Kroger Comes to Elk Grove

We recently added a new grocery chain to our area. It goes by the name of Food Co, but it appears to be owned by Kroger. At least that is what seems to be the case, in regards to the brand that is being used as their home label. A lot of the products that are being carried by the store have the Kroger label. We don't have a WalMart Super Center in our area, so this is a nice addition - since Food Co is very similar to a Super Center (both in layout and pricing). Having lived in Louisville for a number of years, I am familiar with the Kroger name. I always liked Kroger stores and the one in Elk Grove, even though it goes by a different name, reminds me of the Louisville store. Who says you can't go home again!

Cheeseburger Night

Not all that often, but on occasion, I crave a really big cheeseburger. Tonight was one of those nights. Nancy was off to help with the great grand baby, so it was a good time to light the grill and cook up a big cheeseburger with all the fixings. It's sort of like the Sunday Big Breakfast. Even though it takes Nancy and I about an hour to prepare the meal, it's worth it, because we just haven't found a restaurant than can match the quality of our Big Breakfast. Cheeseburgers are the same. You can get some good ones at our local restaurants, but to do it right - you got to cook it yourself.

The key to getting it just right is the essential ingredients that make for a great cheeseburger. Not too lean of ground beef, sharp cheddar cheese, secret seasonings and condiments - and a great bun. The one I prepared on the grill tonight was about a three quarter pound-er. I meant to take a picture of it, but by the time I placed it on my plate to eat... well, I was so hungry for that delicious treat that I forgot about the picture and just started to chomp away.

I think the little extra time I spent on the treadmill tonight will offset the added calories. But, if not, it was still worth it. That was one great cheeseburger.

Auto Show

The Sacramento International Auto Show starts this week. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the 2008 models. Some vehicles are pretty much just carry overs from 07, but several manufacturers have come out with new models that are suppose to be greatly improved over their predecessors. The Chevrolet Malibu is one such car; so is the Cadillac CTS. It's always different seeing a car at the Sacramento Auto Show, as opposed to just seeing the pictures of that vehicle in an auto magazine. They do such a good job of photographing cars now-a-days that almost all of the vehicles have an appealing look - at least in the magazines. That's not always the case when you get to check out the vehicle up close and personal.

I'm sometimes asked why I have so much interest in seeing cars that I am not likely to ever own - or even be in the market to purchase. That's true for almost any SUV, or say... a convertible - or sports car. Even though I'm not really interested in purchasing such a vehicle, I still like to learn something about them. Why is that the case? That's easy to answer. First off - I'm a bit of a car nut, I suppose. So all types of vehicles interest me. And secondly, since buying a vehicle, at least for me, is the second largest expenditure that I ever make - the first being real estate - I take it seriously. You can't really know what to purchase, if you don't know what is available and how one vehicle compares with another. By going to the auto show it helps to make a person a more informed consumer. Besides, I always have a great time at the auto show. I normally stay for six or seven hours. I also eat dinner there. They usually have a delicious tri-tip sandwich available. Or course, as usual, I'll be taking pictures and perhaps videos as well this year, so I'll be sure to post a few of my favorites to the blog site.

Exercise and Movies

I've found that treadmill exercising, and watching DVDs, really do complement one another quite well. You still feel the workout, but it is much more enjoyable while you are engaged in watching a good movie. The time seems to go much faster. Some movies that I've watched recently are:

The Astronaut Farmer
The War Within
City of Industry
The DaVinci Code
Off The Black

I don't see an entire movie during one session of exercising, because my exercise time is somewhat less than the length of a movie, so I try to finish the DVD the following session. I've added a second DVD player to the system, so I can remotely start up a new movie if the first one finishes before completing my exercise. That way I don't have to leave the treadmill to insert a movie and start the DVD player. So far, so good. To date I haven't fell off the treadmill doing this. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. BlockBuster has been another beneficiary of this plan, as I now rent at least four movies a week. I suppose as long as I can find good rental movies, the exercise routine is not at risk.

Introducing - "The Great Zultan"

When you click on the link below, you will meet the latest addition to our household - "The Great Zultan". Zultan knows all. All you have to do is ask. Zultan will prove invaluable for our Friday Night at the Movies meetings. Oftentimes, we must conclude our sessions without deriving final solutions to our many perplexing problems. Zultan will fix all of that. You will see - just click on the below link... for your visit with - "The Great Zultan".

http://s178.photobucket.com/albums/w275/jimdaviselkgrove/?action=view&current=ZultanEditVer2Format_0001.flv

Horace Housemen - Davis Family Butler

Horace Houseman is now on board, to help out when needed. He is a competent butler, who dresses impeccably and speaks in a manner befitting his position in life. Don't be overwhelmed by his stature. Horace stands about six foot two - in his stocking feet. Irregardless of his size and demeanor, for the most part he seems very gentle and rather amicable - so long as he is not provoked. Big mistake to set Horace off! Might I say, from all of us, "Welcome to the family"- Horace.

Halloween Discounted Merchandise

The stores still had some good stuff left over from their Halloween sales. The day after Halloween is when I usually buy our Halloween decorations. I had my eye on a couple of items that the Raleys grocery store carried during the three week window they use to sell Halloween decorations. However, a couple of really neat items were rather pricey, I thought, but they dropped to fifty per cent off today - so I just had to buy them. They should be great additions for next year. I know Mr. Axman will have fun with them. I've still got some assembling to do, so the pictures should get posted tomorrow.