The soon-to-be rotting shell of a closed Walmart is now a relic of the first wave of the big box store’s expansion. Down the street is the mega-corporations next generation of behemoth in the form of a Super Center. With our pandering to the lowest common denominator of bargain hunting consumer, we remove the middle class from participating in acquiring and using quality products in exchange for abundance. And for those of us who have a hankering for the nostalgic quality of a generation ago, we are forced into upscale malls, Whole Foods, Sur La Table, online and mail order in order to find products that distinguish themselves with durability, value, and quality.

Today was our visit to the Renaissance Festival Part Deux. With two free tickets, it was a given that we would visit the festival one more time. Today was a hot day at almost 90 degrees (32c), so before it got any closer to summer and truly hot days, we took the hour drive and had a nice slow day walking the grounds, taking in the shows. We couldn’t resist watching the Wyld Men for the umpteenth time; the Nunnie Nuns drew a large well-deserved crowd, but today’s favorite had to be Dextre Tripp and his Thrill Show. Exploding fireworks taped to his body, balancing 18 feet above the stage standing on a ladder above 150 people armed with 300 water balloons aimed at his head, Dextre has a show and audience rapport that makes him one of the best acts at the fest. This was the first time we saw the death-defying side of his show, although balancing on a slack rope over the stage is probably not all that safe either. Nor would the juggling chainsaws, come to think of it – ok, so his entire show is on the verge of danger, but we like it.

Did some shopping at our one and only Eco store in Phoenix – it is appropriately named Eco-Clean. Nope, didn’t buy any of these salt lights, I don’t need any more negative ions as I am already too fat. I came for cleaning supplies and I wasn’t disappointed. I bought the cheapest stuff I could find, as that bottle of cleaner/degreaser for $15 was too heavy for my pocket. I grabbed a bottle of concentrated Bi-o-Kleen grape seed extract and orange peel cleaner that makes 32 gallons (121 liters) for only $7.45. Got home, tried it out, and just kept on going cleaning stuff I had just cleaned a week before and each wipe, each scrub, this stuff was getting cleaner than ever before. Threw out the Comet, the 409, the Windex and am now sold on not only a better and cheaper cleaner but an eco-friendly one at that. Now it’s time after all this hard work to go buy one of these Himalayan Salt Lights and test if the tanning results will be what I expect.