The Tired Travelers

Well, my husband was trying to put up sheetrock to finish the basement, tripping over boxes we've never unpacked since we moved here and we are maybe moving again, who knows kind of thing, but we are trying to get the house on the market. Anyway, I made a spur of the moment decision to pack up the boxes and take them to Clarinda to store until we decide what on earth we are doing (stay tuned). In the meantime, I stopped in Des Moines on the way home at the Brass Armadillo antique mall, where I shop all the time. I am sure I now have my photo up in the break room as the wicked witch of antiques. It all started when I wanted to look in a locked case, just a bunch of wood stuff and the clerk would not open it until I told her exactly what I wanted to look at, as though my reaching in to pick up a wood bread board would cause the antique mall to collapse. She was snippy to me, I was snippy to her, then when I go check out there is a $100 plate that I never asked for on my bill! I will admit that despite hearing my mother's voice saying, "Elaine Lea, don't you dare..." I was not very pleasant, but honestly... Much more pleasant experiences in Valley Junction, Elinor's Woodinware is the most wonderful store and the owner just could not be nicer, then Shirlee at the Depot is also so nice and always has tons of bargains. Oh, and gas is 40 cents a gallon cheaper in Atlantic than in Iowa City--how????