Bill Ellzey: Put all those outlet store 'savings' on our credit card
The weather on the Mississippi Gulf Coast was uniformly gray, windy and uncomfortably cold for the entirety of our "mini-vacation." By the time you read this, we will be back in Houma and possibly in our house on Bellaire Drive.
When our positive tests for COVID-19 last week made it necessary to vacate Terrebonne, we did not expect to find entertainment near Gulfport, just an affordable place to stay until new tests might find us negative and acceptable among friends and relatives.
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Our search for a suitable hotel found nothing affordable near Houma. A possible hotel near New Iberia lacked any activities to interest us nearby.
Outlet shopping: Our Mississippi hotel accepted our dog Cali and was close to clusters of so-called "outlets." We could leave her in our room and drive out to shop or just explore. At a nearby Belk store, we saved, my wife announced, a whopping $234.
Sounded like a fantastic deal, until she admitted that the "savings" cost us $207.
And all that shopping drained my energy. Thorough shopping is hard work, so I make a quick reconnaissance of the store and find a chair or bench to wait while the wife scrutinizes every row for the bargains that "saved" us more than $200. I would retreat to the car, except that my in-store presence is needed for finalizing the purchases with a credit card.
Dog tricks: Cali, our mixed-breed rescue dog, managed more than once to supply instances of frightening excitement. We did not dare let her loose amid the traffic surrounding our hotel, but twice, she escaped our room and ran off madly in all directions.
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At 78, I made no attempt to chase down our pooch. Cali is far too fast and too spry for me. So we watched as she ran full-speed to the distant end of the hotel property to "do her business" and to "check the pee-mail" messages left by other dogs, leaving messages of her own before moving on.
Eventually, Cali returned to the room or car and went inside. If she had any idea how relieved we were, she gave no sign of it. She ran straight to the water and food bowls, tanked up and then curled up to rest. I praised her for returning and did not fuss at all about the trouble and fright she caused.
Student Art Show: Sponsored by the Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild, a show next month is open to all students, grades one through 12. The show, at Downtown Art Gallery 630, 630 Belanger St., Houma, will run Feb. 19-26, with a reception and award ceremony the final day.
The guild's Dawn Koetting says awards will be given at each grade level, and three "Best in Show" awards will be given in Elementary, Middle School and High School categories.
For information about registration and artwork drop-off, visit the Terrebonne Fine Arts Guild on Facebook or at terrebonnefineartsguild.org. You can also email tfag.gallery@gmail.com or call 859-3400.
Responding? Contact Bill Ellzey at (985) 381-6256, ellzey@viscom.net, billellzey312@gmail.com or Bill Ellzey, 312 Bellaire Drive, Houma, LA 70360. My submission deadlines are early Mondays for Wednesday columns and early Fridays for Sunday columns. Send full details about a week in advance of your event or announcement.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Bill Ellzey: Put all those outlet store 'savings' on our credit card
