Saturday, after I had my hair done, I went to Barnes and Noble to find some storybooks for Sam. It’s nearly impossible to find a book there when you don’t know the author’s name. I didn’t bother looking around much and it’s a good thing too. I would have wasted a lot of time.

I asked one of the sales clerks, “have you heard of The Poky Little Puppy?”

She stopped and looked me over. Finally, she said, “well, that ages you.”

My cheeks grew warm, and I’m sure, bright red. How dare she suggest I’m old? As another woman, you’d think that she’d respect the commandment to never ever discuss a woman’s age. Besides, she was at least ten years older than I was. I persisted, “do you have a copy of it?”

She replied, “oh, I doubt it. You might find it in an antique store.”

Goodness grief! I’m not that old! She went on, “I could look on the computer to see if I could order a copy for you.”

“All right,” I conceded.

She entered several queries into the database, all the while shaking her head and muttering to herself. At long last, she looked up at me and said, “I’m afraid I can’t get it for you, but there is a Poky Puppy backpack available…”

This world is a sick, sick, sick place! Sure, you can get the promotional merchandise, but can you get the classic book? No, not at Barnes and Noble, anyways. I stomped out of the store completely disgusted. Once at home, I was able to locate and order a copy of the book from Amazon.com. It only took a few minutes.

Here are some other books I loved as a child (which also age me, but so what???)

1. Be Nice to Spiders by Margaret Graham

2. A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry and Marc Simont

3. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

4. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton

5. My Book House a series of books edited by Olive Beaupre Miller

And yes, they’re also available from Amazon. (No, Amazon is not paying me to write this. Perhaps they should be…)

What are some of your favorite children’s books?

Friday Five

1. Hey, baby, what’s your sign? Do you think it fits you pretty well? Aquarius. I like to think that it fits me pretty well. Aquarians are typically described as unique and artistic people.

2. What’s the worst birthday gift you’ve ever received? I remember getting pretty upset on my 16th birthday when my parents gave me a pencil sharpner. It seemed so impersonal and, well, dumb. What did I need with a pencil sharpner? I usually write with pens anyway.

3. What’s the best birthday gift you’ve ever received? My grandfather gave me a golden chain for my 16th birthday. (Well, he actually gave it to me on my 15th birthday but he thought it was my 16th birthday.) I still wear it!

4. What’s the best way you’ve celebrated your birthday thus far? Last year, I had a bunch a friends over to watch the Superbowl and eat lasagne. We had a great time

5. What are your plans for this weekend? Tomorrow I’m going to have my hair highlighted. Robert and I also hope to take down the Christmas lights (yeah, I know we’re slow). I’d also like to take some photos of the flowers which are blooming in our front yard. Other than that, we’re just going to take it easy!

Yesterday went something like this:

5:00 A.M.

lah dah dee dum dee dee dum dah! Good morning. It?s Monday, February 18th. This is NPR and I?m _ (I?m afraid I didn?t catch her name. All that registered with me is that Bob Edwards was absent.).

Oh let it not be so, I moaned to myself. Let it not be 5 A.M. on Monday! I?m not ready for this! I don?t wanna wake up and I don?t wanna go to work! Oh ye Benevolent Spirits, please work a miracle on my behalf. Please do something, anything, so I don?t have to go to work.

I struggled to sit upright in bed, but it was too much for me. I lay back and stared bleakly at the ceiling. The clock radio continued to blare?

Blah blah blah blah blah blah? PRESIDENTS? DAY… blah blah blah blah blah ? WASHINGTON AT VALLEY FORGE? blah blah blah blah blah blah?

Those words triggered some mysterious process in my brain. Presidents? Day?work?holiday?NO WORK!!! My prayers had been answered. Life, for me at that moment, seemed immeasurably good.

I decided to take full advantage of a surprise day off. After a healthy dose of snuggling with Sammy, I loaded him and all of his equipment (pacifiers, toys, diaper bag, bottles and stroller) into the car and headed for the mall.

What an adventure we had there! Sam was dazzled by all the glittering objects and the hustle and bustle. I was thrilled by the incredibly good deals I got on a couple pairs of slacks and a turtleneck. Ordinarily, I hate shopping, but luck seemed to be with me.

I decided to press it further. I wheeled Sam into one of the beauty salons and asked to have my hair cut. I really hadn?t had time to do this in the past couple of months and was starting to despair about my appearance. The stylist who did my hair turned out to be great. Unlike many people I?ve gone to in the recent past, she wasn?t decked out in such trendy clothes that she made me feel totally homely. She was more down to earth. What?s more, she listened carefully to what I wanted and did exactly that. I didn?t walk out of the salon with a mohawk. Apparently the Benevolent Spirits were still looking out for me!

P.S. I?m going back in on Saturday to have highlights done. I?ll post pictures of my new ?do then.