Ouch, that hurt!

That must be what Ruby said as we careened off the road and into that snowbank in January. Careened not because of my bad driving, mind you, but because two of the tires she came with were almost bald. Which reminds me: I have to write that letter to the Attorney General's Office complaining about the dealership where Ruby used to live -- the one that after today will cost me $200.00 more than I've already spent.

Ruby's going in for a minor cosmetic repair; two scratches that have to be filled and painted over to be exact. So the money I might have spent on, oh I don't know, something extravagant like expensive shoes or that new designer handbag will go to scratch filling and probably one-tench of a tenth of an ounce of Ruby Red Kia car paint.

Of course, if you know me you know that I would never spend that kind of money on a purse or shoes. Maybe you know that my purse came from the Salvation Army store in Utica. I've never been the designer kind. I'm the one who has the $12.95 boots that vaguely look like Uggs but that came from Target. I'm the one who's always amazed at what other people pay a lot of money for.

I used to have one big expense back in Idaho. I used only Clinique products on my face, even though I lived in a basement apartment and drove an ancient Subaru that roared loudly when driving at 55 mph or over. I took care of my face with the precision of a surgeon, using cotton balls to remove makeup with makeup remover, then proceeding to cleansing and moisturizing, with a weekly face mask. Then I moved to New York, made over twice as much money as I had in Idaho, and acquired . . .
a mortgage. Now my face gets cleaned with water and a facecloth, then moisturized with whatever is on sale at Target or on the rack at TJ Maxx. That is until I discovered the one product I will never do without again, Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-lift Daily Targeted Deep Wrinkle Treatment. With all those names it must be good. And it is. Now I'm not saying it'll erase those wrinkles that look as deep as the Snake River Canyon (that one's for you Clark), but at $13.00 a tube it does a nice job of making me look a little less like Death when I first wake up (okay kids, name that tune: "and if I look like Death today, well please let her know").

So that's my piece of girly, chit-chatty talk for the day. For my guy readers, I talk about my Sears Featherlite weed whacker. Yeah, it's a little girly too, but I got it because it's so lightweight. This, sadly, is not a product endorsement, for I cannot (and have never been able to) start it. Yes, it has gas in it. Yes, it has oil in it. Yes, the fluids are mixed correctly. Yes, other people can start it, although not easily. One of today's goals is to go start it.

On the other hand my Sears mower (Greeny) with his 6.5 hp engine starts even after a winter of sitting in the shed containing old gas. I love Greeny. I should, we spend plenty of time together. I calculated that when I mow the lawn I walk at least 4 miles, and that was calculating conservatively. No wonder I eat everything in sight on lawnmowing day.

Well, the question I was going to ask two paragraphs ago I'll ask now. Do you purchase any deliciously indulgent products? Do tell. Some people will tell you I own far too many shoes, but I would like to point out that I never pay much for them. Truth be told, I do own a lot of shoes. My last purchase was a blue/green pair of Cons, and I got them for only 25 bucks. What do you buy that makes you feel like a million dollas?