A License to Print Money

A colleague of mine once remarked that a Dunkin' Donuts franchise was like a "license to print money." Indeed when we see the cars lined up in Norton waiting for a sugar/caffein fix, that looks to be the case.

Today we visited the new L. L. Bean store in Mansfield. Yikes! The people. Must have been 30-40 standing in the checkout lines, and more, more, more perusing the merchandise. It was always a truism in the retail business that bad weather brought the customers out in droves to stock up on jackets, boots, scarves and the like. It must be true. We've had five days of yucko weather and folks were buying flannel like it was going out of style which it really isn't in, not if you read the inside pages of the NYTimes.

Anyway, business was brisk and the cash registers were ringing. We were in the new Bass Pro Shop store a few weeks ago, agog at the wildlife, the fish, the fishing tackle, the comfy chairs and sofas strewn about that people could actually sit in. So cozy, so restful. Just made you want to sit a spell until you could toss some more stuff into your cart. No! Can't remember carts.

The store was like a big amusement park. More cold weather. More crowds. New Englanders are a hearty bunch, inscrutably fond of winter. Grapeshot is a warm weather girl herself, less interested in long undies than sandals and sarongs. Oh well.

The Scottish Highland calf continues to flourish. Hope he stays warm and cozy. Such a sweet little critter. First time for a Christmas calf. Moooo. Maybe the calf needs a flannel shirt and a scarf and a little cap for his brown head.

Oh do be serious!

Grapeshot