I’m not sure exactly when it happened, but at some point or other, I started to really dislike shopping.

I’m not talking about shopping for something specific like a ladder or a lamp for my office. I’m talking about window shopping, browsing for fun, strolling the mall to see what’s new — that sort of shopping.

I can think of about a gazillion things I’d rather do with my time, including going to the post office. Shopping is tedious unless there’s something specific that I need to find. But, as with most things, there is an exception or two.

First there’s junk shopping. I can spend a ridiculous amount of time prowling around junk shops, flea markets, antique stores, etc.  Junk is fascinating. What makes us buy something then a few years later discard it? (Okay, I do have that thing about switching sofas every few years, so never mind.)

Second is Internet shopping. I can spend half a day on Amazon. And, then there’s Muffys.  (They have saddle shoes. Real ones. In brown or  green as well as black.) Then there’s Greenleaf. I tracked them down after a vacation in Charleston where I found the best sachet — honey and orange — pure bliss for my sniffer.

You can find almost anything you need online. I was looking for those long sock things you see in front of the freezers at the supermarket one day and after only about a half hour of searching — bingo — PIG. (In addition to Absorbent Socks, they have a fun & games page with the Match game, Morphing Sparky, and Mind-Reading Swine. Ya gotta’ see it!)

So, what brought all this up? I made my annual Spring pilgrimage to the local mall a couple of days ago and found a great sweater, but not in my size. Of course, the clerk called around to their other stores and found one for me. So now, I have to go pick it up tomorrow at the “big” mall about 30 miles away. I dread it. Too many people. I haven’t a clue where this specific store is in that mall. It’ll take forever. Yada, yada yada.

I really like that sweater, though.

Guess I’ll just have to tough it out.

If you don’t hear from me within a week, send out a search party ’cause I’ve gone on a shopping spree!