Two of my favorite people in the blogging world are going that extra mile to help the tsunami victims. My lovely friends Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred, and my lovely friend Michele. Each equally lovely in very different ways, I might add for their relief and your enlightenment. Please go to Michele’s blog and post a comment. And then go to Sigmund, Carl, and Alfred, and tell them what great guys they are. The more comments, the bigger the donation will be. Go on, do it NOW. It’s easy. Thank you for helping this very worthy cause.

And now back to our regular programming. . . . .

I do love soft flannel sheets in the winter-time. Mine are dark green.

I am very particular about sheets. Oh, I’m not into the ‘1,000 count’ sets that cost more than a used car. My sheets are so old, most of them feel like that anyway. I’m just. . . . particular. Quirkily so. I once gave away a set of lovely flowered sheets just because I didn’t personally like them. (They annoyed me. There’s no logic to it.) I can’t stand sheets so cheap they scratch, but neither do I like sheets that are slick, like satin or silk.

I’m also particular about towels. I hate really thick, slick towels. Or towels with scratchy embroidery, or annoying ruffles. I’m partial to the really soft thinnish towels that discriminating people can pick up at K-Mart in the section NEXT to the Martha Stewart Collection.

I’m just not the luxury type. I realize this comes as somewhat of a shock to all of you, but I am more the bargain type.

That label has several meanings, however. Once you stop laughing you might realize this. A person labelled ‘bargain’ isn’t necessarily on the loss-leader rack at Costco. Neither is he/she in the ‘last chance to buy before we put it in the dumpster’ bin at WalMart. A person who is a bargain is a person you lucked into, buster. Savvy people LOVE bargains. Bargain people are low-maintenance, and fun, and whenever you look at him/her, you think, ‘What a DEAL!” Bargains make people smile, and feel lucky. How fortunate is the person who found a bargain. People brag about bargains, and compare bargains, and take bargains home and are happy, happy, happy to do so. People cherish bargains. People look for bargains all their lives. Once a bargain is found, it’s taken right to the heart and cherished.

Sure, toilet paper can be a bargain, too. But would you really want to be without any? You NEED it. And you buy it, even when circumstances force you to buy it at BigFoot, where nothing is a bargain because they’ve gotcha and they know it. But when you get a BARGAIN on it, even though it’s TOILET PAPER, you tell people about your luck.

If you are lucky enough to have a bargain spouse, cherish them. If you are unsure which kind of spouse you have, just observe them for a day. Does your spouse serve herself/himself last? Does your spouse make oatmeal cookies for you at 2 a.m, even though he/she hates them? Is your spouse happy to share the Happy Meal toy with you even though it’s really cute and she/he wants it for herself/himself? Does your spouse laugh a lot, and make YOU laugh a lot? Does your spouse buy shoes for you, even though his/her own shoes have a big hole on the sole? Does your spouse give you shoulder massages, and scratch your back, and play with your hair while on long drives? Does your spouse stop for ice cream at the place he/she knows you like best, even though he/she likes another place best? Would your spouse sit through a movie much against his/her will, because he/she knows you wanted to see it? Does your spouse have your babies, and groove in glee because they look like you or your family?

If you are lucky enough to say ‘yes’ to the above, then you got a bargain, my friend. Count your blessings. You found a real bargain.

A skinny gorgeous luxury babe would surely bring you down.