When I was a little girl my Momma, Mamaw Simmons and I used to go shopping every Saturday. It always involved buying groceries, but first we usually went downtown to Wellan’s or J.C. Penny or Weiss & Goldring or Sears.

They would shop and I would play in the clothes racks. Then, while they were in the grocery store, I would get to go next door to Whittle’s Toy Store, which was a wonderful, magical place for a kid to be. On the way home, I usually dug through the grocery bags to find something to make a sandwich with, which would get me through the nine mile stretch to the house. This went on until I was old enough to stay by myself, because by that time, I despised shopping. As a matter of fact I would only go if I needed a new pair of shoes, or had to go to the fabric store to pick out material for a new dress; the latter of which pretty much came under the category of torture.

I have friends who love shopping. And, they’re good at it. I would dare say that they have elevated it to art form.

For me, shopping has always pretty much been ‘of the devil’. That is, until last year, when I discovered a new kind of shopping. I took up welding…and you do that in a shop. Like my friends, I intend to elevate it to an art form. And, the beauty of it is that you don’t do it to spend money. As a matter of fact, you might even make some. So if you ever come looking for me,

you’ll probably find me shopping.