Woke up, it was a County morning, and the first thing that I saw … was the snow outside my window.

If Joni Mitchell had been in Presque Isle last weekend, she would’ve gone back to bed. I, of course, went shopping instead.

ShopGuy and I were in town for a visit and, silly me, I thought it would be warm. I packed sandals. I almost brought shorts. When I saw the flakes hitting the crocuses, I stared in disbelief.

Now, every time I write about the weather in Aroostook County, I get at least two letters from people who hate me. They tell me that if I don’t like it I should stay in Bangor. But I do like it. In fact, I love it. And when it’s cold outside, I like to retreat to the warmth of Marden’s in Presque Isle. (OK, I admit it, I go there when it’s hot out, too).

This time was no different. We fueled up on coffee, I borrowed a sweater, and we hit the road. When we got there, ShopGuy and I went our separate ways – he went searching for a reading lamp and I headed straight for the clothes. As I started combing the racks, it immediately became clear that I needed a cart.

For the past several years, I’ve had a sneaking suspicion that all the good clothes go to the Calais and Presque Isle stores, and this visit did little to dissuade me. I spent about an hour and a half sorting through the shirts, skirts, dresses and pants. It appeared that the entire spring 2002 collection from Filene’s made its way to Marden’s, and while some of it screamed “last year!” the rest of it was pretty good. I walked away with a pair of Ralph Lauren cargo shorts for $12.99 and a little retro dress for – I’m not kidding – $2.99.

A pair of Puma yoga pants in white terrycloth caught my eye, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that white pants and I aren’t a good combination. The black terrycloth Puma hoodies also called out to me, but I really don’t need another sweat shirt.

I did, however, need a pair of black capris, and the Kenneth Cole boot-cut version seemed like just the thing. But they didn’t fit. Neither did their longer, khaki counterparts. No bother, though, because on the same rack, I found an off-white silk sweater that fit perfectly, and it only cost $4.88.

Silk must have been the theme of the day, because I also scored a slip of a dress from Banana Republic, fully lined in silk, for $4.99. Now that’s a bargain.

Speaking of bargains, ShopGuy found the reading lamp he was looking for – spare and modern with an adjustable neck – for $19.99. We braved the crowd in the craft section, where a shipment from A.G. Moore just came in. There were stenciling essentials and calligraphy pens, papermaking kits and make-your-own greeting cards. The only thing they didn’t have was knitting supplies, but I took care of that.

Later in the day, ShopGuy’s mom, Susan, took me to Pieces of Eight on Main Street in Presque Isle. She had told me all about the bookstore-turned-yarn shop, and I was eager to check it out. Not that I needed another project, but when I walked in and saw the felted bag, I knew I had to knit one.

We spent an hour oohing and aahing over the novelty yarns and flipping through the impressive selection of knitting books. Pieces of Eight had a better selection than Borders and Barnes & Noble combined, including books on knitting with wire, which is a little more advanced than I can handle. It was wonderful to find so much good stuff in such a small shop – I’ll be back.

And when I come back, I hope it will be summery. But I can’t complain – if the shopping is this good, let it snow!

ShopNotes

Congratulations are in order for Lori Albert of Winterport, winner of a $250 ShopGirl shopping spree. I’ll report back on our finds in my next column.

ShopGirl would love to hear from you. Send questions, comments or suggestions by mail to: Kristen Andresen, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402-1329; by e-mail to kandresen@bangordailynews.net or by fax to 941-9476.