This week may have changed my mind about grocery shopping. I’ve always felt like it was a bit of a drag. We spend way too much money as we tromp up and down the aisles, and really, if I could just get away with living on popcorn, life would be grand. Brown popcorn for meat, green and orange for fruits and veggies, yellow for cheese, and of course, butter . . . you get the picture.

Plus there’s the fact that we live in a tourist town in the western part of a tourist state. So summertime at the grocery store means a full parking lot, lots of people not sure of their way around, nary a smile exchanged, and certainly very little gossip shared in the middle of the aisle with townspeople we haven’t caught up with in a while.

But, today changed all of that.

For today, I realized that visiting the grocery store is a bit like entering a secret garden with a keen eye.

It’s a place where I might not always choose the same offerings as others, but that’s okay, because in this place we can each find what appeals to us and hover like a hummer.

I discovered a Nectar Smoothie Bar had been added. So many love the new addition and visited it repeatedly on the fly.

Another good thing is that most who entered, like the Tachinid Fly, brought their own straws so there was no waste.

Even the Great Golden Digger Wasp got into the frenzied sip on the move once the store manager announced a taste testing.

I’m pretty sure the word went out to all Northern Crescent Butterflies to stop by for they really did pack the place.

Pearl Crescent Butterflies also cruised the aisles.

And sometimes they were in the same place at the same time, neighbors greeting neighbors after all.

Every Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasp seemed to want a quick energy drink.

And then there were those like the female Widow Skimmer Dragonfly who came to watch. By the coloring of her wings, I think a better common name for her would have been Sunglass Skimmer. Certainly, she might have had an easier chance of meeting a date in aisle five, rather than just hanging out along the edge of the store.

Unfortunately, there were a few uncouth customers such as this Robber Fly, who snagged a meal without paying.

The Robber Fly wasn’t the only one. A spider hiding under a bouquet managed to lure an American Lady Butterfly and then he did what spiders do and stunned her. The EMTs where called in and though they could get her out of the web, they couldn’t save her. So, her body is being donated to science and will be added to a bug collection of a young boy I recently met.

I chuckled at the bedraggled look of this Bumblebee, who didn’t realize the misters would come on in the produce section.

Though there are plenty of Japanese Beetles who seem to shop constantly, so far, I only meet one Oriental Beetle, and I do have to say I was rather taken by its fan-shaped antennae.

As is usual, there’s always a slow slug in the way, especially at the check-out. Why is that?

Not all shoppers stood out, such as this Green Lacewing who appeared to be hiding. Perhaps to avoid the misters that had pummeled the Bumblebee.

It does seem there’s always a celebrity or two in our midst during these summer days. Sometimes, it’s someone like Stephen King or Lois Lowry. But today it was Katydid. And she was listening–through the “ear” or tympanum located just below the “knee” of her front leg.

Do you see the tympanum on her right side? Do you think she heard that there was a spill in aisle 4?

The Black Swallowtail Butterfly certainly heard and in she fluttered to sip up the nectar before it spoiled.

Oh boy. The Gold-marked Thread-waisted Wasps seemed to find each other in aisle 7 and for all I know they may still be canoodling behind the bakery.

So you see, grocery shopping isn’t all errands and drudgery. Note to self: Think of it instead like a visit to the candy store. Stop and sample along the way. Smell the Phlox. And remember, the store is committed to providing customers like you and me outstanding value for quality products at every day low prices. Right?!

I hope you’ll visit my neighborhood grocer often and enjoy the experience.