Just got back from the weed dispensary.

[NNadir]

39. There are two with in walking distance from my home, one of which is about 1/4 mile from the high school.

I hope the word "high" before "school" has no double meaning, although I've heard, from my sons, who graduated from it that my hope is naive.

A third is a short drive or slightly longer bike ride away. A fourth meets that criteria as well.

To my knowledge, neither of my sons have smoked pot, but I know they have had friends who do/did.

I will not and cannot report on what weed stores are like in New Jersey, since I won't be in one, ever.

I have heard it reported that weed from stores is fairly strong compared to what old hippies used to smoke. I don't know if that's true or not.

I don't know why a small suburban area like mine needs four weed stores, but apparently we do, since they are all surviving.

We also have about six or seven Pizza places, and three liquor stores. I have been in the liquor stores. Pizza can be addictive, and in fact, bad for you, and, as we know, so can alcohol.

We also have a bar nearby, oddly enough, only one. I've been it once, and had a martini since my wife thought I should shut up about never having had a martini. That martini was the only martini I ever had in my long life. I didn't like it. We do have a winery nearby; I don't consider it a bar, and they have nice bands with old guys playing there. We've met friends there.

As for weed...

My wife dumped her last boyfriend before me because he smoked pot every morning; in that way, pot smoking, his not mine, worked out well for me. It freed her up to be open to my affection and love.

My nephew just kicked the habit in Massachusetts. I'm happy about that. I guess I could have asked him what weed stores in Massachusetts are like, but I don't want to raise that subject with him. I've worked long and hard to be the kind of uncle for him that my uncles were for me; I haven't quite succeeded at it maybe, but I'm still working on it. I did tell him that life without pot could be wonderful; that was part of my effort to be that kind of uncle. He started smoking it when he was 14. I know it was very hard for him to quit and he did. I'm proud of him.

Thanks for your description of the stores in Illinois.