Rub a dub dub . . .! SJ is back from Ukraine. We needed to run a few errands today. With my usual efficiency, I planned my route well. First stop was the gas station, for $2.19 a gallon. After that, it was the butcher. Yes, we have a USDA certified meatpacker in town. It's basically a butcher that sells a lot of wholesale to restaurants, but also sells to the public. It's on a dead-end on the outskirts of town, near the horse farms. It's essentially a barn with a front room that has a counter.

We also took some sourdough starter out of the fridge, and set a batch to bubble away to bake this evening. Butcher and baker--covered, in a manner of speaking. No candlestick maker, but there's no shortage of candles here.

Then we hit the grocery store on the way back for a few bags of things. Now that SJ signed us up for courtesy cards, I wrote a check. The cards were new, so the cashier had to get customer service to clear the check and get it into the system, so that won't happen again. The woman behind us was thankfully patient.

Lastly, a new discount liquor store opened up in town where a storage facility used to be. Still smells like a warehouse. It's easily $5 cheaper than any other place around for a case of beer. All in all, I probably put 12 miles on my car for the round trip.

The butcher was the real find of the day: 1 lb. of bacon they sliced on the spot for us, two rather large pork chops, and a good sized london broil for $15.08. This is easily half the price for the same stuff at my regular grocery store, Kings. I wouldn't buy meat at Shop Rite, unless it was a frozen bird, burger, or some tough cut for pot roast or stew. Kings is still it for fish. But this butcher's been there all along, and I never knew it. I've lived here for over 20 years. Perhaps it's because they're a family-run operation tucked away on a residential street, don't have a website, and don't rely on word-of-mouth retail.