Chip. Crackle. Crunch!

OR, "WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I DRIVE OVER THE *ICE-BARRIER* AT THE END OF MY LANEWAY"!!

Remember? - I had "SLUSH", Yesterday... WELL, Last Evening - just BEFORE the TEMPS Jumped OFF of the THERMOMETERS - EVIL-SNOWPLOW-GUY made sure that there was this little CHOPPY-SPIKEY-WALL along the Curb!

The Overnight -12C FLASH-FREEZE pretty much Guaranteed a "6" on the HARDNESS-SCALE... Just ENOUGH to *probably* RIP-OPEN THE CAR's Underside IF FATHER hadn't have taken the ICE-CHOPPER to IT before I Left on My SHOP-FARI!

The DEBRIS is *still* THERE, but NO longer in POINTY-HULL-GOUGING-BERG-BITS!


So. Shopping...

Although My SHOP-MISSION-PLAN-OF-THE-DAY was to stick around THE BIG MALL, I took a QUICKIE-DETOUR - [Literally! There was CONSTRUCTION on the Way!] - over to MICHAEL'S, seeing as IT *was* "SENIORS' DAY"!

After SATURDAY's "HAUL", I really DIDN'T *need* to GET "ANYTHING" - *however* - I did Want to Check-In with MANAGER-DAVE to SEE if He'd come across any MORE of those "GOOD"-COLOURS..??

He *hadn't*, but DID Promise to "Put-Aside-ANY" when I Asked! -- He *KNOWS* I'm "..Good for IT!.."

Meanwhile, He let Me know that *another* SHIPMENT of the "MARTHA STEWART" YARN had Arrived! - No WORD as yet on whether IF, IT would be ON-SALE or not... He was just TRYING to Find *SPACE* to put IT and the OTHER MANY-BOXES-OF-YARN out *onto* the Shelves!!

I Wished Him "LUCK" with THAT - [trying not to Laugh too "Hysterically"..] - and LEFT Him *TO* IT!

I *did* Purchase a COUPLE of PURPLE-"STORAGE"-BOXES that were ON-SALE... If *only* to Buy "SOMETHING" to *justify* My Journey. -- I actually managed to spend LESS Time IN the Store than it took Me to GET There!

THE BIG MALL, NEXT!!

...Full of YOUNG-STROLLER-WIELDING-MOMS and FELLOW-"BABY-BOOMERS" checking out the HOLIDAY-HYPED-"SALES"!

And YES, I Fell *VICTIM*! -- Got a Couple of STUFFED-RHINOS! - ONE for Me, of course! And, the OTHER for LITTLE-PRINCESS-BIG-RED.

Anyhoo... Much POWER-BROWSING was Had. As well as LINE-WAITING! -- MY Mistake that I DIDN'T Double-Check MOTHER's "CARDS" to see if They were "STAMPED" **BEFORE** I Left the HOUSE!!

"TIME" was soon Escaping Me... Picked up some TAKE-OUT, did a bit of GROCERY-GETTING and headed HOME! -- Where I LATER *Remembered* that there had been a Few OTHER THINGS that I had *WANTED* to DO at THE BIG MALL, but had totally FORGOTTEN ABOUT!!

...NUTS!!

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