-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Plants

I just got bit by a mosquito in my office. The thing about mosquitoes and me is that they itch like hell and swell up all big and puffy even if I don't scratch them. I know what you are thinking - that happens to everyone, but I contend that it is worse for me. I am a magnet for mosquitoes as has just been proven by the fact that I got bit in an office building by one of the bastards. Oh the itching!!!! Grrrrrrr!!!!

So we drove back to Salina in time for my mom's birthday on Friday night. I hastily baked a spice cake, which we ended up not eating that night because everyone had gotten full on steak and veggies. My mom ended up having to frost her own birthday cake because the only can of frosting to be found was way old. I was designated as the official taster, just to be sure. That nasty taste is still in my mouth. Bleh! On Saturday, my mom and I went to Sutherlands to get the rest of her birthday present. The first part was a magnolia bush that will hopefully survive the harsh driving heat of the Kansas prairie. The second part was a houseplant to replace the large plant that died in the poolroom. It is always hard to shop for my mom when she is with you. She is a giver not a taker, and when you tell her to pick out whatever she wants, she is conservative and picks out something far below the value of what you would want to spend on her. It took me awhile to convince her that she could get a hibiscus tree to replace the plant in the poolroom, three small flowering plants for her color basket and another hanging plant. She kept wanting to put things back, but the mental math I did said that even if she bought all of the above items, she'd still have about $10 to spare. So we loaded up the cart and proceeded to the checkout lane. All of the plants except for the hibiscus had price tags on them. Other hibiscuses (hee - say that three times fast) had $14.99 price tags on them, and I informed the clerk of this. Evidentially, she thought I was trying to pull the wool over her eyes, because she proceeded to go outside and check. While we tried to protect ourselves from a wasp that had made its home on our hibiscus, she rang everything up. She hit the total button and said, "your total is $15.68." Seriously, the total should've been about $40. To this day I can't figure out the discount percentage that she used to make those items add up to $15.86, but damn! My mom and I remained silent but were repressing shit-eating grins as we left. There's little that makes a member of my family happier than a killer deal. WOOOOOOOO!

12:54 p.m. - July 06, 2004

previous - next