My mom was so right when she advised me it’s always best to start shopping by doing so in one’s own closet.  Yesterday I had idely browsed through Winners and my favourite consignment store, and then came home and decided maybe I’d better see what in the world I actually have before adding to it.

I spent several hours trying things on, rather than just looking at them, and I was able to get rid of quite a bit of it.  As much of it had already come from previous owners, it was probably high time.

I went through the 40 tops, 25 pairs of pants, 30 pairs of shoes, multitude of dresses and skirts, and made concrete decisions about each of them.  As usual, I was quite surprised at the number of accidental pairings I found.  Who knew that lime-coloured top was perect with that print skirt.

Some discarded items came with the usual “what was I thinking?” but other things were – hang onto yourself – too big!  Yes, I have finally shed some of my insulating layer of blubber, and have gone from beluga to manatee.  Or, to put it less scientifically, from Kirstie Alley to Joy Behar.

And speaking of Joy Behar, don’t you just love her show?  I love Larry King’s show, too, and over the years have lamented his slow slide into senility.  Though it’s always very funny when guests have to correct Larry, and as much as I enjoy the times his make-up people have sprayed the top of his white hair orange, I was afraid no-one would be able to replace him.

Then along came Joy Behar’s show, and I realized I’m going to be okay.  Now Larry can truly and properly forget the details of his guests’ stories, and I’ll feel fine about it knowing that Joy will be there to fill the void.  Let’s face it – it’s only a matter of time before Larry’s going to have to retire.

So, the giddiness of finding a Larry King replacement coupled with the recent weight loss has helped balance the annoyance of some store manager’s attitudes.  As you’ll recall, last week I’d marketed around the south Okanagan, and sold quite a few Okanagan Harvest Cakes.  However, some places took samples and said they’d think about it.

When I called some of these places back, they had the nerve to say, “no thanks.”  I, being the practiced Fuller Brush Salesman, replied with a pithy, “no problem!” while secretly seething.  That’s got to be hard on the immune system.

These incidents show why it’s important to have a mom to whom you can tell these stories.  My mom instantly disparaged these people’s attitudes, and said they’re just plain naive and don’t know a good thing when it’s presented to them.  I had to agree, because as we all know, mother knows best.

Happy Mother’s Day for next Sunday to all moms out there!