I live in
the South now, but I grew up in the Northeastern part of the United States.
With the exception of a brief 18-month stint to the state of Oklahoma, I’d
always lived in the North.
One random
weekday, I picked up the phone and was asked how I’d feel about moving to
Portland. When one lives in the North, the only “Portland” that comes to mind
is in Maine.
It was
quickly brought to my attention that it was the Portland on the West coast, the
one in Oregon. For those who have never been, that would be pronounced “ore a
gun” and not “ore a gone”. If one was going to blend in, one needed to know how
to pronounce the language of the land. The next vocabulary word was
“Willamette”.
Feeling like
a pioneer mother, the family packed up and loaded into the wagon with wings and
flew to the West Coast to one of the most beautiful places that I’d ever seen
and that included the airport.
But it
wasn’t without its challenges. It was traumatic for Mother’s Little Helpers to
leave their home. While on the wagon with wings, the youngest little helper
placed chewing gum into his sister’s hair. Within days, we met the pediatric
dentist on an emergency visit when my Middle Little Helper broke front teeth before
we even moved into our new home.
The best
part was the ability to blend into a frugal lifestyle for the first time in my
adult life. I found the best grocery store outlet. Brands that were considered
“off brand” there were “name brand” where I came from. It was a place where
family fun was affordable and in some cases free. Yes, it was some of the best
of times.
SOUND THE BUGLE! Today’s tip: When in a new place, be
willing to try the local brands offered by the grocery stores. I’m a huge fan
of cheese and I would have been missing out on the wonders of Tillamook Cheese
had I not placed it in my grocery cart one day. To extend cheese, purchase and shred a bar of sharp cheddar cheese and sprinkle sparingly to not only extend the use but also save on calories!
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