Never on Sunday

I dearly wish that other businesses would have retained the "closed on Sunday" practice that Chik-Fil-A follows. I hate it that my eldest daughter has to miss church on Sunday mornings because Walmart has scheduled her to work the 5:00AM to 2:00PM shift and my husband has to rush home from services so he can change clothes to go to his 1:00PM to 10:00PM shift at another Walmart... because Sunday has become their most profitable day of the week.

The local Bob Evans and Perkins always have full parking lots on Sunday, when people go out to have lunch after church--forgetting that their eating out means that other people have to forgo their own worship services.

It's possible to not need to shop on Sunday. All it takes is a little forethought and preparation on Saturday. I have done my best to not shop or dine out on Sundays unless there is literally no other option, such as when we are traveling away from home to visit family across the country. Once church is over, we stay home. My Saturdays are spent doing the grocery shopping; my Sundays are spent with the children who are too young to hold jobs, playing together, reading together, and making fun things like homemade bread, or brownies, or silly things out of play dough.

I don't know if my little private rebellion against the commercialization of what had been for so very long a day of rest will make the corporations give the day back to worship and family time, but I'll continue to follow Chik-Fil-A's example.

Maybe if enough of us do so, the other businesses might follow suit.

And I'd be able to have my whole family at the Sunday dinner table at the same time...

Whether it is Sunday,or Saturday,the practice of a day of rest is key.

ROADYACHT:  Sunday is the First Day of the week .......  Even the Quakers still call it, "First Day" .......

Rhyselle~ I'm with you 100%  I do not shop on Sundays.
Strangely, many of  our local shops were open on Sunday & closed all day Monday (Bank Holiday) which says it all about todays secular society - or maybe it's because employers have to pay staff double to work Bank Holidays.
I don't think God minds much whether we observe our Sabbath on Saturday or Sunday, or any other day, come to that.
 

I  thought  that  nice  Mr.  Peterman  made  only  weekends  the  time  he  posted  "soft"  topics?

BERT: Most every Topic gets back around to Food, eventually ... That at least, is relatively Safe ....... I am reminded suddenly of one of Robin Williams' Greatest Jokes ever, "about a Buddhist who walks up to Hot Dog Vendor in New York, and says, Make Me One With Everything ..." Its so quick in the Movie that only three of us in the theatre laughed .......

JALOPKIN~ You just caused me to choke on my meusli.

Chick-fil-A makes an outrageous chicken biskit 6 days a week. Krystal or White Castle, dealer's choice, the slider was, is, and shall be a capital idea. Never on Sunday was a provacative little film with a Greek twist though the music gets stuck in your head. As a Road Warrior, fast food is of the utmost gastronomic urgency. Meanwhile, this old beach bum gets indigestion thinking about the beautiful Gulf beaches becoming a gigantic oil slick.

I like it when a business closes on a Saturday or Sunday to give the employees time to worship.  If there is anything good tha can come out of this recession it should be a return to values.  I would  like to see more signs in shop windows that say  "Closed  Sunday.  See you in Church."   In my neighborhood some storesa  close early on Friday and remain closed til Sunday.  
 
We have become so ethnicaly diverse  in most major cities, I doubt that  closing a business to give time to worship  would not violate  the consumer's rights.

My mother said that when she was growing up people did not mow lawns, hang out wash or do anything that was considered work. She said it was unspoken that people would go to church and go about their day quietly; a day of rest. I thought that was really nice.
 
I have to give Mr.Cathy my respect because he at least follows his religious beliefs and doesn't just talk about them.
 
Also,I remember a few years ago in the news; two teenage girls broke into his house & trashed the kitchen. He spoke at their hearing and said he did not want them to go to jail, he wanted them to clean it up. All in all he sounds like a standup guy.
 
Good morning JULIA!
 

I was just thinking about the people who have to work weekends, medics, cops, fire service, public transport , priests(!) ... how long is the list? Road Yacht was right in saying the important thing is a rest day. Church attendance is not obligatory, a "Gone Fishing" sign on your front door is just as good. A quiet meditate by a river or a lake is just as beneficial for the soul.
 
 

I'm  voting  for  A  & W  root  beer  stands,  shaped  like  a  giant  wooden  barrel,  they  dotted tourist  towns  in Michigan along  the  lake.    I  also  nominate  Sonic  Burger  stands, the  drive  in  with  speaker  &  car  hop  format  is  perfect  if  you  ever  do  a  50's cruise.  Can't   remember  who  it  was  that  actually  had  girls  with  roller  skates.

Around here, a call to the local diner at 1pm with your lunchtime menu selection and a "have me a window seat ready at 1:30" is a great fast food alternative.

Not so long ago, most local businesses closed half a day on Wednesdays. We didn't run beer trucks; the banks, barber shops, hardware stores, butcher, you name it was closed on Wednesday afternoons.

Everyone was fishing, hunting, gardening, boating or otherwise goofing off.

Our Chincoteague Seafood festival and Harvest Festival are held on Wednesdays, sort of a carryover from those times.

Not ordinarily being a pickle eater, I order my chik fil a without and when it comes right ( usually) there is no pickle taste. When I forget and take the pickles off, it tastes like you took the pickles off.  And 10 year old boy can tell when you have removed an offending food element after the fact, no matter how short the period of its encroachment.    We had a precacher who didn't like to do funerals on sundays- because he didn't want the gravediggers to have to work.

I could tell you my sob story here but I'll spare you. Instead, I'll just say that I wish we had a Chick-Fil-A here. It was long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away when I had one at my disposal and enjoyed every last sandwich. The waffle fries weren't bad either. 1986 though? I remember eating there much earlier.

The intersection of technology and culture is always fascinating.....  Is shopping online on Sunday OK?  Should one walk to temple on Saturday, or is driving OK?  Should self-service lines (only!) be open in a Kroger's on Sunday (or Saturday? or Friday?).  Should vending machines be programmed to 'disable' on 'the day(s) of rest' to discourage shopping then?  And what is one to make of the famous traffic jams that clogged the interstate (years ago) when Connecticut stopped Sunday closing and Massachusetts maintained it?  Why weren't those folks worshipping (or at least meditating)?  We humans have a peculiar ablilty to be against 'sin' while we sin....... 

When I worked in retail (ages ago), we were closed on Sundays..... Frankly, the best 'days off' were, however, weekdays, since one could drive, go shopping, etc on 'work days' when there were no lines and (after rush hour was ended) no traffic....  What about a 'rolling seventh', where 1/7th of the population would take a day off work -- just not simultaneously?  (ASIDE: In Europe, where everyone takes vacation simultaneously in August, they think it very strange that Americans don't have a special 'vacation month'.  So we've already pioneered flex-days in vacations, breaking with tradition.  Wouldn't the idea of a 'rolling seventh' just extend the
American tradition of breaking with traditions?)

In backpacking lingo, a 'zero day' is a day in which one stops hiking, kicks back, hangs out in a trail town and replenishes one's energies.....  The image of a backpacker -- wrapped in a bathrobe -- sitting in a laundromat watching his clothes circle in the dryer as he reads a magazine -- is how one should think of a 'zero day'.  (Zero day evenings are another story: imagine a skinny guy devouring enormous quantities of food to the amazement of the waitstaff....)

The Romans were (apparently) the original work-a-holics.... They thought the Jews (this is way back, like before Jesus) were an incredibly indolent race.  Imagine just sitting around 'goofing off' once a week when one could/should have been a work doing something useful.  Harumpfffh!  

Depending on a shop owner's religious persuasion and level of devotion, many stores around here are closed on either Saturdays or Sundays. However, RoadYacht said it best, a day of rest is key. When I was younger, I remember there would be months I would work where I would only have 3 days off. Those days off weren't spent in service and worship but rather, actual rest. It was a wonderful kind of slow-moving lackadaisical rest too, which I'm pretty sure I've carried over to my current lifestyle of being off on week-ends. My many chores and errands get done throughout the week and a little bit on Saturdays, but Sunday is truly a day of relaxation for me. I get up later than normal, brew a strong pot of French press coffee, make a nice breakfast, read, reflect, meander about, spend time with the people I care about, and get back in touch with myself, in preparation for the upcoming week.

The  Amish  around  us  do not  work  on  Sunday.....period.   Their  stores  are  closed.     They  only attend  church  in  Unity,  Ohio,  and  you  either  walk  or  you  take  a  horse-drawn  buggy.   For  excitement,   they  will  have  a  fellowship  meal  afterwards.   But  the  free  range  organic  chickens  were  killed,  plucked,  and  cleaned  the  day  before.    Tater  Ridge  Road  is  quite  scenic,   but  tourists  riding  in open  cars  occasionally  get  "the look,"   which  I  assume  is  reserved  for  outsiders,   bad  influences  on  their  children,   especially  if  they  have  secular  music  blaring  from  the  radios.   Where  they  find  the  time  to  make  their  own  clothes  is  always  amazing  to me,  the  hems  are  precise,  the  fits  &  finishes  perfect.  Everybody  looks  the  same,  nobody  is  jealous   of  somebody  else's  trappings.    Wish  they  would  make  an  exception,  and  sell  some  home  made  ice  cream.  

I worked at church for many years. Some people would call it "volunteering", but when you get up at 6 and spend 7-8 hours hauling stuff, running lights, sometimes performing, hauling more stuff and cleaning up after... I called it working. It was not "day of rest" for me.

So I just decided to make Saturday my sabbath (if you want to get technical, that's what it is, Sunday is a Christian adaptation of it). I made it my "No Have-to" day. I could do anything I WANTED to, which sometimes included work, but usually it was a day to feed my body and soul.

It worked for me.

bebe~ your Mum was right - it was considered a sin to be labouring on the Sabbath, even fetching water from the well was a no-no! FURTHERMORE, the priest told us, if we went to the shop on the Sabbath, we were complicit in condoning the sinning of the shop owner & all their staff!!!! Isn't guilt a wonderful thing?

Utter nonsense, this Day of Rest business. The True Gods take no rests! They're too busy keeping our collective arses out of the slings of our own making. But as for me, there is a day of the week on which I treat myself exceptionally kindly: Thursday. I was born on a Thursday (hence, "far to go"), so every Thursday I celebrate my Birthday of the Week, and spend a few minutes doing something self-celebratory, like have tea whilst sitting and doing nothing else. The sheer luxury of NOT multi-tasking is a rare gift to oneself in this modern age.

Truthfully, any self-created moment of peace is intended to accomplish what the typical Sturm & Drang of the carny church barkers would have you miss doing: listen to yourself. The Oracle of Delphi knew very well that the only path to collective wisdom was for each individual to Know His/Herself. And, I might add, WITHOUT AN INTERMEDIARY.

Hazel, never mind that even the shop owner who remains closed on the Sabbath is most likely working anyway. There is always restocking/catching up/payroll/accounting to be done.
  Another point: is anyone familiar with the Shakers? Their philosophy that work is prayer flies in the face of all this taking-a-day-off stuff.

Hazel, never mind that even the shop owner who remains closed on the Sabbath is most likely working anyway. There is always restocking/catching up/payroll/accounting to be done.
  Another point: is anyone familiar with the Shakers? Their philosophy that work is prayer flies in the face of all this taking-a-day-off stuff.

I miss the Chik-fil-A we had here on campus in the "Hangar" up to last year. Their contract didn't get renewed and now a Burger King sits in its spot. And sorry BK lovers but nothing BK serves comes anywhere close to Chik-fil-A's waffle fries and cole slaw.
 
As far as not working on the Sabbath goes, I think the problem of the government dictating that all stores should be closed on a particular day of the week will only cause problems as the general Christian Sabbath is on Sunday, the Jewish Sabbath is on Saturday and the Islamic equivalent is on Friday.  By not dictating a particular day, the government avoids favouring a particular belief system at the expense of others.
 
After being in the Air Force and spending most of those 12 years working a rotating shift (3 days, three mids, three swings then 2 days off) I got out of the habit of not working/shopping, etc. on Sunday. Frankly, even though I'm working a regular 5 day a week job, it's still hard to limit what I do on Sunday because I'm also taking two college classes. Sometimes the scheduling of the week can't be managed without doing the grocery shopping on Sunday afternoon. Also, if Saturday is spent shopping for hte next week and doing heavy yard work, etc. that only leaves Sunday afternoon for putting together the next week's worth of lunches and dinners.
 
 

The Craft Store Hobby Lobby is also closed on Sundays so their employees can spend time with their families and they also close at 8pm. I know it bugs some people, but not me I really think it shows the company realizes that family is still important in today's world.
 
Sunday while I was work'n at BOBOB (aka Big 'Ole Box of Books) This guy kind of bug'n me at the info desk about how they just HAD to come in on Sunday because we would be closed on Monday. I looked at him & said we're not closed tomorrow. Well Tomorrow's a holiday how can they be open. I said sir BOBOB only closes on Thanksgiving & Christmas. Well what about 4th of July I bet you'll be closed on 4th of July. I said no we're open on 4th of July but I think Corporate will allow us to close a bit early. He looked at me & said that's dumb you shoulds at least have the holidays off. I jsut smiled and said I'm sorry I just work here, I don't get tomake the decisions.  But it did make me wonder why a having NOT a Calendar Holiday off was more SHOCKING than being open on a Sunday.  
            

I was driving back from Colorado to Florida a couple of weeks ago, and occasionally we'd spot a Chick-fil-A, and my two passengers told me that, for years, they thought it was Chik-a-fil. I'd never given it much thought since, when I was growing up in Denver, I don't remember any Chik-fil-A restaurants.. I suspect many folks don't think much about Sunday other than being a day off, and if there are a bunch of people running around with no place to go and money in their pockets, you know someone will be open on Sundays. I feel that religion, or lack of it is personal, should be kept to yourself, and left out of politics for sure. Too much religion leads to Talibans and El-Quedas. How I got from chicken to fanatics is beyond me.

Talk about taking some 'off time'? How about those endless droning commercials,on every available outlet,at every 6 minutes,day or night,week or weekend,secular or otherwise...the equivalent would be a signpost on everything sticking up out of the ground...and the powers have figured out that 'dead air ' cost them money, so they have cleverly squeezed the air out of every sentence,and talk faster than an average human could....Except for emergency service, 1-800 commercials should take an off day

Interesting topic - the juxtapostioning of fast food and a day of rest; I grew up in the 50's/60's and grandparents/uncle owned a neighborhood grocery - there was one on almost every corner.  Wednesdays all the stores were closed in the neighborhood - except gas stations and the bank, and corporate stores (small supermarkets) - this was by agreement of the local businessmen's association.  All stores were closed on Sundays in the city, I believe those were called 'blue laws'.  Regardless of religious persuasion no one opened, and somehow everyone managed to survive.  Of course police, fire, hospitals and the like stayed open, but these were not 'businesses' per se; I do not know if restaurants, and their ilk were open, because we did not have money to eat out.  As far as fast food restaurants, I avoid them as much as possible; I did not even eat at a McDonalds until I was in college and the hamburgers were 25 cents (or less?); my first foray in a restaurant was after college when I took my parents out to dinner.  I don't think I missed much - we had too much fun doing family things - which is sorely lacking in today's world.

Blue Laws made it "off limits" for any retailer to sell alcohol until after 12PM on Sunday...NO BLOODYMARYS!!...but the Pancake houses were packed with the 'after Church crowd'...Personally, my favorite thing from when I was about 10 or less, were the giant extended family picknics ,in Lincoln Park, behind Diversey Harbor; we would pack food,my dad loved to deepfry chicken,and it was packed with ice, eaten under a tree,with cousins I barely see anymore (we email several times a week)....Sundays in the Park were,are,still almost a religious experience for me...

Sundays at our house when I was growing up were pretty quiet.
We'd all get "dressed up" and go to church. On the way home sometimes we'd get fresh hot donuts to have with the big breakfast Mom would cook.
No work was done except meals. Movie with a friends? Out of the question but we could visit.
Dinner was usually sometime between 3 and 4 pm.
AFTER that maybe a little TV. Ed Sullivan.
Then early to bed for school the next day, even as a teen.

I have worked at a Chick-fil-A on a Sunday, because that is when they can do planned maintenance. All rule makers can bend when needed.  After all, who among you would not pull your ox, mule or ass out of a ditch on the Sabbath if needed?  Park 4,  it was Jesus who said that and I know I should give credit where credit is due but I am guessing most of y'all knew that.  I would even bet that many who honor the Sabbath as originally intended knew that. I remember blue laws and their slow demise.  They are still demising in some regions.  I am afraid we will never collectively turn back the clock on the day of rest and the idea of a personal day of rest appeals to me, Jonathan Isles.  However I would argue the gods take no rest hypothesis...Lawyers and Doctors are well known for their closed offices on Wednesday, and golf, no matter how poorly played is rest in my mind. 

rapidgirl~ Give me a break, or even a day off! I know all about what shopkeepers & most self-employed people do on "days off"- usually with a broom tied to their backside so they can sweep up as they go along. I disagree with God about a lot of things (that's between Her & Me) but a day off? Who am I to argue? I was simply commenting on bebe's comment about what used to be frowned upon in the "old days". It was so much part of my parent's beliefs that Sunday was Special, that I still feel bad if I go shopping on Sunday. No big deal, I just plan ahead & extra-shop on Saturdays. I think one of the worst (and best) jobs, where you NEVER get a day off, is being a Mother.

For a lot of us, the structure, the building, that's called a church is no more interesting than the architect who designed it.
 
If God created this earth, then the only "church" roof we need is the sky, and it's there for our use, to worship beneath, every hour of the day, day of the week, week of the year.  We're never without a place or a time to rest and reflect and worship.
 
 
The traditions of 'never on Sunday' are charming to think about, though.  I remember them, and I'm ever so glad I have those memories. 
 
 

or a citizen of the world community

that comment was an addendum to Hazel's

Bombshell:
 
Al and Tipper Gore are separating after 40 years of marriage.
 
OMG.
 
So much for the couple who (they say) were the inspiration for Eric Segal's Love Story.
 
 
Hmm.
 
I will withhold comment.  For a while, anyhow.  For as long as I can stand it.
  ;)
 
 
Now...back to chicken fee-lays.  With two pickles.

Thanks, Park- remember the assorted political jokes which used parts of the chicken anatomy (no right wing, fat thighs, etc)? For some reason, those Golden Gores made me think of that.  And they say some lawyers practice "chicken law" i.e., backs and necks, mostly... 

Say What?   Chicken Butt, turn it up.......Lighten up friends...There's more about closing a business on Sunday than the religious aspect.  We all work hard, plan hard for the hard work we do.  Recharging our mental batteries one day a week is not such a bad thing...bet it Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset or Sunday all day long...unconditionally yours, JM aka nodak.   PS I personally find it soothing to fry a little bit a chicken on Sunday for a picnic, maybe.  

Paolos:    I  sure  wish  that  you  would  talk  to  the  powers  that  be  and  get  my  one  of  those  regular  Wednesdays  off  gigs.   Heck,  if  they  made  me  walk around  knocking  about  a  little  white  ball  with  a  tick,   I'd  likely  decide  to  remain  here  anyway,  and  make  my own  fun.
Nice  decision,  Jalopkin,   not  wading  in  regarding  Al  &  Tipper  Gore's marital  breakup.  jmo. 

s-t-i-c-k   

Sorry, Park4, I  saw all  capital  letters,  and  assumed  the  good  decision was  made  by  Jalopkin,  he  loves upper  case.

He (IVAN) uses upper case  and BOLD because it's easier for him to read, Bert.
 
 
As for not commenting, I didn't say I wouldn't, I said I'd withhold. 
 
Big difference, my virtual friend.
 
;)

Bert, I find it comforting and amusing that you took exception to the Wednesdays off rather than the lawyers as gods who take no rest inference. We need these gods amongst us.  Did you notice any doctors taking exception to either?                                                              By the way, I am still waiting for a review of that little Italian restaurant.                                                   Park 4 I love that song.  This is the most innocent clip I could find.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRdkRaKgIsY&feature=related  ;   

Paolos:   You  picked  up  the  subtle  nuiances  quite  well,   didn't  think  anybody  would  catch  that,  but  YOU  did.   That's gonna  move  you  up  2  pay grades  in  my  personal  evaluation  system's inventory,  yup.    
Campanella's?   Magnificent   food,   takes  a  while  to  get  the  main  courses,  but  that's  because  everything's  made  from  scratch.   We  got  our  appellate  tactics  &  strategies  resolved,  so  the  atmosphere  was  festive.   Paralegal  checked  under  the  table  for  electronics that  shouldn't  be  there,   I  guess  his  former  employer  rode with  a  rough  posse.  Medallions  of  veal,  a sauce  to  die  for,  eggplant  parmesan.....they  sent  the  dishwasher  down  the  street, veggies  for  the  salad  didn't  meet  the  owner's  standards,  the  produce  companies  are  next  door.   That's  what  I  call  service!

paolos, that is hilarious.  I'm thinking this is the most enjoyable version I've ever heard.
 
It is a catchy little tune.
 
It's been with me all day, since I saw the topic, up top.
 
thanks, paolos, for the smiles.

Willie, P4 How difficult can it be to separate the whife from the yolk?

Reading upthread, a question.
 
I should know this, I've heard of them, I've thought to ask, but haven't until now:
 
paolos,  it was in your comment, but please anyone answer:
 
what are Blue Laws?

Wasn't me, that sounds like a question for a lawyer.  However I do know the answer.  It involves any business staying open on Sunday or serving alcohol on Sunday.  I remember when it was against the law to have a retail establishment open on a Sunday in Ohio.  I don't know (maybe Bert does) the origin of the term.  I am also wanting to know the origin of Wednesday church services in some denominations.  I am all ears.

When Dan Cathay opened the first freestanding Chic-fil-A in Grapevine, Texas in the late 80's, it was opined that it would never survive without a mall. We watched as he made a point of hiring the teens many of our local businesses wouldn't, the ones with less than perfect records, authority problems, etc. Over the next several years he proved repeatedly that putting respect and expectations in place for each person in his employ over the bottom line worked to the benefit of both. It became the first fast food restaurant in our area that parents bragged about their kids working for. He encouraged the kids to move on to college, the job was a means to an end, transitory. We had a lot of respect for the way he did business.

Park4 - In my opinion, Blue Laws are in place to keep the bootlegger in business.  At least, that's how we used to get around the law when I was a teenager.  paolos is right but in SC, they are a complicated thing but are falling by the wayside in recent years.  Stores either couldn't be open or could only open after 1pm, when presumably everyone was out of church.  Certain items could not be sold, or could only be sold after a certain time.  Certain WalMarts, even recently, stuck to that rule.  The alcohol restriction is certainly the bigger inconvenience, although counties now have the option of voting on allowing stores to sell it.  Stores much apply for a special license and since it's pretty pricey, many stores don't do it.  My Target still doesn't sell booze on Sunday.
 
I'm sure Tradd can make more sense of SC's laws than I just have.
 

Seems to me that the best reason for a business to close on Sunday is plain, simple human decency.  People need time off to recharge and handle their lives.  Publix supermarkets has a pretty generous holiday schedule, compared to most grocers, and is closed on the big holidays.  Just one reason why I like these stores - happy employees make spending money there a bit more tolerable.

Paolos I'm no authority, but several of the churches I've belonged to over the years had activities such as youth groups, music practice, bible or topiocal studies or more informal versions of worship on Wednesday evenings because it made for an enormously long day to have them all on Sunday(evening or otherwise), and many people enjoyed seeing each other and getting that "boost" in the middle of the week. It also provided an opportunity for those who worked Sundays to have their time of gathering together as well.

I've never eaten a Chick-fil-A on any day of the week. I've never seen one. If they use organic, free-range chicken, I'd be willing to give one a try, but I'll have to look up their locations. Whether people rest on Sunday or at other times, I'd love to see the entire country decide to live at a slower pace. Just read where a woman drove off the side of the road while adding sugar to her coffee. And we've all seen the drivers who simultaneously text, phone, shave, read, apply makeup ... the kids who are overscheduled and overindulged ... the frantic multitaskers. I say, let's all just say NO to multitasking! And you can cook and assemble your own chicken sandwich in the time it takes to put your shoes on and drive to the fast food joint.

P4, Blue Laws are laws prohibiting business (of one kind or another) from being done on Sunday (or some other day).  According to Wikipedia, the "blue" part probably comes from the same usage that gives us "blue nose" and "blue movie" though there is plenty of debate.  Interestingly, Blue Laws are or have been, as popular in the former Puritan Colonies as in the Bible belt. You could go through several drinks surveying the odd and varied laws of different states (and lesser jurisdictions) which regulate  the sale of alcohol.  My own triangular state now allows certain metropolitan areas in turn to allow sunday retail (to go) sales of  beer and wine, which has put many bootleggers in a tough spot.  There is still whisky, I suppose.    I am given to understand that Massachussetts doesn't think 2 for 1 Happy Hour is good for you and I still don't quite understand Pennsylvania's beer regs.  Aren't there some twists in Virginia, too?

Paolos, I am afraid the yolk is mostly on me.  As for wednesday night services,  I expect they were started as a tide-me-over for those who might otherwise stray and/or for those who just couldn't wait a whole week before coming back . I wonder if they are connected to the wednesday afternoon closings. One person swore to me that wednesday afternoon closings in our little town (now only observed by the federal government at the P.O.) were a remnant of slave sales days.  I don't believe I bothered to correct that person.

Doc Nolan~ Your memory of traffic jams on the interstate reminds me of Wales, not many years ago. Some districts were "dry" on Sundays, even retail outlets were forbidden to sell alcohol, not even a Bloody Mary for RY.  The Sunday mass migrations to districts where you could get a beer or a glass of wine became part of the local culture.
 
All this talk of eating chickens tempts me to reurn to keeping a few in my bakyard so I can eat chicken that tastes like chicken.

Jean, hard to reverse the multitasking trend, but for a start I cut the sweetest watermelon I've had in years over the weekend and indulged myself without shoes and let the juice run down my chin and drip onto an old beloved t shirt. It is one of those grand foods that makes a kid out of you all over again. Homemade peach ice cream is around the corner and fresh squeezed lemonade not far behind. The preparation of these delights is like dancing without any choreography. Your point is taken. 

Now, you've done it, Hazel.  Many of the same "enlightened" municipalities that have put Blue Laws in their shameful past  PROHIBIT  the keeping and raising of chickens within their city limits. So many other things already taste like chicken, why worry about chicken itself?

Jax, Good to see you back.  The Cathys reside down the road.  Seem to be good folk.  They do encourage the youth in the area on to bigger and better things, god bless 'em. Willie, I remember going out for dinner in Texas and having to join a club at the restaurant to be allowed the privilege (how is that for an appropriate word, Bert?) of buying a drink.  I signed on immediately.  I am with Robin and IJ Make me one with everything.

Thank you WT, and .... Shadonista was that you? upthread.
 
Blue laws.  Never thought about why they're called "blue," but WT your answers sound right to me.
 
Blue, as in blue movie.  Shhhh.  When I was young-er and curious, my friends and I went into an art house in Chicago and saw this really interesting film, called "The History of the Blue Movie."  It was for research purposes, of course, that's why we went.
 
Well.
 
Who knew.  I mean, blue movies have been around a long long time, the silent ones are rather graphic.  LOL.  Rather!
 
Off topic, bad on me. 
 
Thanks again, WT and Shadonista.
 
 
Another question.  This is like color day on Sesame Street.  Anyhow:  when I was down in Charleston SC one time, I saw these big RED (I think) dots on the side of some supermarkets -- one in particular in Mt. Pleasant, (or the Isle of Palms).
 
Anybody know if that RED dot have anything to do with BLUE laws?
 
 

My favorite diner in town was closed Mondays until the workers decided they wanted Sundays off.  A lot of restaurants still close Mondays because Sundays are a busier day for customers, but this diner is now closed on Sunday instead. Whether they go to church or not, I have no idea.
 
Julia, Return to values? I don't believe that attending church necessarily equates with good values. I for one don't attend church, yet I have a strong set of values and consider myself principled. I try to adhere to one golden rule... to treat others as I want to be treated.
 
I remember as a kid, when we'd go to church, I'd stay in the car and listen to the radio. My favorite station, KDIA, only played gospel on Sundays until afternoon, so that's what I listened to. I don't think not attending has turned me into a bad person without values. In fact, my uncle who attended church regularly wasn't a good person and all one has to do is look at the priests in the Catholic Church...well, I'm sure I don't need to say anything further.
 
All I'm saying is that attending church doesn't necessarily a return to values make. I think it's great if that's what anyone wants to do on Sundays, but it isn't the only way to imnstill values.
 
As for fast food...I haven't indulged in at least 15 years. Though on occasion I might be tempted for a second or two going past BK, I quickly recover. I've never heard of Chick-fil-A, and I'm sorry, but all I can think of is the horrible conditions those chickens (and cattle) used for fast food restaurants are kept in....and the anti-biotics they're fed because of the diseases...and on and on... Has anyone read or seen Fast Food Nation? It's EYE opening.
 
Now if someone would come up with a fsat food free range chicken or beef ...oh yeah we have Dharma's which started out as MacDharma's until they settled for a very tidy sum from MacDonalds to drop the Mac....  but they're strictly vegetarian.

Willie~ Wouldn't it be nice if things that "taste like chicken" acually tasted of what they're supposed to be? I can understand city people wouln't be too thrilled if the neighbours kept a cockerel, but hens are quiet(ish) creatures- much better than a barking dog. Are the anti-chicken laws something to do with preventing cockerel fighting?
Tommy Typical~ that watermelon sounds great, pass me a slice & we'll have a pip-spitting contest. Fruit with juice that drips off your elbows while you're eating it is bliss.

Willie, fyi - the city here no longer has blue laws - just about anything & everything is open on Sundays (but alcohol sales in groceries are only allowed on Sundays after 12 Noon); and you can now have chickens once again (live ones, that is) in the city, provided you have no roosters, limit the number and your immediate neighbors do not object.  However in the suburb where I live, with almost an acre, we cannot have chickens!  Go figure.  May as well move back to the city. 

Park4, You mean the Red Dot Store, the Japanese Embassy, the State Store, the ABC store, the Package Store...  Whatever you do, don't call it a liquor store and if you're Baptist, don't speak to your church mates while you're inside.   One can go on and on about symbols and trademarks- the simpler ones are usually the oldest- the Bass Red Triangle being one of the best known oldies... (Not to be confuised with the National Biscuit Co's red triangle.)  If you poke around, there is the Blue Bunny, the Red and Blue Geese, the Blue Hen (?) and my fave, the Green Frog       
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQW9Y9frows             ; There are purer versions, but you've got to love the lineup in this one...

Willie~ The Bass red triangle as in Bass Beer? I thought that came from Burton-upon-Trent, UK, & a good brew it is.

I think it was just an old Piggly Wiggly.  Emphasis on old.  I googled it and I think it's been replaced by a really spiffy new Pig, and I guess that big old red mark is gone with the wind.
 
 

It does, Hazel and the label says it is Britain's ( or maybe England's) oldest registered trademark. I was just mentioning it as one of a large handful of red shapes as signifiers. The red dot, as in the "red dot store" is a way of saying "liquor sold here" in a place where it is illegal to say "liquor sold here" in so many words.  But the green frog, well, I guess we ought to ask Guy Clark, or maybe Jerry Jeff.  Movie fans may be surprised upon watching the clip, to spot Jimmy Dale Gilmore, sonetimes known as SMOKEY, from THE BIG LEBOWSKI.  You never do know, do you?

WILLIET......Your 1:28 for some reason made me snicker. The phrase ,"Holier than thou" came to mind......
 
BK anything, let alone ribs, is the holy grail of awful.....
 
BERT..... I meant to say I enjoyed your story about Canada yesterday. Don't be mad if I egg PARK on to comment......... Bwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahahaha.....................
 
PARK.....I went to the PIG today to buy some pimento cheese for our last day (teachers) potluck.

Paolos,   your  choice  of  words  was  marinated  in  political  correctness...lol   Hey,  not  really  my  business,  but  you  were  interested  in  Italian  restaurants,  and  there's  a  "Paolo's"  restaurant  in  Washington  with  great  Italian  food.  Thought  I'd  ask....   Your  profile  page  says  very  little  about  you,  which  is  just  fine,  used  to  do  that  of  necessity  for  years.....it's just  that  I  got  no  hints  about  whether  my  D.C.  food  favorite  was  likely....
 
Adams  County,  where  my  kid  goes  to  high  school,   is  dry.  Brown  County,  where  I  live,  is  wet.   Except  under  Ohio  law  every  precinct  may  opt  out  of  selling/serving  alcohol.   And  you  have  rules  about  bars  (too  many)  near  certain  establishments  (translation:  Baptist  churches).   Kroger's  (foods)  spent  tons  on  advertising,  it  took  5  levies  to  get  Sunday  liquor  sales  OK'd,  beer  only,  after  1:00 pm.     There  are  only  around  300   attendees  at  the  2  churches  that  opposed  the  sales,  but  dang  they'd  get  299  of  them  to  the  polls  in  sleet,  hail,  snow,  locusts,  you  name  it....

Gotta love Guy Clark, Willie. Jane, Some of the best times I had on Sunday was skipping out after the sermon.  We always had to report back on the sermon.  Then when I moved to Georgia, I learned that the local church was actually an Irish mission.  The priest was an old Irish pastor and I don't know if he was suffering from dementia or if he was truly a mystic, but his sermons were exactly what I wanted from a man of the cloth...as Robin and IJ would say make me one with everything.
Is there a theme here?  As for fast food, not to be disrespectful but, the servings at the altar rail each Sunday had everything that a soul could ask for and they turned us over en masse.

Bebe,  as  a  conspiracy  theorist,  I  knew  for  some  time  you  &  Park4  were  2  peas  in  a  pod.....like  tag  team  wrestlers,  one  smacks  me,  tags  the  other  &  leaves  the  ring,  then  just  as  I'm  getting   up....POW!!!  lol

Paolos: That last part had me once again explaining to someone why I was laughing so hard......

Jax, I am already on the pope's short list.  Luckily I have a brother who works part time as gate keeper, I only have to make sure he is on duty when I go. Bert, I am not a restaurateur.  But I do eat out often and will post a review of Jack Fry's in Louisville sometime soon.   I will follow up with some of my other favorites if there is any interest.  I travel a lot and it is always good to know where the best food waits.  I have not eaten at Paolo's in DC but there was a Panos and Pauls in Atlanta that was pricey and excellent.  They closed and will reopen at a new location  some time this year.  Right now, Bert, Campenella's and City View are on my short list for my next trip to the old homestead.

Blue Laws.........growing up I'd always been told they were called such because they were originally bound in a blue folder/book.   I don't know.....just passing on an old (old) memory.  

paolos & JaxZ~  my son remarked on a freezing cold day, when my hearth was occupied by several warm felines that I'd be OK if I went to hell 'cos I wouldn't be able to get near the fire for cats.
 
Bed time for me now. Bats flying in & out of open window- they're not scary bats, they're tiny Pipistrelle bats. I recall huge fruit bats in Africa that would hang out (ha ha) on the telegraph wires all day, looking like a monastery clothes line. Happy travels on the late train X

I don't know about the blue folder, carol, but I just googled that movie I saw. years ago,  "The History of a Blue Movie" and wouldn't you know, it's for sale on Amazon and elsewhere, it's called a compilation of "stag" clips, including the earlier known porn movie, from 1915.
 
That's probably the one that made my face turn beet red -- it involved sheep.  A silent porn movie.  When you can't talk, you've got to show, and I remember ... they sure did.
It came out in 1970, and we saw it in 1971, right after graduation from college, that summer.  On a Sunday afternoon in August. (I'm probably kidding about that).
 
Here's the link.
In case you want a little for information about this "classic."
Go ahead, no one's looking.
 
http://www.amazon.com/History-Blue-Movie-deRenzys-Classic/dp/B000QFN3YY
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
busted!
I saw you click the link!
:)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
bert!
;)

Sorry, I should be asleep, or at least averting my eyes in a lady-like manner. Wales is sheep country & very rude jokes on the subject abound. There is what I think you would call a "hick" town not far from here where it is rumoured that the Leisure Centre is a sheep tethered to a lamp-post.

Good  grief!!!    I  leave  for  a  coupla  hours,   and  the  wheels  fall  off  the  cart!!!   Park4,   fess  up,  was  there  alcohol  involved?
 
Hazel,  please  excuse  my  virtual  friends.....  Cats  &  bats,  you  have  a  most  interesting  life.
 
JaxZ,  welcome  to  our  humble  abode.....   Paolos  isn't  the  operator  of  an  exotic  restaurant,  but  he  does  travel  from  city  to  city,  taking  in  fine  cusine.....  Perhaps  he's  a  courier.

No, actually, bert, there wasn't any alcohol involved. 
 
One of my friend's -- her dad owned a string of "art" houses in Chicago, and she said, let's go see a movie over at (one of his movie theaters), and we were in the city, and I bet it was on a Sunday because we had no plans -- so we went.
 
But 15 minutes into it, I wished I was hammered.

I know I'm very late in this as I just got home from work, but hazel, I apologize if I inadvertantly offended you in my earlier post. My comment was meant more as an addendum to yours rather than a counterpoint.  I'm out for tonight. I'll look forward to whatever is in store for discussion tomorrow. Good night.
 

Paolos, I have it on good intel that he will be. :)

Hazel~ My husband woke me up one night to tell me a bat had gotten into the livingroom and the cats had gone ballistic (12 foot ceilings, pier glasses, chandeliers, etc). I told him good luck and went back to sleep.

Bert: I've been a courier (shhhhhh..) but I haven't seen him on any of my routes. I'll keep an eye out though....

BERT.....I am deeply hurt that you would think that............
 
 
BWAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA..............................................

PARK...... sheep????????????????? Did you need therapy later???????????????????
 
Do you eat mutton?????????????????..................................
 
Does anyone else find the BK King on those commercials to be utterly creepy & terrifying?

bebe~ Yes. I have to change the channel or at least look away. He's demonic.

If I remember correctly, at least in Memphis, blue laws also applied on election day. Bars were closed so people would vote....
 
Hilarious Muppets rendition, Paolo, and there was even a chicken in the potpourri.
 
Good to see you back Jax
 
Park4, I haven't heard of a Piggly Wiggly in years. I didn't know they were still around. Brings back memories....though not to do with the stores so much as with these delightful books we used to read called Mrs. Piggle Wiggle....now I'll have to check them out for the grandkids. Thanks for stirring my memory.

Park 4 the gypsy traveler for you starts anywhere from 7 to 8 minutes. If you watch it all you can't be disappointed, after all, it is Buddy Hackett....
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0NCiIb5U7k

JAX.... How many kids run screaming from the tv??????
 
JANE..... w/ the candidates we now have to choose from the precincts should be serving free cocktails from open to close........
 
Our Piggly Wiggly is just the way you would imagine; a tad frayed, rather rode hard & put up wet; it's close to crack alley, so sometimes you have to wait while people count out their penny heavy change to pay for their Little Debbie snack cakes & chips...... It's also polite, & homey, & convenient.

Jane~ Thank you, pit-stopping between writing assignments and listening to some REALLY good Jazz........ ;)

bebe~ Exactly. I can't imagine who their focus groups were for those ads....

bebe - The Burger King dude is 10 times worse than clowns on the creep=o=meter.

Bank robbers and holloween candy goblers love the burger king  face

We should all go back to having a day of rest. Can it happen? It sure can. I miss the good old days here in Nova Scotia where we all voted to have No Sunday shopping and I commend Chick-fil-a for keeping it's stores closed on Sundays. Any chance that they can come to Nova Scotia, Canada? A lot of the workers would love the opportunity to work for them and to have Sundays off. What a good way to promote a business and a good example for others to follow.  Unfortunately the only way this can happen is through government legislation. If we continue to allow companies to do as they wish, you can see the results can't you?
Lets work together for a better tomorrow.
 
Save Our Sundays
http://www.saveoursundays.ca

I honestly believe that the BK commercials are being done by a 15 year old or two who never come out of their basement and never take their eyes off their computers.
 
Worse than clowns creepy, that's hard to do, but the BK thing is way worse, I agree.
 
 
 
Television advertising is bad in general, but this might be the worst.

Whoa!
 
Government legislation, to Save Our Sundays?
 
I can't go for that.
 
SOS, is it will be alright.  Us, this country, in a sinking ship.
 
No no no.
 
Bad idea.

PARK...... ditto for above!