Dorothy, I wish there was some helpful advice to offer about the trip to the US, but the inmates are running the asylum and citizens and legal residents are being arrested here so it's difficult to offer encouragement.

This morning in the news I read that The Bay is liquidating the last few stores. Really? All of Canada has only a few stores now? I don't have the story in front of me, but it sounded like 4 or 6 stores, and some connected Saks establishments? I have quite a few things around here that I bought at The Bay on various cross-border excursions to visit family or go to conferences. After Sears finally closed down here I found that their superior Die Hard automotive batteries were still being made and up to the same standards because another company bought the rights to them. I wonder if the Hudson's Bay blankets and other iconic items will fare as well in Canada?

I managed to push all of my errands for the week to today so am leaving soon to work my way down a fairly involved list of stops and purchases and things to pick up and people to meet.