Christmas Eve and the shopping is...

It wouldn't be Christmas Eve without some last minute shopping. Plus the morning fog cleared out and RantWoman's body insisted some time outdoors in the sun was needed. And the Christmas gift list still had important holes.

The larger of RantWoman's
two snow-globe Christmas trees

One family gift arrived mail order within two days. Another is somewhere in transit. Still a third can be handled first thing in the morning by email. As in Auntie has no idea what the kid needs this year, so thank heavens for gift certificates. But still outstanding was a recurring request RantWoman has consistently shopped for at the Columbia City PCC.

RantWoman has sometimes been able to walk between her house and Columbia city, but today RantWoman was fighting multiple possible explanations for fatigue. Also mask plus cold weather makes even worse glasses steaming problems than either one alone. RantWoman might find this easier to cope with if she had really top-notch blind person mobility skills; she does not so instead she removes the steamed up and therefore almost useless glasses. Sigh. 

RantWoman likes to reassure herself that the glasses provide at least some barrier against all the droplets supposedly swirling around in the air but RantWoman does not like having to rely on Ambassador Thwack to impart clues about RantWoman efforts to avoid collisions with other people on foot.  Finally, even though we are past the solstice daylight does not last forever and RantWoman guessed correctly that she would need extra time shopping because of crowds. So trip, trap off to catch the 7. 

First, stand around at the bus stop, dodge streams of cigarette smoke, listen to other riders grumble about a bus that did not stop. Let a couple other routes go by. Finally a 7, and even a 7 with room in the courtesy area. Once on the bus, the ride to Columbia City was basically uneventful. People moved back. People did not cram into the "courtesy area. RantWoman easily got off the bus and headed to PCC. Between holiday-minded customers and staff disinfecting and sanitizing both grocery carts and checkstand counters between customers, the place was PACKED. RantWoman spent a few seconds being peeved to feel like a big germ vector at every turn. Then RantWoman soothed herself thinking about how glad some of the workers clearly were to have a job. 

Put the glasses on. Take the glasses off. Stow the glasses in the glasses case in the purse. get them out again. Food or not more food? Not. RantWoman has plenty of choices at home. Annnd...Mission accomplished on the gifts front. Check out line handled. Purchases stowed--by RantWomn--in her own bags. And...back to the return bus stop. Stand around. Listen to nearby chatter. At least the person smoking had the decency to move away and downwind from the bus stop. After awhile, a bus comes. A bus comes with "BUS FULL" on it's readerboard. Okayyyy. The bus did not stop. RantWoman could not tell for sure but it did not seem to RantWoman like the bus was full even according to #pandemic rules. But what does RantWoman know. After a bit, along comes another bus.

This bus is picking up passengers. More accurately, this bus is picking up all the passengers the previous bus drove by. RantWoman found a seat--by ignoring a Please Don't Sit Here sign. RantWoman was glad she grabbed a seat, any seat and did not just try to stand for several stops on the way home. Instead of trying to hold onto something and fiddle with glasses and cane, RantWoman spent most of the ride home wondering what percentage of the passengers have downloaded the WANotify app. At last, RantWoman got off the bus and headed home! 

RantWoman's other Snow Globe
this one with THREE Christmas trees

Ahh, but one more thing to resolve: the nature of tomorrow's celebration. In particular, should the RantSisters initiate RantMom into the practice before she moved to town of getting together sometime during the holidays but not necessarily worrying about whether it happens on Christmas day? No! Christmas Day it is. 

And will the RantFamily attempt some kind of in-person outdoor rendezvous. RantWoman realized there is one bus stop that is a one-seat ride on different routes from all three RantWomen domiciles. Should we meet at the bus stop? RantMom bring her walker? Little sister in her wheelchair. Um, NO! We are all out of practice as far as dressing for MT weather. Plus, RantMom wound up with and invitation to have Christmas dinner with a neighbor in their dining room.

So the plan: Irrepressible Nephew will be elf-chauffeur. Gifts will be gathered and routed, and we will gather again by Zoom, now that Auntie has figured out the latest new detail for tending to Zoom in Chrome.

Happy Christmas to all. May your shopping go quickly and be safe. May you be in good health!