Never a dull moment at the Gas Station Chicken Store. Friday, I came across the alley behind Farmer H's pharmacy CeilingReds, and saw a mini van abandoned by the FREE AIR hose. I say abandoned, because nobody was in it. I was pretty sure the passengers were not inside the GSCS picking up a few items, because the two tires on the left side of the van were gone! The back half was held up by a jack, and the front half had the wheel thingy propped up on the rim! Thus you see my deductive powers in action. Let's not forget I was VALEDICTORIAN, by cracky!
But wait! That's not the story!
A black SUV with no handicap plate nor placard was parked in the handicap space. Can you believe it??? So I had to park over by the moat. Of all times for this to happen... the day that my hip was aching and out of place like a little yippy dog falling of the couch and dislocating a leg to keep Dr. Pol in business. It was a long slow walk across the pavement to get inside.
Lucky for me, there was only one customer ahead of me. An old man with a cane. I hope his hip wasn't out of place. He was a bald, clean old man, wearing pale blue shorts, white tennis shoes, and a collared shirt. Looking like the kind who might have spent the morning on the golf course, except for that cane. He was finishing up his transaction, pulling out his card.
"Oh. I'm sorry. We can't take EBT."
"You can't? That's a shame. I need the ice to take my medicine."
"You can go ahead and take the ice. Sorry."
Off Old Man went, caning out the door, carrying his 32 oz styrofoam cup of ice, to climb into the passenger side of a Ford F-250. Good thing the GSCS owners weren't there. That's my favorite clerk, and I wouldn't want her to get in trouble. Signs on the soda fountain say you will be charged for ice, and also charged if you pull a cup and then don't use it.
As I stepped up to the counter, Clerkie was filling out a red slip to show why she was voiding the sale. She moved the items off the clear glass top of the scratcher case.
"Oh. Is THAT what he was getting? If I'd known what it was, I probably would have bought it for him."
It was a can of Rock Star energy drink, a ham sandwich in a triangular container from the cooler, and a long package of cheese and meat sticks, also from the cooler. Probably would have cost $10 or less. But I was late to the checkout party, and didn't see what Old Man had in front of him.
"I felt bad, but we don't take EBT. I don't know why."
I could guess why, having long-ago worked at a Casey's that lost their food-stamp privileges for accepting them as payment for medicine. Yes. THAT long ago, before food stamps became EBT.
Anyhoo... I was unable to broadcast my altruism this time. Darn that hip! A few minutes earlier, and I could have good-deeded. I consider energy drink, ice, and processed meats for an Old Man as worthy of my charity as cheap whiskey for an 11:00 a.m. alcoholic, and an afternoon vape for a basketball-dribbling gal.
I see people at highway exits, and I eye them suspiciously. Some of them are smoking a cigarette. I cannot afford cigarettes these days--not that I've ever been a smoker. (They could jack up the price to $20 per pack, and I wouldn't mind.) Some of them have nicer clothes or shoes than I do. Some of them aren't sunburned or tanned at all, despite the fact that they're standing out in the sun--supposedly all the time. If I have something like a sleeve of crackers or a granola bar with me, I'll make a donation.
ReplyDeleteMoney? Never.
Sioux,
ReplyDeleteDepends on where they set up shop, and the appearance of themselves and their sign. We saw one down in casino town, at the exit ramp by the stoplights, who didn't appear at all rough. Clean-shaven, clean clothes. Hick had some words for him, said to ME, with the windows up.
The Pony donated $20 of his own money to a guy we saw leaving McDonald's drive-thru one day after our Devil's Playground trip. He was sitting on the curb, eating a Happy Meal, leathery skin, sweaty clothes, scraggly beard. I think he was one of the "under-the-bridge" people. Only saw him there once.
One guy wasn't very smart, sitting on a picnic table outside the Gas Station Chicken Store, with a sign asking for money for a bus ticket. The nearest place for him to get a ticket or catch a bus is 20 miles away. So I didn't go for that.
I don't mind donating to people to afford their vices, as long as they make no pretense of what it's going for! And also if they don't ask for it. I just see they're short, and kick in some cash at the counter.
EBT?
ReplyDeleteI rarely donate money, but I did last week, to an elderly gentleman in very scruffy clothes, scruffy beard and hair, but clean with clear eyes, so not a druggie or a drunk. I emptied all my loose change into his hat and he thanked me with a really nice smile.
I worry about your hip. If it is out of place, should you be walking on it? Shouldn't you be getting it set back in place?
River,
ReplyDeleteEBT stands for Electronic Benefit Transfer. Instead of getting food stamps now, people get their benefits loaded on a card that's like a debit card. I think it's harder for ne'er-do-wells to cheat the system that way, though I think some sell the entire card for half the value of the benefits. There was some ring doing it in St. Louis a while back, as I remember.
When they had food stamps, some people would wait outside Casey's for a young 'un to ride up on a bicycle. They'd psst and ask them to take their $5 or $10 food stamp in and buy themselves gum or candy, then bring out the CASH change. Which the ne'er-do-well could then go in and spend on cigarettes other non-food items.
I'm glad you got a clean smile for your loose change!
My hip just FEELS like it's out of place. I doubt I could take a step on it if it was literally out of place. It hurts less about an hour after I take my thyroid pill in the "morning." Then it hurts more at night. It's been hurting a little less each day. I can't lie on my left side to sleep. Last night I took an acetaminophen around 2:30 a.m., which seems to have lessened my pain through the day. If I need it, I'll take another one tonight.
Your hip is bothersome! Like my knee and thumb joints. Did you ever try Diclofenac (spelling could e wrong). It is OTC and you apply it to your affected area. It delivers Nsaids without going through your bloodstream, liver and kidneys. It does the trick for me. I have used it on my hip as well. If you are on Medicare, a precription for it is cheaper that just buying it. I worked hard to get old and plan to take advantage of all the benefits due me!! So, my man with bad legs was coming out of the Waffle House after his radiated scan with me last week when a young woman and her mother were parking and there was an awful noise form the car. It was like fingernails on a chalk board. She had hit the curb in the front of the parking pace andwhen she backed up it pulled that plastic piece under the front bumper out. The girl looked totally panicked and her mother was out of the car trying to figure out what to do. My knight in rusty armor took charge of the situation and got down on the pavement to take a look, told the girl to back up until he told her to stop, then he put it back in place for her. He even called her sweetheart and she, nor her mom were offended at all. He is a good guy sometimes. Helping those in need, refusing payment from the frazzled mother taking her daughter to college.
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteIt's better today. Walking is not painful, so I can go to Country Mart. I still can't lie on it to sleep. Baby steps for my ailing hip...
I have not heard of that, but will look for it. I'm aging as fast as I can, but still paying $731.90 per month for health insurance until I qualify for Medicare (YIKES, I typed that as Dedicare first). I saw on the Cranky Old Man blog of joeh that he uses Hempvana cream, which seems to do the same thing. Haven't found that yet, either.
Your HeWho is a do-gooder! Props to him for "lowering" himself to help. Farmer H might not have gotten back up! He's also got a bad hip.
I'm not sure of the spelling either, but the difloc whatever is good, it's sort of an anti inflammatory analgesic mix I think. anyway, try it. you may have just strained a ligament there. I use something called Fisio, it's a herbal based anti inflammatory relief which works for me without the burn of something like tiger balm.
ReplyDeleteRiver,
ReplyDeleteFarmer H could use some, too. He's been slathering on the BenGay, and the smell permeates the Mansion.