The Leading Lineup

Today I am launching a new blog series that you will see pop up every so often that I am calling 'The Leading Lineup'.  The Leading Lineup could be anything from our favorite hang outs around North Texas to the best parts of residing in the South.  For today's lineup, I am going to fill you in on some of the unique things we've learned about Texas so far.  

1.  Almost no one has a basement.  We've learned there are two reasons for this, the first is because of the soil, the second is because of cost.  The soil here is expansive, meaning when it's wet it swells up and when it's dry, it shrinks.  It's not uncommon for homes to have foundation issues because of how drastically the soil can change day by day or season by season.  If fact, we have to water the soil around the perimeter of our home just to keep our foundation from cracking or shifting.  For that reason, it would be difficult to maintain a basement that is dug in expansive soil.  Furthermore, we learned that in the North, builders have to dig deeper to get the foundation below the freeze line.  Since they are already down there, it doesn't cost much more to dig a basement.  Since builders in the South don't have to dig as far to set the foundation below the freeze line, the cost to dig a basement is much higher.  

2. The Texans I've encountered thus far call shopping carts 'baskets' and the handheld shopping basket 'little baskets'.  I started hearing this terminology in the stores right away and have taken a few opportunities to inquire about it.  Everyone I've asked agrees that those are the terms that they've always used and haven't ever called a shopping cart anything other than a 'basket'.  

3. There are two different kinds of Wal-Mart.  When we came to Texas to look for houses in March, I had my eyes peeled for grocery stores around town but I rarely saw them as we were house hunting.  It seemed like everywhere we went there was a Wal-Mart but the grocery stores appeared to be few and far between.  It wasn't until we moved here that someone told us to pay attention to the colors on the Wal-Mart sign because green Wal-Marts are grocery stores and blue Wal-Marts are regular stores.  As it turns out, Wal-Marts with the green signs are called, 'neighborhood markets' and operate as a grocery store.  Mystery solved - there are far more grocery stores here than I originally thought! 

4. The easiest way to navigate a parking lot is by using the fire lane.  Shawn was quick to notice that the parking lots here in North Texas have bright red lines painted from the entrance of the parking lot to the front of the building or store.  The purpose of the lines are to help emergency vehicles know the quickest way to get in and out of a parking lot, but the same has been true for us too.  Many of the parking lots here are very large and can be frustrating to navigate.  There has been more than one occasion when I've needed those brightly painted lines to help me find my way out of the parking lot and back onto the street.  

5. Swimming pools are heated to a balmy 86 degrees.  I can't even tell you how many times I've hopped in the pool here only to hear a native Texan comment on how cold the water is and wade in like they are freezing their toes off in lake Michigan.  I still shake my head and smile each time I witness this kind of a reaction to warm water, but the reality is that Nicole will probably be acting the same way someday.  It's all what you're used to! 

What types of things would you like to see in 'The Leading Lineup?' 

I hope you're having a great week! 

With love,
Erica