A fun Saturday!

Here I sit sipping a cup of coffee at 9 p.m. Duh!
My coffee hankerings usually come late in the evening. I know better, but just gotta have that warm, sweet drink. Oh well.

Things are ratcheting up for tourist season here in Nevis, MN, home of the giant Muskie statue. Our tiny town of 390 souls is already swarming as folks flock to The Iron Horse Cafe and Saloon, and other dining/watering holes. (We have several. We may be small, but we're a tourist town!)

I'm so glad to finally be experiencing summer without the stress of working at the deli. I thank the Lord for giving me the work when it was really needed, but I'm also very thankful that that season of my life is behind me. The work at the tree nursery is very tiring, but not stressful. I think we will be finishing up by the end of next week. (Oh, I'm also thankful that my present abode isn't right in the center of all of this action!)

Today was a lot of fun. It started out slowly. I got up at 6:30, but after about 30 minutes of dragging around I realized I needed more sleep. Eight hours of working at the nursery does take a lot out of you. So, I went back to bed and slept a couple more hours. I'm not a person who routinely sleeps in until 9, but sometimes you have to listen to your body! I've felt great for the rest of the day. :)

Anyway, I planned a trip to Bemidji today to find a dress for my son's wedding. The one I ordered before just wasn't going to work. So, I headed out for a little adventure. It's a 42 mile drive, mostly through wooded country, and very pretty. I relaxed and enjoyed the sight seeing. When I arrived at the mall in Bemidji I decided to just take my time and look at all the stores before deciding on something. I looked through J.C. Penney's and Herberger's and was getting very disappointed. I may be old, but I don't want to dress like my grandmother. And some of the stuff was just so meh.

As I wandered down the mall towards Kohl's I saw a little shop on my left. I had seen this shop before. It was filled with bohemian style clothing and lots of mysterious and interesting items. Heh heh. I headed in. The gal working in the shop didn't have any other customers and she was very helpful. Many of the dresses were really over-the-top bohemian/gypsy styles. I told her I wanted something for my son's wedding that was full and flowing, and comfortable. Something with some arm coverage. She scratched her chin and showed me some things, but they were all sleeveless and not in the color I wanted. She said she had something in the back and she went back to the storeroom and rummaged around. She came back out with this dress. It is so comfortable and I really love how it looks on me! I was so happy with it and she was so kind. She pressed me for more details about the wedding and listened like she was really interested. That's quite a skill. ;) Anyway, here it is. The color doesn't quite look the same in the photo. $32!

After finding the dress I found some cute sandals at Famous Footwear. A pair to go with the dress and a pair for casual wear. 

I enjoyed lunch at the Dairy Queen in the mall and then slurped down a twist cone while sitting on a couch in the center of the mall watching the people. As if this wasn't joy enough, I traveled on down to the end of the mall to Hobby Lobby. The only thing on my shopping list was some white gel pens, but I managed to find an armload of art supplies that I just couldn't live without.

I rarely go "shopping", so this day was a special treat. I'm so relieved to have a dress that I really love and that I don't have to worry that I won't be able to wear it if I gain a pound.

In other news, I received this book today in the mail. I have a bad habit of telling you all about books that I've received before I read them. So, I hope this turns out to be a good book! I heard about it from one of my YouTube vloggers. If it's a terrible book, remember, I haven't read it yet! lol!

By the author of Blood Meridian and All the Pretty Horses, Suttree is the story of Cornelius Suttree, who has forsaken a life of privilege with his prominent family to live in a dilapidated houseboat on the Tennessee River near Knoxville.  Remaining on the margins of the outcast community there--a brilliantly imagined collection of eccentrics, criminals, and squatters--he rises above the physical and human squalor with detachment, humor, and dignity.

To read the reviews on the back cover you would think this man is the greatest writer who ever lived. We shall see.  (I have heard of the other two books they mention above, but I don't know anything about them.)

Well, I have a lovely stack of reading material beckoning to me, so I think I'll spend some time reading before bedtime.

I hope you all have a lovely rest of your weekend!
Shalom! :)