Strollin' Thru the City

How convenient working downtown can be. Living and working in the capital city of my state is really quite lovely. Although my office is no great shakes in terms of lovely views, privacy, or cushy furniture, it is within walking distance of the post office, DHHR, Taylor Books, the New Yorkiest slice of pie you can find in this far south, the library and The Peanut Shoppe. Just today I strolled over to the DHHR office and picked up official copies of birth certificates for B and me. How cool is it that I can hoof it through the historic district of my city on a beautiful day and get what I need. I got three copies each, just in case, and made my way back to the office in less than 30 minutes. Awesome.
I mentioned the library and The Peanut Shoppe for two reasons: 1) these are two of my favorite places in the world (granted I haven't seen a lot of the world), and 2) I finally, finally, finally finished my autobiography for our home study. At last! In my "Happy Memories" section I talked about how much I love the library. When I was a little girl, my mom, brother, and I would hop on the bus every Saturday and make our way into the city. We would go to the library and check out as many books as we could - 20 apiece. It was a haven for us from being stuck in a rural area with no cable, no video games, and no computers. It was the 70's folks! Once we got the goods, we would cross the street and eat at McDonalds. This McDonalds was extra cool because it had a downstairs section. Mom would rarely take us down there except to go to the bathroom, because the transients would hang out down there and try to bum money or food. The McDonalds is long gone, currently replaced by a parking garage/coffee shop and a swanky French restaurant - with no cool downstairs. After a plain filet-o-fish and fries, we would cross the street again and head into The Peanut Shoppe. 30 years later the place still looks and smells the same. Also 30 years later I still buy the same thing, French-burnt peanuts. Little red, candy-coated peanuts in waxy, white paper bags, each one a burst of salty sweet goodness in my mouth.