Bins and Bottles

This morning, we drove over to Queensborough to stock up at the Bulk Barn. It is so easy to spend a bundle on bulk grains, dried beans, and nuts!  We'd printed out the current discount coupons from their website and saved $13 over the standard sale prices.  

We also went into the Walmart next door.  It seems so much larger than our uptown one.  Jay and I figure they have more of an assortment of goods as they have more space.  Probably, it's worth it to occasionally drive across the Queensborough Bridge as opposed to simply going up Sixth Street.

At home for lunch, I realized I'd have to swap out my first canister of carbon dioxide.  The SodaStream wasn't producing much fizz!  I got the device at the end of March, so I've been carbonating for closer to seven weeks than six.  Who knew I'd be drinking about 10 liters of sparkling water per week!  I had already bought a full canister of  CO₂  so, I swapped out the empty one.  When one returns an empty there's a substantial discount on the next purchase.

Wednesday in Three Photos

I'll pretty much let three photos explain our Wednesday morning. 

After 10:00 am, Jay suggested we go to the Bulk Barn, a business with stores across Canada. The inside of the Queensborough outlet has huge aisles of bulk food items. I love going there although I'm not allowed to buy things from the 'rows and rows' of candy. The first black and white photo shows flours from my location right to the end of the second aisle. Now that bread baking has become an interest, the sheer number of flours seemed amazing. The rows of beans or spices are equally inspiring. 

The bottom photo shows a new toaster we picked up in the next-door Walmart. Our former four-slot toaster was getting finicky. Even after cleaning, one side proved a little obstinate when the lever was depressed. At one point in the past, we owned a duel, long-slot device also holding four slices. I thought a new one of that type would take up less space on our countertop. 

Lastly, when we returned from Queensborough, we drove up 6th Avenue and stopped for a short walk in Queen's Park. Some of the flowers in the rose garden were budding. The picture to the side is named, Housing for Pollination Experts.

Queensborough Landing

We'd not visited Bulk Barn since coming back to Canada. We returned from the winter two months ago yesterday. The place may have recently reopened with the provisions for physical-distancing. We could walk around and show which bins and a staff member had to fill the plastic bags with the amount we desired. We do love the variety of products sold there.

After, we got a few things at the Queensborough Walmart next door.



Finally, we went out to Fraser River. The property for the Queensborough Landing shops used to be industrial. If I recall, it may have been an abandoned mill when we first came to the area in 1996. You can see that logs are still stored along this section of river.

It'll Wait

Although it was Tuesday, Jay didn't feel like going to the gym. He has a bit of a pain in the back; that is to say, besides me.

I had a couple of things I've got to do: 1) I really need a haircut but am going to find a barber who is willing take on a challenge 2) I promised to visit the bike shop to hunt for a moderately-priced hybrid style bicycle. Today, I did neither.

I really fit into this unharried style of retirement. All those people driven, in a mad rush to accomplish something notable, really go against my grain. I know I have a lot of time this summer and for the rest of them. More importantly, nothing I need to do needs to be done right away.

Life is meant to be enjoyed through its errands.


An enormous selection of pre-mixed seasonings for all types of dishes.
We went over to Queensborough to stop at the Bulk Barn. It is an amazing little shop in 'the Landing' which carries, well, bulk foods. I never knew there were so many kinds of everything. How about pasta made from quinoa and kale? Or can I interest you in a bit of freekeh or amaranth? All types of dried fruits, even pears, are available. We generally get some grains for our morning oatmeal and nuts or seeds for snacking. We avoid the aisles and aisles of candy and bulk junk foods.

A Summer Sunday

I live for this type of weather. It's simply called summer, I guess.

This morning we went up to the park near city hall, mainly to spot young ducklings. I cannot remember when the ducks should be swimming around with their young. Is it later in the month? We spotted none. We ended up throwing bread at two adults ducks and leaving some hidden in the bushes for our squirrels.

Then, we did drive over to Queensborough to visit the Bulk Barn. We bought lots of specialty grains, a few types of nuts, and some spices today. They've sort of spoilt us with their frequent $3-off coupons.

In the afternoon, it is a pleasure to watch people and events at Pier Park. Of course, we are quite some distance from the river, but my camera has one hell of a zoom.

Three Weeks After Surgery

Three weeks ago yesterday, Jay was inside the operating room at the Royal Columbian Hospital.

I find it hard to decide if this seems like a short or long time ago. I do know that he seems to improve each day. Having a quintuple bypass operation is a pretty major event. So many parts of his body are working to heal! He still gets tired quite easily and this may also be due to the fairly strong beta blocker he is taking.

Getting in the truck for usual errands seems pretty normal now. For example, it is habit enough for him to automatically grab his 'heart' pillow before heading out the door. It must be placed on his chest prior to fastening the seat-belt. Eventually that collar bone will mend. Today, we took an opportunity after rush hour to drive over to Queensborough for a little shopping at the Bulk Barn.

Spoilt for Choice

Earlier today, we were wandering around inside the Bulk Barn stocking up on nuts, grains, and beans. I saw just how many non-wheat pasta options there are! In fact, the whole store seemed a glorious tribute to providing overwhelming choice. Why settle for one type of couscous, when there are five? Why limit oneself to a specific type of granola when there are dozens? We live in an age of abundance and are spoilt for choice.

I've also been thinking a lot about life in general lately. Of course this has to do with perceived changes. Knowing that Jay is a candidate for open-heart surgery has forced us to contemplate existence and future plans. I am so thankful that our lives have so many options. We have always kept things open to change. Our wanderings and lifestyle have exposed us to much, some of which others may not be able to even fathom. It is such a blessing, really.


We have the ways and means to choose from a myriad of goals and pursuits. Very few people have the sheer number of options which we find open to us.

No Traffic Sundays

This really is turning into a boring daily journal, isn't it? That is all right. I'm not sure how many days of one's life can be filled with suspense and drama. Yet, I'm coming to find that many joys in life are found in its everyday-ness.

We had a Bulk Barn coupon for $3, so we drove over to Queensborough. It seems a breeze getting over the bridge to that part of town on a weekend. I'm mentioned that store many time before but I always enjoy going inside very much.


A Walmart is next door. As I noticed Jay trying to clean the crumbs out of our really old toaster, I figured it might be past time to replace it. I may have picked the former one up at a thrift store more than 15 years ago. It works fine but is a little worn looking. Now, Chinese crap is practically give-away. The way the world is set up now, it is easier to get the cheapest appliances and simply throw them away a few years later. It saves time cleaning. What a disgusting realization!

A Vehicle Provides the Potential of Freedom

We had Bulk Barn coupons worth $6 so we drove over to Queensborough to use them. That store is so awesome that it's very easy to spend more money than planned. On the way back over the bridge, we went up Sixth Avenue and stopped off at the library. A Lonely Planet guide to Cambodia was on hold and I knew about it as I got an email from my library this morning.


I have to put on a few more miles on the old Ranger so that I can do an oil change before we leave for the winter. I have religiously changed the oil every 3,000 miles. (I bought this truck down in Belleview, WA so its odometer shows miles rather than kilometers.) All vehicles, even from that era, show the speed on a KPH scale as well as in MPH. Anyway, converting distances back and forth in one's head is pretty easy.

I still have about 350 miles before the Ranger hits the 99,000-mile mark and necessitates new oil. Can you imagine! This means, I've averaged less than 5,000 miles per year. Being classed as snow birds, I now register my 'green machine' for just seven months per year. Consequently, there's no obvious reason that I can't keep running this truck until self-driving autos become a reality. Whatever the next vehicle is, it could very well be my final automotive purchase.

In a Barn

When leaving the door open as a kid, my father would ask me if I were brought up in a barn. You've got to admit that's a rather a weird question considering he knew very well where I was being raised.


We stopped by The Bulk Barn when visitng the Queensborough Walmart today. I don't know why I am so fascinated with the place. It primarily sells the type of foodstuffs which can be sold from store bins. You know, they carry things like nuts, rices and pasta, candy, and baking goods. The prices are probably competitive although not cheap. It is fun to go inside. Maybe I'm intrigued because I think the franchises demonstrate an interesting business model.

We often find their flyer in our local newspaper. There's frequently a coupon for $3 off when purchases total at least ten dollars. I always feel that without controls, I would be inclined to spend hundreds of dollars there. This place has a sort of Costco effect on me.

Yellow-Eyed Beans?

I can remember when I first started using software to track every single expenditure. I had sort of believed that I'd been using my personal funds as votes in the marketplace. For some reason, I thought that I spread my money around widely. It was a little shocking, at first, to realize that over an average month most all my cash ended up going to the same few businesses.

In general, most people have few receipts from new establishments. Maybe this is why I think the Bulk Barn is worthy of a whole blog entry today. We returned to Queensborough Landing this morning expressly to revisit the new food store. My jaw didn't drop quite as far open as when we first stepped inside. I still loved seeing all those bins full of every conceivable type of nut, candy, bean, rice, snack food, baking ingredient, pasta, and spice. This outlet is pretty new although I guess the chain stretches across Canada.

Finally! I have a new vendor to add to my aged copy of MS Money.