Santa Shops at Walmart

Today’s weather has been totally Scottish.  “What is that?,” you ask.  Light rain, chilly temperature, overcast skies and a bit of a breeze.  Brrrrr.

Maggie cozied up while we played chess this evening

We were off to Walmart this afternoon for a few last-minute items before Christmas.  Walking through the parking lot, we spotted Santa in civilian clothes.  Really.  Beautiful white hair and neatly-trimmed, full white beard.  Snow white.  Put the eyeglasses and red suit on this gentleman and that childhood belief in Jolly Old St. Nick would be alive and well.  Two ladies getting into a vehicle close to his sang out, “Hi, Santa! Merry Christmas!”  I would have loved to have taken his picture, but that would not have been cool.  You’ll just have to trust me on this one.  I have to wonder if he does play the Santa role at this time of year.  At any rate, there you have it.  Santa shops at Walmart.

See that bit of red in Maggie’s sweater above?  She got her first Christmas sweater today.

Well, why not?

There were all sorts of cute outfits and it was a bit tempting to get her a reindeer outfit, but I opted for something both cute and practical.  Never have been one to “dress up” my dogs or cats.  Heck, Maggie’s predecessor Baby wouldn’t even wear a sweater, opting to enjoy even the snow and frigid temps in Minnesota without “clothes.”  She did, however, have boots for walking on snow and ice.  So does our Maggs; she inherited Baby’s boots.  The closest I got to “dressing up” a cat was putting a harness on Red so I could take him outside during his recuperation from an injury.  That’s a story from bygone days for another time . . .

It’s so icky and miserable out tonight that I’ve put on my thick hoodie sweatshirt I got years ago at the Thirsty Moose Bar and Grill in Hibbing, MN.  It’s definitely a “north country” piece of clothing, being thick and warm, and perfect for weather like today.  If you’re ever up that way, stop in at the Thirsty Moose for a burger or a pizza.  Both are absolutely outstanding.

Unlike many full-timers, we do not travel with the seasons since we are working; we remain in one spot months or years, and our current line of work has us outdoors quite a bit.  With that in mind, we have clothing for the full range of weather conditions from scorching summer temperatures to blizzards and everything in between.  We’ve culled items now and then, but some things we just cannot give up.  Yes, that includes snow boots with cleats for navigating on ice.  Sheesh.  Our closet and wardrobes would definitely have more room if we were able to fly with the seasons.  Who knows?  Maybe, just maybe, one of these days . . .

In the meantime, however, it’s good to still have my Thirsty Moose hoodie!

The weather forecast remains the same through Wednesday, so I’m looking forward to not having to get on the roads and in stores until after Christmas.  Traffic was pretty heavy today around on the short distance we go down I-95 and in town; the Walmart parking lot was quite full and there were lines of cars going into the mall parking lot.  Glad we weren’t going there!

My cup of coffee is just about gone, so I’ll call this a wrap for tonight.

Thanks for stopping by!