A Saturday in Spring

It was cold -- about 30º -- but dry and sunny. I dragged my big old down coat to the cleaners and took Frank Sinatra to the coffee shop for eggs scrambled with ham and read about how he managed to avoid military service in WWII.*

I got home and was lazy, indulging in a little Bonanza (thank you Me-TV) and taking a nap. Then I hurried to the bus stop so I could use my last Goodwill Sale coupons at Carson's. I sprained my ankle crossing the busy street to the catch the bus. It didn't bother me much while I was shopping.

I refreshed my sock drawer (1 navy, 1 light blue and 3 black) and bought some Clinique for myself and my niece. I also picked up a pair of bracelets at crazy low prices. Less than $15! I'm giving the "friendship" bracelet to Mindy for her November birthday because she always says I'm "a friend for the ages." I'm giving my oldest friend the "love/laugh" bracelet because 1) no one makes me laugh like she does and 2) she needs to remember she's not alone because she has me. My oldest friend's birthday isn't until December. I must remember where I put these bracelets! That's the downside to doing my shopping in advance.

I still had some coupons left and forgot I could have used them on carsons.com. Dammit! Oh well. I got bargains and Goodwill got donations so it's all good.

Then I stopped at Tony's. It's a local grocery chain -- less than a dozen stores -- that has a much bigger and cheaper selection than my usual haunts, Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. I seldom shop there because the bus ride to and fro adds $4.50 to my grocery bill. Hell, I can have a whole order delivered by Peapod for $6! But since Carson's is walking distance to Tony's, I figured what the hell. I was quite happy with my purchases in the meat department, my Sara Lee bread (I like white bread, so sue me!) and the less-than-a-dollar addition I picked up for the food pantry (Idaho Spuds Mashed Potato Mix). It's crazy how much I enjoy shopping new grocery stores, but I do.

I got home and my ankle started hurting like crazy. When I was at the store, it was stiff but fine. Once I stopped shopping … ow, ow, ow! That tells you something about retail therapy, doesn't it?

I watched the Columbo marathon on the Hallmark Mystery Channel until I went to bed. Happy to see it's still on this morning. I never watched Columbo when it was on the first time and find it Monk-like and charming. Also, with all the news stories about the German plane crash, I need escapism. I'll be flying to LA in a few weeks, and if I think too much about that crash I'll have an even harder time getting on that plane to the coast.

*He was 4F, a classification that was controversial at the time.