Out of towners

Im still the same way. Moved away in the late 80s, but still check on the home front occasionally. Florence is finally showing signs of life again seems like.

Flotown I am the same way. I look at the td website almost everyday just to keep up with what is happening in the shoals.

I as well have moved out of the shoals area, and i look at the Timesdaily, everyday. Just to see what is going on back in the homeland.

well, i try to visit at least once a year, and some of the changes i have seen have been really beautiful.

i love what they have done under O'Neal bridge. That little park area is really beautiful.

It seems that every year I visit, there is something new to see.

Left the Shoals in the 80s for DC. Read the TD regularly. Visit about 2 or 3 time a year. Still have many relatives in the area. Eventual retirement spot, I suppose.

I think about retiring there myself, although that is several years away. I still have a few family members there as well and I always enjoy going back for a visit and buying things in bulk from Sam's Club and Wal-Mart.

Say what you want about the evil Walton empire, but I miss Wal-mart and their low, low prices pretty much every single day.

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Originally posted by flotown:
I think about retiring there myself, although that is several years away. I still have a few family members there as well and I always enjoy going back for a visit and buying things in bulk from Sam's Club and Wal-Mart.

Say what you want about the evil Walton empire, but I miss Wal-mart and their low, low prices pretty much every single day.

You have me wondering about this. Do you not have a Wal-Mart where you are? I thought there was one in every city in most of the world. At least alot of countries and all the U.S.

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Do you not have a Wal-Mart where you are?

no we don't, sadly. at one time, there was a vote to put one in, around the same time that they voted to build a target, but due to the anti-walton sentiment around here, their request was denied.

I live in NYC by the way, and I belive there is a Wal-Mart outside of the city, in New Jersey somewhere, but I don't have a car here, so I have no way to get there. I am really at the mercy of the public transit system in that regard.

On a side note, I will confess that one day as I was on the Staten Island Ferry, coming back into the city, I saw a couple of tourists with the trademark blue wal-mart bags, and I *almost* cried. There was definitely a sniffle involved, but it was then that I realized how much I miss that place. Just going in and getting everything all in one location for a very reasonable price. Every once in a while, I will order things online, but it's just not the same.

Bet nobody ask if you want grits with your bacon and eggs .

I live out of town and keep up with the Shoals, mainly through this forum. I mostly only read the articles that generate a lot of articles on here.

On a side note, I hate Wal Mart and never shop there.

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Originally posted by flotown:

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Do you not have a Wal-Mart where you are?

On a side note, I will confess that one day as I was on the Staten Island Ferry, coming back into the city, I saw a couple of tourists with the trademark blue wal-mart bags, and I *almost* cried.

Those bags are white now.

Flotown, enjoyed your posts. I myself have lived here in Florence all my life as well as my hubby. Raised our 3 children here, to me, Florence is the bomb!. I am like you, I look in the Paper, for the obits, just to make sure I didn't die overnight and nobody told me.

I also get the Times Daily delivered to my home.I like to sit down with it when I get a chance to just read at my own pace. I do,however, use this forum to read others comments and posts, and I have met and made many many special friends on here. I'm so glad that I did too. Hope you come back to Florence as soon as you can. It's a great place to live, as you already know. Hurry Back. See ya then.

born/raised here...never left. i love it here. i read the TD first thing every morning, as well. usually, i click crime first then the obits. i've had friends think i'm really odd for the daily obit reading. but..oh well. when i get home from work, i check the TD again for breaking news. i'm always let down if there is none

used to be i never looked at the obituaries and always at the wedding section for friends.

now i never look at the wedding section and always the obituaries for friends.

must be getting old

thanks for all the replies.

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Those bags are white now.

i know. they now look just like everybody else's bags. it doesn't pain me as much to look at them anymore

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i've had friends think i'm really odd for the daily obit reading

it's really funny. i never thought it was odd at all. I figured it was something that everybody did. I remember going to my grandparents house every sunday after church. they'd have the TD and everyone would pass it around and make comments "oh,did you know so and so died? I guess I'll have to go to the funeral home for visitation tomorrow."

I feel like i spent a good bit of my childhood at the funeral home staring at dead people that I personally never knew. I just thought it was something everybody else did.

1. go to church on sunday
2. visit your grandparents after church
3. read the obits
4. visit the funeral home on Monday nights.


I guess as i grew up, I just kept the habit of reading them. I didn't think it was weird until a co-worker made a comment one day. But at this point in my life, i'm well established in my routine and habits, so i'm not likely to change just because someone thinks i'm weird.

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now i never look at the wedding section and always the obituaries for friends.

must be getting old

nah, i'm the same way, and i'm in my early 30's. of course, most of my friends from florence got married pretty much just out of high school or while still in college. so i don't really have a reason to look at wedding announcements anymore. that is, until their kids grow up.

Nice thread. I am from Red Bay, but the first thing I do is log onto TD and check the obits. I do think it is something that we do with age. I check the obits, headlines and the forum.

Don't read the obits. Call relatives on the weekend and learn who went and whose coming.

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Don't read the obits. Call relatives on the weekend and learn who went and whose coming.

I left in '99, it's hard to believe it's been almost 10 years.

The Shoals has made a few positive changes since I left, but for the most part not much has changed. My parents, grandparents, and some friends still live in the Shoals. So I check the TD just to keep up with how things are going where they are. I visit about 3 times a year.

Somehow, I got addicted to the forums and visit regularly. It's amazing at how many different opinions and viewpoints there are. For the most part, people are intelligent and mature enough to carry on a good discussion. That's what keeps me coming back.

I married a native Nashvillian and have made many friends up here, so I'll never live in the Shoals again. I'll always call Florence my hometown, but Middle Tennessee will always be home.

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Originally posted by nola_funk:
used to be i never looked at the obituaries and always at the wedding section for friends.

now i never look at the wedding section and always the obituaries for friends.

must be getting old

Ditto!
You know you are getting older when you look at the obits first.
My second glance is usually at the Law & Order section. So it's either "who died" or who is in "the big house".
Sadly, I usually know someone who made both the lists. Benefit of being a small town girl.
Born & raised in FloTown, and will probably die here, as well.
But I'm not complaining. I love the Shoals!

well, florence was certainly a great place (for me) as a kid. We don't have kids yet, but we are entertaining the thought of moving back down south when we do have them, either back to flotown or to nashvegas.

i just don't really feel great about raising a kid here.