A Full Day

So yesterday started like any other day. CrazyDog panting by our bed needing to empty his tiny little bladder at around 550 am. We were both up soon and Mags decided the mini-blinds in the living room needed washing. So after two cups of good strong tea, I filled the tub and proceeded to wash said blinds. All I can say is yuk. The blinds were dusty and had the hair of one certain cat whose name will go unmentioned on them. It took me the better part of two hours but all the blinds were washed and rehung to the approval of Mags.

We then decide, well, Mags decided, we needed new valances in the living room so it was off the BBandB to see what they had.

Before I go any further let me say this. In central New Jersey the weekend is a very busy time for our stores here. Very. Busy. I say this because usually finding a parking spot is harder than I dont know what ( I really have nothing clever to put ehre. Sorry. It's still early)

We rolled into the parking lot and it was packed. I got that feeling in my head that I usually get when I go shopping and pulled into the first aisle we came to. Well, the shopping gods must have been smiling on us because as we came up the aisle, a woman in the first freakin' spot was leaving! Woo-Hoo! Maybe this won't be so bad...

We did not find a valance but we did run into Jen and Carly who used to live next door to us before fleeing the nuttiness of Joisey for the humidity and bugginess of Florida. They were back less than two years later. Carly is the youngest of Jenn and Ed's two girls and man is she getting tall..only 8 and almost as tall as me. OK, maybe that's not a good guide...never mind. We chatted with her and then headed up to Ruby Tuesdays in our local mall for lunch.

The mall parking lot was the same. Packed to the gills. We did, again, get lucky and score a spot right near the front. Of course it helps that we have a handicap tag. Still...

Lunch was great. I had some Memphis dry-rub ribs and a Sam Adams Oktoberfest whilst Mags had some fried shrimp and her favorite drink to get at Ruby's, a Sangria. Which I think she enjoyed more than anything else. I knew she really liked it when she asked our server if she could get one in a 'sippy cup' to go. Our server told her no, but we left a nice tip anyways.

Off into the mall briefly.I stopped in at Teavana for some loose tea. The young kid who waited on me started running down a list as long as my arm..again, bad example..I stopped him and said "I just want something strong and black. Nothing fruity. Nothing flowery. Nothing that tastes like candy." He opened a tin and started waving it across the top, trying to get the scent to me. I pretended I approved even though I couldn't smell a darn thing. The tea cost me, for just over 3 ounces, 19 bucks. Hey. I like good tea. He tried to sell me a "Special loose-tea preservation container" for 27 dollars. It was really just a can with a snap lid on it. I laughed, "Seriously?" He just shrugged and said my tea would get stale if I did not but the tin can with the word 'Teavana' printed on it. I assured him I was willing to take that chance. He also, eager beaver that he was, tried to sell me a pound of said tea at the cost of 96 dollars. Yes you read that correctly. I, again, declined, and took my mere 3 oz.

Off to Sears for a shot at finding more valances but no dice. Mags was feeling a bit knackered so I walked back through the mall and out to the car and drove around to get her to save her the hoofing. (This is why I make her sit back and call her Miss Daisy).

We then visited my SIL Leslie who was in nasty car accident some time ago and is in a wheel-chair due to massive injuries to her leg. She was her usual chipper self ( it may have been the pain-killers really because her leg is really badly injured.) and we were, as always, welcomed warmly into their home. Bob, her husband, has been taking very good care of her, even sleeping by her bed for a week while she was in the rehab facility. Good guy that Bob.

We enjoyed about half an hour with them and then....yes there's more..we headed home. Or, should I say, towards home, passing and stopping at the local factory outlet complex. It wasn't awful. There were only about half a million people there. Ok, maybe 300 thousand...or thereabouts. Mags was dying to see the new Coach store. So I dropped her at the door (there was a waiting line outside..honest. Something silly about the fire-code or some such nonsense) and parked, again scoring a decent spot.

We waited to get in and once finally in the door, I think I heard Mags heart do an extra flutter. This girl loves her purses and this was a fine moment for her. The prices were great and she spent some time perusing before settling on two new bags for herself. She was very happy with her finds and she really needed to get herself something. She hasn't bought herself anything in a long time. She spent the money she received for her birthday on bills and part of it went to repair my car. So I'm happy she got something nice.

Wheff...ok I think that's it.