Shopping By The HOOKS

...IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY AFTERNOON... So, of course, We **HAD TO** go Shopping!!

Okay...maybe not *that* Dark - the SUN did pop out occasionally. Between the rather *strong*
BLOWING Bands of RAIN CLOUDS! Fortunately, the odd bits of Showering happened when We were INSIDE the Numerous Stores that We "Visited"...

• 30 Kilometers.
• 5-Plus Hours.
• 11 Stores in 5 Strip-Mall-Shopping-Complexes.
• 0 Available Carts at WALMART.
• 1 Tantrum-Whiny-3-Year-Old in the Adjacent Checkout Aisle TOO many!
• COUNTLESS Annoying-People who HAVE-TO-Walk-AND-Drive-BEHIND *My* CAR just WHEN I'm about to BackOUT! -- And, Their "Friends" who belong to the Next Vehicle over and SUDDENLY show up to Take-Their-Sweet-Time-Getting-INTO-Them WHEN We *need* to get OUT of Ours!!
• *REAL-LY*??! -- WHO **are** These People?
• 1 NICE-FIREMAN-GUY giving out Lots of FREE Kids' Fire Prevention Stuff.
• 2 Time-Management-Challenged-Shopaholic-RELATIVES...
• 0 Yarn... -- POOH!
• 1 Thrift store CROCHET HOOK, though!
• TOO much TRAFFIC!!
• 0 Patience...

And... [from MICHAELS]

• 6 Cool NOTEPADS.
• 11 HOOK-LETTERS!! -- I'm still missing a Few...

******************************************************************