I gave myself the day off today. It was another gloomy gray day so there was no digging in the garden (perhaps tomorrow or Sunday will be ok for getting dirt covered).

Instead, I got a pedicure (heaven!) and then did the activity I hate more than anything: I went shopping.

You might recall the post about my search for a red dress (and by now you know I never wore it since I got the flu and didn’t go to the ladies’ luncheon where the red clothing was required). This time I was searching for work-appropriate dresses.

The good news is I found two great pairs of flip flops. Actually I brought home an assortment of dresses and two shirts as well.

I need to put on a fashion show for my favorite fashion critic to see what I’m keeping. Bruce is very honest and direct because he knows I hate shopping but want to look good). That’s probably happening tomorrow since frankly I am frazzled from being in the dressing rooms from 11 until 3.

I don’t know how people, ok teenagers and women, do it. I went to two lovely shopping centers. One is full of high end retailers’ outlets. That’s where I started. The other, Northpark, is Dallas’ nicest mall. The Nashers were its developers and the Nashers amassed an amazing sculpture and art collection over their lifetimes. The mall has amazing art from that collection and it’s the reason that when I need a mall shop, I head there.

If you ever come to Dallas, take a couple of hours to check out this mall if you like shopping. And put the Nasher Sculpture Center on your list of to dos if you love art.

But I digress. As lovely as Northpark is, it’s a mall. And the stores are just too much visual stimulation for me. Stuff to look at everywhere. And trying clothes on means trying to figure out what might fit.

You see, I am a wide range of sizes. At the same store. In the same sort of garment. It’s a pain in the ass and means that I have to bring multiple sizes into the dressing room so I can pick which item fits the least offensively. Sometimes it’s the smaller size. Other times it’s the larger one. Or the middle one. It’s a crap shoot, frankly.

I would really like to be able to shop like Bruce: go into the store and in an hour or so, leave with an armful of clothes.

But that’s not how it works for me.

After all those maddening hours in the stores, I was thrilled to leave and do mundane things like pick up a kitchen compost bin and go to the liquor store.

Then, I stopped at North Haven Gardens on the way home. YAY! The temperature has dropped considerably so the tomatoes need to be covered, but tomorrow or Sunday, they’ll have basil to hang out with. And the jalapeños, poblanos, and bell peppers are here too. They’ll take their place in the garden soon too.

And now I must go for a walk. The Gs have a schedule to keep.