The Fickle Finger of Fate

You just never know when you start on your journey - whether it be around the world or to the corner store - how it's going to change your life.  
As I mentioned in my earlier post, I started out the day planning to do some shopping.  BUT - my first stop needed to be gas for the car.  LOOOOONG story short - one hour and 3 gas stations later, I'm having to use the little bit of cash I had (gas station drama going on around town today, apparently).  SO - because that left me with little cash, I needed to find an ATM, which I wanted to do on the way to my shopping destination.  I remembered the ATM in a convenience store on the way, and pulled in, used it with no issues -YAY- and as I walked out - there was a van parked next to me that said "Beads and More" on the side.  Seriously.  BEADS.  Right next to me.  And the woman was just returning to her van.  So I stopped her and asked her about it.  Well.  It turns out the SHE was the owner of a store very similar to mine in another town about 1/2 hour south of here.  I never had opportunity or reason to go there - she was open about the same amount of time as me, and closed about a year after me.  We spoke for quite a while right there in the parking lot about how we would both LOVE to find another venue, and still had enough inventory from the old places to do so.  I gave her my card (she didn't have any), and we decided to definitely keep in touch and get together again to put our heads together to make that happen.  And here's the best part about the whole fateful thing - she had never been to that store in her life.  This was the first time.  And I rarely go there either.  So wow.  Just wow, Spirit.  Fate definitely works in mysterious ways.
AND then there was the BONUS round.   In order to get from where I live to the shopping meccas to the north, I must pass through lots of wooded space, along the edge of a nature area, and the back of the zoo.  Always opportunity to see wild life.  And this year, we seem to have a celebrity of sorts among our wildlife:  A large female turkey that comes from somewhere around the nature area, and isn't afraid of cars - she'll walk right out in the road, look in windows, and peck at the tires.  She was even front page news in the paper this weekend.   Well - I got to the famous corner - and there she was.  Standing right in the road like she was ready to sign autographs.  I'm afraid her celebrity will be rather short lived, as someone will probably hit her one of these days - but for now she's quite the conversation starter, to say the least!  I couldn't wait to call my hubby and tell him.  Hooray for cell phones, but I wish I had one with a camera!
So shopping trip done for today.  Mission sort of accomplished.  I did get one niece done, got a GREAT DEAL on bags and ribbon at HomeGoods (man, I love that store), and picked up a few things for a few people to get me started.  Did you think I was going to list them here?  Hah.  I was NOT born yesterday, girls!
All in all, despite the grayness of the day - it's been a good one.  The gas station fiasco(s) had me wondering, but it was just Fates' silly way of creating opportunity.  Crazy.  But cool.
Peaceful beading & gobble gobble!
TTFN