Everything was fine until the fish died.

Okay....Yesterday didn't turn out quite the way I'd hoped but I tried to make the best of it.
I went Christmas craft show at the fairgrounds because I finally decided that this was the year I was going to get a Missy Goode hat. After all these years (nearly 10) of looking at them and talking about them, I finally decided that I was going to get my very own. Fine.
So.....I went to the craft show.

I left early yesterday morning thinking I would get there early before the crowds, only to discover that that was apparently what everyone else in town thought. It was only 10:00 and the parking lot was half full and there were lines at the gates. No problem. I paid my $6 and went bravely on in.

I walked around the Cantey Building the way I normally would when we used to attend these shows regularly. I started at the far side and looked at the vendors, assuming that I would eventually come across the Northstar Leather guy about three rows over. He'd been at that show for years and I had no reason to think he wouldn't be there. But then, I started to get worried. There was no sign of him. He wasn't in his usual spot. I walked around the entire building and looked and double checked just to make sure. No Norhtstar Leather guy. I felt this sinking feeling in my stomach. So even though I knew it wouldn't do any good, I went over to the Ellis building. Just in case. Not there either. I went back through the Cantey building a second time, in case I missed him. Not there. I checked with the front desk. Surprise. The Northstar Leather guy retired from doing shows, He wasn't there, after all these years.

But....I decided all was not lost and I was going to figure out something. I had my lunch at California Dreaming like I'm supposed to when we go to the fairgrounds (it's a rule to keep the universe in balance...) and then I tried to think of where I could get a hat. I half-heartedly tried the BackPacker but all they had were Tilley hats (i knew that, I just wanted to check..) and then I decided to try Sportsman's Warehouse. I wasn't that far and I knew that they had a few leather hats. So off I went down I26. It's fun to go to Sportsman's Warehouse anyway. I was distracted (we won't even go into the post office question on Assembly Street because I clearly wasn't thinking. ) and trying to figure out what to do.

Well...THAT little side trip paid off.; I found one of their one remaining leather hats that looked good and actually fit well. And it was marked down from $40 to $24. Worked for me. It was NOT an official Missy Goode hat but I got it anyway. After all that, it was close enough. I also picked up a few small items and when I got to the check-out counter, the cashier took ANOTHER $7 off my hat! Wow! So I got an unofficial Missy Goode hat for $17. That made me happy.

The rest of the day was spent wandering around. It was too early to go home. I went back to Five Points. I stopped at Loose Lucy's and bought 30 sticks of incense for $5.00 and I discovered that they had put a stupid new boutique retail shop in the storefront where Adriana's had been. Crap. We NEEDED a good local coffeehouse....not that crappy Starbuck's on the corner....but oh no! They put in another retail store with ridiculously expensive clothes for anorexic 18 year old college students. Oh well. I got my incense (Did you know that being "censed" is having incense waved at you..like if you were a saint and a censer is an incense burner? ) I didn't either.

Off I went from Five Points. Normally,, my next stop would have been Earth Fare, nut I have quit going there (unless I really need to use the bathroom) but I didn't so I went on past. I did stop at the Fresh Market. Now THAT was well worth the extra stop. I went in to buy scones but the last ones I bought were really dry so I opted for filled croissants instead. As i was walking through the market, wearing my new faux-Missy Goode hat, a lady stopped me (total stranger in the middle of the store) and said "You look sooo cute. You are just adorable. I love your look...." Look? I didn't know I had a LOOK (I guess it was the new faux-hat) and I have NEVER in my life been called "cute" or "adorable". Hell.....I'm KEEPIN' the hat!

That was that. I headed on home..it was 3 o'clock and I'd driven over 70 miles and spent more money than I should have (although it was considerably LESS money than I'd intended to spend). And everything was fine, or so I thought.

Unfortunately, this is where the sad part starts and I am still very upset and unhappy. I got home, had a cup of coffee and too Cookie outside. Hubby had been home all day, making a pot roast for himself and taking the trash to the dump. Well, Cookie wanted to walk around the house so I took her out. Well........when we got over by the fish pond, she was jumping around at something. Sad sad sad......I found one of the fish DEAD on the outside of the pond. It was awful. I had no idea how he'd gotten there. I know he didn't commit suicide because they were very happy fish and they'd been in that pond for over 2 years. They'd grown from tiny little fingerlings to almost 6" long and they would come to the top of the water to be fed. Well, I quickly buried the poor guy so Cookie or the cats wouldn't find him and I came in and told my husband that I'd found one of the fish on the outside of the pond, dead. He thought for a moment and then said..'I was taking leaves out of the pond about noon....' "Oh NO!!! The poor fish came to the top, thinking he was going to be fed and hubby must have scooped him out with the leaves!!!!!! Noooooo! Now, I KNOW this was an accident and hubby felt really bad but the poor fish. What a sad ending and I DO wish hubby had been more careful. I am just very sad. He was a pet, after two years. I know hubby feels bad and I haven't said anything more. I am just very sad.

That was it. I showed hubby my new hat and told him it was a Missy Goode hat even though it really wasn't. I didn't have to cook dinner because he'd made his pot roast for himself. I had a bowl of instant mashed potatoes for my dinner, watched a B-movie on the computer. I didn't feel like listening to hubby's clever comments through all the television shows. I had a book to read so I claimed being tried from my shopping day and I went to bed at 7:30. I was just very sad.

Like I said.....everything was fine until the fish died.