I am having one of those days. I want to hop in my Subaru, drive on my orderly streets and attend to all the random errands that need to be done. What do I need?
Caulk for the horrible place on my counter where the grout falls out and makes a giant white mess
Presents for cousins we are visiting on Saturday
Butter
Books for my kids to read on the train
Salwar for me
I know, I know I can obtain all of these things here. And honestly I know where to go for all of them. But minus the salwar which I can't get anywhere else none of them will be exactly right. Not today.
I want the clear caulk that comes in a tube with the little cap. The kind that makes my hands an incredible sticky mess. The kind I keep wetting and running my finger back over because I think I can make it smoother only to find out I have wiped all the caulk off and I need to reapply. Instead here, I need to call the maintenance guy who promises to come in half an hour but does not show. Or he tells me the painter has not come today. I will have to keep calling and pestering until I get someone to come. Thankfully it is not the electrician though, who comes reliably at 9pm ringing the bell and waking the kids.
I have this thing for giving hand towels. Perhaps it is because mine at home are a complete stained mess so I am always hoping someone will return the favor. So today I want to go to Peaceable Kingdom which sells hand towels made from flour sacks, washed until white and soft then printed with seasonal designs. It is almost spring. Perhaps they have flowers or herbs or birds or frogs.
I want to make cookies for the teachers at I Can. I need butter to make these no bake chocolate cookies but my imperial recipes calls for 1/2 cup of butter and they only sell butter in grams. Yes, I have a brain that functions, eyes that see and an Internet connection to figure it all out but today I just want to look on the side of the wrapper and see those little lines with Tablespoon markings telling me how much of that fatty goodness equals my 1/2 cup.
We have a library and we use it regularly but it works this way. We pay a deposit depending on how many books we want to be able to take out at a time. Right now we have signed up for 2- one for Flip and one for Star. We can go every day and get new books but that means a ride in the car. And the selection is limited. Most of the books are from series- Curious George, Manny, Noddy, Magic School Bus, etc. It makes me miss the downtown library with their shelves filled with beautiful picture books and our favorite librarian, Laura, waiting at the desk to suggest a new chapter book for Star. I want to walk out with my bag so full it weighs the stroller down and makes it hard to push back up our street, so when Flip asks to get out and walk I am grateful.
UPDATE:
I actually had trouble posting this so I saved it til after my shopping. And just to release you of all your worries I am not "having a day" any longer. I decided to walk to another part of the city to do my errands. I put a sleeveless shirt and a loose skirt on, plugged in my IPod, and trotted off down the road. Instead of dish towels I bought 4 super cute wooden trays painted like watermelons for all the houses we will visit this weekend. And they were only 180 rupees a piece. Peaceable Kingdom would at least took $8 per towel. I also found theses sweet wooden letter magnets for the kids we are visiting. I decided to skip the salwar because I am going to buy some cotton material and have someone stitch one for me. That couldn't happen in Michigan. Perhaps the girls and I should all get coordinating ones. That wouldn't happen in the US either. ;-) Instead I bought these white baggy pants to go under my existing tops. I bought the butter in grams and a loaf of bread that will taste like cardboard in comparison to one of my homemade loaves, but it will do. I also treated myself to a cold can of Pepsi and trotted on home happily listening to my music and singing aloud. I picked up an auto with our fave driver, Manjanath, and for 20 rupees I zipped over to pick up Flip from school. After a quick lunch Flip drifted off to nap, the maid came and cleaned the whole place while I drank tea and spent time on the Internet. Not bad for a day that started off kinda funky, as Flip would say.
Caulk for the horrible place on my counter where the grout falls out and makes a giant white mess
Presents for cousins we are visiting on Saturday
Butter
Books for my kids to read on the train
Salwar for me
I know, I know I can obtain all of these things here. And honestly I know where to go for all of them. But minus the salwar which I can't get anywhere else none of them will be exactly right. Not today.
I want the clear caulk that comes in a tube with the little cap. The kind that makes my hands an incredible sticky mess. The kind I keep wetting and running my finger back over because I think I can make it smoother only to find out I have wiped all the caulk off and I need to reapply. Instead here, I need to call the maintenance guy who promises to come in half an hour but does not show. Or he tells me the painter has not come today. I will have to keep calling and pestering until I get someone to come. Thankfully it is not the electrician though, who comes reliably at 9pm ringing the bell and waking the kids.
I have this thing for giving hand towels. Perhaps it is because mine at home are a complete stained mess so I am always hoping someone will return the favor. So today I want to go to Peaceable Kingdom which sells hand towels made from flour sacks, washed until white and soft then printed with seasonal designs. It is almost spring. Perhaps they have flowers or herbs or birds or frogs.
I want to make cookies for the teachers at I Can. I need butter to make these no bake chocolate cookies but my imperial recipes calls for 1/2 cup of butter and they only sell butter in grams. Yes, I have a brain that functions, eyes that see and an Internet connection to figure it all out but today I just want to look on the side of the wrapper and see those little lines with Tablespoon markings telling me how much of that fatty goodness equals my 1/2 cup.
We have a library and we use it regularly but it works this way. We pay a deposit depending on how many books we want to be able to take out at a time. Right now we have signed up for 2- one for Flip and one for Star. We can go every day and get new books but that means a ride in the car. And the selection is limited. Most of the books are from series- Curious George, Manny, Noddy, Magic School Bus, etc. It makes me miss the downtown library with their shelves filled with beautiful picture books and our favorite librarian, Laura, waiting at the desk to suggest a new chapter book for Star. I want to walk out with my bag so full it weighs the stroller down and makes it hard to push back up our street, so when Flip asks to get out and walk I am grateful.
UPDATE:
I actually had trouble posting this so I saved it til after my shopping. And just to release you of all your worries I am not "having a day" any longer. I decided to walk to another part of the city to do my errands. I put a sleeveless shirt and a loose skirt on, plugged in my IPod, and trotted off down the road. Instead of dish towels I bought 4 super cute wooden trays painted like watermelons for all the houses we will visit this weekend. And they were only 180 rupees a piece. Peaceable Kingdom would at least took $8 per towel. I also found theses sweet wooden letter magnets for the kids we are visiting. I decided to skip the salwar because I am going to buy some cotton material and have someone stitch one for me. That couldn't happen in Michigan. Perhaps the girls and I should all get coordinating ones. That wouldn't happen in the US either. ;-) Instead I bought these white baggy pants to go under my existing tops. I bought the butter in grams and a loaf of bread that will taste like cardboard in comparison to one of my homemade loaves, but it will do. I also treated myself to a cold can of Pepsi and trotted on home happily listening to my music and singing aloud. I picked up an auto with our fave driver, Manjanath, and for 20 rupees I zipped over to pick up Flip from school. After a quick lunch Flip drifted off to nap, the maid came and cleaned the whole place while I drank tea and spent time on the Internet. Not bad for a day that started off kinda funky, as Flip would say.
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