They grow up so quickly

This morning at breakfast, Ethan decided to educate me about the potential health benefits of having a glass of red wine.  I have no idea where he got the information but it was accurate to current standards.  I almost expected him to start telling me which wines he preferred with which foods.  Since he is only 11, I felt compelled to tell him about the potential problems caused by drinking too much.

Liberty Creek Wines

I decided to try Liberty Creek wine because the register at the grocery store spit out a couple $2 off coupons.  Coupons for wine are a novelty so I went in search of it.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the bottle - 1.5 liters, which is called a Magnum.  It is double the size of a standard wine bottle.

The second thing I noticed was the shelf price - $6.99.  Wait, what?  This was not in the section that contained the Franzia and Arbor Mist.  With my coupon, that comes down to $4.99 per bottle.  Now I HAD to buy it.

I chose a Pinot Grigio and a Merlot.  Both tasted nice.  Nice is really the most descriptive word I can use. It is a straight up, no frills table wine.

Both smell pleasant straight out of the bottle.  There is no whiff of alcohol fumes.  Both have mild flavors that are pleasant.  As described by the maker, they have a light finish.

The problem is, both lack anything resembling body.  There is nothing that makes you slow down to sip, savor and think while drinking it.  You could easily chug down a tumbler full of this wine before realizing what you had done, which is not a good idea with the 12% alcohol per volume.

Although there is no Wow-factor, it is nice and I don't have any reason to say it should be avoided.  I'd call it a tall step up from wine cooler, but not something you'd bring as a hostess gift to a formal dinner party.  I can picture it working well for informal settings like summertime parties outdoors or as a stepping stone for a newbie wine drinker.

http://www.libertycreekwine.com

The Express Line

Mark and I made a quick stop at the grocery store as the last in our string of things to do before heading home.  We picked up our six items and went to the open "Express Checkout - 15 Items or Less" line.

There was a woman there, just starting to checkout.  She was well dressed with 'done' hair; older but not elderly.  She had a few things and seemed like it would be quick.  Some of it was fresh produce which required a moment to weigh and type in the code.  The cashier finished and the woman pulled out a coupon.  It wouldn't scan so the cashier typed in the number and the problem was solved.

The new total came up and the woman reached into her purse to pull out a checkbook.  She put that down and dove back in, looking for a pen.  Once she found the pen she carefully filled out the check as if she was a scribe recording a holy document.

At this point, Mark and I looked at each other and tried not to laugh.  It seems like every time we pick what should be the fast route, something happens to slow it down.

The woman finished her check and put away the book and pen.  The cashier waited until the woman looked up again and asked to see ID.  "You need ID?!" she gasped, as if she had never heard of such a thing.  Back into the purse she went until she came up with the ID.

The cashier wrote down some info, then entered it into the register.  S-l-o-w-l-y.  Beep.....beep.........beep beep............beep......  We couldn't help it anymore and cracked up loudly.  The transaction was finally finished but since no one was helping bag the cashier had to do that as well.

The woman went on her way as Mark and I stepped forward.  At this point, there were three other people waiting in line behind us.

Our six items were scanned very quickly and the total popped up on the screen.  Then I handed the cashier three coupons....