Sweet Violets, and Other Thursday Thoughts

DH and I visited my parents last weekend, and this is a picture of their back yard:

You may have to click on the picture and enlarge it to get a better look, but all that purple is violets.  I love violets.  My parents' yard is full of them; their neighbors' yards are full of them.  Our yard, alas, is not.  Actually, I'm not sure I've seen a single violet in this whole area.  There are dandelions and wild onions a-plenty, as well as a plethora of other plants that I don't know the names of but that I know are considered weeds, but no violets.  DH treats patches of the yard with skunky beer from time to time and it does seem to help the grass, but so far it hasn't produced violets.  ::sigh::  Next time we go home, I'll dig up a clump and bring back with me.  We need violets!

****
Pet Peeve #1
This:

 Do you know what it is?  Okay, I'll tell you.  It's the remains of a Styrofoam peanut.  I hate those things!  I did a spot of garage-cleaning a couple of weeks ago and was breaking down boxes when I came across a box full of these _____ things (fill in the blank with your expletive of choice).  It was a box that something had been shipped in and the volume of the peanuts probably exceeded the volume of whatever was packed in the box.  How is one supposed to dispose of these things???  Biodegradable?  I doubt it.  Recyclable?  Not on the list.  Take 'em back to a shipping company?  Seriously?  Would you want a box full of Styro peanuts that had been in someone else's garage for who knows how long?  And the darn things are like Tribbles; once you start messing around with them, they go everywhere.  Have I mentioned that I hate them?

****
Pet Peeve #2
So the other day I was at Petco, buying the ridiculously expensive cat litter that I use so Mimi will pee in the box instead of in other random areas of her choosing, and I handed the cashier my twenty-dollar bill.  She was a pleasant enough young girl, not rude, and she handed me my change (it's not that expensive) and then immediately turned to the customer behind me and started waiting on her.  Geez Louise, maybe you could let me at least shove my money in my pocket and pick up my purchases and get away from the counter!  Am I being too petty here?  It's bad enough that cashiers hand you your change in a wad -- coins, bills, receipts, coupons "printed just for you" -- since counting change back to the customer seems to be a thing of the past (except at the bank), but can't they at least let you get clear of the counter?  I dunno, maybe I am being petty.  But it just rubbed me the wrong way.

****
Stitchy update:  I'm coming down the home stretch with Isabella!  I just have a bit of the bottom left corner to finish, and she will be done.  I'm trying to decide what to focus on next, whether to pull something else out of the WIP basket or to start something new.  I've got Selina Dunwoody kitted up; everything was out of the stash except one skein of DMC that I didn't have and picked up at A.C. Moore last week.  I hope to get Isabella finished this weekend, so I'll post a pic when I do.

Wishing everyone a very happy holiday this weekend, whichever one you celebrate.  Happy stitching!