Family outing

We went for a family outing Saturday evening to TSC--Tractor Supply Company. The tradition of visiting a farm supply store for family fun began years ago when we drove forty-five minutes to the nearest Quality Farm and Fleet. We made the trip about once a month to stock up on cat food, softener salt and other necessities. Quality always had racks of bulk (sometimes stale) candy displayed near the checkout. Dad would buy one bag and we would pass the red licorice or gummy bears around the van on the drive home. Quality Farm and Fleet became Quality Farm and Country, which was bought by TSC. Then TSC opened a store in our town, and now the drive isn't so long and the candy isn't so plentiful.

The unusual aspect of our Saturday evening trek was that it turned into an errand extravaganza. Usually we barely have enough time to scoot in the doors of TSC before it closes. Saturday we ate dinner early and completed our TSC run before it was dark. Then it seemed that everyone requested at least one stop on the way home.

First stop was Sears so that Mom could exchange a pair of boy's blue jeans. Aaron, Brian and Logan headed to the tool department with a broken tool that Logan wanted replaced. Betsy, Naomi and I slipped across the mall to the camera store that was going out of business.

Then we swung by Walgreens so that Betsy could pick up some pictures she had printed. We dropped off books and a dvd at the library and Dad drove across the parking lot past the Center for the Arts so that we could admire the flowers in front of Dow Gardens. Despite grumbling from my siblings, Dad shifted the van into park so that I could shoot a few pictures.

From there we drove past the bike shop so that Logan could drool over the display outside and stopped at the ATM so that I could deposit a check. Our last stop was to pick up a pie leftover from the garage sale. "We don't have to stop," Mom told Dad, "unless you want pie for dinner tomorrow." Of course we stopped.