Is John Rosselli Watching Over Me?

Yesterday, I recounted how cheered I was by the advice of high-end decor maven John Rosselli. The advice: simply cover your shabby sofa with some fabric. Who am I to argue with a luminary?

Well, I took a trip back to the thrift store to check on delivery of my sofa (not till next week). While I was there, I looked around. I saw a big white lump. It was labeled "king size comforter cover $5.00." It felt like linen. I stuck my head inside and found an Eileen Fisher Home label. I think these are made for Garnet Hill, the fancy catalogue I have mooned over for many, many years. So thrilled was I that I bought it within 5 seconds: it would be the perfect cover for my sofa.  I did not do my usual inspection.

When I got home, I unfurled it and discovered a bunch of holes. UGH. I think the previous owner must have been overzealous with the bleach: linen doesn't like bleach.

I was feeling kind of bad about wasting my money. Then I realized that the previous owner would not have donated it sans holes. I can live with the holes.  They don't really show--and have a certain je ne sais quoi-- and I can have Miss Em do some mending when she returns from Serbia.

Imperfect as it is, I still think this will be the perfect cover for my sofa. I wish I could ask Mr Rosselli if he would use a linen cover with holes. I think he might.

Would you?

OK: I take it back about the friction

Did I set the forces of bad karma in motion? A mere few hours after penning my post in praise of friction, I set off for some R and R at the food bank thrift store. I figured that the spa experience of thrift shopping would help me gird up my loins for the final misery of taxes: figuring capital gains and rental losses.

Off I went. A little light came on. Then it went off. Then I couldn't steer. WHAT????

Luckily, I was near my destination, but it was difficult as I have extremely weak arms.

OF COURSE, we only have one car at the moment, since Frugal Son was hit by a bad man without a license who left the scene.
OF COURSE, I didn't have a phone.
AND OF COURSE, Mr FS seldom answers the phone anyway, since he works outside with earphones.

The karmic forces weren't totally against me. Nice Mr Pat let me use his phone at the store. Mr FS answered (a miracle!) and he rode his bike over. The power steering resumed its work.

Now we have to take our single car to the shop. They don't have loaners but will rent to us for $30/day. Seems to be an electrical problem.

I take it back about the joys of friction. I hit a few snags on the tax form (and I am an educated person who is not afraid of numbers...erghh).

Next day.....

UPDATES. I awoke at 6 ready to finish the taxes. The following took my attention till 4. That's 10 hours.

OF COURSE the electrical problem didn't manifest itself at the Honda place.
OF COURSE, we have to buy another car since I refuse to drive the Honda (we were planning to replace the totaled one anyway).
OF COURSE, I made a $10 arithmetical error on my taxes,which would have necessitated doing it all over again. I ignored it (the IRS always corrects my mistakes. Please don't audit me. It's always an accident.)
OF COURSE, the printer messed up while I was trying to print out a form.
OF COURSE, State Farm lost the records of something we paid for so I had to help MR FS find it by scouring all credit card records and checkbooks.

Plus some other stuff I can't remember at the moment. My beloved burritos didn't help. No, I had to eat pot stickers and pierogi.

FRICTION BE GONE!

Thrift Store Gods Send Me A Message

This is a companion piece to my as yet unwritten post: What's Goodwill NOT good for? The answer is anything very specific and/or anything you need right this second.  Also: men's pants.

We are about to go for a trip to Serbia, among other spots. There we will meet our dear daughter whom we haven't seen since September. When we started to pack, I realized once again that Mr FS has awful travel pants. Each year, I say "Let's get you nice pants. From a real store."

Then, Miss Em requested that Frugal Son, who will meet up with her earlier than we will, bring a set of Game of Thrones for the brother of someone who showed her incredible hospitality. Miss Em thinks I have magic powers. She said, "It's ok if they're used." I called all the used bookshops and checked Paperbackswap. Nada. Miss Em finally said to buy them new.

The rule of thrift shopping for needs is to WAIT. Time ran out and last week I ordered Game of Thrones. Poor Frugal Son will be shlepping 5 heavy books to Europe. What a guy.

Finally I--controller of the shopping--broke down and bought Mr FS two pairs of travel pants. Ex Officio from Sierra Trading Post (a good site to know about). They just arrived. Very nice!

Here we are a day before we leave. We have been cooped up for 5 days in heavy rain. I went to Goodwill. What do I find? A pair of Patagonia travel pants in Mr FS's size. Then, I went to the Food Bank thrift. There I find the complete paperback set of Game of Thrones.

The thrift store gods are sending me a message. What is the message?

Thrift Store Fun, Thrift Store Folly

Unlike many of the financial "experts" in the blogosphere, who counsel us to "make more money" (as they did, by selling their blogs for several million dollars), I am a big believer in saving dollars here and dollars there. The financial bloggers, many of whom have retired on the proceeds of their blogs, also counsel us to "negotiate for more money." Hear that legislators???? My pennies and dollars are all that remain in my control.

Hence my killer grocery shopping skills and my thrift store acumen. Perhaps I was karmically sent to my town because we have--no question--about the best and cheapest thrift stores I have encountered. Plus, in a small town, you see the same people every time you go to a thrift, so one has some social interaction.

Today, when I got home from administering my last final, I was completely exhausted from sucking up all the panic and misery of my students. I HAD to go to a thrift store for the spa experience. A trip to Goodwill--about 3 miles--was too much, so I contented myself with the little Food Bank thrift, which is about 1/2 mile away.

Well! Paul, the former manager of the thrift shop, who has since been promoted to an administrative position at the food bank, was at the register and boy was he crabby. You see, the people working at the thrift have been running 1/2 price sales and playing "let's make a deal" for a few weeks. They also missed a Dooney and Bourke bag and put it in the $1 bin. Paul saw that. (No, I was not the lucky buyer.) He told me that REVENUE WAS DOWN. WAY DOWN.

EVERY SINGLE customer whined about the renewal of full prices (i.e. $2.50 for most clothing). EVERY SINGLE customer asked Paul to lower the prices. I was too scared to ask him! I did point out that prices had to be low at thrifts because people made a lot of mistakes in purchasing. Some items have damage that one doesn't see till one gets home. ETCETERA. He finds me rather amusing, so I did cheer him up a tiny bit.

Anyway, I bought some beautiful fabric samples. Don't ask me why. I can't sew. I do have a love for fabric and seeing gorgeous linen blend fabrics--some toiles, many printed in England-- just wiped me out. I could not resist. I'm hoping the creative Miss Em will help me figure out what to do with them. Some of the pieces are pretty big, 18" by 45," though most are smaller.

The one useful thing I got was a little cuisinart mini-prep processor. I have one, but I got it for Frugal Son, a fabulous cook. I even plugged it in to see if it worked.

When I got home, Mr FS sighed about the fabric. He took one look at the mini-prep and said, "There's no blade." OOPS. I, the usually careful shopper, had just wasted a few dollars on a defective item. Just as I had told Paul. If he's not too crabby, I'm going to tell him next time I see him.

Still, I helped support the food bank.

A Thrift Store Miracle

I have a very heavy teaching load, so on my off-days, I permit myself some totally frivolous and time-wasting activities. These involve frugality, of course. It is not really "worth" my time to go to thrift stores, since I don't really need anything. It is not worth my time to check out the reduced for quick sale section at Big Lots and my local grocery because--well--ditto. So I put these activities under the rubric of mental health.

Today I engaged in all of the above. When I hit my last stop--the All Saints Thrift Store which benefits the Food Bank--I had an armful of possibilities. Then I looked at my wrist and realized my grandmother Emmie's delicate bracelet--gold with a tiny ruby and even tinier diamonds--was gone. I've had the bracelet for more than 40 years.

I looked around, informed the workers and other shoppers, dropped my armload of possibilities (which were probably responsible for pushing the bracelet from my wrist) and rushed home. I called the other places I had stopped. Then Mr FS and I headed back to the store.

What karmic message was I getting? Was the universe telling me I was wasting too much time at thrift stores? Should I find a worthy pursuit for my off-days?

A shopper was looking at the armload of clothing I had dropped before I rushed out. I told her she could buy what she wanted, but I wanted to check for my bracelet. She told me that she would pray to St Anthony for me. She mentioned that other saints sometimes were effective, but that St Anthony was the classic.

OK. Mr FS and I headed around the corner to look at the housewares. Another shopper held something toward me and said "Is this what you're looking for?" IT WAS. It had broken and fallen off--it is probably 100 years old.

My two benefactresses discussed St Anthony for a while. The finder told me that she had lost a lot of rosaries--several valuable--but through some miracle had recovered all except the one that belonged to her. This thrift store attracts a spiritual--and very low income--crowd. Goodwill, by contrast, attracts mostly dealers. I wonder if any of those shoppers would have turned in my bracelet.

Mr FS and I are not Catholic. This is a very Catholic area, so perhaps there are miracles everywhere, available to everyone.  That's what catholic means anyway: including a wide variety of things; all-embracing.

Novena to Saint Anthony to Find a Lost Article

St. Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things, grant that I may find [name the item] which has been lost. At least restore to me peace and tranquility of mind, the loss of which has afflicted me even more than my material loss. To this favor, I ask another of you: that I may always remain in possession of the true good that is God. Let me rather lose all things than lose God, my supreme good. Let me never suffer the loss of my greatest treasure, eternal life with God. Amen.

Happy Birthday to Me: Fake It Till I Make It?

Today is my long awaited/dreaded birthday. Since I am something of a self-denier (a debilitating disease of the pathologically frugal), I decided I would get myself a biggish (for me anyway) gift. I have been musing: a nice bag? some earrings? a scarf?

Choosing THE ONE was driving me crazy with indecision. Then I realized I could get all three, if I chose mid-priced models. And I could stretch out the purchases over the year, an idea I like. Here's my "progress."

1. EARRINGS. I would like some big pearl earrings. I even solicited and got personalized suggestions from the great Duchesse, a pearl expert. THANK YOU. I sent them to my senior advisor (aka my daughter, who is far away till summer). She said WAIT till I get home! And, she said, In the meantime, wear the big fake pearls you have. These were a hand-me-down from my mother, who bought them many years ago at the Metropolitan Museum Shop.

OK: fake it #1. I suppose a test drive would be a good idea.

2. HANDBAG. How to choose? I finally bought a bag from Garnet Hill that I had been eying for a while. By the time I sprung for it, it was half price! Frugal-ish! Guess what? The reviews are 99% positive. 1% said It looked cheap. Guess where I stand? Have to return.

A few days ago, I was donating several bags of stuff to the Food Bank Thrift Store. I peeked in. I spied a color-block bag in maroon and black, colors I love. The inside had the label UE with a prominent Certified Vegan (i.e. plastique) tag. Still, it was not really cheap looking and--drumroll--it was also half price at $1.50. So I bought it on a whim.

When I got home, I noticed some weird snaps inside. I pulled out the sides and discovered that I was the proud owner of a FAKE Celine Trapeze bag! I had bought a knockoff bag in complete innocence.

OK: fake it #2. Since I figure no one in my day-to-day life would think this was a real or fake anything in particular, I am going to test it out too, till my daughter returns to advise me.

3. SCARF. I haven't even thought about this yet.

PROGRESS? I am not sure. I am thinking there might be karma involved, but I am unsure as to whether this is a TEST (a roadblock in my effort to be LESS PATHOLOGICALLY frugal, at least now and again) or a GIFT (till Miss Em returns, the forces of frugality have offered me substitutes).

Tomorrow night, Mr FS and I will attend a concert in New Orleans. I will be sporting my two FAKES and an as-yet-to-be-determined scarf.

A Gift from Alaska to Serbia: Thanks, Donna

Everyone knows that gifts are as wonderful to give as to receive. Miss Em, dear daughter, will be far away in Serbia (mostly Novi Paar) till at least  June. She is under the watchful eye of the Fulbright Program, but still...

She is a teaching assistant of English--and a bit embarrassed to be called Professor by one and all. She has been the recipient of much generosity, in a poor country (by US standards) where even highly skilled professionals (like doctors) cannot find employment.

Since I love to find stuff for people, I have been on high alert. I wrote about the gifts of a non-stick pan (about $70 in Serbia!) and Fidji perfume soon going off to their new homes in the suitcase (lent by yours truly) of Mr. C.

Now I'm looking for smaller things. So far, I have acquired Opi nail polish that was at a good price at Big Lots. I will be on the look out for small items from Bath and Body Works, which are coveted by many young women. And now: some handmade earrings from Alaska! How cool is that?

Thinking "How cool would that be--something from Alaska for someone in Novi Pazar?," I did something uncharacteristic: I entered a blog contest.  Donna Freedman's contest. Donna wrote a wonderful post several years ago on how one could live on $12,000 a year (or around that sum) and--NEWSFLASH--be happy. I can't seem to find that post anywhere, so instead will link to her current blog, which is the repository of much wisdom.

Must be karma. Thanks again Donna.

Holiday Shopping: DONE!

It's easy for me to say. I am a noted holiday- and gift-scoffer. Not totally, of course. I just hate that holidays have been hijacked by the marketers. I am getting Mr FS the same thing he is getting me: nothing. Actually, he has promised to buy and install my heart's desire: a new toilet. I will keep you posted on this momentous event.

Miss Em wants nothing at the moment. She is in Serbia till July. It has been a transformational experience in many ways and she knows she can always decide on a gift (which may or may not be material) when she returns.

As for Frugal Son: we did NOT get him what he requested (NOTHING). No, we followed the tradition that we developed over the years, in which gifts could be from thrift stores or grocery stores. The task of amassing such gifts has always fallen to me, since Mr FS has an aversion to stores.

Here is the Frugal Son list, all from thrifts and the library book sale:
--a NEW maple cutting board with his initial on it (Very exciting, but I would have bought it even if it had the wrong initial.)
--a wonderful book by David Mitchell
--NEW LL Bean Storm Chaser boots (can't believe someone donated these)
--the BEST: George Plimpton's book on fireworks*
--a TSE black cashmere cardigan (probably the most "valuable" in terms of original cost)

AND--A CHECK--amount not yet determined

*The George Plimpton book on fireworks is a treasure. Frugal Son used to check it out of the public library every few months. The head librarian told him that he was probably responsible for keeping it from being de-accessioned. Then he grew up, went away, and stopped using our local library. Amazingly, I dropped in at the Library Book Sale a few months ago and flipped through a single box. AND THERE IT WAS. How's that for karma?

We all love David Mitchell.

And this is the beloved "blast from the past."

TIAA-CREF vs Goodwill: Customer Service

I mentioned yesterday that I had two dispiriting--nay, upsetting--customer service experiences with TIAA-CREF (my retirement people) yesterday. I could just feel the reps reading from their scripts and I didn't like the scripts. How about some empathy, people? Empathy about over-complex systems that make things difficult and time-consuming for the customer or client or whatever it is I am. Well, let's just skip the details. Bad customer service.

Now a true tale of good customer service from Goodwill, of all places. Miss Em and I had an errand near Goodwill (yay!!!) so we had no choice--had to go. There hidden amongst the "designer" purses was something I wanted, but seemed so unlikely a find that it wasn't even on my karmic prayer list: a push mower. Frugal Son wants one, actually. I couldn't get the mower to push; neither could the young woman working. But Matt the manager emerged and showed us how to do it. I was nervous because it was $25.00, squeaky, and I wasn't sure if it REALLY worked. So I asked Matt if I could return it. He called HIS superior, who said NO--one can only return electronics.

Matt then reduced the price to $20.00 but was firm on no returns. Miss Em and I were unsure--did it only need some WD-40 or was it a piece of junk? Miss Em had the genius idea of testing it on the lawn outside. We asked if she could try it. Permission was sought from the manager in the back room. A big fellow emerged and said I'll do it for you. We all traipsed outside where, instead of Miss Em, the big guy mowed the lawn. He was fast!

We bought it. Thanks for a good customer service moment Goodwill. Mowing the lawn was definitely not on this guy's job description.

Do You Get What You Pay For? AND Alligator Belt Karma

Sort of a double post. Really, one post with two topics.

FIRST: The hackneyed sentence You get what you pay for! Many--even in the frugality corner of the blogosphere--believe in the truth of the statement. Sadly, I generally do not. If it were as simple as that, it would be easy to make purchasing decisions.

Recent Case in Point: a Colehaan Alligator belt. The night before Frugal Son went off for his year in France, he announced that he didn't have a belt. Ergh. He is so disorganized (inherited from me). Luckily, I have a small assortment of belts for such emergencies, so we didn't have to run to Walmart or worse in the middle of the night. There to buy a low quality belt.

No, I had not one but two Colehaan alligator belts that I had acquired for very cheap, as is my wont. They were in Mr FS's closet. Of course, they had never been worn (either by the first owner, or by Mr FS, who likes to age his clothing).

Naturally, Frugal Son picked an alligator over some plainer belts. He does have an eye for luxury. His favorite sweaters are cashmere.

A few weeks ago, he emailed and mentioned that the belt was falling apart! I don't know if CH makes these anymore, but alligator belts cost upwards of $200. Was the belt worth $200--no.

Second part of the tale: how I got the belts at Goodwill. A LONG time ago, Funny About Money pined for a Brighton belt in her blog. I spied one from afar at GW and rushed over. I thought it would be so neat if I could send a fave blogger a present. Alas, though it was a Brighton belt, it was in very poor shape.

But picking it up to inspect its condition uncovered the two unused alligator belts. Mr FS and Frugal Son are always having belt emergencies, so I acquire extras where I can.

Thanks, Funny for the beautiful belts!

So, have you experienced any karma lately?

Thrift Store Karma Again

Every time I think that I should just buy whatever and be done with it (within reason, of course0, my efforts are thwarted. I recently posted about all the little bargains i missed while I was away from home and the internet. Duchesse suggested I get a smartphone. Honestly, I think a smartphone would feed my obsessive ways and also cost MORE than whatever money I was saving!

Once I was home, I, of course, headed to the two local thrift shops. Amazingly, at Goodwill, I found a pair of floor lamps from Home Depot. These were in the box. They are not my FAVORITE lamps of all--those would be from some fancy shop that features items from MOMA's Design Collection--but they were about as nice as the ones from Ballard Designs that I had been looking at. The lamps were $20 each, a lot for Goodwill, but, hey, they were new.

Then, I found a small wool rug. Not bad. Someone had removed the price tag, so the harried manager marked it at $1.99.

So I managed to cross three items off my list of desired items after all. It seems to be my destiny to shop at thrift stores. I rather like it. Not for the prices only, but for the absence of choices. There are zillions of lamps as nice as mine at Home Depot and similar; I got the only PAIR of floor lamps I've seen at a thrift in a long, long while.

Paying the Price

It's easy enough to think frugality and cheapness are the same thing, that we should strive for the lowest cost. I do it myself sometimes. Sometimes, I have to resist the lure of the low price.

It is not worth it to drive to even a nearby grocery store to buy apples that are 20 cents less a pound than usual.

I have been engaged in grocery resistance for a while now. As of this year, I am trying to get to the next step and here are my first projects.

1. Beauty in my Surroundings. Susan Heller, my mother's decorating pal, suggested a fabric for my living room. Two, actually. I already bought one. It was easy because I found it on sale somewhere or other and the site had free shipping. There it sits, 4 yards on the bolt. The other one is more difficult. It is almost $40.00 a yard and all polyester. Yuck. The pictures do not show how good these fabrics look together and how the blue matches my newly painted walls AND picks up a tiny spot of blue in my grandparents' old rug.

Of course, I could go to a fabric store and look. Last time I did that, it took about two hours (of driving and looking) and none of the swatches ended up working. I was also depressed and covered with a film of sweat! Stress does that to me. The total savings would be at most $40, since I need two yards for a few pillows.

So I should JUST DO IT. Then, of course, I have to have the pillows made, since I can't do even the most elementary sewing.

2. Satisfying Miss Em's Material Desires. And she has many, being 20 years old. She is not as dementedly frugal as I can be, but she has some moments. I got a glimpse of myself (the dark side of frugality) when I witnessed Miss Em trying to get some make-up at Ulta: it was BUY 2, GET 1 FREE and she had a $3 coupon. She went crazy! That is because there were only two of the face powders she wanted. Finally--partly because I find make-up stores rather boring and poor Mr FS was waiting in the car--I said: JUST BUY ONE. She did, with gratitude.

The other thing Miss Em wants is camisoles from Banana Republic. They are $25! So, while I was having my nervous breakdown, she sweetly asked if she could use the $15 birthday coupon they send me every January. Sure. Sometimes it's not worth the time to find a SINGLE item you want on sale.

Of course, once you relax in the demented frugality department, you receive karmic rewards. I was getting something at a drugstore, when I saw some face powders marked down to 75 cents. They were a Paula Begoun recommended brand, so I got three for Miss Em. Now she won't need face powder for at least a year.

Then, when I was creating the link to the overpriced Banana cami, I saw that they were having a 30% off sale. Better than nothing. I think I will get Miss Em 3 or 4 (4 will get free shipping too), so we will not have to think about that for a year.

OK karmic forces: where's the fabric?

Seriously, for what kind of things do you "pay the price" because seeking out a bargain will cost too much in time or end in failure anyway?

See Funny About Money's related post on having a hated tree cut down.

Oh No! Goodwill is Moving!

No sooner do I return from my long vacation in France and my short vacation in Massachusetts than I learn the news: Goodwill is moving! To the building formerly occupied by Circuit City. It will no longer be one mile from my house (with Big Lots, a grocery store, Dollar Tree, and Walgreens), but about five miles away, near (UGH) Walmart. Just far enough not to go very often. Bliss must come from elsewhere, I guess.

To add insult to injury: I stopped in to scope things out and the selections were atrocious. It turns out that they are picking out all the best stuff for the new store, slated to open in September.

Karmically, this is a good thing. I have plenty to wear. I don't need anything except a bathroom remodel. So the net result will be less clutter: a good thing.

P.S. Sorry for the lack of response to your comments, people. I was using a tiny keyboard, which was a miserable experience. Many thanks for the comments!

In Praise of Thrift Stores, Kind Of, with Babette and DejaPseu

Anyone who has read more than, say, two of my posts knows that I am blissfully happy in thrift stores. In fact, I may have a wee bit of an addiction to the experience.

One GOOD thing about thrift shopping is that you can try things that are outside your comfort zone. For instance, I decided I wanted a linen shirt for summer. The only one available after several tries was coral, so I bought it. I had read somewhere that coral was a universally flattering color.

Miss Em made me donate it back. I wore it once. So that makes it $3.00 per wear, not great, but not misery-making.

A few weeks ago, Deja Pseu, style blogger, fearless writer, world traveler, and other good things, wrote a few posts on a line of clothing one of her readers recommended: Babette: here and here. Once I discovered how much this stuff cost, I decided it was not for me. Even though I aspire to be one of those European-type shoppers--with three expensive but perfect for me items hanging in the closet, Andree Putman-style--I know that I don't have whatever it takes to pull it off. Not least--my propensity for spilling. It's one thing to ruin a thrift store item, quite another your expensive item.

You know where this is heading. I had never heard of Babette. Then within 2 weeks, I found a long jacket/tunic in her signature microfiber pleats in the thrift store. In my size. In--shades of coral shirt--a color I have never worn--bronze--but whatever.

Needless to say, I LOVE it. I have worn it at least ten times, so we're down to 30 cents per wear.

Here is my review. People have different responses, depending on the context. At Goodwill, my fellow-shoppers were baffled: Miss Frugal, why are you buying that???? At a gallery-opening, Are you an artist? At a musical performance, That's nice! In the waning days of the semester at school, What's that? Why are you so dressed up?

What could be bad? Well, now I'd like another one. Check out the website for the scary (for me) prices.

I've had to wash the item a few times, because of food spilling: at the art opening, the musical event, and, yesterday, while tasting a sample at Whole Foods.

And for Andree Putman, chic and severe architect, here is a famous quotation: There is but one thing that deeply shocks me: American closets. I cannot believe one can dress well when you have so much.

At the musical event, a wealthy 85 year old attendee loved my Babette shirt. I twisted the top to show her the label. I knew it would make her happy. Her name is Bobette.

What Do You think/Know about Medical Tourism?

Poor Funny About Money. She has a terrible dental bill coming up! I am very aware of these, since Mr. FS and I have never had dental insurance. In the past five years or so, I've had four root canals plus one implant. Mr. FS has had a procedure or two.

I think dental procedures are horribly overpriced. Sorry. That's how I feel. So you can bet your booty that once I retire--or maybe before--I will consider a trip to Costa Rica or Mexico if I need something that can be planned in advance. It's not like the American professionals are so great anyway: SOMEBODY messed up my root canal/crown and I ended up with an implant! SOMEONE messed up several root canals needed by a friend: she now goes to the LSU dental school.

I suppose I'm fairly nonchalant about medical tourism because a fellow student of Frugal Son needed an emergency appendectomy in China: she is fine. I know someone who was destitute and so signed on to teach English in China so she could have a baby there--about 25 years ago. Mother and child are doing just fine.

Also, Miss Em went on a date with the most handsome and sweet exchange student from Mexico. Alas,they had to part ways. His father is a doctor and the student promised to recommend dentists to us and doctors to a friend who has lupus.

Interestingly, the new cashier at Goodwill (around my age, very well-educated, just moved from Oregon--what is her story, I wonder) told me her ex-husband runs a website about finding a good Mexican dentist! Of course, I forgot to get the info, but I will, Funny, I promise!

Would you travel to save money on a medical procedure? Do you know anyone who has done it and lived to tell the tale?