Time to myself

Yes, I'm visiting family in another state, but they're all scattering to their respective schools and offices today and I have a day to myself. In a city. That has stores.

Both of you know how infrequently I shop, given that I live in the Middle of Nowhere. Tiny Kroger is a 12-mile, one-way drive from my house, and that's the closest place to buy basic groceries. They've just now begun selling cilantro, occasionally, but don't look for tahini or fish sauce or hot curry powder. (They're well-stocked on mild, thankyouverymuch.)

And fuhgeddaboutit if you're even remotely crafty. Michael's Arts and Crafts is an hour and a half away from my house. Here, though, I can be there in no time. My daughter's house is 10 minutes away from a mecca of consumerism.

I'm not a big consumer and I manage quite nicely with the internet. (Just ask my husband. Or pay my credit card bill.) But there are times when it's helpful to actually look at, touch, hold, examine what you want to buy, rather than just clicking to enlarge. (Wow, that sounds like a male-enhancement ad, doesn't it?)

So I'm on my own today and I. Will. Be. Shopping. On my list:

• a Dutch oven, a kitchen necessity I've finally decided I can't live without
• Weck canning jars (for storage, just because they're pretty)
• sesame seeds (to make tahini. Yes, I could just buy tahini but that doesn't solve the eventual problem of having to buy more in the future. Homemade tahini is easy-peasy.)
• raw sunflower seeds in bulk (to add to my granola, I can only find roasted, salted locally)
• various and sundry crafty supplies, including dimensional Mod Podge and some blank stretched canvases

Pinterest (my new crack habit), and some of the projects therein, have inspired part of my shopping list. Frankly, though, it'll just be nice to walk around a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods or even a Target.

Instead of a Tiny Kroger.