Shopping and other joys

Yesterday, Dane and I hit town to pick up odds and ends since we were both scheduled to go to our dentist first thing in the morning.
He had his list, I had mine.
We are expecting company for the weekend and I much prefer shopping for small, unnecessary items to drag into our house than to be home cleaning and getting rid of said items. Ahemmmm. Just clearing my throat.
Shopping is an event that has evolved over time in our 42 years of marriage. There was a time in years past when the 2 activities mentioned in the opening paragraph were of equal status: Shopping with Dane was like pulling teeth. He would be out working all day to make money and then come home to hear me asking him to join me in spending it.  I get that now.
But we have matured now, (fingers crossed), and realize that there are days coming when either one or the other of us would give our right arm to hear the words, “Want to go shopping with me?” The last two words being the key.  With me.
We take off for that thrilling trip to the DDS, and after we’re done there, we head out to face the day.
We’re hungry so we hit a new place called Scratch Biscuits or something like that, down near Grandin Theater. In his search for the ultimate biscuits and gravy which has eluded/disappointed him for years, he has high hopes that this is the place.
We are out of our element here – the other 2 customers arrived on bicycles, and there’s black paint and lots of metal in the decor, and ponytails. We arrived in a ’99 plymouth van with 321K miles on it, not one tattoo between the 2 of us, but, at least Dane has a beard . . . I had just tweezed mine that morning . . . the lights at the dentist are cruel!!
Dane asks for biscuits and gravy and the bearded, pontailed guy is so enthusiastic to let us know that the biscuits are awesome, the cook is awesome, (she has a ponytail, but no beard), and that we’re going to love everything! Great!
Now, for the biscuits and gravy? Dane asks to ‘add’ grilled onions?
“Sorry, we don’t have grilled onions. We have raw onions. Would you like us to add some chopped raw onions?”
(Note: I am reading Dane’s mind here, and I’m hearing him say . . . throw those chopped raw onions on your grill with some butter, buddy. But he held his tongue. We’re too hungry to get thrown out of here.)
“OK. I’d like 2 eggs over easy.”
“We don’t have eggs – well we do, but they’re pre-whipped. Would you like 2 eggs scrambled?”
(ALERT!! My eyebrows go up, eyes open wide as I stare at the lovely black counter top while reading Dane’s mind screaming, “A breakfast place without eggs? If they’re pre-whipped, how do I know if I get 2? Maybe you’ll only pour 1 and 3/4 on the grill?” But he held his tongue, again.)
“Sure, that’s fine.”  (Whew – he must be really hungry – maybe even hangry.)
I chime in quietly with, “Bacon, cheese and (pre-whipped) egg biscuit, please.”
When we sit down to eat our $16 breakfast with our plastic forks and paper plates, I dream of Hardees and ask him how his gravy biscuits are and he says – “I can’t taste them – they’re all heat. My mouth is burning.”
This is a guy who puts Tabasco on his baked potatoes.
On to Sears in search of all cotton Cannon towels.
The tomb, formerly known as Sears, has like 2 employees and one checkout per 50 thousand square feet of store.
We find the towels we want, wander around looking for a checkout counter, and when we finally find it, we stand there for 5 full minutes without being waited on. Dane went around several corners and asked the only employee he could find if they could come and wait on us, but she said it ‘wasn’t her station’.
We left the towels on the counter and walked out the door. Yes, I know – we are terrible people.
On to Walmart where you can be entertained while spending money.
Then Parkway brewing company.
Followed by a trip to son, Jarl’s, shop to pick up a cam shaft for Dane’s truck.
Then Camping World for an RV plug. They don’t have it.
To Lowe’s for an RV plug. They don’t have it.
Calls an electrical supply store, they have it.
Just another day in paradise – we got to spend it together, laughing, driving around and reading each other’s minds.
These days, when I ask Dane if he’d like to go shopping, he always smiles and says, “Absolutely!” Because now, he gets it.