Just running around.

And I've been home now for... a time (too embarrassed to say),  and I still haven't done a damned thing.

There was the weekly breakfast,  and then a side trip to Crappy Tire for some clear plastic totes for more "stuff".   Gotta store your "stuff"  properly.   Mind you,  this is my sister-in-law's "stuff",  but never fear,  we've got our share too.

Then it was off to the clock store/jeweller/whatever,  to drop off a mantel clock that emerged as a result of sorting through the "stuff",   and then on to Costco for a propane refill  (it's like...13 bucks,  as opposed to something like 19 at the gas station!)   and then a quick visit to the local "Liquidation Warehouse"  to look through their "stuff",  and then finally a side trip to Dollarama for well,  "necessary stuff",  like hand soap and such. 

The "highlight" of the day was renewing my membership at MEC.

So,  lemme 'splain.    Mountain Equipment Coop is a supplier of all things outdoors.  Camping,  hiking,  biking,  skiing.  You name it.

Now,  once upon a time,  they were a "mail order"  type of outfit,  something like L.L.Bean,  or at least the way L.L. Bean used to be.  You can order from any of them on line these days.

Back in the day,  you filled out the form in the catalogue,  calculated the tax and shipping,  sent off your cheque with the said form,  and waited for your package to arrive.    MEC had the one and only location on King Street in Toronto way back when,  but now of course,  they're all over Canada.

Note,  I said Canada. 

I seem to recall ordering a rain coat that I kept and used until something like 2001.  I kid you not.  Good value.

Anyway,  as strange as it may sound,  you have to be a "member".   I'm sure there's some sort of legal mumbo-jumbo involved that allows them to call themselves a "Coop",  but the thing is,  I became a member sometime back in either 1975 or 1976.   (Oh wait,  somewhere it says,  "owned by its members".  OK then,  I'm a part "owner".  *snort*!)


 The start of  the conversation with the young lady at the counter went something like,  "Back in the days when your parents were still in school and quite possibly hadn't met yet,  I became a member of this coop."

The trick was,  where exactly was I living when I signed up?   Oh by the way,  the cost of membership?  Five bucks.

I was actually willing to cough up another five bucks if we couldn't find me in the data base.  The membership never expires,  and all of the paper records had been transferred onto computer at some point.   The young lady was pretty certain that I was in there.

We tried a few different addresses.  Hamilton, Dundas,  Burlington.   And she found me.  Dundas!   It was my last year of High School,  and I was paying room and board in Dundas so I could finish up my final year.   The rest of the household had moved to Burlington,  but I wasn't about to tag along.   That's another story.

Anyhoo,  I suppose I can once again buy camping stuff.  Not that I'd be doing a whack of camping.  Or if I did,  I'd be on my own let's just say?   Plus,  half the time the deals on Amazon are somewhat better but hey,  Christmas is coming,  and at least one of the Daughter Units likes to car camp,  so who knows?   Well,  she and her S.O do go skiing too,  so that's also a possibility.


Hope ya learned something.

Thanks for stopping by.

And remember,  keep your stick on the ice.