QUICK TRIP TO TOWN

Mike vacillated all last week over whether or not to return to town Friday night in order to participate in opening Idaho pheasant season on Saturday. The pheasant population is down – blah blah blah; it might rain – mumble mumble mumble. "If I go," he said, "I'll just leave you here. It will be easier that way."

LEAVE ME HERE?! Am I so high maintenance that it's hard to take me? Just because I carry along a laptop, an iPod, a cell phone, a camera, and a bunch of books – does that make it hard? Don't answer that! After all, for a quick trip, I'd be willing to leave behind the sewing machine and four accessory cases.

When Ken called Friday afternoon to say he would definitely hunt Saturday morning, Mike decided he wanted to go, too – big surprise! – and sensing (?) that I wanted to go, too, he decided taking me along probably wasn't such a bad idea. After all, I could do the shopping while he and Ken were out. Yes! Jo-Ann Fabrics – here I come!

I had actually prepared a shopping list for Mike: milk and bananas – I knew he could do that; and then the bias tape and rick rack from Jo-Ann's – that had me worried. Can you really send the average man to shop for sewing notions? I've seen it on rare occasion. One afternoon as I shopped at Jo-Ann's, a prominent local businessman came in and asked to be shown the iron-on patches. I know him to be a bright man, but he pondered over that rack for quite a while. Hmmm. And I once conversed with a man buying an armload of 4-ply yarn for his mother, a shut-in. He hoped she would be happy with it. And I could just see Mike there in his now-soiled, ratty-looking hunting clothes asking for the bias tape and rick-rack. I was pretty sure he could get the color right – black -- but would he come back with double-fold tape and jumbo rick-rack? My hope was that some associate would see my list with the samples pinned to it, read my mind, and select the correct items from the display. And they would probably wonder if this indigent-looking man had the price of the stuff on him. But now I didn't need to worry about all this because I was going to shop for myself.

So, after supper Friday evening I quickly gathered all the necessary books and electronics and we headed to town. It was good. My order from the Vermont Country Store – three bottle brush canes for holiday decorating finally at a price I would pay – was there at the back door. Already the trip had paid for itself in my book.

So Mike was off to pick up Ken and Duke for the hunt early Saturday morning. I waited until stores were open and headed off on my appointed rounds. No problems – unless you count that my Costco Amex credit card had expired. They checked me out through customer service and told me – rather forcefully, I thought – to call Amex as soon as I got home. Turns out Amex had updated Mike's address when we moved – six years ago – but not mine. So, Mike's card, which he has had for years – has an expiration date of 2013 – while mine, which I have had forever, expired 9/10. 

And as if on cue, the mailman knocked on our door with my order from Keepsake Quilting. I treated myself to a charm pack of '30s replica fabric, a selection of 10-inch squares in Christmas fabrics, and a charm pack of fabrics in autumn colors. I hope to practice with some simple quilting patterns.

So, yes, here we are at the farm until mid-week, when again we will dash to town for activities. KW