Selfless Mrs. HM Gives Back

I stopped by Orb K to cash in some winners and get more lottery tickets on Saturday. The nice, but somewhat dim girl had just opened her register. I was next in line, and bypassed the older clerk, because Dimmy was at the register nearest the scratcher display, and I needed to see the numbers on the tickets without squinting, or having another customer bobbing around blocking my view.

Dimmy cashed in my winners without issue. She had to circumnavigate the other clerk to get to the scratchers case. She tore off the ones I wanted, with the exception of a $10 ticket that the other clerk said they were out of. Not a big deal. I can take cash back, rather than buy a ticket I don't like.

"Okay. That's all. I'll just take the rest in cash."

Dimmy rang up my new purchases, and handed me my change. She gave me a ten and a five.

"Oops! I think that's too much!" 

I laid down each ticket separately, telling her the cost. Indeed, she had given me five dollars too much. I peeled off that five, and handed it back.

"Here, take this back. I don't want to cheat you."

Dimmy looked a bit confused, but she took the five and put it in the register. I think the problem was that she had left my two $5 scratchers hooked together, folded over, and only scanned it once.

No way am I going to take a chance on bad karma from ripping off a convenience store clerk for five dollars, when I KNOW I don't deserve that much in change.

Heh, heh. Honesty is the best policy! I had a $40 winner there, and a $100 winner over at the Hillmomba Casey's! You can't go courting retribution from Even Steven by scamming five dollars you don't deserve!

Another Try With The Newly-Tough Pork Steaks

Farmer H grilled pork steaks last night. I got them at Save A Lot. Taking no chances on them being almost inedible for toughness like the last two ventures, I upped my marinating game.

You may recall that such pork steaks bought from 10Box AND Save A Lot turned out really tough. I don't blame Farmer H at all. Mark the calendar!!! He used GassyG Jr, just like all the other times. Same sauce, same method. He usually makes really good BBQ. 

Anyhoo... this time I bought some actual soy sauce. That's what I used for my marinade. Soy sauce. A sprinkle of teriyaki sauce. A couple serving spoons of dill pickle juice for some acidity. Then brown sugar rubbed on. Oh, and first of all, I stabbed those pork steaks with a fork to let the marinade in. I did all this at 11:00 p.m. Sealed the pork steaks in a 9 x 13 plastic container for FRIG II. 

The next morning around 9:00, I took that container out, and changed the order of the pork steaks, putting the top two on the bottom, and the bottom two on the top. Just so they all had an equal exposure to the inch or so of marinade sloshing around the bottom.

Farmer H went out to grill at 6:15. He bought a new grill! I have not asked questions about where, or the origin of the money. Farmer H said GassyG Jr started to fall apart when being loaded into SilverRedO at the Senior Center. This new grill is black instead of silver. I have not named him yet. I guess I'll need to see his brand name, or judge his personality first.

Anyhoo... Farmer H grilled for 40 minutes. I ate half a pork steak. The texture was not as good as those long-ago delicacies that came off the orginal GassyG. But not tough. Only one little piece was a bit chewy. The flavor was great. I would have preferred mine to be a bit more well-done, with crispy black edges on the fatty part. But still, a tasty meal. I'm going to call the 13-hours of marinating a success.

Still, it shouldn't have to be this way.

Farmer H, The Walking Talking Money Vacuum

By money vacuum, I do NOT mean to imply that Farmer H is sucking up money to redistribute to our household funds! No. It's quite the opposite. He's a regular Charlie Brown friend PigPen kind of guy, except that it isn't dirt swirling around Farmer H... it's bills.

Two months ago we stopped taking monthly money out of Farmer H's 401K. That's because of the stock market performance over the past few years. That money will run out too soon, what with selling off stocks each month for our monthly allotment. Eventually, stocks will rebound. So you don't really lose anything if you don't sell off any shares. The value will come back up. So says Farmer H. I can see his point. It won't kill us to not take that money out for a while. 

Well. It won't kill us if Farmer H can stop needing MONEY every time he turns around. 

There was $100.49 for SilverRedO's dead battery.

Then the $400 to the dentist for two fillings (that he charged and didn't tell).

Around $50 for a tank of propane so he could grill for the elderlies' BBQ.

The $191.52 for chemicals to feed POOLIO.

And $153.09 for a new mask for his breather.

That's only for June! No one item, or even two, is anything to worry about. Like I've said before, I carry a cushion on the checking account. But funny how none of this stuff was needed when we were still bringing in our usual monthly "salary."

Oh, and three days ago, SilverRedO had a flat tire! He's been parked over at the BARn ever since. Meaning Farmer H is driving A-Cad. Meaning Farmer H is putting gas on the credit card, rather than paying it out of his weekly allowance he gets for such expenses. When that bill comes, he will swear that it was gas for our trip to have lunch with Genius, or for him to go to the doctor halfway to the city, or for lawnmower gas, or his family reunion trip. He always wiggles his way out of his gas-scamming tactics. He NEVER uses his cash for gas except in SilverRedO. Even though he's been driving A-Cad like he does SilverRedO, all around town(s), and to his SUS2 while adjusting inventory.

Anyhoo... Farmer H said that tire was fine. When he stopped at Mailbox Row on the way home, he saw it was low. And when he got a mile up our gravel road, it was completely flat. So flat that Farmer H must take off the tire and drive it to town in A-Cad to be fixed. Not just a quick pump-up and drive it five miles to Mick the Mechanic. AND, if that tire is not fixable, I imagine Farmer H will need TWO tires for SilverRedO. Since he's always told me you have to replace tires in pairs.

My point is, I control the purse strings with my old crone talons, and I do not like to pour out money for unexpected expenses. No, Farmer H isn't doing these things on purpose. It's just the unhappy coincidences which seem to follow him.

Word On The Street From Hillmomba

Over the past few months, the Dollar General store in Hillmomba has closed. It was next to the Save A Lot. Bad parking, but still convenient for dashing in and grabbing something like a birthday card, or POOLIO floaties. 

In place of that Dollar General, a new store was built, up the hill on the lot where Genius once parked the solar car when he was in college, to charge the solar panels, and avoid dragging it out to the Mansion, where the team was spending the night on their multi-state race.

Anyhoo... this new store is called a DG Market. Supposedly, it has more food than a regular Dollar General store. Like a grocery store. I have not been inside, since their parking lot is on a hill. AND, I can't discern where their handicap spaces are. I don't care enough to drive up in the parking lot and look.

Farmer H asked if I'd been there yet. No.

"My buddies say that it's only self-checkout! They went, and got up front, and there was only one employee in the entire store, and you had to scan your own items to pay. Said that everybody was leaving their carts and walking out. They don't want to do all the work to buy their groceries!"

I can empathize. Anybody who wants my business will dang well ring up my purchases and take my debit card. I'm not on their payroll! Give the customers service, or do without the customers!

As I drive by there these days, I only see six or eight cars on their lot. It probably holds 24 cars or more. Granted, it's now the end of the month. But when the place first opened, the lot was full. Not sure where people are taking their business. I'm guessing 10Box. Because the Save A Lot has parking available now, too.

Rash Indecision

For about 5 days, Mrs. HM has been plagued by itchy skin! It's on my lower legs/ankles, and on my left inner forearm. What could those two areas possibly have in common?

I've been trying to assign a cause. 

I haven't eaten any new foods, nor taken any new medicine. 

I pat Scarlett with my left hand, and my left inner forearm often comes in contact with the fur on her shoulders or back. I thought perhaps she might have been in some poison ivy, though I have not been allergic to it in the past. My mom, dad, and sister (the ex-mayor's wife) all broke out from it, and needed calamine lotion. But after only one such issue, I never got it again. And... my lower legs and ankles did not touch Scarlett's fur, and I did not rub my forearm on them.

The arm is very itchy in the mornings. I stick it down beside me on the short couch, under the fleece throw that The Pony gave me from college. I cover my legs with the throw, but they are protected by my holey sweatpants, and socks.

I thought maybe the use of a new fabric softener sheet might have caused the itching. When I was in high school, my mom switched from TIDE to some other detergent, and I broke out in a rash where my socks contacted my skin. However, though my holey sweatpants were dried with the fabric softener sheet, my socks were hung to dry. And I haven't washed my sweatshirt, or the fleece throw before my itching started.

The most logical culprit is my lotion. Every day after my shower, I put lotion on my lower legs and ankles. Only recently did I put it on my left forearm, because there was a dry itchy patch. However... it's the same lotion I have used for years! Same bottle for the past few months. Why would I suddenly develop an itch from my regular lotion?

I know I'm allergic to lanolin. When the boys were babies, I used Eucerin Cream on their little rumpuses. It prevented diaper rash. Even when they were older, I kept getting Eucerin Cream to use on my hands as a moisturizer. Then I made the mistake of putting it on my arm. And once on my belly. I broke out in hive-y itchy blotches. A review of the ingredients of Eucerin Cream pointed to the lanolin. I know to only use such a product on my palms. It is not an ingredient in my regular lotion.

I'm not sure if the lotion is the problem. I stopped using it on Sunday morning. My itching seems to have lessened. The blotchy red area on my left inner forearm seems to have shrunken just a bit. The itching is not as urgent.

As a test, I only used the lotion on my left lower leg on Tuesday. We'll see if there's a difference in it, and the other leg and my arm...

The Pony Anticipates Becoming A SOUPER BIG DIPPER

When The Pony stopped to buy wine on his break Saturday, he also found some other items of interest.

"Also got some soup and dip mixes to try eventually, even if they're apparently supposed to simmer an hour and a half!!!"

There's the soup mix. The Pony LOVES pasta. It looks pretty good. Though a bit pricey. Still, supporting a small business.

There are the instructions. Shouldn't be too hard.

"Good luck with not falling asleep during simmer!"

The Pony is generally exhausted when he gets home from work, and sometime falls asleep between shower/bath and supper.

"Not sure if I'll make them tonight. It'll be a bit of overtime so I might order pizza/breadsticks from Little Caesars and try one of the dips."

Here are the dips. Also a favorite of The Pony.

"Yeah, sounds like the best plan."

I didn't ask The Pony on Sunday which of the dips he tried. I'm pretty sure he didn't attempt the soup yet.

A Sunday Success

I went to town early Sunday, to pick up The Pony and bring him out to the Mansion so we could listen to a "concert" online. The Pony bought some wine for the occasion. He had three kinds: Raspberry Tart, Honey Elderberry, and Honeydew. He'd had the Raspberry Tart before, and knew what it tasted like. He brought the other two. 

I was never a wine drinker. It seems bitter to me. Perhaps I was expecting grape juice, heh, heh. Anyhoo... The Pony asked me which I thought would be better. I said probably the Honeydew, because I wasn't sure I liked the idea of Elderberry. The Pony opened the Honeydew, and wafted the bottle under my nose. It didn't have much of a smell. At The Pony's urging, I tried a little sip out of his glass. It was SWEET! So I suppose that's not a dry wine. Maybe a WET wine! Like I said, I know nothing about wine.

The Pony has a wine shop on his route. When he wants wine, he shops for it using his break time. He sent me a text on Saturday when he got it.

"I barely had the strength to resist an offered wine tasting at my wine store!"

Thank the Gummi Mary, The Pony has a good head on his shoulders. As we discussed on Sunday, it was the Honeydew wine that was offered as a sample.

"I knew I shouldn't try it while I was working."

"Yes. I'm sure the tiny sip you would have gotten as a sample would not affect your work. But it's the idea of it. You were in uniform. Some disgruntled post office patron might have been in the store, and seen you. Then they could complain that you were drinking on the job."

"Yeah. I knew better."

Anyhoo... The Pony enjoyed that Honeydew wine. He'll probably get it again. It was sweet, like grape juice!

Our 2-hour music event was fantastic. Farmer H came home at 3:45, and he and The Pony got the cover off POOLIO. The Pony helped Farmer H with his tablet thingy that he wants to use for keeping track of his SUS2 (Storage Unit Store 2) inventory. The dogs received extra attention from The Pony. Scarlett was a well-behaved lady.

So a good time was had by all. Farmer H drove The Pony and his remaining bottle of wine home. I miss him already. The Pony... not Farmer H.