$ign of the times

Saturday, I went to the dollar store. Our local store includes "dollar" in its name, so it has a heavy investment in that amount. Times have been hard, though, and the dollar no longer is sufficient to buy what it used to purchase. There was a hand-lettered sign on the door: "All items which had been $1.00 are now $1.10."

When I was a child, discount stores offering the same type of goods were called "dime" stores. How times have changed! I'll see you around, maybe at the "dollar-and-a-dime" store.

Tony Hillerman

I'm sad to see that Tony Hillerman passed away yesterday. Tim and I have been readers of his books for years. On the surface, you might say that Tony Hillerman wrote mystery novels set in the Southwest, anchored by two Navajo main characters. His stories were rich in Native American culture and a love of the land. 

If you would like to read his work, I suggest you begin with his first book, The Blessing Way, and continue through the series in order. The books start with Lt. Joe Leaphorn, and later the character Jim Chee enters into the stories. These two characters both come from a Navajo background, but have very different points of view. 

Here is a link to his publisher--

http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/4488/Tony_Hillerman/index.aspx

Fall walk in Illinois

We visited my in-laws in Danville Sunday. After a big lunch at Ryan's, we decided to walk off some of the calories. First, we went to Heron Park, where there are 900 feet of floating boardwalks over the wetlands. We followed the boardwalk, which appears to float on a series of pontoons. Otters have been reintroduced into the wetlands. After Tim spotted the opened mussel shell of an otter's lunch, we saw a little otter swimming along. We also saw several swans (yes, a-swimming), fish, and lots of vegetation on the water. 

Tim is pictured at the railing of the tower which overlooks the wetlands.

Later, we went to Kennekuk County Park. We took pictures in the memorial grove of the tree dedicated to Tim's grandpa, George. Nearby in the park is a little restored "village" with a train depot (complete with dining car), barn and windmill, barbershop, general store, school, printing shop, and a country church. We took a walk down one of the trails, appreciating the views of the lake and the fall foliage. 

It made for a nice, relaxing afternoon.