Beat the heat, shop early mornings

Have you experienced or witnessed any run-ins in the Coulee this summer? Say what? You’ll probably recognize these examples: a run-in or a near miss run-in could easily happen in a parking lot (yes, the one where we mingle with visitors) and with that, let’s move on. It’s kind of like a no-choice-deal where all too often, the locals (we live here) get involved in parking wars over the best places to put your car in a lot. Jockeying around for a parking spot happens every day because we’re mingling with the out-of-towners and they seem to be in a big hurry.

Have you been in a situation like this? Well, I have. I’ve had a verbal run in with a guy who parked so close to the driver’s door on my car that I had to wait around in the heat until he came out and moved so I could safely drive away. Parking closest to a store’s door or trying to get in to what a driver considers an advantageous parking spot, has been known to bring on a fender-bender and cash outlays for the likes of a door banging mishap or an ugly side swiping.

Like me, maybe you’ve seen a runaway shopping cart, picking up speed, then stiring up the dust, and finally, just about to crash into a parked car. The cart I watched stopped on its own right on the back end of a high end vehicle. Oh well. Life goes on. Here’s another tidbit. What about the shopper who almost causes a wreck, which I’ll call a hit and stay until the cops show up, because this person stops to talk on a cell phone, right where others are backing out into the parking lot.

Earlier this summer, I saw a guy stop in his tracks to take a call. Luckily, the person backing out of the parking spot behind him saw his hulk and stopped short of hitting him. A few sparky words flew between the two involved, and finger gestures.

How does a person avoid overcrowding in a parking lot? By shopping early in the morning or waiting until evening, after 8 or 9 p.m. After the end-of-summer holiday, Labor Day, the visiting public to our neck-of-the-woods slows down and we can pretty much pick and choose where we want to park our cars, except for a few days each month when we locals tend to do our grocery shopping and pay bills.

Have you noticed that after the summer crowds leave, the streets of our towns almost roll up and quite a few businesses close up around 5 p.m.? As the old saying goes, in small towns, after 6 p.m. except for the grocery stores, a few eateries and bars, it’s quiet time, unlike evenings in some European towns and in Canada, when the evening meals and activities start up late. A totally different atmosphere.

How about parking smart? Smart means what? Basically, just taking time and being patient. But if you’re a person who wants to indulge in parking rage — raging might come with a price — you can rage and pay higher insurance rates for backing into a parked car.

Enough said about parking problems. Let’s move on to using your parking skills to stop and shop at a yard, garage or any kind of homegrown sale in the Coulee. Parking in front of or close to a sale site can be tricky; you might get hedged in between other cars, or end up with your tires in a hole, as one of my shopping friends did. She left her car in gear, so it decided to escape, moving down the street until it was stopped on a flat area. No damage. No one hurt. Just laughs.

Holy Toledo! Is there a lesson to learn in that scenario? Well, yes. How about, at least turning your ride off before you jump out to get going on your shopping excursion. Or get yourself a designated driver, somebody who will let you out and park it or drive around and around until you’re shopped out. Somebody around here should start up a yard sale limo service. Sounds like shopping on the cheap, L.A. style.

One last hurrah. The Electric City-based garage sale, put on in great style by Donna, Tyler and Leia, started with an early morning rush and a couple of early birds waiting for the doors to open. By 9:30 a.m., a 1940-’50s era tabletop Crosby radio and a vintage accordion were sold, plus hardbound books, with all kinds of cookbooks in the offering. The books were priced at three for a dollar or 50 cents a piece. Even with the sun beating down on the driveway, the assortment of books was worth checking out. Another great sale at this location is in the works, but not for this summer. Then, just when you think you’ve seen all there is to see, there’s another too-good-to-be-true sale, again, in EC where Marcie and Laura shared some of their home decor treasures and clothing with shoppers with a few dollars to spend. Happiness is going home with neat stuff, scored at a good price.

Let’s all sing our own version of Pharell Williams’ hit tune, Happy. Somebody, please get me that hat. I want it!