Three Cheers for the Yellow and Blue!

I remember when I first visited IKEA, almost seventeen years ago. It was the one in Potomac Mills, Maryland, and I went there with my mom, and we bought a crib for this kid's older brother. Do I have recessive genes or what?!

At the time, I appeared to be the only person in Texas to be aware of the existence of such a store. Now you can't drive halfway to Dallas without hitting one.

It's the perfect place to while away a rainy Fourth of July, or would be, if pretty much the entire population of central Texas didn't have exactly the same idea. It's still a cool store. I did not buy any more furniture, any potted plants, lavender-scented candles, kitchen gadgets, fabric, rugs, toys, heart-shaped pillows, mattresses, strings of leaf- and flower-shaped outdoor lights, powerstrips, vases, framed art, or anything else.

Until we got to the checkout counter, where they had umbrellas on display, for half price. And they're soooo big. And I have been suffering a bit from umbrella envy lately.

Now if the rain hadn't stopped, I'd be set.