Weather Discovery Center Must See in Punxsutawney

While in Punxsutawney, PA earlier this month partying with Phil, the world's best weather prognosticator (I swear it has been warm since he predicted an early spring this year), we had an opportunity to visit the Weather Discovery Center, a fun place to learn more about weather folklore and science.

I would still highly recommend a trip to the small Pennsylvania town on February 2 to enjoy the Groundhog Day festivities. As part of that I would suggest that you make time to visit the weather center, especially if you have young children with you -- but even if you don't.

The center makes it fun and easy to learn about the weather and how scientists go about predicting the unpredictable. To read more about this fascinating place, visit http://www.boomthis.com/.

Does complaining go with aging?

I'm not sure anyone cares, but I feel this need anymore to tell people what I am thinking. Case in point: We have a new state-of-the-art grocery store near me, replacing the one I have used for probably 30 some years.

I don't miss the old store; love the new store, except for one thing: No matter how much you plan to buy, you can not get out of that store in a reasonable time. There is a new system at the store so that the cashiers now bag everything themselves. They have a two-tiered bagging station to their immediate left as they scan things and then they have to bag all the items. Customers who either used to look gratefully at a designated bagger in the old days or were happy to bag their own stuff have lost both options.

It has been taking me a long time to get through the check out lanes when I have visited the store. So when I saw a store employee walking behind the long line of shoppers in the check out lines, trying to find a way to speed things up, I had to say something when she came up to me. I explained that it was a great store but someone wanting to run in for a few items on the way home from work was going to be incredibly annoyed when he or she had to wait so long to check out.

Nicely, she told me they were still testing the waters so to speak, but I can't see how they can change too much since their checking-out sytem is already installed.

I'm sure she was probalby just glad to get away from me. But when I saw people with huge carts of groceries going through the self-check out lines, knowing the myriad of problems they would have before they could even (slowly) bag their own groceries, I started wishing for the old store.