I woke up at a fairly early hour this morning because I was having some disturbing dreams. They were all about living in Northampton and teaching at that high school. To a large extent they all involved death as well, as they were about teachers I’d been friends with who have since passed away.

They were sad dreams and really came out of nowhere. I hadn’t thought about these people in a very long time. But I woke up feeling terribly sad.

The feeling has lingered all day.

I decided that I needed to get out of the apartment and go for a drive. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm and I decided that a trip to the stamp store might take my mind off of things and get some of my creative juices flowing.

I’ve ordered some stamps, but they haven’t come in yet, but there were several magazines that I wanted to get and hadn’t been able to find at the bookstore. I did pick up a couple of stamps – of course from one of the more expensive lines- and some of the special paints that I’ve become addicted to.

I wasn’t there for more than an hour, though, and this is very unusual for me as I’m almost always there for a couple of hours.

I still needed to find something else to do.

Oddly enough, I was near a mall but had no desire to go shopping or even browsing. (Yes, I checked to see if I was feverish but I’m fine.) So I decided to get back on the highway and drive another forty miles to check out a stamp store I’d heard of. I had no idea where it was, I’d never been to this town before, all I had was the address from a magazine.

I found it.

It wasn’t worth the drive.

Everyone who had talked about it thought it was a swell place and just chock full of good things. But I didn’t find that. Now it may be that her stock was down and new orders hadn’t come in yet, but the shelves were sparsely stocked.

I only bought one stamp and one packet of paper. The stamp is actually three stamps in one, as it’s a cube that has stamps on three sides and is designed to make paper look as if it has been marbled. It was something that I’d seen on a program but have never had the chance to try out.

The paper is kind of cool. It’s got some sort of special effect to it and it comes with 3-D glasses. Fourteen sheets of paper and seven pairs of glasses, so you send the glasses with the card that you make.

Should be fun to play with.

The ride home was LONG! I was a good seventy-five miles away from home, so it took way too long on a highway I hate to get back. I’ll probably give the stamp store another chance on a day that I feel like going for a ride, but I don’t think I’ll make any special trip.

If I ever need to go to New Hampshire I’ll stop there, as it is practically IN New Hampshire!

It won’t be a regular pilgrimage though.

I spent the rest of the evening just putzing around. I had left at ten thirty in the morning and didn’t get home until almost five in the afternoon.

I think most of that time was spent driving.

I should have done school work, but I just couldn’t get motivated.

That will be my torture for tomorrow.