I Am a Ninja

Yesterday I went grocery shopping and, inspired by Sandy and Audrey, decided to see how much money I could save. I didn’t shop with a list, except for a few staples I absolutely needed. I took my time, combing each aisle for deals, making sure no buy-one-get-one was overlooked. I checked out and—drum roll, please—walked away with $99.47 worth of groceries, having spent only $49.70! I saved about as much as I spent (and I didn’t buy anything we won’t eat). I wanted to do a little victory dance in the checkout lane, you know, like football players do when they score a touchdown. Somehow I managed to restrain myself and saved the dance for home.

Helping me keep from dancing in the store was my back, which decided that grocery shopping was a good time to absolutely freak out. By the end of the trip, I was gripping the shopping cart handle so hard my knuckles were white. When I thought no one could hear me, I’d let out little sighs that meant, “My back really hurts.”

Granted, I knew it was coming. I babysat Wednesday evening, and I knew the piggyback rides around the backyard were a bad idea, but…well, you tell a seven-year-old that you, who are not even thirty yet, have a bad back and cannot give her a piggyback ride, running “as fast as you can!” Hearing her squeal with delight was worth the backache. Compounding the problem was the fact that yesterday morning I decided to finally tear up the garden. Apparently my back also does not appreciate shoveling. And, no, I don’t really want to talk about the garden. It was very nearly a complete disaster. But, there’s always next year to continue the delusion that I am or can become a gardener.

All is well with the world, though, because at Harris Teeter I bought buy-one-get-one loaves of crusty sourdough bread, slices of which make the best grilled cheese when combined with on-sale slices of Muenster. Perfectly crispy on the outside, but still chewy inside. Tangy sourdough + creamy, mild Muenster. And each sandwich cost about fifty cents. Yes, life is good.