What Was It Happy Gilmore Said To Bob Barker?

In stark contrast to at least one of my siblings, I actually enjoy going to the supermarket.

I know it's rather European, and therefore open to ridicule, but there's a certain joy to making the daily trek to pick out the freshest fruits, vegetables, and meats. Not that I do it daily, mind you.

Most of our meals during the weekend were at one time either processed and/or frozen. The only time to really plan and prepare a good meal is on the weekends.

So, I ran down to Tom Thumb this morning for makings for dinner this evening.

The easiest way I know to pass the time and make it fun is to try to figure the total of the final bill before it shows up on the monitor. I hear this insipid game teaches kids to count so there must be something educational about it, even for a 33 year old.

When I finished my grocery list before I left the house, I guessed it would come out to $43. I wasn't too far off- $47. But as I was picking out the shortest line, I got behind a lady who had just completed putting all her groceries on the runner. I was stunned at how many groceries she was purchasing. She must be hosting the Von Traps, Waltons, and Bradfords for dinner tonight. I guessed her total cost was $230; it turned out to be $237. Man, I love this game.

Going to the grocery store also reminded me when our mother would send Chris and me to Country Boys. Back in the day, one could go to the grocery store with only a signed check, no id, and still be allowed to purchase items on your parent's behalf. That was also when I went to the Wimberley grocery store and expected to run into people I knew.

Anyway, after crossing out every item on the list, some extras always found their way into a separate bag. Cupcakes, Swiss cake rolls, donuts, etc. When we pulled into the driveway, I'd run upstairs while Chris brought the rogue bag to the side of the house. He'd toss me the bag and I'd hide it in the attic. On our next trip to the store, we'd throw the bag (with all the empty wrappers inside) out the window and throw them away once we got into town before we re-stocked our upstairs dessert pantry.

We thought we got away with it, but now I have my doubts.

I'm sure my mom plays the price-check game also, and wondered why she was always ten dollars off whenever we went.