You can't buy alcohol in Pennsylvania grocery stores.

At work today, someone wrote a story about how one of the big grocery stores in town is opening a 'beer cafe.' I was reading the Facebook comments on this story, not really understanding what a beer cafe is or why it was significant, and someone said something about how they wish they could just go into a convenience store and pick up a case of beer.

My first thought was, what kind of convenience store doesn't sell alcohol?!

Well, apparently Pennsylvania is one of 18 states that is a alcoholic beverage control state. That means the state government owns and sells all alcohol throughout the whole state out of a store called Wine and Spirits. Where I am, the hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (except Sundays), so there is no waltzing into Walmart at midnight when you need some beer.

According to Wikipedia, this crazy law stems from the repeal of prohibition all the way back in 1933. Some states continued their own prohibition, other states created the government monopolies where the state controls all sales, and the sane states started the private license system where you can buy your groceries and alcohol in the same place.

I went into one of these Wine and Spirit stores, and since alcohol is the only thing it sells, it contained a very wide selection of all sorts of drinks. The prices looked normal to me, too. I just find it very annoying (and weird and backwards) that I can't just buy a bottle of wine while I'm at the grocery store.

And I miss my favorite $6.99 bottle of cheap, delicious Missouri wine.

Lancaster's covered bridges are very scenic.

While searching Pinterest for things to do in my new home of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I found this awesome map of the all the covered bridges in the area! I drove the scenic parks and preserves route, which took to me to eight of the 25 bridges in Dutch Country.

The route took me through some areas heavily traveled by horse and buggies which was an unusual sight (for me) to see! Check out my pictures below:

Willow Hill Covered Bridge

Eshleman's Mill Covered Bridge. Lot's of horse and buggy traffic on this one!

Herr's Mill Covered Bridge

Neff's Mill Covered Bridge

Lime Valley Covered Bridge

Coleman Covered Bridge

Baumgardener's Covered Bridge

Kurtz's Mill Covered Bridge

I'm still living with cockroaches.

They wait until I think I'm safe, and then BAM! Another cockroach shows up. This time it was (dead) in my reusable grocery bag that hangs RIGHT NEXT TO MY BED.

This one is scarier than the last few because now I can't get the image of roaches crawling on me in my sleep out of my head. I'm also faced with a serious dilemma about what to do with the bag. My instinct is to just throw it away with the cockroach in it, but this is my Sainsbury's Olympic sponsor bag from London. It's also huge and can always fit all my groceries. It's mine and the cockroach can't have it!!!

I moved the bag into the kitchen to hang on a closet door that is not right next to my bed. I dumped the dead roach out into the trash, and, it took me a few days but, I finally washed out the bag and it is ready to hold the food I will consume.

LATEST UPDATE: The bug people came back a few days after the sighting to spray and leave their poisonous bug traps, and I haven't seen any roaches since.