Probably A Relative Of Farmer H

Farmer H enjoys a good tree stump. He has several sitting in the lava rocks that line the front and side of the Mansion, interspersed with actual rocks, gathered from the creek, and my grandma's collection. Sometimes when we're driving, Farmer H will exclaim: 

"I wish I had that stump!"

Of course that's what I thought of when I pulled up behind this truck at the stoplight on Monday. Well. It's the second thing I thought of. The first being: "Don't get too close, in case that junk falls out when he takes off when the light turns green."

Those are not small stumps. They would wreak havoc with the undercarriage of any vehicle that ran over them. They're not even strapped in with a bungee cord or come-a-long! That guy has raised the top that would sit over a load in the back of that pickup. Only gravity holds them in the truck bed.

Even Farmer H is smarter than this guy, and knows how to haul random tree stumps without being a possible road hazard for drivers behind him.

Counting ONE Of Farmer H's Blessings

When I was in the Gas Station Chicken Store on Wednesday, the cashier wished me a Happy Thanksgiving.

"You, too! I've been home cooking, getting part of it ready for tomorrow. I probably smell like onions right now!"

"Not at MY house. SOMEBODY who lives there doesn't like leftovers. So we have to prepare things as fresh as possible."

Oh, no. Can you imagine having to work your regular shift, get home after 10:00, then get up to cook the next morning before you can serve Thanksgiving Dinner? What a stressful scenario. They probably didn't get to eat until evening, unless she got up at midnight:01 to start cooking!

That's one (I said ONE) good thing about Farmer H. He may eat the food in five minutes, but at least he eats the food, and doesn't mind that I started cooking it the day before. AND he will eat holiday leftovers for several days, because they're special things that I don't make often.

This Old Nag Continues To Pummel A Deceased Equine

I'm sure you're getting tired of Mrs. HM telling lottery stories. I can't help it. That's all the news I have to share. The last two were upbeat, considering that Farmer H and I were both winners. Today's tale is a groaner. Another near-miss for Mrs. Hillbilly Mom! Technically, it's another near-win. But that sounds too positive for the way I feel.

Considering that Farmer H won $200 on that Black Diamond ticket, I figured that's what I should buy. It's an unusual amount. Most rolls of tickets have a $100 winner on them, and then lesser amounts. So this was something special. I figured maybe more of those would have been distributed around Hillmomba this month. As much as MoLottery claims these winners are random, they show up in clusters each month on the prize map. It only shows wins of $1000 or higher, but there are always clusters around different cities, and it's usually the same ticket.

I went to town Friday with the mission of getting two or three of those Black Diamond tickets for myself. I could afford it, from my recent not-losing streak. My first stop was the Liquor Store, because it's on the right side of the road, and the traffic flow favors this route. I got my Black Diamond and a crossword from a new employee there. He appears to be of Indian (not Native American) heritage, with an accent like Apu from the Kwik-E-Mart on The Simpsons. The regular stoner guy who wears a hoody has not been there my last two times.

Anyhoo... from there I made my left turn by the Casey's, and looped back to the Gas Station Chicken Store. I was cashing in Farmer H's $200 winner, and Fave the cashier said,

"Oh. A guy just came in with one of these that he got over at the Liquor Store. He asked me if I could cash it. I scanned it, and it said SEE MISSOURI LOTTERY. It was a $1000 winner! So I gave it back to him."

"WHAT? I just bought one over there. Just now! I had been planning on it since my husband scratched this one. If only I'd been a few minutes earlier, that would have been mine!"

"Isn't that always how it goes?"

"You're tellin' me! And so soon after missing that $50,000 over at 10Box!"

Anyhoo... I can't get much closer to a big win. Oh, and my Black Diamond from the Liquor Store was a loser. Same as the one I got at the Gas Station Chicken Store.