hit me. I miss JoAnn‘s with a vengeance on a regular basis. It’s exasperating how difficult it is to find fabrics or buttons or beads that are cool. There just isn’t any selection like I am used to anywhere and you have to visit multiple shops (see the above parking issue) to get everything that you need for a project. Admittedly, it helps keep some money in the bank account but it still frustrates me.
Another issue that is seriously looming is the lack of clumping cat litter here. We just put the final grains of Tidy Cat from the last of the buckets that I stockpiled before moving into the litter box and there is really no reasonably priced clumping cat litter that we have found here to replace it. The word on the street is to use chicken crumble as it clumps together pretty well and is reasonable inexpensive but it just seems so wrong.
I miss Target with a vengeance. Markets are all good and well until you have to schlep 30 pounds of cat and dog food hither and fro while you finish your shopping since the car is a Sherpa’s life away. Maybe it is a good thing that we can’t find clumping litter here as it would end-up making my arms rip off!
Boring roads that aren’t very twisty-turny are an odd thing to miss but I do. It’s nice to be more worried about the wildlife that I may hit (including humans on SOBT) than driving off of the road constantly. I miss store clerks asking if they can help you when you walk into a store, not just look at you like you are annoying them by wanting to buy something.
I miss our vets, they are awesome. (With 6 animals, you do miss the vet. Really)
Being able to understand people on the phone is a daily issue. I know that it is in theory the same language but on the phone it sure as hell doesn’t sound like it. I miss being able to call people without it being a huge issue.
I really, really, really miss my Hookers. I think that Thursdays are the hardest day of the week for me as I know that I won’t be seeing them at the end of the day. The other groups are nice but definitely not the same, not even close. Sure they may talk about penises, but they are just so damn polite about it even when they are being bawdy. I miss my rowdy band of Happy Hookers more than I could have imagined.
On the positive side, the weather is great!
Most of the time…
Sarah Jane Humke 