Three things I'm loving this week:

1. Dress pants from New York & Co. They offer several different "fits" (from trendy young-adult fits to more mature real-woman fits) and most are available in tall, regular and petite sizes from 4 to 16 (possibly 18). Most of New York & Co. pants are washable and if you get them out of the dryer right away -- you don't even have to iron them. If you hit the store at the right time, you'll even find their pants on sale for buy one get one free. The really cool thing? Depending on the "fit" -- their pants tend to run big...so you can usually count on wearing a size smaller than normal. And..um...what woman doesn't love that? I have at least 16 pairs of dress pants -- including three pairs of my fave black ones.

2. Card-table fruit stands. I pass by a few folks on Hannon Road (in Harborcreek) selling produce from their own yards on my way to the local big-box grocery stores. I always stop at the tables first and pick up whatever fresh fruits and veggies I need. My favorite card-table stand is a little old guy who sells everything from apples to grapes to pumpkins to gladiolas. There's a coffee can you're supposed to put your money in, but he usually appears before you pay to say "hello" and chat about the produce (or the weather or the economy). This week I bought a 1/2 peck of Gala apples (about 20 apples) for $2.

3. The North East Wine Festival. It's always nice to kick back, relax, buy some overpriced wine (to support the local wineries) and suck in the scents of the vineyards while you soak in the atmosphere at Gravel Pit Park. They always have great local talent on the stage, too. Get all the info. you need about the Wine Fest here (though it appears most of the info. buttons take you nowhere).