The Mall

Day 13 of my first cycle of chemo and I'm feeling remarkably well. My cough seems to be taking a break this morning, so I really can't complain about anything (darn!). It's been rainy here at the Cape so yesterday we had to take our daily 2-mile walk at the mall. I'm not a big fan of mall walking; I'd rather be outdoors any time. But if it's raining, the mall is a good alternative. The Cape Cod Mall is only a mile or so from our place, very convenient. It's not a bad place to walk if you have to walk indoors. It has two main corridors and lots of side alleys. One loop around is about a mile (15 min.). We usually go for two or three loops. I don't really like malls - I much prefer to shop in a nice downtown or even an outdoor plaza - but our mall isn't the worst. It's usually pretty lively, has a comfortable feel and even has a real, working merry-go-round. It also has a good-sized Barnes and Noble, a Best Buy and, for the ladies, the usual 10,000 or so specialty clothes stores. And lots of comfortable chairs for the bored husbands to fall asleep in. There are the usual restaurants, food court, multiplex, specialty stores and anchor stores found in all malls. A nice bonus is the presence of a Trader Joe's, my favorite food store, next door to the mall. Next to Trader Joe's is a Christmas Tree Shop, the world center of impulse shopping. No one goes in there looking for anything specific, but just fishes for the latest unbelievable bargains. Fig and pomegranate marmalade imported from France for only $1.29? Who can resist. A 12-piece barbecue set for $2? Gotta have it. Two hundred AA batteries for only $1.50? Why not. Should last the grand kids at least a week. Needless to say, we've bought a few things, but never an actual Christmas tree, there. There's also a Borders, but not a very large one, nearby, as well as a Home Depot and pretty much any other kind of shopping  a person could wish for. In other words, we live close to the shopping heart of the Cape. As for bookstores, there are, thankfully, a number of excellent independent bookstores in the area. And, of course, there is downtown Hyannis with lots of stores and restaurants. One of our favorite walks is downtown and the harbor. More on that later.