Observations from the road

Just a couple of quickies from way too much time spent in the car yesterday:

• WTF is going on with the proliferation of gas station convenience stores with names ending in "Farms?" We see Cumberland Farms, Country Farms, Kwik Farms (obviously, there isn't much time for edjacashun after the chores are done)...are we supposed to have a good, down-home feel for these places, like the potato chips and cheez doodles are somehow wholesome, fresh, and natural? I suppose "Kwik Krappy Snak Shak" just doesn't play as well.
• Not far from home, I saw a cane lying in the middle of a 45-mph speed limit road. This is, as they say, Not A Good Sign.
• On the way home, around 7 p.m., stopped at Whole Foods Market to pick up a couple of things. In retrospect, seeing as how I hadn't eaten since a salad at lunch, this was probably Not A Good Idea. None the less, I snacked (all words are spelled correctly at Whole Foods) my way through the various samples, at one point commenting to an employee (who was also enjoying the smoked salmon spread) that I "should know better than to come here hungry." Half a store later, the same employee tracks me down and asks "did you check out the roasted vegetables in the produce section?" (I had, and thanked him for looking out for me.) You've got to love customer service...it seems so rare these days.