I am not much of a shopper.

First of all I don't like the process: driving from place to place, where parking is sometimes hard to find, mingling closely with a bunch of strangers, not finding what I want, asking surly and unhelpful teenagers where to find objects whose name I have forgotten, waiting in line reading headlines of some poor lady who gave birth to rattlesnakes, trying not to notice the candy bars that I should not buy, Oh well just this once. You know what I mean.

But today I went shopping. It happened like this. Yesterday I got the check for the gas well. Once a quarter I get a little check for an old gas well on our land. Usually it runs about $175 to 200. I alway find this quite exciting, because to me it is like free money. After all I never worked for this. But yesterday for some reason the check was for $400. (J. Paul Getty eat your heart out!) I figured I better go spend it right away.

I put half in the bank and decided to splurge with the other half. It did not turn out exactly the way I planned.

The first thing I had to spend $102 for was a new tire. The old tire was low on air and I never noticed. Because I drove on it that way I ruined it. Both the tire man and my husband pointed out that this was entirely my fault. I will give my husband credit in that he did not yell at me. I asked him a year or so ago to stop and he is trying very hard not to yell. But today was one of the times when he wandered around mumbling to himself. Sigh!! Oh well.

While they were fixing the tire we went to Walmart to buy over the counter drugs. I wanted these for the condo in Mexico. You can get the same things in Mexico, but my Spanish is not quite up to subtle translations and some things you have to get from the pharmasist so this was just easier. I go things like antibiotic ointment, sudaphed, tylenol, cough drops etc. for $18.

Next I went to the dive store to buy a book on Pacific Marine Life, $45. This was a case of treating myself to somethin I have wanted for a long time.

I had to drive across town to buy some more brushes for oil painting. These cost $101. They were expensive I know but I bought the sable kind because they work so much better giving a smoother line.

Since I was next to it I ran in to Andersons to buy some warning tape to put around my flower bed so no one would walk on it. Andersons was have a 75% off bulb sale so I bought several packages, Oh yes and a Hersheys bar at the checkout, $16.

Since I was in the neighborhood, I thought I better stop at Dress Barn to see if anything was on sale. I bought 2 pair of slacks for just $17. I had not planned to buy anything there but they would regularly cost $60 so I couldn't resist.

Next I went to the Village Bookstore to buy a Bible. My husband had offered me one of his to take to Mexico, but his is the Saint Joseph version and I wanted the King James version. I explained to him the God was divinely inspired to speak in 17th century English (DH had the silly idea He might have spoken in Aramaic or Hebrew). Actually it is just that I grew up with this Bible and that is what I am used to. Anyway, one King James Bible $24. Then I was tired so I came home. I know I was over budget but it was all the fault of that tire.