"BLACK FRIDAY"..? More like "IN-THE-RED"-WEEK!

I'VE $PENT WAY *TOO* MUCH MONEY THIS WEEK!

-- SO I STAYED *HOME*, TODAY!

Besides, the WEATHER was black DARK enough as IT was! RAIN... OVERCAST... ugh!
-- And, I've got STUFF "to-do", *IF* I can muster up the ENERGY... Still have a Couple Hours of WORK left to do on the CURRENT BLANKET.

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**HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY, NORAH**!!

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HAPPY [CANADIAN] THANKS-for-the-GREAT-WEATHER-Today DAY!

EVEN THOUGH I SPENT MOST OF IT *INSIDE* FINISHING UP THE MOST RECENT BLANKET!

IT's taking longer than I'd HOPED...

MEANWHILE though... SISTER sent Me a Couple of PICS of "PLATINUM-BLACK"
- [My FIRST *WOOL* BLANKET that started Them all...] - [SEE 20NOV2013 POST] - enjoying a bit of FRESH AIR in Her BACKYARD...

The WEATHER HERE is about the same... Just LESS LEAVES!

-- At the Moment...

IT's a "HOLIDAY"-MONDAY, but feels like a "SUNDAY"...

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..and how MUCH *can* I SQUEEZE into The NEW CAR..?

OR, CRAM ONTO A *SINGLE* 6-FOOT TABLE!!?

WHATEVER, IT takes about a half Hour to LOAD the First Time and a FULL One to set-up "SHOP"! -- And, as usual, I was FIRST One THERE and *LAST* One OUT!

However, that little FOLDING-FLAT-BED-DOLLY that I'd bought Earlier in the Year, has more than PAID for ITSELF! - Originally, I had thought that I would likely have to make at least THREE-Trips to and from The-NEW-CAR..? - BUT, I actually managed to get IT down to just TWO!! - yay!

ANYHOO, I'm pretty much *WASTED* right Now! - Especially, after having to also PUT OUT the TRASH!

Sooo... HERE are some TABLE PICS to gawk at WHILE I "RECOVER"! -- SEE *if* You can SPOT the NEWER THINGS that I have **YET** to "POST"! - There are MANY!

whatever... MORE "DETAILS", Tomorrow...

 

And, THESE were the *ONLY* ITEMS that I SOLD!!
- All in literally the *LAST* 15-Minutes!!

*ONLY* FIVE of These CHESTS will "FIT" into The-NEW-CAR!
argh!
And, with *enough* EFFORT, Those Hanging BLANKETS
*will* SQUEEZE into Those TWO CHESTS!!

BTW, Checkout Them PUMPKINS *hard* at Work!!
And, not a single Complaint!

- [Of course, the fact that They don't have "FACES" could be the Reason "why"..?]

MOA SCARVES and TOQUES!
Just WAITING to be "ADOPTED"!

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ONLY *ONE* WEEK TO GO!

AND *NOTHING* IS "DONE"!

Meanwhile, THE ELVES still aren't back from "WHEREVER" IT is that THEY "go to" at This Time of Year! - [I'm gonna have to have a "little talk" with Their UNION BOSS and HR about "scheduling"..?]

Sooo, IT looks like I just might have to be "RESCUED" by SISTER's *NOMEES*!!

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hmm... IT's all rather SUSPICIOUS "TIMING" in My Opinion!

"FATHER'S DAY" FALLING ON THE *LONGEST* DAY OF THE YEAR..??

I dunno know...

Seems an awful LOT like a GLOBAL MENS'-"SPORTING"-GOODS-TV-VIEWING-INDUSTRY *CONSPIRACY* to Me!?! -- [just saying...]

whatever...

MEANWHILE, I actually managed to get My BRAIN around to doing some MUCH needed BLOOG-Work Today! -- At least ONE *old* "POST" any way. And, some PRE-Posting PIC tweaking... - My EYEBALLS kept going whacky doing THAT for too long!

So of course, I had to switch over to *YARN*!

yep. Got ANOTHER HAT on THE STICKS!

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a SUNNY, *NO*-SNOW, NO-SHOVELLING Saturday..?!!

SCAR-Y!!

So, of course, that means "SHOP-FARI"! -- At least, THAT was MOTHER's "PLAN-DU-JOUR"..? - Personally, I would've *preferred* to have STAYED "HOME"... And to perhaps, actually GET a Few Things DONE..?!

yeah... A couple of NEURONS were WASTED on *that* THOUGHT!

whatever...

SOON, We were OFF to CANADIAN TIRE to "acquire" some *FREE* CANADIAN-TIRE-"OLYMPIC"-STICKPINS. -- HER Idea, not Mine! -- I was more CONCERNED about the POTHOLES that are the NORM along the Road to *get* There!

We didn't STAY for long, as MICHAEL'S was Our NEXT STOP - where, MOTHER likes to "Take-Her-Sweet-TIME"!

I just picked up MORE "STUFF" for SISTER's upcoming PARTIES that She's Hosting. -- She likes doing up little "GIFT BAGS" for Her GUESTS. And, Her Local-MICHAEL'S doesn't always carry the SAME-STUFF as THIS ONE. -- So, whenever I can get THINGS "ON-SALE" for Her, I do...

MEANWHILE, I just used My COUPONS on some Balls of WHITE-ish YARN - as, I have "Something" in Mind to use IT on, so I "Stocked-Up" - a little...

Anyhoo, EVENTUALLY, I dragged MOTHER *out* in order to get some *actual* GROCERY-GETTING DONE before the Stores "CLOSED"!

And, the Remainder of My Evening was spent on doing up *more* WASHCLOTHS for SISTER, as well as for My "INVENTORY"...

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argh! I. am. soooooooooo. *BEHIND*!

AGAIN! -- I DIDN'T GET *ANYTHING* DONE!!

Or, that STOCK I wanted to Buy...

...the Appointment that needs to be Made...

not to mention, getting around to FILLING-*UP*

those New STORAGE BOXES...

Even The SQUIRRELS will be hard-pressed to have the BACKYARD *LUGE* Completed BEFORE the "OPENING CEREMONIES"!!

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FATHER beat Me to IT...

THE SHOVELLING THAT IS...

- [And such a FINE-JOB He DID!] -

 "WHAT" there was of IT anyway...

huh... I really thought that there would be MORE..?! - LUCKILY though, *ALL* We got YESTERDAY was just a "DUSTING" of FINE-FLAKES...

ANYHOO, whilst FATHER was getting in a bit of "EXERCISE", I ventured OUT & ABOUT - had to go DOWNTOWN... So, I *acquired* THE CAR to get over to THE-BIG-MALL, in order to REDUCE My BUS-ROUTING *and* FARE!

As well as, have Time enough afterward for a QUICKIE-PERUSE of the Stores upon My Return... Along with, just the Odd-Bit of GROCERY-GETTING.

Overall, pretty much a NON-Eventful Day *despite* being OUT-IN-THE-WORLD...

...yeah...okay... So "maybe" I might have ALSO managed to *squeeze-in* a $7. LOTTERY **WIN**..?!

-- But, THAT's just between YOU and Me!

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Honest! - I REALLY *was* going to SHOVEL!

HOWEVER, SINCE IT DIDN'T *START* SNOWING UNTIL "LATE", I DIDN'T BOTHER...

Besides, I had OTHER "STUFF" to DO! -- That - [in the END] - turned out to not especially LOOK like much... NOT, that IT ever DOES! -- really...

ALTHOUGH... "LATER" in the Evening, I was *struck* by some *CHROMO*-CRUNCHY-INSPIRATION!

Actually, to be Honest, I have Contemplated *THIS* "COLOUR-COMBO" Before. BUT, had never gotten around to APPLYING IT! -- Until, TONIGHT...

Recently, on a GROCERY-GETTING Trip to FARM-BOY, We had come across some "HEIRLOOM"-CARROTS...

THEY looked almost EDIBLE-ish - [*AFTER* a GOOD Scraping!] - And, Their Textured-PIGMENTATIONS were INTRIGUING... They ended up TASTING surprisingly *GOOD*, too!

-- hmm... DON'T I also just HAPPEN to have *YARN* in "THOSE" HUES..??!

BTW, speaking of "ANCESTRAL-WEAVING"...

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COUSIN-B!!**

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hmm... A new "STRATEGY" to INcrease Store-"Sales"..??

IF SO, IT "WORKS" FOR ME!! - [drool...] - But, MORE on *THAT* Later...

MEANWHILE, "TODAY" was *SUNNY* and did NOT involve ANY *SHOVELLING*!!
- [yay!] - Just, EVERYTHING *ELSE* that I had wanted to GET DONE on FRIDAY!

IN particularly, that little CROSS-TOWN-"BUSINESS"-BUS-TRIP... Which, I also wanted to do on "ONE"-FARE!

Sooooo, I *acquired* THE CAR and whipped on over to THE-BIG-MALL in order to PARK There. THEN, hopped onto a BUS to "Where" I had to GET TO for My 15-Minute-ERRAND. -- Between walking to the RETURN-BUS-STOP and the Beginning of RUSH-HOUR-TRAFFIC, I managed to get *back* in just over an Hour...

NEXT, after a Quickie TOUR-de-MALL, I headed out for TRAINYARDS...

Had to make a Brief-Stop at FARM-BOY first, for a Few GROCERY-SPECIALS, before popping on over to MICHAEL'S. Seeing as I DIDN'T get to go THERE *ON* SATURDAY!
- [SEE 01FEB2014 POST]

ANYHOO, as IT *turns out*, I never did BUY Anything, ALTHOUGH, I *did* make ONE *WORTH*-"The-Trip"-DISCOVERY..?!

Apparently, there's a NEW *GUY* Working There!?! - A TALL-CUTE-STRAPPING-YOUNG-LAD-"NEW-GUY"!! - [Except for MANAGER-DAVE, and the Occasional-Manager-TRAINEE, The-STAFF is All-FEMALE]

However, I've since "Learned", that He's only a "TEMP"-Replacement for One of the FRAMING-GIRLS Who has just gone on Maternity-Leave... Which "MEANS", that He'll pretty much be HIDDEN-AWAY in the "WORKSHOP"! - [pooh!]

hmm... I *need* some WALLS, so that I can get some ARTWORK "FRAMED"...

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Hey! EVIL-SNOWPLOW-GUY! - I think You just CRUSHED THE-GROUNDHOG with that *GLACIER*!

FOR *FOUR* HOURS, I WAS OUT THERE, TRYING TO FIND THE FURRY LITTLE MYOPIC METEOROLOGICAL-PROGNOSTICATOR...

With well over *HALF* of that Time being spent on BLASTING AWAY at the 15-Feet-WIDE-3-Feet-HIGH-6-Feet-"INTO"-the-Laneway-3-Feet-OUT-GLACIAL-*SLAB*-of-ICE-PLOW-POOP-CRYOGENIC-PAPARAZZI-Remains-SAND-ICE-HEAVY-SNOW-ICE!!!

Once "CLEARED", there was still a 4-Feet HIGH *LAYER* over the SEWER-GRATE - That's about 8-Feet "IN"... I only managed to CHISEL out a "niche" about 2-Feet towards IT before GIVING-UP!

You know, the LAST Time I had any way *near* as much BLOCKAGE and over NINE-Inches of HEAVY-WET-SNOW, NEWER-NEIGHBOUR-ACROSS-THE-STREET came "over" with Her Shiny-New-SNOWBLOWER! - [SEE 22DEC2013 POST] - *However*, She was "AWAY" THIS WEEKEND and didn't RETURN until LATER This Evening!! - [crap!]

Anyhoo, I'm certainly GLAD that I took the Time LAST Night to SHOVEL that 4-Inch-Layer of FLAKES, *WHILE* IT was *still* "LIGHT & FLUFFY"!! Otherwise, I'd probably *would* STILL be OUT THERE!! - [Instead of being INside *WINNING* $25. on the LOTTERY! *Again*!! - WOOHOO!]

At any rate, WHEN IT SNOWS *THIS* MUCH on "GROUNDHOG's DAY", it's a pretty SAFE BET that it *DOESN'T* take a GIANT-"PSYCHIC"-RODENT to *PRE*dict that WINTER is going to be "around" for a *LONG* WHILE!!

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hmm...maybe that BLIZZARD was a *GOOD-THING* after all..?!!

[..say, WHAT..??!!]

yeah. I know. IT "sounds" CRAZY! - BUT, I'm serious!

okay. So, perhaps the SEVERAL Hours of CONTINUOUS Blowing-Falling SNOW, 15-Minutes of Brushing OFF THE CAR *TWICE*, the Treacherous UNplowed Roads, and 20-Minutes of SHOVELLING *before* I could UNLOAD THE CAR, were just a bit of OVERKILL..?!?

HOWEVER, *had* the WEATHER been "NICE", I would NEVER have ended up in that PARTICULAR Section of WALMART to "DISCOVER" - [sitting on a couple of Shelves at the End of the Aisle in plain sight] - My Fab **BIRTHDAY-PRESENT**!!

oh. right! -- Did I mention that TODAY was My "BIRTHDAY"..? -- And, pretty much THE *only* REASON as to "WHY" I would RISK Driving in THESE WEATHER CONDITIONS?!

My Quickie-2-Minute-CYBER-CARD from SISTER [right]
- I think IT's from My 4th-Birthday..? Or, the 5th..?
-- IT's been a WHILE!!

ANYHOO... I began the "FESTIVITIES" by *not* getting TO Bed *until* 8am!! -- Not that I was really DOING ANYthing of "NOTE", I just wasn't "Sleepy"... Until, I *had* to get UP around 1pm.

oh. Look. IT's been SQUALLING since 11am... So much for ANY Notions of heading over to TRAINYARDS. -- But, I'm sure that I can Find *enough* to keep Me "ENTERTAINED" over at THE-MALL..? *Besides*, IT's within WALKING-Distance - IN the EVENT of any "CAR-TROUBLES"...

Soooo... I managed to minimally SKID on over THERE...

WALMART was My First-Stop. And, for once, I was going to more *thoroughly* PERUSE the Place! -- As in, a Check of Their rather pitifully *SPARSE* "SEWING"-CRAFTS-Section...

[NOTE -- Before leaving, MOTHER *Gifted* Me

with a *Certain*-Amount of "FINANCES" toward

WHATEVER I wished to GET for Myself]

I was in NEED of some of that "TAN" Colour, too...

Oooo...

*HAPPY-HAPPY*. BIRTHDAY. *TO*. ME!!

And, *THANK YOU!*, "KARMIC"-SHOPPING-FAIRY!!

hmm... I've NEVER seen THAT BLUE in the BIG-BALLS of COTTON YARN before!? And, it's been YEARS since I've seen ANY in GREY! -- Needless to Say, I *grabbed* ALL that was there!!

Although, I'm also left to *Wonder*, "for-how-long" has THIS STUFF been *sitting* Here??! - AND, had there been MORE?! -- Whatever, I will HAVE to Keep an Eye out for ANY "Future" RE-Stocking!!

well... Let's see What ELSE is in the Store... ah! Finally. The "Particular"-FLAVOUR of CANNED-BEANS that FATHER likes are ON-SHELF. - Time to Use that "RAIN-CHEQUE"...

With a FULL-Cart, I headed back to THE CAR to Dump My HOARD-of-HAPPINESS... As well as, to REMOVE the *FIRST* FOUR-INCHES of FLUFFY-FLAKES *cocooning* My VEHICLE! - [I would be glad of My Foresight later on!]

The BULK BARN was Next... seriously. What *IS* a BIRTHDAY-IN-A-SNOWSTORM without *Copious* AMOUNTS of "JUNK-FOOD", huh?!

...and, on to LOBLAWS... Where, I *needed* to Buy "Certain"-ITEMS in order to get "X"-MANY-Store-POINTS, so that, I could "CASH"-Them-IN for a GIFT-CARD that I'm going to NEED on TUESDAY!

However, because I spent *too* much Time doing THAT in the JOE FRESH Clothing-Section, I ended up MISSING-OUT on MOST of the FOOD-SAMPLINGS! - [pooh!] - LUCKILY, I managed to snag the LAST Portion of some really TASTY RICE & PORK from the SWEET-OLD-GERMAN-GUY! - Including, getting to "use" what barely remains of My considerably *Limited*-MANY-Decades-Old-"High-School"-GERMAN-Linguistic-"Knowledge"...

NUTS! -- The "POINTS" for the Clothing DIDN'T "show-up"!?! - [ggrrrr...] - Some CYBERness will be in order Later to Rectify THAT!

ahh... ANOTHER-4-INCHES-to-*SPEED*-BRUSH-*OFF*-of-THE-CAR so that I can SEE to *Slide* HOME!!

[...ONE More REASON "WHY" being a "WINTER-BABY" totally SUCKS!!

- BTW, the afore-mentioned SHOVELLING afterward didn't "help", either!]

[Although, the $5. LOTTERY *WIN* DID!!]

hmm... I think the PAPARAZZI are going to need a GPS-LOCATOR-BEACON to *FIND* The GROUNDHOG, Tomorrow!

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