A Bear of a Trip

I wanted to go to the mall today, but there were a few errands I just couldn't put off anymore. I rode my bike as well as I could around town. Hit the bank and did my laundry. The laundromat was dead; a lot of people either did their laundry before the snow hit, are away for the week on Christmas break, or are hiding from the snow.

When I got home, I put the laundry away, had a quick lunch...and headed right back out again. I wanted to take the 1:45 bus that would likely arrive in Audubon Park to the Cherry Hill Mall. Well, I walked over to near the tattoo parlor on the White Horse Pike, and waited...and eventually saw a bus going by. My bus. Which didn't stop, or even come on my side!

Needless to say, I was NOT happy. I finally decided to walk over to the Audubon Crossings Mall and take a look at the FYE there. It's closing down. I couldn't figure out why. I always thought it was really popular.

I finally picked the gift set for The African Queen that comes with a reprint of Katherine Hepburn's wonderful book about the making of that movie and the first Woody Woodpecker set. I used to love the Walter Lantz cartoons when they were on Fox in the late 80s and early 90s. Between the store's closing sales and my Membership Card, I whittled African Queen down to 28 dollars and Woody Woodpecker and Friends down to $17.99...and with the 30 dollar gift card Lauren gave me, it ended up costing 18 dollars.

And why is the FYE closing if it's so popular? Alas, the Audubon Crossings management apparently raised the rent beyond what FYE was willing to pay, popularity or no popularity. (I wonder if that's what sunk Fat Jack's Barbecue as well.)

I headed over to the bus stop on Nicholson Road after leaving FYE. This time, the bus DID pick me up. Barring some traffic in Cherry Hill, I finally arrived at the Cherry Hill Mall around 3:30.

I spent most of the time at JCPenney, my favorite of the four major department stores in this area. They always had great sales. I really did well there. I eventually picked up two long-sleeved t-shirts, 4 bras, a new pair of good New Balance sneakers for work (the old ones were literally falling apart), and a pack of heavy washcloths. Every single last item was on some kind of a sale - the bras were buy 2, get 2 free.

Just strolled around the mall next. I browsed in a few stores, but it was really crowded. Like me, everyone wanted to hit the big sales. My next stop was the smaller FYE next to Macy's. I made another great score there. In addition to picking up the second set of Three Stooges shorts (I may go back and get the first from the Audubon FYE later this week), they were having a 50% off all WebKinz sale. I've wanted the Signature Endangered Brown Bear since it came out a few months ago, but the large Signature WebKinz are usually $24.99. With the sale and my Membership Card, it came out to $11.25!

I was getting really tired at that point. I browsed in Macy's and Spring, looking for boots, but I either couldn't find what I wanted, or the line was too long. I want fur-lined, weather-proof boots. Actually, I'd like a pair of Uggs, too, but let's start with the ones that'll keep my feet dry in weather like this. The boots Miss Ellie gave me in the summer are cracked and old.

I had a Sweet Onion Teryiaki Sandwich and Sun Chips at Subway in the food court, then went back to JCPenney's to await the 7PM bus. (JCPenney is conviently next to the bus stop.) I found one more thing I needed there - a nice, thick pair of red knit gloves. My black gloves with the faux-fur cuffs are getting thin, and the heavy cheinile gloves have a hole in them.

(And I still have 22 dollars left on the last JCPenney gift card!)

This time, the bus picked me up and dropped me off with no problems. I walked home easily. Most people had cleared their sidewalks...and in many cases, what humans didn't clear, Mother Nature did. The grass on the Black Horse Pike is half-clear. It's still a bit windy, but not as bad as the last few days.

There was salt laid on my steps when I got home, but not on the porch. I'll do that myself tomorrow.

And meet Butch the Signature WebKinz Brown Bear! He's going to be one of the last WebKinz I get. I want to find a Silverback Gorilla and a Bluffadoodle...and after that, I don't really need any more WebKinz! I have over 85 online. I'll still play the game, but I need to start clearing stuffed animals, not buying more.