My window shopping in Charleston, South Carolina
Fairs and markets have a long and history that started when man felt the need to exchange goods. People would shop for goods at a weekly market in nearby towns. Then shops began to be permanently established. Shops were specialized , e.g. a bakery, a butchery, a grocer. Then supermarkets appeared.
There have been three major phases in the shopping / trading world in the last 100 years. In a way, these link up into a full circle.
1. Customers would be served by the shopkeeper, who would retrieve all the good on their shopping list. Shops would often deliver the goods to the customers' homes.
2. Customers have to select goods, retrieve them off the shelves using self service, and even pack their own goods. Customers deliver their own goods.
3. Customers select goods via the internet. The goods are delivered to their homes as in phase one.
It was 1878 in Dayton, Ohio saloon owner James Ritty was not a happy man. He suspected that members of his staff were stealing from his business by taking customer cash and pocketing it. Unfortunately, Ritty had no way of proving that pilfering was the problem. The next year he did. With the help of his brother, Ritty invented and patented the first mechanical cash register, named “ Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier ”.
The last ten years have been a wild time on the Internet, especially when it comes to online shopping. The e-commerce industry has seen rapid growth, a shake out of the market due to security concerns, and finally, a rebirth thanks to new technologies and innovative ways to shop.
Green Ivy in my yard - captured 2008 in Charleston SC
Any plant of the genus Hedera,
with about five species of evergreen woody vines (rarely shrubs), in the ginseng family (Araliaceae). The name ivy especially denotes the commonly grown English ivy (H. helix), which climbs by aerial roots with adhering disks that develop on the stems. English ivy is frequently planted to clothe brick walls. The stems bear leaves with three to five lobes; as the stems reach the top of their support, they become horizontal or hang, sometimes developing unlobed (entire) leaves and small greenish flowers. Numerous cultivated and geographical varieties of H. helix exist, including many with variegated leaves. Native to Europe and much of Asia, this genus has been introduced into many parts of the world.
Many varieties of ivy are cultivated in gardens. Growing them is an extremely simple matter, as they will thrive in a poor soil and endure a considerable depth of shade, so that they may with advantage be planted under trees. For example, the common Irish ivy (a variety of H. helix) is often used as a ground cover beneath large trees where grass has difficulty in thriving. A strong light is detrimental to the growth of ivy, but there are few hardy plants that may be compared with it for variety and beauty that will endure shade equally well. Ivies, in their many forms, are also popular houseplants.
A question of practical importance is the relation of the ivy plant to its means of support. A moderate growth of ivy is not injurious to trees; still, the tendency is from the first unfavourable to the prosperity of the tree, and at a certain stage it becomes deadly. Therefore thegrowth of ivy on trees should be kept within reasonable bounds. In regard to buildings clothed with ivy, there is nothing to be feared as long as the plant does not penetrate the substance of the wall by means of any fissure. Should it thrust its way in, its natural and continuous expansion hastens the decay of the structure. For unrelated plants called ivies, see Boston ivy; poison ivy.
Hi my friends,
I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day yesterday! Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments, compliments and good wishes. I very much appreciate that.
I wish you a good start in the new week .
Sunshine to you!
Susanne
Scene at Yellowstone Lake, captured in May 2009Yellowstone Lake
is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park, The lake is 7,732 feet (2,376 m) above sea level and covers 136 square miles (352 km²) with 110 miles (177 km) of shoreline. While the average depth of the lake is 139 feet (42 m) its deepest spot is at least 390 feet (118 m). Yellowstone Lake is the largest freshwater lake above 7,000 feet (2,133 m) in North America.
In winter, ice nearly 3 feet (1 m) thick covers much of the lake, except where shallow water covers hot springs. The lake freezes over by early December and can remain frozen until late May or early June.
