I Got a Bellevue, Washington Christmas Tree at a Fort Worth Texas Kroger Today

Kroger is a grocery store chain. A few years ago Kroger took over the Northwest based Fred Meyer chain.

Today I went to a Kroger in east Fort Worth, Texas. As soon as I exited my vehicle the air smelled like Washington. In Texas, near as I can tell, the best you can hope for, smell-wise, is the scent of Texas BBQ.

I soon saw why it was smelling like I was back in Washington. Christmas trees. I stood there taking in the scent of a Washington forest for a few minutes, sort of feeling transported back to Washington.

I figured the trees were from Texas. Pine trees grow in Texas in what is called the Piney Woods Region. I was curious where the trees came from so I looked at the yellow tag that was on each tree to learn each tree was "Another Gem from the Emerald Forest." With the Emerald Forest being grown by the Emerald Christmas Tree Company, based in Bellevue, Washington.

These were good-looking Christmas trees. Unless I misunderstood it looked like they were being sold for $29.95. How does someone grow a tree and ship it from Washington all the way to Texas to be sold for only $29.95? What a bargain.

Bellevue Bikini Barristas Being Bare Barred

What's up with the bizarre bikini barrista bonanza going on in Washington?

This type thing is something I'd expect to see in my current Texas location, with its world's highest per capita number of strippers and strip joints, not in much more sensible Washington.

There have been police stings in Snohomish County, where coffee girls were being bad girls. Even my old home zone of Mount Vernon has a Bikini Barrista stand in the area at the Foxy Latte Lady.

And now the city of Bellevue has moved against bikini barristas selling coffee, while scantily clad, at Knotty Bodies, claiming Knotty Bodies is not complying with city codes.

The Bikini Barristas continued to pass coffee to customers using the drive-through, even though Knotty Bodies was told they could be fined $100 a day if they didn't stop.

By Tuesday the Knotty Bodies' attorney claimed a deal had been worked out with the city where they could stay open til the issues are resolved, as long as they closed the drive-through.

This all sounds like a big bikini brouhaha over something silly, to me.