My World Tuesday
This past Saturday Leominster held a summer stroll which has become an annual event. I haven't seen the numbers of participants yet, but we finally got a day without much rain and attendance was high.
This event catered to old and young alike. Pictured above were the swing dancing lessons.
The summer stroll started off with a parade consisting of motorcycles, antiques cars as well as the Leominster High Marching band.
Of course if it did get too hot, we had Dunkin Donuts Ice Coffee to save the day
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My World Tuesday
When looking for places to visit and things to do, one rarely looks in their own backyard. This past weekend I've broken my pattern and found that Massachusetts is a treasure trove of history.
To the right here you see a tour guide at Old North Bridge dressed as a minute man in clothing common in the 1770's.
Old North Bridge is a historical site in the Battle of Concord, the first battle day in the Revolutionary War which started April 19, 1775. The most famous quote that you hear often of this site is taken from a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson
By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world."
More information on Old North Bridge may be found at the Minute Man National Historical Park website http://www.nps.gov/MIMA.
One unexpected bonus while visiting the site was "Old Manse" which abuts Old North Bridge. This house was built in 1750 which still to this day contains a lot of the original furniture. I was in awe of some of the prior residents which include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorn. I took a picture of this shed on the Manse property while standing on the North Bridge.
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My World Tuesday
Roughly a year ago Walmart opened a Super Walmart in Leominster. Super Walmarts are ones that combine a department store along with a grocery store as well as a pharmacy. It's an interesting thing seeing where retail stores are going. Many are not making it and it seems that others are going strong. This past year has seen Walmart which is pictured here, a Walgreen's downtown and a CVS which is currently being built on the Leominster/Lunenburg town line.
With all these store you would think that I could go out and find what I need. My 8 month old son has outgrown his bath tub. This is one of the those that you place in a sink. So last week I went out on a quest to purchase a bath ring tub seat. These are seats that have suction cups that stick to the bottom of the tub. Until my son gets better at sitting on his own this is the best way to go. An easy task to find one I figured and why not we have a Super Walmart after all.
Well Super Walmart does not carry them. Next I figured I'd go to Baby's R US. I mean if anybody would have this item designed for a baby they would right? I mean that is the whole concept of the Baby's R Us Store , selling baby stuff. Of course I wasted my time again, they do not stock these items but I can order it online from their website I'm told. Next I go to Bed, Bath and Beyond only to find out the Beyond part of their name must mean beyond my reach. Another store that does not stock these, but lo and behold I may order it from their website. My last stop was at Target and as you can guess they have it online only.
This really gets under my skin. I research my purchases before making them. Going into a store I know what I want. Price for the most part does not bother me. When I decide I want something I want it yesterday. Might not be the best approach to shopping but that is the way I roll. I hate nothing more than being told we don't stock that item, you need to purchase it over the web. When it comes right down to it if I need to purchase it from the web it is certainly not going to be from one of the local stores. I can guarantee that I can find a better price than the big box stores online. If it needs to be shipped and I can not satisfy my need to get it yesterday you can be sure I will find the best deal out there and wait it out.
I'm fortunate to have a tax refund this year. I decided to do my part and stimulate the economy. I got to thinking though, why waste all my gas driving to these stores only to be told that I can only order things online?
Instead of buying my new Nikon D90 body at circuit city I ordered it from a well known company in New York. Best thing about it? It was $150 cheaper delivered than the 20% off going out of business sale that CC had. It was at my doorstep within 24 hours of placing my order.
I bought a plasma TV roughly 6 years ago when they were incredibly expensive. It's probably run the 10,000 hours they claim it will last so I'm okay with needing to replace it. Again didn't feel like driving to Best Buy only to be told that I would have to order my new TV online. I skipped that step and ordered it from where I work. This worked out good because I got to use my employee discount.
Well a new TV means I need HDMI cables as well as a new surround sound system. See I told you I was doing my part to stimulate the economy. Did my home work again and got the cables dirt cheap. Even got a good savings on the sound system.
Oh and I almost forgot, bought a new printer to print those nice photos my D90 is capable of.
To sum it all up savings by shopping online rather than local retail stores ...
Camera ~ $100 savings
TV ~ $700 savings ( I mentioned I got a employee discount on this. My discount was $250)
Cables ~ $125 savings
Surround sound ~ $75 savings
Printer ~ $50 savings
Bath ring tub seat ~ Haven't gotten this yet. Might be time to teach my son how to swim 
All in all I saved $1050 by shopping online. It's a global economy now and these chain retail stores need to adapt. I don't mind paying more money for something that I can get my hands on immediately. If you make me go online to find it chances are I will find it somewhere else much cheaper. The way we do business is changing in front of our eyes. It wouldn't surprise me to see more and more items only available online.
To see the world through others eyes, visit That’s my World, a weekly meme sharing photos and impressions of all the world seen through the participants’ eyes.
My Wolrd Tuesday
The city of Fitchburg has been hit harder financially than Leominster. They have had layoffs in both the police and fire departments. There was even talk about turning off every fifth street light to save money. Many citizens spoke up against this measure and it appears for the time being they have prevailed. The crime rate is high enough as it is without providing more dark areas.
One of the hardest hits though is shown here. This is the Fitchburg Public Library which can be found downtown Fitchburg. The section on the left is the children's wing and the section on the right is the main section. In order to balance the budget the mayor has drastically cut funding to the public library. Due to this the library had to reduce their hours. They went from being open 7 days a week to being open 3 days a week. With limited hours it is believed that they will lose their accreditation. Once lost the library will not be able to participate in book exchange programs with other libraries. This is a great resource that stands to lose a lot.
Unfortunately, I believe things will get worse across the country before they get better. This will be a common issue in many communities.
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My Wolrd Tuesday
Today is a historic day in my corner of the world. It is the Inauguration of our 44th President of The United States. President Barack Obama will be our countries first African American president.
I personally did not vote for President Obama. My views are very conservative and I do not agree with a lot of Obama's views. I will have to say though I do like some of the things he has done already. He has surround himself with moderate people. Then naming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State was a surprising move. I suppose it falls into that adage 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer'.
For me the scariest thing is having a one party system. Massachusetts has been a liberal state for a long time and is currently a one party state. A good debate needs two sides in order to be good. Lately it seems all my state has been good for is producing felons.
Life experiences that I've been through has aligned me with the right. It does not mean that I can't have an open mind or liberal tendencies and thoughts. Even though I do not agree with Obama's views, I think he is a very intelligent person. I believe he will do this country good. I would not want to be in his shoes.
The President has a very difficult task in front of him. Last night I went to our local mall and counted the empty stores. There was a total of 5 retail spots already vacated and 2 with going out of business signs that will be closed soon. There were also 6 empty kiosks throughout a normally full mall. Every week we hear of major corporations being in trouble. The economy is in the worst state that most of us has ever seen.
Enough of the politics for today. This is not a political blog nor do I want it to be. We are living history today and felt I had to write about it.
To see the world through others eyes, visit That’s my World, a weekly meme sharing photos and impressions of all the world seen through the participants’ eyes.