Bloggers-at-Large -- Geelizzie: 'Fresh & Easy and Broke Car Blues'

Bakersfield, California-based Blogger and self-employed craftsperson "geelizzie" (real name Elizabeth) had a bad day today in that southern Central Valley, California city famous for its oil wells and being the home of country music stars like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard.

You see (and we bet you can relate) "geelizzie" has been having car problems. Below is what she says about her car and car problems today in a post in her "geelizzie" Blog titled: "Fresh & Easy and Broke Down Car Blues" (no doubt a title in honor of Bakersfield's status as "Nashville of the West"):

"First, the car. It's really really broken and needs major major work. We are waiting for a complete estimate and then will decide if the work will get done or not. My car is one of those cheap throwaway cars that when it starts falling apart means that it will keep falling apart until all that is left is a trail of auto parts strewn across the road.

Do we pay $2000.00 to fix a car that isn't even worth $2000.00 or take that money and put it on a new car? If we fix the old car, do we have any confidence at all that something else won't break down next week? It was probably good that the weather kept us from traveling on Christmas Eve because the car would definitely have broken down somewhere on the trip over the mountain and then we would have been spending our Christmas on the side of the road.

We had to go put $470.00 in tires on the truck yesterday so that Keith would have something to drive to work today. Regardless of what we decide, this will be the last year that we drive old beat up cars, a new car is in the future. (unless the economy finishes totally melting down and nobody has a job, of course.)"

Having been there before "geelizzie" -- We can relate. And, we sure enjoyed reading your description of the situation.

After dealing with car issues, "geelizzie" and husband Keith (did we mention she has six cats and wonders how they multiplied so fast?) decided to do some grocery shopping.

She had previously heard about Tesco's Fresh & Easy coming to Bakersfield -- the first two of a planned five stores in the area opened the first week of December -- so off they went to do their shopping in their city's newest entrant in the food and grocery retailing game. [From Fresh & Easy Buzz, December 3, 2008: Tesco Opens its First Two California Fresh & Easy Stores Outside of Southern California in the Central Valley City of Bakersfield Today. And here: Upcoming New Markets News: Tesco's Fresh & Easy Confirms Bakersfield, CA Stores; Says First Two Will Open Next Month on December 3rd, 2008.]

The shopping trip is the second aspect of the title ("Fresh & Easy and Broke Down Car Blues") of her Blog post today after all. And off to the new Bakersfield Fresh & Easy grocery and fresh foods market "geelizzie" went.

What did she find? And what did "geelizzie" think about what she found?

Well, in order to find out you have to click this link and jump to her Blog in order to read her full post about the store visit, along with her review of Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market. We will say though -- her shopping trip wasn't an improvement for her over her experience involving her "throw away car" earlier today.

And since Fresh & Easy Buzz is a full-service Blog, you can also read "geelizzie's" post, "Fresh & Easy and Broke Car Blues, here."

PS: If you read this "geelizzie," do let us know if husband Keith shouted "GEE-LIZZIE" when he took his first bite of that fresh & easy tamale bake entree?

[Editor's Note: Are you a Blogger? Have something you've written about Tesco's Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market? If so, feel free to submit it to us for consideration as part of Fresh & Easy Buzz's 'Bloggers-at-large' feature, in which we occasionally publish story's written by other Bloggers. Send submissions for consideration to: freshneasybuzz@yahoo.com.]