You know that old saying, “I cried because I had no shoes, and then I met a man who had no feet?”  This morning I was comparing myself to the prisoners of Guantanamo Bay.  That’s because I’ve been held down and visited by people for almost the entire summer.

Then I heard the news about the trapped miners in Chile and felt silly.  They could be trapped in a small space for four months, whereas I’m only trapped inside my house for a few weeks.  It’s very important to try to get some perspective on our lives sometimes.

My cousin Heilke is still here from Germany, and on Sunday Alison, one of my oldest and dearest friends, arrived from Toronto.  As it was Denis and my 25th wedding anniversary on Tuesday the 24th, we all went out for dinner, Nicky included.

However, it wasn’t your usual anniversary dinner, in that Denis and I have taken a somewhat different approach by deciding that we’ve reached the end of our time together.  It was so adorable at our wedding, as the Marriage Commissioner didn’t use the words, “’til death us do part” but, “for as long as your time together.”

And now, our time together is up.  So I’ll have to figure out some challenging things, such as how to get the cover off the smoke alarm and God forbid, how to shovel snow off the driveway.  You may be thinking that Nicky, being six foot two and 21 years of age, might be able to help.  However, I’ve lived with him long enough to know that it’s not likely going to happen.

And so what does one do in trying times?  Shop, of course.  Alison took me out to one of those insane high-end lingerie shops and forced me to spend $150 on one bra and one pair of underpants.  I felt dizzy at the till, but she stood her ground while I got out the debit card and swiped.  A bead of sweat formed on my brow as I saw the total and hit the OK button.

The purchase was somewhat balanced out by the purchase of a $10.00 bra by Joe Fresh, the Superstore’s own brand.  Plus I shouldn’t kvetch because Alison also gave me a beautiful pencil skirt that she bought and never wore.  And really, when you consider how much good new items do for the psyche, you can’t put a price tag on it.

By September 1st I’ll be free of visitors, and should hopefully to God be able to focus on the fruitcake business.  As you know, Urban Fare in Vancouver and Potters in Surrey have placed orders already, so I guess it may be time to consider baking.  Or not.