A Trip to Walmart

It's probably the store I like least, but I am looking for shelf organizers and I knew that Walmart would be cheaper than Target or K-Mart. I didn't see anything I wanted, but did wander over to the sporting goods department and bought an air mattress, exactly like the one I had but lost the cap that holds the air in. (In reading the previous sentence I just don't know what to do with it, so I won't do anything but hope it makes sense to someone.) The brand is Ozark Trail, and I also bought an air pump of the same brand name. I think it is exactly like the one I borrowed from Donald but can't seem to find. I know he has a better pump so I haven't been too quick to buy him a replacement.

The mattress is great for car camping with my big tent, and also for those times when I've had to sleep on the floor, although I don't look to be moving anywhere so I doubt I'll need it for that purpose. Since I don't have a spare bed, the mattress would be available in a pinch. I haven't decided whether to take my tent and basic camping needs on my drive to NY. I took it all last year but the weather wasn't good enough to warrant using it, and as you get further east the tenting spots aren't easy to find unless you know about them in advance. I really don't want to tent among a lot of RV's, and there are campgrounds that have no tent spaces.

I was looking for a cheap door mirror but could never find anything even remotely like it. You know - the tall narrow ones that you can hang on the back of a bedroom door? I have one mirror in the house and that is on one of the closet doors, but it's difficult to get a full length view including my shoes. I like to be coordinated when I go out, you know.

Yesterday I bought a Mr. Coffee at K-Mart and saw it today at Walmart for $3 cheaper. That's ok however, because I used my shopper's reward of $7.40 off the price of the coffee maker, so I still spent less than I would have at Walmart.

I got a phone call from Gladys' brother today to tell me about the funeral on the 23rd. The obit or funeral home website said nothing about a viewing beforehand, nor about the Celebration of Life after the church service. For those of you who have always lived in the east and might not be aware of California funeral practices, let me explain. I came into contact with this at Bill's funeral in 2007, and didn't know what to make of it. Now, after the passage of a few years, I think it is wonderful!

Everyone gathers in a room, and in Bill's case this was at the funeral home after the viewing and a short memorial religious service. First the children - in my case our 4 children) beginning with the oldest and down to the youngest get up and go to the podium where they give a short speech of remembrance about the deceased. Then close relatives and friends get up, one by one, and tell their connection with the deceased and say how they were affected by his or her life. Some tell funny stories, and some tell poignant stories that bring tears to your eyes. In fact, funny or sad, the tears flow. At Bill's service, my daughter had thoughtfully bought a case of facial tissues at Costco and had open boxes at both ends of each row.

Hearing the people speak of my ex husband gave me a whole new insight into the man, or maybe it was a recognition of what made me fall in love with him to begin with. As the years went on in our relationship we were friends, but I felt he was always critical of me and loved to get a laugh at my expense. I'm over all that now, but I bring it up to indicate that I never knew how much of a positive effect a man can have on so many people, and the little kindnesses and generosities he gave. His chemo nurse mourned the fact that she was going to ask him to walk her down the aisle at her wedding! I think one of his biggest strengths was that he always listened to people, a trait that made him such a good bar owner.

I will attend the Celebration of Life for Gladys, but I hope I'm not tempted to get up and speak - it's just not my style.

How did I get from Walmart to the California funeral?

LATER:
I got an email from one of my brothers who attended our grandma's funeral in Kentucky, and he told me they had a celebration of her life as well. So maybe it is more common than I thought. I certainly never heard of it in Cincinnati.