Adventures in Dutifully Offspringing

HERE'S  a shocker for You - I was up EARLY Today!! And, We managed to get "on the road" before 9am for a change!

Okay, so.. just a little SETUP FYI about Today, before I get into it... Tomorrow is a Milestone
B-Day for the "Elderly" FEMALE-PARENTAL-UNIT.  Hence, the *game plan* - since I'm NOT the "Martha" Offspring - was to go about Our usual Saturday Scavenging-the-Sale-Savannahs, with MORE of an emphasis on the "It's-ALL-About-YOU-Isn't-It?" way of celebrating the Weekend. As well as bearing in mind, it's the THOUGHT that counts!!

First Yard Sale, right around the corner... Nothing.

Turn down the next street... BLACK CAT crosses Our *path*... - Not an Issue. We actually took in my SISTER's one for a couple of years decades back... [BTW, have I mentioned that some of MOTHER's People are from SALEM?!]

Turn left onto the main road, spot Yard Sale on the Left... Haveta make a U-turn, etc....

And this, was WHERE, I had my Close Encounter of the Shopping Kind!  However, as persuasive as the VANA-FanBoy here was, with His SPIELBERG-esque marketing technique... I still *didn't* BUY the vase!

Oh, and the PILLSBURY DoughBoy Mind Tricks didn't work EITHER!!  -- Now... IF there had ACTUALLY been any COOKIES **IN** the Jar... 

Is it just Me, or are His EYES really hypnotic...?  ...aarrrggghhhhhh.... MUST. NOT. SUCCUMB...

WHEW!  Managed to escape Their gravitational pull on My pocket change!


Okay.. on to the regular Hunting Grounds... Which, was a waste of Gas! - [I'm blaming the Black SQUIRREL that crossed Our path on that one.] - Two Sales, still nothing... well, except for that tin baking pan thing that IT'S-ALL-ABOUT-HER-GIRL insisted on getting for a quarter. -- Time to check out the nearby SALLY ANN! [Rumours of a 50% off Sale there, were in the air!]

Ah, remember, the afore-mentioned "Early" bit?  Who knew that most of the places in that teeny Mall didn't OPEN until 9:30!  We were 10 minutes early... And much to BOTH of Our dismay, had to do more walking around said Establishment to find any open doors! -- Someone had to use the "facilities"...

Well.. that was another Place pretty much picked over. Only came away with a $.49 white ceramic scallop-shell bowl...

Meanwhile, suppose to be a Ladies' Undergarments Sale at SEARS.. MOTHER says She's in *need* of such... So, off We go to The BIG MALL!

I must say, it was almost "encouraging" to observe, that I wasn't the ONLY one "assisting" an elderly Parent in the FITTING ROOM with "Garment" choices!  -- And just an observation here... but, of the vast array of FIESTA-"Wear" FOAM "bowls" to choose from, I'm assuming that their
"Designers" - for the most part - are probably NOT of the [gender-optional] Well-Endowed...?

CONSUMER NOTE:  When One is in possession of Organically-Grown "Attributes", beyond a *C*ertain size, PADDING is the LAST thing One NEEDS!!   [..I'm just saying...]

We still didn't buy anything!


Moving on...

So. Here's HOW, You DO the "Birthday-Tour-De-THRIFT"! - First stop, the "Greeting Cards" store. Go to all the Sections that carry Cards pertaining to said Individual. Have THEM, read through the available selection and pick out the ones They like. Give Them a HUG and a "Happy Birthday"!

Secondly, when going into any other Shops of interest and subsequently engaging the services of said Sales Staff, MENTION the "Birthday" part!  The greater the Age, the better... "BONUS" perks can be had this way... FREE STUFF is great at ANY time!! -- Remember, it's the THOUGHT, yadda, yadda...

Speaking of genuinely HELPFUL sales staff... We also got to be THE First Customers [Hey! Look! We finally bought something!] for a rather lovely and engaging Young Lady - [who shall be referred to as MISS "A"] - over at THE BODY SHOP.

NEXT stop on Our journey of mind-numbing adventures, the always-popular FREE food sampling cuisine of COSTCO!  [Part 3 of the B-T-D-T]  And, We needed to buy milk...

Oh! Look! One of the local Radio Stations have a Remote Booth at the Furniture store over there... [MOTHER is a junkie for this sort of thing... We have this "collection" of FREELY-acquired Logo-Mugs... Cute little Flashlights...]  [Part 4]  Sweet!!  BALLOONS!!

Later...

It's a stop at the nearby PETSMART.  There was something there She wanted to check on - which I will save for Tomorrow's POST.

Anyhoo... When we walked into the place, We met THIS lovably shy FELLA... 

He and his BFF were "working" the at a  ADOPT-A-GREYHOUND  table set up at the store entrance. I never did quite get His name, but He does have that "SANTA'S LITTLE HELPER" look going, doesn't He?

And, a Saturday would not be complete without the pilgrimage to The MALL. Which, as it turns out, wasn't all that productive, either... Except for the cheery Hello from Our young friend - TICKET-WICKET-GUY!

IT was a looong Day... humid.. exhausting... Probably, not as successful as it could have been - however, I do believe, Birthday-"bonding" was achieved!  Meanwhile, more on BIRTHDAY-GIRL Tomorrow!  -- Oops! Look at the Time.. Gotta get THIS Posted!!

BUT, before I do.... a quick THANK YOU shout out to My recent "COMMENT"ers and my FIRST
"FOLLOWER" - CAROLYN!!  

Mind your Toes, whilst I do My Happy-Dancing!!

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