I don't know if it was the shopping cart or the horses eating the fence or the missing channel or the suitcase I couldn't find.
I do know, however, that over the past 24 hours I've encountered some traumatic experiences.
In one case, I didn't buy nearly as many groceries as I had intended. In another, I woke up worn out this morning.
After several hours of nonstop work, work, work with barn chores and cleaning house for our weekend visitor, I headed for town to pick up a few items at the store.
All seemed well until I started pushing my mini cart (the only one left in the line) inside Yoke's.
At first, everything seemed pretty normal as I concentrated on getting those eyes to start focusing on all those blurry people pushing their carts around the store.
Oh yes, I happily remembered that I did bring my glasses.
So, I lifted them out of my coat and put them on my face.
This may not be true for some folks, but for this old gal who's gone most of a lifetime without glasses, wearing them often seems just plain claustrophobic to me, especially in big crowded stores.
About four aisles from the cat food display, I decided that looking at blurry people would be better than this feeling of being hemmed in.
So, the glasses got stuffed back into my coat.
All this dither about "to see or not to see" had kept me preoccupied and oblivious to the fact that I may not be able to see the people, but they were surely hearing AND looking at me.
All this dither about "to see or not to see" had kept me preoccupied and oblivious to the fact that I may not be able to see the people, but they were surely hearing AND looking at me.
My ears suddenly let me in on the realization that I had drawn a shopping cart with a problem.
No, mine was not one with bad axles and wheels stuck in a permanent position taking them "off toward Nellie's."
Those are, indeed, bad, but, having lots of experience pushing a barn cart in and around frozen manure piles, I have soldiered my way through selecting my groceries with a few of axle-impaired carts.
Those are, indeed, bad, but, having lots of experience pushing a barn cart in and around frozen manure piles, I have soldiered my way through selecting my groceries with a few of axle-impaired carts.
No, this last small-basket cart in the cart row had a much different problem. Maybe it had been left outside in a rainy parking lot too long.
I have no idea what causes shopping carts to sound like a flock of starved seagulls. Maybe, like the seagulls, they're just hungry for shoppers to push 'em around and fill them really full.
Well, yesterday, once I became aware screechy, constant and loud cacophony from my cart filling the air, I moved on, figuring that through my blurry eyes, most of the other shoppers looked like strangers, so they'd never know the identity of that lady who was making all that noise.
Well, yesterday, once I became aware screechy, constant and loud cacophony from my cart filling the air, I moved on, figuring that through my blurry eyes, most of the other shoppers looked like strangers, so they'd never know the identity of that lady who was making all that noise.
After pulling up to the cat food display and grabbing nine cans of Purina Beyond, I moved on down the aisle, only to spot, a familiar figure wearing a baseball cap about ready to turn into the next aisle.
Even through blurry eyes, I knew this meant big trouble.
It's a given that when you see Sherri Williams pretty much anywhere, she's gonna have something to say. To suggest that Sherri tells it like it is---that's an understatement.
She owns a farm east of Sandpoint. She and her husband care for at least 1 million, three hundred thousand critters, all coming in a myriad shapes and sizes and reasons for being.
She's a farm girl for sure, and she's not one bit shy about stating the obvious.
"I can hear you!" she yelled down the aisle as I squeaked forward and grabbed some kitty litter.
As I passed Sherri, a little small talk about faulty shopping carts ensued. Then, she went her way, and I, mine.
I had just rounded the bend into another aisle at least three down from where Sherri was shopping only to hear, "I can still hear you."
Well, that was that. To heck with moseying around the grocery store selecting two dozen more items than I had intended.
I was fleeing Yoke's as fast as possible, so I squeaked my way to the cash register and boldly announced to the cashier that this cart needed oiling and that I sure would have bought a lot more stuff if the dang cart hadn't embarrassed me so much.
He seemed unimpressed, more impressed, in fact, when seeing my hat and asking about how the ZAGS were doing, and I barked back, "23-1!"
So, I don't know if that cart is gonna get any maintenance, but I'm willing to bet that if it has not, Yoke's will be losing a whole bunch of money every time someone picks it and starts rolling through the aisle.
Like me, they'll grab their items and get the heck out of Yoke's.
Now, if the shopping cart incident was not enough, I also had to come home and fix some electric fence.
That occurred after I saw Lily scale a snow bank next to the board fence with no plans to jump out of the barnyard.
No, Lily wanted to get into position to eat the fence and stare at me. It's that time of year when boredom sets in and the horses eat the fence for their afternoon dessert.
So, once they went into the barn, I grabbed the fence pliers and some wire and spent the next 45 minutes or so putting new links of electric wire which they had broken off and used for toys.
This job would not have taken so long had I worn those glasses. Two nails dropped in the snow while I was trying to replace insulators.
Ever gone looking for nails in the snow? Well, imagine doing so when you can no longer see past your nose.
Anywho, that job got done, and I figured I could settle in for the evening.
Twas about 6 p.m. when I noticed that the ZAGS game in Spokane would not be broadcast on the local Channel 6. No, it was scheduled for CBS Sports, Channel 158.
So, I directed the remote to 158. It instead went to 159 and a hockey game. Maybe, with my faulty eyes, I misread the number, I thought, so I looked at the guide. No ZAGS game on Channel 159.
Turns out we don't have Channel 158. I had no idea, since the last time I watched a game on that channel was at my sisters' house.
So, guess what? We now have Channel 158 along with ten more dollars tacked on to the DISH bill.
Live and Learn, it's a constant journey.
Finally, speaking of journeys, I flew to Chicago after the ZAGS game and before I awakened this morning.
I don't know what I was doing there, but I do know that when I left O'Hare Airport, I forgot to take my suitcase.
Didn't realize the oversight until the next morning when I had no clean underwear. Somehow I made my way back to the airport, and nobody was very helpful in my attempt to locate my luggage.
One lady even offered me a free overseas trip rather than looking for where the suitcase might be.
I declined the offer, just wanted the damn suitcase.
Somewhere along the way, I called Bill who was here in Sandpoint and asked him to come and help me find that suitcase.
In the meantime, some lady ushered me to her car and soon we were driving somewhere.
"But my suitcase?" I pleaded.
"Oh, when your husband gets there, he'll find it," she said.
"Howz he even gonna know where to look?" I protested.
And, then I woke up, worn out but relieved that the suitcase had not been lost in Chicago and the a bit disappointed that I hadn't taken the offer on the free overseas flight.
Another Live and Learn and an exhausting 24 hours worth of embarrassment, frustration, expense and desparation.
Glad those days don't happen too often.
That's all, except the dream may have something to do with the fact that I'm driving to the airport today to pick up that guest I mentioned up at the top. I'll make sure she has her backpack before we leave the airport.
Yup, Annie's coming home for the weekend. Foster will be thrilled. It's looking like a wild and wacky weekend ahead, hopefully not woeful.
Happy Friday.
Even through blurry eyes, I knew this meant big trouble.
It's a given that when you see Sherri Williams pretty much anywhere, she's gonna have something to say. To suggest that Sherri tells it like it is---that's an understatement.
She owns a farm east of Sandpoint. She and her husband care for at least 1 million, three hundred thousand critters, all coming in a myriad shapes and sizes and reasons for being.
She's a farm girl for sure, and she's not one bit shy about stating the obvious.
"I can hear you!" she yelled down the aisle as I squeaked forward and grabbed some kitty litter.
As I passed Sherri, a little small talk about faulty shopping carts ensued. Then, she went her way, and I, mine.
I had just rounded the bend into another aisle at least three down from where Sherri was shopping only to hear, "I can still hear you."
Well, that was that. To heck with moseying around the grocery store selecting two dozen more items than I had intended.
I was fleeing Yoke's as fast as possible, so I squeaked my way to the cash register and boldly announced to the cashier that this cart needed oiling and that I sure would have bought a lot more stuff if the dang cart hadn't embarrassed me so much.
He seemed unimpressed, more impressed, in fact, when seeing my hat and asking about how the ZAGS were doing, and I barked back, "23-1!"
So, I don't know if that cart is gonna get any maintenance, but I'm willing to bet that if it has not, Yoke's will be losing a whole bunch of money every time someone picks it and starts rolling through the aisle.
Like me, they'll grab their items and get the heck out of Yoke's.
Now, if the shopping cart incident was not enough, I also had to come home and fix some electric fence.
That occurred after I saw Lily scale a snow bank next to the board fence with no plans to jump out of the barnyard.
No, Lily wanted to get into position to eat the fence and stare at me. It's that time of year when boredom sets in and the horses eat the fence for their afternoon dessert.
So, once they went into the barn, I grabbed the fence pliers and some wire and spent the next 45 minutes or so putting new links of electric wire which they had broken off and used for toys.
This job would not have taken so long had I worn those glasses. Two nails dropped in the snow while I was trying to replace insulators.
Ever gone looking for nails in the snow? Well, imagine doing so when you can no longer see past your nose.
Anywho, that job got done, and I figured I could settle in for the evening.
Twas about 6 p.m. when I noticed that the ZAGS game in Spokane would not be broadcast on the local Channel 6. No, it was scheduled for CBS Sports, Channel 158.
So, I directed the remote to 158. It instead went to 159 and a hockey game. Maybe, with my faulty eyes, I misread the number, I thought, so I looked at the guide. No ZAGS game on Channel 159.
Turns out we don't have Channel 158. I had no idea, since the last time I watched a game on that channel was at my sisters' house.
So, guess what? We now have Channel 158 along with ten more dollars tacked on to the DISH bill.
Live and Learn, it's a constant journey.
Finally, speaking of journeys, I flew to Chicago after the ZAGS game and before I awakened this morning.
I don't know what I was doing there, but I do know that when I left O'Hare Airport, I forgot to take my suitcase.
Didn't realize the oversight until the next morning when I had no clean underwear. Somehow I made my way back to the airport, and nobody was very helpful in my attempt to locate my luggage.
One lady even offered me a free overseas trip rather than looking for where the suitcase might be.
I declined the offer, just wanted the damn suitcase.
Somewhere along the way, I called Bill who was here in Sandpoint and asked him to come and help me find that suitcase.
In the meantime, some lady ushered me to her car and soon we were driving somewhere.
"But my suitcase?" I pleaded.
"Oh, when your husband gets there, he'll find it," she said.
"Howz he even gonna know where to look?" I protested.
And, then I woke up, worn out but relieved that the suitcase had not been lost in Chicago and the a bit disappointed that I hadn't taken the offer on the free overseas flight.
Another Live and Learn and an exhausting 24 hours worth of embarrassment, frustration, expense and desparation.
Glad those days don't happen too often.
That's all, except the dream may have something to do with the fact that I'm driving to the airport today to pick up that guest I mentioned up at the top. I'll make sure she has her backpack before we leave the airport.
Yup, Annie's coming home for the weekend. Foster will be thrilled. It's looking like a wild and wacky weekend ahead, hopefully not woeful.
Happy Friday.
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