Ramblings: Why I should not be unsupervised in a bookstore

All I needed were gift cards...

There is so much joy and happiness and generally wonderful things associated with the end of the school year.  We happily dance into the months of July and August, feeling particularly free and unencumbered by heavy sweaters, jackets and other weighty pieces of attire.  The grown-ups are happily enjoying icy beverages on decks and patios, while the barbecues churn out platter after platter of mouth watering food.  Kids pull Popsicles and ice-pops away from their mouths just long enough to put forth pleas for trips to the local splash pad/wading pool, parks, and the zoo (which is planned for first thing in the morning before the heat and humidity make the animals lethargic, or worse yet retreat into their shelters). Ahhhh summer; is there anytime more glorious and soul freeing?

Like almost everything in life, there is a flip-side to all this sun drenched gloriousness - the significant increase in expenses. Out of town family and friends, the day trips, the zoo outings, weddings, etc. and of course, the  spike in childcare costs.  In our case daycare fees during school break double the rate we normally pay.   Well worth it, and happy to pay it because it means I was lucky enough to have the beautiful son who brightens even the darkest, coldest winter days. But Still, a significant expense that combined with the other aforementioned expenses, plus building a new fence (lumber is expensive!) means some serious belt tightening in other areas going into summer.

With the school year wrapping up in the next week, I wanted to get small teacher gifts ready. Of course gift cards make things easy and allow for individuals to pick something they like. 

So I decide to stop for some gift cards on the way home from work. I only have about 10 to 15 minutes "wiggle time" on the way home this day, so a quick nip into the bookstore will work wonderfully....after all how much trouble can I get into in less than 15 minutes?

Well, I did get the two gift cards...and two books for my son, and two books for me, and one book that I liked so much I bought it just for the purpose of sharing with someone else.

If I can stray that much in 10 to 15 minutes at a time when I should be particularly budget conscious, it is probably best not to leave me unsupervised in a book store for too much longer than that

At least I pretty well have enough titles on deck to get me through most of the summer. And my step-daughters are coming to visit in August and they usually ask me to take them to the bookstore since their dad is not much of a reader and he would get bored and impatient, and usher them out too quickly. 

Happy Summer Reading!
Christine