Normally I walk to the closest grocery, Ramstore, because it has everything we need, you know, bread, yogurt, bananas, caviar-flavored potato chips.
Yesterday my friend braved the streets of Moscow and drove us to the American Women's Club Christmas crafts fair. I admired the carved Santas, and beautiful matrushkas, Lomonovsky porcelain, and I almost bought a pretty bird etching. I lingered over everything but didn't buy anything except my first piece of Russian jewelry. A lady selling amber had a couple Japanese women in a frenzy, and I thought about Christmas gifts, but Peter bought a bunch of amber in St. Petersburg, and I couldn't remember our inventory. But there was one ring I couldn't leave behind. The design is sort of art nouveau, and in a sterling setting, two things I really like. The amber has insect wings trapped in a pretty cabochon bubble of yellow.
Then my friend practiced her triple-parking moves on the ring road and we stopped by the fancy grocery store. Why do I never shop there? Beautiful lighting, beautiful displays, interesting imported items–penis-shaped pasta anyone?–my atm card worked at the check out and the cashier didn't insist on exact kopeks.
I bought a huge pork roast for like $10 and the dairy and bread prices are the same everywhere. The French yogurts were a fortune, but a better treat than the Italian cookies I didn't buy. I bought two portabello mushrooms that were $7, and then I bought a butternut squash that cost even more than that. I drew the line at buying bananas there, knowing they would cheaper at my corner veggie stand.
Today I walked to the veggie stand and bought bananas. Then the lady showed me this gorgeous mango. We had such good mangos in Portugal; I'd forgotten how much I miss them. So I bought a ridiculously expensive mango. Walking back to the house, I realized I just paid the same amount for the mango as I'd paid at the craft's fair for the beautiful amber ring. I dunno. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten the ring.
twenty-something years of "what have you been up to?" 
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