cold and wet

It’s cold and dark and while it isn’t raining now, sky says that there is more to come. This is mid July. I hear and read of heat waves elsewhere, but I suppose that they must have our allotment of heat. Maybe there is only so much to go around. The thing about being in the Arctic watershed is that we are far from any large body of water, and it can really get very hot here. Then when the winds blow there is a real possibility of the boreal forest burning. While there were two nearby fires in May there is little chance now. So yesterday, in the rain, a friend and I went downtown to check out the summer sales at the classier shops. This summer is a shopping bonanza because shops are moving and then improving, so we get the bargains. I always wonder that if everything can be half price or less, what on earth are they making on the full mark up, and who has the luxury of buying at the full price. I have a pang of jealousy. I would like to be one of those who just breeze into a store and purchase the perfect outfit whenever they feel like it. As for me, I am not keeping these stores in business. I usually purchase two outfits a year, one in the winter sales and one in the summer sales. As it is I actually don’t have the full wardrobe that my profession demands, but it will have to do. Yet here we are being told to consume less for the sake of the planet. Perhaps in the clothing department the best I can do is to buy good quality and wear it well. Otherwise my purchases come from the thrift shops when I really need something. I notice, though, that I seldom get as much wear out of these items.