Baking is My Outlet

I've been on a baking/cooking jag again.  Yesterday alone I made beef stew, granola bars, and homemade biscuits.  In the past week, I've also made zucchini bread, pizza, roast chicken, chocolate oil cake with super fudgy frosting, and snack mix.  

Hubs thanked me for all the cooking I've been doing.  I told him I wasn't cooking, I was sublimating - wherein you 'divert the energy associated with (an unacceptable impulse or drive) into an acceptable activity'.  (I also told him that's what he gets for marrying a former psych major, a woman who uses words like 'sublimate'.)  

Basically, when I feel like there isn't anything I can control, I bake instead of running through the streets naked.  Screaming.  And on fire.  You know, or choking the shit out of a slew of idiots who desperately deserve it.  Or drinking.  Who knew the world would turn into such a raging shitball after I quit drinking?  

Of course, alcohol doesn't solve the problems, it just mutes them for a while.  And while doing so, it causes a whole range of other problems.  So, no, I won't go back to drinking.  Occasionally, I just long for the days of utterly blanking out when things got shitty.

Hubs has suggested that perhaps I should open my own bakery.  Umm, no.  Oh, I've thought about it.  Then I think about the long days, the slim margins, the overwhelming number of government officials who would be all up in my bidness, and all the joy goes out of the idea.  Also, I remember the time my mom worked in a doughnut shop and how much she hated it.  The smell of deep-frying still gives her flashbacks, I think.  

Nah, baking is my outlet.  Why ruin that?  Sure, it'd be cool to have someone pay me for the effort, but like writing, I don't see that happening in any major way.  I bake stuff.  If I have extra, I give it away.  Hubs eats most of it.  Lucky for him, he has the metabolism to eat it and not blow up like a fat-filled balloon.  If I ate as much of my baked goods as he does, I guaran-damn-tee that I would be HUGE.  

So, if you don't see me on the news after having snapped and taken out 2/3rds of DC, thank the cakes, the breads, the rolls, the biscuits, the pizzas, the stews, the soups, etc.  (Not pies.  I'm bad at pie.  Darn it.)

Chaos Diaries

It's been a long time since I did a Chaos Diaries post, but I figured this fit.

I went to Wallyworld yesterday.  It was a fuckin' zoo.  And the price of damn near everything had jumped since my last visit.

Furnace filters... the kind I usually buy at $8+ are now $11+.  (I got a lesser filter for $4+.)

Burger...  90% lean is up to about $5.60 a pound.  

TP... a 12 pack of the Great Value is over $11.

Printer cartridges... the smallest single black is over $21 now.

Suet... the 8-pack of good stuff is almost $10, up from just under $7  (I bought 4 cheap singles at $1.22 each - they used to be 98c.)

To ameliorate the cost of those more expensive things I HAD to buy, I went cheap on some other stuff, but man.  I still walked out with less and paid more.

Going cheap, I bought chicken thighs instead of breasts.  And a whole chicken to roast.  I found pork roast on sale!  Got a huge one that I can cut into easily 5 meals.  They were out of pork burger, which I've been buying because beef is so damn expensive.  I need to buy a meat grinder, I guess.

They were also out of a lot of stuff.  The antacids I usually buy?  Nope.  Picked up a big jug of a different flavor.  (And the price of THAT was up.)  The tissues were almost gone.  I'm buying the cheap stuff because the name brand is pricey, and I got two of the last four boxes.  So many empty spots on the shelves that the cashier said a friend had remarked 'the grocery stores need to go to a grocery store'.

On the upside, I was nice to an assistant manager who was looking particularly harried and she opened a lane just for me.  Another gal checked me out and then went on her merry way.  Sometimes it's the little things.

So, I leave the Big W and go to the feed store.  They're out of whole corn.  Again.  Still $2 higher than I was buying it a year ago.  I ended up getting chopped corn for $9.55 a bag.  (10c more than whole.)  I also bought a bag of birdseed.  The 25 lb bag of cheap seed was nearly as much as a 50 lb bag of sunflower seeds used to be.  

I'm sure you're all facing the same stuff.  I'm just venting.  Or commiserating.  And I'm longing for a couple years ago before the Chaos started, before we got our new feckless leader, when things were looking up and the price of everything was going down.  

Which reminds me... gas was $3.06 a gallon yesterday.  Up from $2.99 last week.  Up Up Up from the $1.78 I was paying prior to inauguration day last year.  Hubs just said it's gonna keep going up for a while here yet.  So hang onto your asses.

But it's not President Sniffy's fault.

Going Maskless - a Chaos Diaries Update

Yesterday, I went to Wallyworld.  Walked right in without a mask.  The old gal who was greeting told me it was nice to see someone smiling.  I couldn't see most of her face, but her eyes looked sad.  Again, about a third of the people in there were maskless.  And she had to wear hers or lose her job.  No wonder her eyes looked sad.

Also yesterday, I heard about an MIT study that said masks are ineffective inside (and I'm guessing they would've said outside, too, but that wasn't the point of the study).  I haven't read the study, but I'm also guessing they referenced the paper/cloth masks we're all using and not the heavy duty N-95 suckers.  

I'm at the point in my life where if I get it, I get it.  And if I die from it, you can all point and say 'if only she'd listened'.  I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees. Actually, I'd rather live on my feet than die on my knees.  Living is always preferable to dying and being on your feet is always preferable to kneeling.  

Speaking of masks, has anyone else gotten to the point where their brain is just filling in people's faces behind the masks?  I was sitting here trying to remember who was wearing a mask and who wasn't, and the interactions I had seemed like no one was wearing a mask, but when I thought about it hard, I realized all the employees had to be wearing masks, so I was filling in faces in my head.  It'll be surprising if I ever run into them without their masks and I was right about how they actually looked.

Toward the end of my dad's life, he contracted Hep-C and he was genuinely worried he'd give it to Mom.  I don't remember if he wanted her to mask up, but I'm pretty sure he wanted her gloved up any time she had to touch him.  I can't imagine.  Poor Dad.  And poor Mom.  Being afraid to touch your own wife and to have her touch you.  It gives me a sad.

The thought of being so afraid of the 'rona that you live your life under a mask staying six feet away from other humans and sanitizing everything around you gives me a sad, too.  And talking to Mom, who's trapped in Halfwit Land* (aka Michigan) makes me sad.  Unfortunately, I think talking to me down here in Freedom Acres makes her afraid for my life.  I wish I could wrap her up and bring her here, so she could see that things are nearly as bad as she's being led to believe.  

Anyway, I'm going maskless unless and until someone stops me and makes me wear one.  (Which is pretty much how I've been all along.  Walmart was about the only place I still wore one until recently.)

And yes, I am totally on board with people having the right to wear a mask if they want to.  I'm just against people being made to live in so much fear they feel they have to... or they feel they need to make me wear one.

Nuff said.

* Halfwit = the current governor of Michigan

The Chaos Diaries Revisited

Things have gotten weird enough again that I figured maybe it was time to revisit The Chaos Diaries.  This time the chaos isn't just about the virus.

I finally got the paycheck my payjob mailed to me on 12/31 yesterday.  While I was at the bank, my BIPF (best in-person friend) told me they're getting inundated with phone calls from people missing the bank statements that were mailed last month.  In happier news, my nephew-in-law who's deployed in the Navy finally got his Christmas box last week.

Recently, I got an email from my credit card company saying that bills might be late this month due to the mail.  Nothing about whether card holders will be exempt from late fees due to not receiving their bills.  Derp.  I have no excuses.  I get my bill in the mail AND in my email.  And I pay it online.  For those people without that luxury, I hope they don't get screwed.

From what I hear, some country in Europe - Denmark, maybe - is moving ahead with 'virus passports'.  As in if you don't have a paper saying you were vaccinated, you won't be allowed to move around, go to stores, etc.  That's crazypants.  

I saw something on The Babylon Bee about Gavin Newsom promising to stop the lockdowns as soon as they find a cure for death.  If you're not familiar with The Bee, it's satire.  Unfortunately, sometimes the satire hits too close to the truth.

What isn't satire... An executive at PBS is on video saying all conservatives should be rounded up and their children put in re-education camps.  PBS shouldn't worry about the kids.  Most children have spent a large portion of their lives in re-education camps called public school.  And the ones that got missed by public school are now in colleges getting a more intense re-education.

As for rounding up us adults, bring it, asshole.  I know enough about the Holocaust to know I will never let myself be 'rounded up' for anything.

My go-to convenience store has gone masked-only.  I didn't notice the signs until I was on my way out of the store the other day.  Yesterday, as a gesture of cooperation (and because I didn't want to take any shit about it), I wore a mask inside.  As soon as I got out the door, I whipped that sucker off.  A man in a red pickup said something to me.  I didn't hear what he said but I waved and told him to have a nice day.  My next stop was the feed store.  As I was walking up to the doors, I heard someone say 'are you following me?'  It was the dude from the red pickup. He was smiling and joking, so it was all good.  He wasn't wearing a mask and neither was I.  (Because the feed store doesn't require one.)  Later, I was chatting with my second BIPF at the register and he stepped up to thank me for not going all mask-nazi on him.  :shrug:  It's a strange world we live in.

On reflection, he may have been flirting with me.  Again, strange world.

In an effort to stop patronizing companies that hate me, I moved my browser over to Brave.  I can't complain.  The only mildly irritating thing is it keeps trying to spellcheck my email and URLs when I plug them into boxes.  The squiggly red line is driving me nuts.  Unfortunately, I can't move out of Facebook entirely, because that's where I sell books and also where a lot of people I know are, but I am spending more time at MeWe.  As people shift over, it should become a better place to be.  I also can't ditch Google entirely because that's where this blog is located and my emails are through them.  But I'm using DuckDuckGo now as a search engine.  We do what we can.  Vote with your dollars and if it's free, vote with your patronage.  

I heard there are writers out there celebrating the censorship of conservatives.  (I don't know this from personal experience as I have squeegeed off those types from my social sphere.)  Writers should be the last people to celebrate any kind of censorship.  They come for me and you celebrate, but they'll be coming for you next.  Unless you're the kind of person who only writes what they tell you to write.  Then you're not a writer, you're a puppet.  

How are you doing in the chaos this time around?  

And Then This Happened

Last night after dinner, Owl got a message from the powers at EMU (yes, her school is EMU - we don't call it EMU, we call it Eastern - and their mascot is not an emu, which I think is an opportunity missed) that she was approved for special dispensation, so everything that was off yesterday is back on.  So if you heard a huge grinding of gears last night, that was me.

Despite the grinding of gears, hank you to everyone who sent positive thoughts her way for that to happen. 

So, early Friday morning we will load up the car and take the haul to the airport.  She'll hop a plane, take a layover in North Carolina and then head onward to Detroit.  (Don't ask.  I have no clue why the cheapest flight goes from here to way the hell over there and then up.  Maybe Chicago has become such a hole they're routing flights elsewhere to avoid it.)  She'll pick up her rental and be at my mom's place around 6pm.  Then Saturday, she packs all the stuff she left at Mom's and heads down to move into her dorm. 

Anyway, if you don't see me Friday morning, that's where I'll be.  If all goes well, I'll be back by like 9am. 

I still hate all this.

So This Happened

Sunday I made a cake with BYE Owl and a frowny face on it.  Owl also said that with everything being so close, there wasn't any possible way for this to get screwed up.

I think we jinxed it.

Yesterday, Owl came out of her room and I knew something was wrong.  I was on my way out to the smoking porch, but I stopped and asked what was up.  She was all like 'oh, it can wait until after you have your cigarette' and I was all like 'okay, what's wrong? again.  Turns out she'd just gotten an email from the university.

Five days before she is due to fly north, the university announced that they're not allowing students into the dorms for an additional three weeks.  Oh, classes will start on time - online - but no housing.  Because there might be an outbreak due to Labor Day celebrations and they want to wait until after the outbreak is over to let students back into the dorms.  Or some such crap.  So conceivably, the earliest she might be able to move in is Sept. 20th. 

There is an outside chance she will get a 'special dispensation' to move in on time, but she's running out of time to change flights and rental car reservations, so they'd better get off their asses and tell her whether she can move or not.

And, of course, there's no telling whether in three weeks, they'll decide to move the goalposts again.

Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day playing poker because everything else I wanted to do to bleed off stress - throw logs, go fishing, walk - was crapped out by the heat.  I hate this shit. 

Updated 8:20pm:  Owl got an email saying she was getting special dispensation and can move in on Saturday as scheduled.  :cue screeching of tires and grinding of gears:  Thankfully, she did not cancel or change her flights or her rental car.  Everything is back on for Friday.  :collapses in a heap:

The Chaos Diaries - 8/18/20

Yeah, it's been a while since I did a Chaos Diaries post, but it's still chaotic, even if we're mostly learning to deal with it.

For the most part, the USPS does an okay job, but I don't trust them with my vote.  I work from home for a company up in Michigan.  Every Thursday, they mail me a check.  Mostly, it arrives on Monday.  Sometimes Tuesday.  Every once in a while, Thursday.  About 4 times a year, the check never arrives.  Once, the check arrived more than two weeks late, after the company had already issued me a new check.  Once a package they'd sent, with tracking, went to a totally different town because the USPS said the address was illegible.  I called the other town's post office and spoke to a woman there who had my package and said she could read the address just fine and would be putting it back into the mail.  It arrived here a couple days later.  I'll be voting in person, thank you very much.

Speaking of other 'rona oddities, Owl was informed yesterday that she needs to take a 'rona test and have it mailed back by Sunday or she can't go back to school.  It's being overnighted - thankfully all at the university's expense because the test alone is $150 - and it will be overnighted back.  But it has to be shipped from an actual UPS location and not in 'in-store' shipping location, which means a roadtrip for us.  There was a UPS store not too awfully far from us, but it went belly-up, I guess, since the number is disconnected.  Funny, when I called UPS directly, they gave that location as the one for me to go to.  Stupid heads.  Anyway, she'll get the test and then she has to log into Zoom, wait for a technician, and then spit into a tube while the technician is watching so they can verify it is, in fact, her spit.  She already sent them a pic of her ID.  Here's hoping she looks like the photo on her ID. 

In case you missed it, she has to take a 'rona test now before she goes through three germ-infested airplanes and airports to get back to school.  If there had been any other way to deal with this back in March, I would've left her in Michigan. 

I've been managing the mask thing without additional panic attacks.  It is what it is, so I deal with it.  Going to Wallyworld is surreal with all the people walking around in masks.  Can't tell who anyone is.  Can't see if anyone is smiling back at you because they can't see if you're smiling.  It's dehumanizing.

Back on the 4th, Hubs and I went to vote.  Our local polling place is small.  There's rarely anyone else in there but us and the workers.  I think it usually seats 10 voters, but with the social distancing requirements, it seats 6.  Outside, I pulled up next to a snazzy, black, sports car.  An elderly couple - they were easily in their late 70s early 80s - was inside the vehicle .  As I began to exit my vehicle, the old lady in her mask in the car starts waving at me and pointing to her mask, then she pulls it down to her chin and mouths at me to put my mask on.  Okay, you old Karen, you.  Lemme tell ya somethin'.  You are more danger to others in your sports car than I am without a mask.  Feh.  By the way, they must've already voted or we scared them off with our masklessness because they didn't come in behind us and they were gone by the time we got done voting.  Other voters in there while we were there?  ONE.  He was there when we got there and left before we did.  We never passed within 6 feet of him.  Oh, and he wasn't wearing a mask either.  The old ladies who man the polling station?  There are four of them, they were wearing masks, AND they were behind hanging plastic shields. 

Okay, that's enough out of me for the day.  Thanks for letting me vent.  How are things in your world amidst the 'rona?

The Chaos Diaries - A New Wave

And when I say 'new wave', I'm not talking about around new round of 'rona.  I'm talking about the insanity surrounding the 'rona.

So, Wallyworld has mandated masks nationwide with people who'll be standing outside to enforce the rule.  Why?  Because there are like loads of places in the nation already with mask rules, so why not make all the stores in the non-totalitarian places enforce those rules, too?  Umm.  Yah. 

Today, all Dollar General stores follow in Walmart's locksteps.  Because it's what they do, I guess. 

Okay, here's the thing.  Yesterday, I tried the mask thing.  I had heard the USPS was enforcing a mask rule, so before I went into the post office to mail bills and pay for my PO Box, I put on a mask.  I walked from my car which was parked in front of the door, to the outgoing mail slot which is about 8 feet inside the store and by the time I dropped my mail into the slot I was hyperventilating and sliding into a panic attack.  I walked the few steps to the postal jail and slid my money for the PO Box through the tiny slot to the mail chick.  When I tried to talk to her, all that came out was croaking, so I ripped the damn mask off.  She looked at me kind of weird and I apologized saying "I'm sorry but I just can't wear it' and explaining how I'd heard it was mandatory masks in there.  She said she hadn't heard it was mandatory there yet. 

I'd also heard that masks were already mandatory at DG, so I girded my loins and went off to DG, telling myself it was something I was going to have to do if I wanted food, so I just needed to get over it.  I put the mask in my purse and headed for the doors.  No signs of any kind saying I had to put on a mask, so I didn't, but I was prepared to do it if someone said something.  No one inside was wearing masks, so my stress level went way down and I shopped, thinking perhaps my info was wrong.  When I was done, I talked to the cashier who told me the mask rule would go into effect the next day.  The guy behind me overheard us talking and was all like 'what?', so I explained it to him.  And he WENT OFF.  Can't say I disagreed with anything he said, although I might've said it quieter and with fewer expletives. 

The manager, upon hearing him, came out loaded for bear and totally on the defensive. With me.  I talked her down and the dude left, muttering additional worthy comments about America, freedom, and communism.  After she'd calmed down, because I assured her I was on her side and didn't have any intentions of taking my own righteous anger out on her or her staff, she told me that DG's new rules are to be enforced, no questions asked and no room for dissent.  Employees don't comply or enforce the rule, they're fired.  Period.  Then she told me she has the same phobia I have about things over my mouth and nose.  And she has to suck it up or lose her livelihood. 

That's where we're at in America, folks.  Follow the rules to avoid the chance you might catch a disease that, at the worst projections, is only slightly deadlier than the flu, or lose your job, be unable to shop for necessities, potentially face jail time...  The original guidelines were to stay 6 feet away, wash your hands, and stop touching your face.  I haven't heard anything that says 'those didn't work, so we have to wear masks now'.  We just have to.  No logic.  No rational.  Nothing.   

As I've said before, I have no problem with people choosing to wear masks.  If you feel like you're in the risk group, and you feel safer wearing a mask, go for it.  It's the difference between choice and force, folks.  And the underlying goal behind it?  Control. If they can get you to wear a mask by scaring the hell out of you, they can get you to do anything.

I have to go out again later this week.  While I was at DG, I bought a big handkerchief which I hope will be easier to deal with than the mask I had.  The new masks I ordered arrive sometime this week.  We'll see what happens.  If I totally spazz out inside a store because of the mask thing, I'll have Hubs drop a line here while I'm in jail.  (Not seriously concerned about that.  Well, maybe a little.)

Thursday This n That - Chaos Edition

Ir may sound silly, but I've been drinking tonic water as a kind of prophylactic measure.  Not sure if the quinine is helping stave off the 'rona, but hey, it can't hurt.  Plus, it's yummy.  Two-thirds OJ, one-third tonic.  It's like a gin and tonic without the pine.  I wonder if there could be some kind of study to see how tonic drinkers rate in the 'rona numbers.  :shrug:  No worries - I don't think this makes me invincible against the crap.  I'm just hoping it helps tamp the shit down a bit.

Well, they finally did it.  Wallyworld caved to the fearmongers and, starting Monday, everyone everywhere will have to wear face masks to shop there.  And so I caved and ordered face masks.  I'm tempted to write things on the outside of mine, but I don't want to smell permanent marker on top of the whole 'I know I'm not suffocating, but I'm suffocating' thing.  I get panicky when I'm breathing my own air.  And then I start to hyperventilate, which isn't good on any given day and can't be good while wearing a face mask.  Bastards.

Note: After thirty minutes of trying to find face masks that were made in America that didn't cost me a tit and a half, I caved again and bought a 50 pack of China masks that are sold and ship out of Dallas.  Only $19.99 and free shipping.  Amazon, of course.  They're due to arrive around the 23rd.  Until then, I'll just avoid Wallyworld - which isn't that hard since I'm pretty stocked up from the last run.

The Kung Flu is still on the rise again here.  Hubs is keeping track of it all and giving me updates.  As I said before, if I wasn't worried about bringing it home to him, I wouldn't give a rat's ass.  At this point, I'm so over it all.  Bring it on.  Except no.

For the record, I don't have a problem with individuals choosing to wear face masks.  You want to wear one, more power to you.  You have to wear one because you're in a high risk group, you do what you have to do.  The problem I have is people, myself particularly, being bullied into wearing one.  America - the land of the kinda free when there isn't a virus about and home of the no-so-brave anymore.  =o(

By the way, even if you're wearing a mask, stay six feet away from me - even after this is over.  I don't want your cooties.

The Chaos Diaries... The Next Generation

I find it strange that a bunch of people standing around holding signs for the country to reopen is a severe danger to the public health, but a bunch of people looting and rioting is okee-dokee.  Holding a regular funeral is bad, but holding a nationwide funeral with thousands is peachy.  Social distancing is mandatory... except when you're marching in protest. 

I read something about a speedway declaring they were having a protest, but really it was just a race, and 2000 people showed up to enjoy their favorite pastime.  I heard the same thing about a church service.  I guess as long as you call it a protest, the powers that be think you're immune. 

Either we'll see a massive spike in Kung Flu cases or this whole thing will bear out that it wasn't that scary and contagious after all.  Fooled you.  Hah.  Or some such thing.

I went to the Wallyworld last week.  About half the shoppers were wearing masks, down from about 2/3rds.  The arrows mean little to more people now.  Social distancing?  P'shaw.  I saw a confused looking dude and did what I always do, asked him if he needed help.  I stopped my cart a distance from him to ask, and he walked right up to me to talk about his problem.  (Mice in his car and how to get rid of them without leaving little rotting corpses in there.  I suggested peppermint oil, btw.)

The county where my Wallyworld of choice is has seen a slight spike in cases, so I'll be avoiding it for a while again.  I hope the Dollar General has ice cream.  Thank goodness cat food is in stock again at Amazon.  I ordered a bunch.  Let's see if it gets here in a timely manner.  My last order, which they said was delayed, actually showed up on time.  Let's please all remember that it isn't always Amazon delaying these shipments.  Most of the time, they're shipping on time. The delay is usually somewhere in the shipping chain.  And the other part of it has to do with the supply chain.  If they can't get it, they can't ship it. 

I heard a story from a friend that she was in a location of a national store chain that had recently reopened and there was a woman there freaking out that the dressing rooms weren't available yet.  First, the lady needed to chill the hell out.  Things are weird right now.  Life goes smoother if you roll with the small stuff.  Second, why were the dressing rooms still closed?  It's not like you're in there with a group of people - strangers or otherwise.  Maybe they were afraid the extra cleaning of those rooms would put an undue burden on their staff.  :shrug:

I also heard that the rioters were talking about bringing their 'message' to rural America.  Bring it.  We're out here for a reason, which is chiefly to be the hell away from you, and more of us are armed and trained to be armed.  I guarantee a roving band of masked rioters around here wouldn't be roving for long. 

Don't get me started about the anti-police sentiment rising in America right now.  Seriously.  Don't.  And, in case you missed something, I'm pro-police.  Very much so. 

And another thing... No.  Once I get started rolling on that, I won't be able to stop.  Which was the point of last week's parade of pictures.  Speaking of which, here's a shot I took years ago and then tweaked to make it look like a painting...

It gives me a happy.

How are things in your world?  Anything making you happy these days?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/29/20

I placed an order with Amazon for a couple of simple things - a printer cartridge and a bottle of glucosamine pills - which I had either forgotten on my last trip to Wallyworld or they were out.  Expected delivery 6/3 at the time of order placement.  It shipped on Saturday, so plenty of time to get here on time.  Except when I went to track the package, it said something about the package being delayed due to 'weather or natural disaster'.  D'oh!  Of course, it's coming out of California - which is a walking natural disaster of its own making.  Who knows when it'll actually get here.  Probably after my next trip to Wallyworld, so I should've just tried again there.

In other chaos related news, my thrift store is open for business again.  Except they posted that in order to shop there, you MUST wear a mask.  I don't need to shop at a thrift store bad enough to put myself through that, so I guess no thrifting there yet.  =o\

Don't get me started on masks again.

The mayor of Minneapolis has said it's okay to riot as long as you're wearing a mask and social distancing.  Umm....

We're seeing a slight uptick in confirmed cases in the area.  Which, for here, means we now have 11 cases total in my county, with the majority of those no longer 'active'.  Three new cases in the last week - one of those being a person who tested positive for the antibodies.  Ten new cases in the county where I shop.  :shrug:  Still not worried about it. 

Nitwit-mer extended the lockdown in Michigan to June 12th(?) because people were naughty over Memorial Day weekend and she's punishing everyone.  Mom's pissed.  She needs to get back to the office.  She needs to get her hair cut and her teeth cleaned.  I think if Gretch was standing in front of my mother right now, she'd get bitch-slapped.  Don't piss off the mama.

I would give my left tit for everything to go back to normal.  Don't give me this 'new normal' crap.  What we're experiencing now should never be taken for anything resembling normal.  I think they're selling the phrase 'new normal' to get people to accept the unacceptable.  Don't buy it, folks.

There are other things I could rant about, but I'm about ranted out right now.  We're still all fine.  Everyone we know is still fine.  I'll let you know if things take a shit here.  How are things where you are?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/19/20

Yesterday, after much discussion over the weekend, it was decided I would go to Wallyworld and that I would take the Owl with me.  We joked about the lockdown being lifted by the governor - aka Hubs.  Mind you, it still wasn't a normal trip.  I still stocked up so I don't have to go back until next month.  But it was more toward normal than any shopping trip since early March.

For the record, Owl went with me because the poor bird hadn't been to a retail establishment since early March either while she was still in Michigan. And she needed things I couldn't necessarily pick up for her - things she needed to see and choose for herself.  (Her tastes are not my tastes.)  Good thing she was here and not MI or her shopping would've been deemed non-essential.

Anyway, all went well at the Walmart.  They had a lot of the stuff I haven't been able to get at the Dollar General.  Unfortunately, glucosamine was not one of them.  With my crappy joints, I need my supplement, but umm, no.  I'll try to buy that online today.  The other thing in short supply was beef.  I did manage to pick up more hamburger, but roasts were gone.  I could've come home with some high priced cuts of beef - NY strip anyone?  Umm, no.  I did get a lovely pork tenderloin that will make three meals with leftovers and the whole chicken that we had for dinner last night.

Less than half of the shoppers were wearing masks.  All of the employees were wearing them.  Including one of the two boys I'd seen not wearing one last time.

Let's pause and talk about masks for a second.  From what I've been hearing, they're doing more harm than good.  Using them for any length of time increases the CO2 in your blood, which lowers your immune system.  They're also breeding grounds for bacteria - you know, the bacteria you already have that your immune system fights everyday.  Increasing the strength of bacteria and lowering your immune system's efficacy does not sound like a good idea to me.  If you choose to wear a mask, do it wisely and be careful, okay?  I did take masks with us we went out yesterday, but those were more in case someone got all up in our faces about not wearing them than fear of the 'rona.  Note: we did not have to wear them and no one seemed to care.

I was watching a Professional Bull Riding (PBR) thing over the weekend.  (Don't judge.  You get sports where you can nowadays.)   And this dude had just finished his winning ride on a particularly active bull.  When he stepped up to get his trophy, he was wearing a mask and breathing so hard, the mask was sucking in and out against his face.  I'm surprised the poor guy didn't hyperventilate.  But he didn't need a mask.  There wasn't anyone anywhere near him.  No spectators in the stands.  A few rodeo clowns.  The officiants.  Of course, the mask was stamped with the PBR logo, so the event organizers were responsible.  The more I think about it, the more I think it's all virtue-signaling.

Did you guys hear about the guy who was jogging with a mask on?  He passed out and had to be taken to a hospital where he was found to have hypoxia.  If you're exercising, get the damn mask off.  You need oxygen more than you need to worry about germs.  And if you're that concerned you have to wear a mask everywhere, stop strenuous exercise.  Sheesh.

Also for the record, we sanitized our hands when we got back to the car.  And there's my virtue signal for the day.

Today, Hubs plans to go get a haircut.  He was going to go yesterday, but then he remembered the barber takes Mondays off.  He hasn't had a haircut since mid-March.  Lucky for him, he keeps it short, so 8 weeks without a haircut did not turn him in Justin Bieber.  He's just a little shaggy.  I like it like this, but it's driving him nuts.  I'd cut it, but then he'd look like he had the mange.  Narrowly avoided that.  Whew.

Oh, and one last thing... There are arrows on the floor for a reason, people.  And if you can't understand an arrow or read the words, green means go and red means stop. There was one gal going the wrong way down every aisle yesterday.  But she had a mask on, so it was okay.  Umm, no.   Of course, she wasn't the only one not paying attention to the directives.  And yes, I admit I accidentally went the wrong way once or twice, which I then rectified by backing the hell out.  Rules, people.  You may not like them and they may seem silly, but until they change, follow them.

Okay, that's it for the chaos in my world.  How are things in yours?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/18/20

I went out on Friday to pick up cigarettes and fill in some grocery gaps.  I also topped off the gas tank in my car.  At $1.39, you kind of have to keep the tank topped off.  Who knows when gas will go up again?  Get it while it's cheap.

Anyway, everything's fine at the smoke shop.  They already had my cigs tucked away for me, so no worries about whether I can get mine when I need to.  Those gals take good care of me.  Hubs didn't need any this time around.  He smokes less than I do anyway, but since this chaos started, I've been smoking more than usual.

I hit the building supply place and got suet and birdseed.  Score.  They're all hanging plastic thingies and Xs on the floors now, but still the same friendly, chatty folks they always were.  The guy even carried my birdseed out for me.  Turned out he lived in Michigan for a while.  Heh, there are loads of Michiganders around here.  Better here than there right now.

I also hit the Dollar General up there, which is a different one from the one I've been hitting.  No milk unless I wanted a gallon of whole.  Blech.  Still no antiseptic wipes of any kind (I use Clorox, but the Lysol ones were gone, too).  This DG had ice cream, which I didn't need at the time.  The spices there are as picked over as at the other one.  I guess my search for minced onions and Lawry's garlic salt continues.  Soon I will be out of onion powder, too, but there's none of that either.  They were also out of 60 minute/90 day TracFone cards.  That one sucks because soon Hubs will be out of days.

Owl has asked if she can go with me the next time I hit Wallyworld.  Umm...  Yah, we'll see.  One person going out and potentially bringing germs back versus two people.  I get that she's going stir crazy here.  I'm going a bit stir crazy myself.  I really want to be able to just skip on down to Walmart any time I please.  But I really DON'T want to bring that crap home to Hubs.

Anyway, that's about it for me for now.  What's up with you in this chaos?

Thursday This n That + Chaos Diary Stuff

For some reason, I decided to test the done-ness of the French bread pizzas last night with my bare hands.  Which would've been fine if I hadn't accidentally brushed my finger against the pan, too.  Only one spot on one knuckle got burned and blistered a bit, but man, that one spot... Blerg.  I burn myself at least a couple times a year, so I should be used to it.  Does one ever get used to burns? 

I had some banking to do again yesterday.  As I was standing around chatting with my friends - 6 ft away from them (virtue signal lit) - one of them mentioned a little blue bird she'd been seeing.  My BFF and I said at almost the same time 'indigo bunting'.  See?  This is why she's my BFF.  We get each other.  Man, I missed her during the MO lockdown.

Making progress on Cinder Ugly.  Slow progress, but progress nonetheless.  I expect to reach 100 pages today.  Not hard since I finished yesterday on pg 99. 

I never dreamed I'd reach the age of 50 only to find myself monitoring the potty habits of a geriatric cat.  She's pooping along like a champion, btw.  Yay. 

Okay, I'm not fifty.  Yet.  Next week, I'll be fifty.  Umm, yah.

It was time to order more catfood again, so I trotted over to Amazon.  Yay all the types I wanted were in stock.  I also need new socks, so I thought I'd tack them onto the order.  Socks?  They're on back order.  Socks.  On back order.  Who would've thunk it?  For the record, I am rough on socks.  My feet chew through the heels at an alarming rate.  They didn't used to.  Older feet?  Cheaper socks?  My funny gait getting funnier?  :shrug:  I'll pick some up at the Dollar General next time I'm there.

Also for the record, I hate having to think that far ahead on buying catfood.  Just over two weeks worth left?  Time to order more, in case the shipment gets held up.  Blerg.

I have heard Amazon's not being as snappy with their shipments and deliveries as they were.  Stupid chaos.

What's on your this n that list today?  Got any chaos things to report? 

The Chaos Diaries - 5/13/20

It's a sad, strange world out there.  Every day some new crazypantsness pokes its head up from the sludge.  And I don't understand any of it.  I think if I tried to, my head would explode.

The new stimulus bill Nancy brought forth was over a thousand pages long.  ONE THOUSAND PAGES.  I think there ought to be a rule that you can't vote for it if you haven't read it and there will be a test.  That way we don't end up with Obamacare again.  Also, there ought to be a rule that bills may only include what's in the title of the bill.  Or something.  No more pork fat in these damn bills.  But that's just me.  Any rational citizen could take these bills and a red pen and cut all the crap out.  Let me at it.  My red pen would eat that shit up.

In other news, I saw a screen capture of a private message a friend of a friend received on FB.  It started out with something like 'I'll make this simple so a redneck like you can read it' and then proceeds to spew vile, profanity-laced crap in ALL CAPS.  It was a vicious and nasty screed sent because the receiver dared to want the country to open back up again.  Several of the commenters wanted the spewer's name uncovered so the could rain hell upon her.  My answer?  Report, Block, Delete.  Buh-bye.  Actually, I wouldn't mind having her name so I could visit her page simply to block her so I never have to run into her.  I've been doing that a lot lately.  I haven't blocked so many people since the 2016 election.  (Not reported.  I've never reported anyone.  If I had gotten that in a private message, though, you're damn sure I'd report it.)

Of course, with FB's new team of watchers, they'd probably give that bitch a prize and censure me.

Apparently, I should be ashamed of myself for not wearing a mask everywhere I go.  If you want to wear a mask, more power to you.  If you want to shame me for not wearing one, go pound sand up your ass.  Better yet, take your shaming into Flint or Detroit and try it there.  Wear a bulletproof full-body suit, though. 

I heard they caught the guys who shot that security guard in Flint.  They were in Texas.  They've also arrested the bitch who started it all and family members who were aiding and abetting the murderers.  There is justice here and there on occasion.  Well, we'll see how much time they actually get and then whether it counts as justice for a murdered father of eight.

Speaking of Michigan, I heard yesterday that, in Michigan, the news is saying Missouri is getting hit hard by the 'Rona.  Umm, no.  That is a big, bald-faced, fucking lie.  Of course, they don't want Michiganders to know the truth - we opened back up and we're fine - because then Nitwit would get more blowback than she's already getting. 

:deep breath: Ohhhhm  Ohhhhm.

It's all good here.

How are things where you are?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/12/20

So, I went out into the world yesterday.  I hit the bank first, then Dollar General, then the convenience store.

First up, the bank.  They're open again where customers can actually go inside.  Yay.  But they've got these plastic thing hanging from the ceiling in front of each teller and the center teller window is closed (there are only 3 anyway and the center one is never open.)  The plastic barriers are only right in front of the teller, so not sure how much good they're actually doing.  I even joked with them about 'there's no way germs will ever get around these' and they laughed.  I got to see my BFF.  She had a plastic thing, too, but it was propped up against the wall.  There's no way to hang it and even if she did, it wouldn't actually protect anything since it's the same size as the tellers' and she sits at a desk.  So I pulled a chair back so I would be sitting about 6 feet from her, maybe a little more... erring on the side of caution... and we had a nice chat.  No hugs.  :sadface: 

As we were chatting, this tall, thin, older dude comes in.  (Older... heh... probably 55-65.)  He goes to the farthest teller spot and proceeds to move the chair they had placed there to provide distance.  Then he stands on the side instead of in front of the plastic thing, so he's basically right there breathing all over little bitty Cathy.  My BFF shakes her head.  "It's doesn't matter what we do, people do what they want anyway."  Shortly thereafter, she had a couple people come in who were obviously waiting for her, so I moved the other chair back six feet.  I told her she needed to put some tape on the floor and tell people to get back behind the line.  Then we wished each other well and I toddled off to my next stop.

Ah, Dollar General.  They had pretty much what I needed.  Well, except for the ice cream, which was my real purpose for hitting the store.  The cashier told me the truck would be in on Wednesday.  At about 10am.  Like I can just jet around any old time.  Umm, right.  And you know 10am on Wednesday means the ice cream will be in the coolers sometime later that day.  It also means that by Thursday all the ice cream will be gone. 

Anyway, I did my shopping.  There were only a couple other people in the store.  One guy was parking his cart at the end of the aisle, walking up the aisle to browse for his items and then walking back to put them in his cart, thereby making himself an irritation because I have to stay 6 feet away from him but I never knew exactly where he would be.  Derp.  And his cart was always parked right where I needed to go.  :deepbreath:  I thought I lost him when he went to the back of the store, but then I needed tissues and sure enough his cart was parked right in front of the tissues.  I did not get tissues.  I didn't need them bad enough to wait for him to move. 

The only other people in the store were this skaggy young couple - Redneck Clem and Meth Martha.  Ah, livin' in the Ozarks.  They did a lot of standing and staring at the merchandise, making it difficult for me to get past them to get to the cash registers.  I did an end around and went into the cash register lane from the other end.  The cash register there also had a plastic thing.  Unfortunately, the gap between the plastic thing and the counter was not wide enough to slide my juice and water underneath without putting them on their sides and shoving.  And again, not doing much to stop germs from free-floating around it. 

Of course, Clem and Martha (not their real names) come up right behind me, not social distancing at all.  Hell, I would've wanted six feet between me and them even before the 'Rona.  I was busy putting my bags in the cart and before I had a chance to pay, they already had their crap on the counter.  The cashier tried to tell them to move, but they ignored her.  I paid her by handing her the money over the shopping bag corral. 

So, I put my stuff in my car and of course, Clem and Martha have parked right the hell next to me in their bondo-buggy sports car when we're the only cars in the parking lot, and I have to wait for them to leave before I get into my own car.  Who knows what kind of skeevy crap was floating in the air around them?  :shudder:  I could imagine the vermin leaping off them in droves like rats escaping a burning building.  Forget the 'Rona, I was thinking fleas, lice, scabies, plague...  :shudder:

Okay, so the shopping is done for the most part, but I am still sans ice cream.  The convenience store where I get gas usually has ice cream.  I head down the road.  And they do have ice cream.  The expensive kind, but hey, when a gal needs ice cream, she needs ice cream.  I got a tub of vanilla and a tub of chocolate.  I slapped them down on the counter, looked at the cashier - a lady I'm friendly with anyway - and say 'a gal's gotta do what a gal's gotta do', which sends her into gales of laughter. 

Home again, home again.  Jiggedy jig.  Hands sanitized to the max. 

Know what?  The expensive ice cream?  Not nearly as tasty as the cheap stuff I get at Wallyworld.  But a gal can't be picky right now. 

And that's it for me.  We're all still well here.  I'll be glad when I can scoot down to Wallyworld every week again.  The DG is okay, but it's not Wallyworld. 

How's things in your world?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/11/20

Okay, I'm tired of all this.  I mean, I've been tired of it for a while now, but my tired is reaching critical mass. 

No, saying I want the country to open back up for business does not mean I hate old people and babies.  If you have old people and babies in your life that you're worried about, by all mean, shelter in place.  Keep them safe.  But don't ask the government to force other people to drop everything to protect the people you love.  That's your job. 

In fact, if you're pushing for the country to stay closed, it makes a case that you are the one who doesn't care.  That you're willing to put your fears for safety above the well being of people who are losing their jobs and struggling to make ends meet and fearing for their future and the futures of their children is sick and wrong.  See?  That fire burns both ways, doncha know.

I saw something on the 'net the other day, calling everyone who wants the country to open back up a bunch of whiny babies who can't handle being stuck at home for 2 months.  Yeah, that was my reaction, too.  =oO  It's not as simple as being stuck at home for 2 months.  There are a lot of people who don't have 2 months worth of income set aside in case of emergency.  There are a lot of people who don't have enough money set aside to pay bills at the end of this month, let alone enough to carry them for two.  They live paycheck to paycheck.  If this was back when I worked my last outside-the-house job, I'd be screwed.  I was barely stretching my income to meet each week's needs.  And I worked for a private school system that would most definitely be shut down.  Whether they would've continued to pay me - a non-essential secretary - through all this?  Your guess is as good as mine.  Most likely, Owl, Kira, and I would've been out on the street.


Even private school systems cannot afford to pay everyone indefinitely when there's no money coming in.  No business can.  And it follows that property management companies cannot continue to stay in business if people aren't paying the rents.   No company can. 

Sure, the $1200 helped.  But what happens when the $1200 runs out?  It was only supposed to keep us all afloat until the country reopened.  If the country doesn't reopen, what then?  Another $1200? And another?  From where?  The government doesn't actually have all that money lying around to throw at the populace.  It's like living off your credit cards.  Sooner or later, the credit limit is reached and the bill comes due.

And another thing...  I'm sick of the commercials with the supposedly soothing music saying we're all in this together.  And they're everywhere - even the site where I go to play mahjong has a hashtag about it.  Umm, no.  Sorry.  We're all facing the chaos, true, but I doubt seriously that the people who make those commercials are in the same boat as the people watching them.  They're on yachts when many people are in leaky canoes, trying to bail with sieves.  Of course, it's heartening to see I'm not the only one who's sick of the commercials.  I've seen a couple people in the past day or so say the same thing.  More eloquently or with more panache than I.

I mean, I get the sentiment.  Really I do.  But trying to make us all feel like we're one big lump of person instead of individuals smells of communism to me.  So, yeah, I'm railing against it.

I'm planning on going out into the world today.  I need ice cream.  Oh, yeah, and apple juice.  But mostly ice cream.  If they have any left when I get to the store.  

How are things in your world?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/6/20

So, yesterday, I wound up taking the cat to the vet.  Thankfully, when I called them to talk about Kira's problems, they had an appt at 11am.

Now, understand something.  My vet is in Arkansas.  To the best of my knowledge, they never shut down AR.  And the few things that were shut down were supposed to open on the 4th.  Mind you, the only reasons I go into AR were fulfilled last week and before then I hadn't been down there in 3 weeks, so what do I know?

Anyway, while on the phone with the vet, I was informed that their lobby is closed.  I would have to call them once I got to the parking lot and then wait in my car until someone came out to get the cat.  I was not allowed to go into the building with her.

Well, at least they weren't making me wear a mask, eh?

So, down I go.  I call from the parking lot and then wait for someone to come out and get the carrier with its soft kitty filling.  A gal I don't recognize comes out.  That's fine.  I haven't been there since Kira's last UTI two years ago.  New employees.  Yay.  She was very nice, even if she was masked improperly (over her mouth but not her nose.)  :shrug:  I explain everything and she whisks my precious furbucket into the building.   Before she leaves, she tells me if I have errands to run, I'm welcome to do so.  Umm, okay. This isn't really an errand kind of time we're living in, and I already did all mine, so I opt to wait in the car.

So I wait.

A while goes by with me sitting there reading on my Kindle.  TGFK.  Finally, the same gal comes out.  No mask this time.  She needs my authorization to run bloodwork.  I call Hubs to get consensus and then give the okee dokey.

And I wait.

People arrive and employees come out to their cars to get their animals or give them meds or whatever.  Another gal comes out to the truck next to me.  I've never seen her either.  And she wasn't wearing a face mask.  The office manager comes out fully and properly masked to talk to another person.  A gal arrives, hops out of her car, and jogs up the steps to the front door, wherein she looks at the signs plastered all over the front - which I assume read to the effect that the lobby is closed.  She tries the door anyway.  It's locked.  She looks at the signs, perhaps actually reading them.  And tries the door again.  Dejected, she walks back to her SUV and makes the call.  Someone comes out and hands her something.  Off she goes.

And I wait.

Finally, after about an hour in the car (half of which was the drive time to get there), I set my book down, light a smoke, and get out of the car.  It was lovely day and I really needed to stretch my legs.  I walked around the parking lot until my cigarette was finished.  As I reached my car, unmasked gal (Gal #2) comes out.  I get just enough time to flick my butt in the ashtray before she is upon me.  Apparently, the practice added a new vet and she was it.

She gives me the lowdown on Kira.  Upper Respiratory infection, for sure.  And the constipated kitty thing, which cleared itself up a bit in the carrier on the way there, will require some kitty laxatives.  And Kira's got kidney problems.  Because she's OLD.  Meds for each of those maladies.  Yay.  The vet tells me she'll go in and get Kira and be right back out.  Fifteen minutes later, her and the first gal come back out with kitty and meds.  No masks on either one.

I pay the bill, get my receipt, and thank them for their time.  I left the house around 10 and got back around 12:15.  Would it have been shorter without the 'precautions' they didn't really seem to be taking all that seriously?  Who knows.  Was sitting in my car for over an hour any worse on my back than sitting on their hard wooden benches inside?  :shrug:  I know I missed chatting with the vet techs and office manager, like I used to do when they were taking care of Max.

What a world.

In other chaos news, they finally let my aunt's daughter go visit her at the gulag nursing home.  This isolation has got to be driving my gregarious aunt batshit crazy.  Even my semi-hermit of a mom has had it with this, and Crazed Governor Gretchen has extended the lockdown there until 5/28.  Poor mom.  Poor all of my family members trapped by that power mad witch.

Anyway, that's it for me today.  How's things in your neck of the chaos?

The Chaos Diaries - 5/2/20

Yesterday I had a doctor's appointment.  Just my usual quarterly shot thing, so no big deal, but since I went out into the world, it's worth a post.

To start off, Wednesday I got my usual pre-appt reminder call from the doctor's office.  In the pre-recorded message, they mentioned something about if you're wondering about the new rules in place, call.  So I called.  Their new rules are basically the same rules we're all following now - 6 ft of distance, if you feel ill stay home, etc.  The only change is that they would be taking my temperature before they'd let me inside the office.  Okay, fine, whatever.

So, off I went.  Before I go to my appointments, I usually hit the stores.  This time, most of my stops were either closed or unnecessary, but I did hit the Dollar General because I bought all these hotdogs and no buns.  I no sooner walked in the store than I ran into my next door neighbor.  He's a cool dude, but I hardly ever see him, so we chatted for a while.  We were about 6 ft apart, but people kept walking between us.  :shrug:  Anyway, he's well and so's his whole family.  Yay.  He also talked to me about his vegetable garden and said something about bringing us produce when it comes in.  Also, yay.

The DG was pretty chill.  Only saw one person with a mask on.  The store had the stuff I needed.  I got it and got out.  At the DG, they had a thing of hand sanitizer sitting in a lawn chair with a sign limiting people to one squirt only.  Okee dokee.  I didn't bother.  I had my HS in my pocket for easy squirting.  Which I did after I left the store and before I got into the car.

Off to the doctor's.

The door leading into the building had a sign on it, which I ignored.  The door to the office itself had the same sign, which told me to knock and someone would come to take my temperature.  I knocked.  And waited.  In the waiting area, I could see one other person.  She was masked up and waiting for her appt.  After a while, I heard her call out to Sue, the office manager.  Then I saw Sue poke her head up with the phone plastered to her ear and gesture for me to give her a minute.  No probs. 

Sue came out eventually and pointed this new thermometer thing at my forehead.  Apparently, no touch thermometers are a thing now.  I was 98.2F.  Yay for me.  (Lower temps run in the family, according to Mom.  Dad was always low.)  Sue also asked me some questions before she'd let me inside - how I felt, was I coughing, etc.  Anyway, I passed the gauntlet, so she let me inside.

Mine isn't a big doctor's office.  There are probably eight, maybe ten chairs in the waiting room.  There was that other gal and me.  And signs in every other chair that we weren't allowed to sit there.  Of course, the chair with the best view - the office looks out over the lake - had a sign in it.  So, I joked with the other gal about the fact that there were only two of us and the signs and junk.

And she offered to move.  As if that would somehow make the ludicrousness of the situation better.  Of course, she was tucked into the corner farthest from the door, and like I said, masked up.  I was all like no-no, that's okay.  Then, I said something about only being there for a shot.  She told me she was so scared of all this virus stuff she was there to get checked out.  Umm... Okay.  I didn't have the time or the energy to tell her that if she had the virus, she wouldn't have gotten past the door.  I just picked a seat far away from her and without a sign and opened my book. 

The rest of the appointment went without a hitch.  The nurse was masked up.  The office manager was masked up.  I chatted with the nurse like I always chat with the nurse, even if this was the new gal and my favorite nurse is part time now. :sadface:  Not because of this, but because her and her husband are in the process of opening a bed and breakfast - something they started way before this chaos crap.  I felt really bad for her when I thought about it, but apparently, they're still working on the remodel, so this isn't effecting their business yet.

Then I chatted with Sue, because she's a cool lady and I always chat with her after I get my shot.  She pushed her chair back so we were 6ft apart and she took her mask off.  From what I understand, those masks get really hot when you're talking a lot. 

Still, no mask for me.  Yay.  And they're re-opening the state on Monday.  I don't have anywhere to go, but it's nice to know they're trying to get back to business here.  I mentioned this to one of the gals at DG and she started going on about the re-opening causing a new surge in cases, etc.  Of course, she wasn't wearing a mask, so I'm not sure how much this is scaring her for real, but enough to be gloom and doom about the re-opening of MO.

I'm sad for all those people who have been so frightened by the powers that be, they're willing to do anything to not get this thing.  Again, I'm not scared of the virus.  I don't want it, of course, but I don't want the flu or the common cold or food poisoning either.  What I'm scared of is the economic downturn this country has taken and the rights that are being infringed upon on a daily basis.  That shit scares the crap out of me.

Anyway, we're all fine.  The neighbors are fine.  (Ran into another neighbor on the way home and she's good, too.)  Whether the country will be fine?  Time will tell.

How are things with you and yours?

The Chaos Diaries - 4/30/20

Yesterday, I did go to Wallyworld. 

And to kill the suspense up front, it was the kitty litter making the cat sneeze and balk about going into the litterbox.  As soon as Hubs changed it out, the cat went in and didn't sneeze at all, peed without issue, and the general sneezing has lessened considerably.  It'll probably stop once I clean the house again.

Now, here's how the day went...

First things first, I made a colossal grocery list.  Like damn and whoa.  Then off I went.  Hit the bank first.  They informed me that they'll be opening the lobby back up again on Monday.  Yay!  Everyone is fine there.  Stopped for gas.  $1.29 a gallon here.  Everyone is fine there.  Hit the feed store and got eight 50lb bags of whole corn for the deer.  Everyone there is fine.

Unfortunately, I got the sullen dude loading corn into my car this time.  I told him 'put 6 bags in the back seat and 2 in the trunk'.  He throws two in the back seat and moves the forklift to the back of my car, where he starts throwing bags in the trunk.  I stopped him after two and repeated my instructions.  Man, was he pissed as he moved the forklift back next to the car.  I've been over this with him before.  I need a certain weight distribution in my car or it drives weird, which is why I always load corn into the back seat.  This time, I got so much, I needed to put some in the trunk.

Anyway, I got that done and trundled down to Wallyworld.  I didn't see everyone going in or coming out with masks on their face, so I stuck mine in my purse and went for it.  I also put a cough drop in my mouth because smoker's cough right now is a bad thing.  The workers at the little tent pass-through thing were wearing masks and they informed me Walmart is mostly one-way now.  Follow the signs, etc.  Through the doors and into the store where a worked told me the carts are disinfected and that it's all one-way and to follow the signs. 

Off I went into bizarro world.  I finally found my first sign after a bit - at the first short aisle I went to.  They're on the floor.  And at the end of that first aisle, I encountered a elderly woman trying to enter the wrong way.  I said 'sorry, hon, but you can't come in this way' and pointed to the sign at her feet.  She grinned and apologized and said something like 'oh, that's where the signs are'.

I went about my shopping like usual, following the signs which isn't that hard.  Most people were obeying the rules.  Some people were being assholes, but you get that on a regular day anyway.  About 2/3rds of the shoppers were wearing masks.  Of those, about 10% were wearing them wrong.  If you're going to wear a mask, it has to cover your nose AND your mouth.  All but two of the workers were wearing masks and the two who weren't didn't seem like they had half a brain between them.

So, I go into the juice aisle and there are these two young males in blue vests and no masks, staring at the shelves like they can't find where they're supposed to stock something.  I need to get to the apple juice, which his behind the big cart of stuff they're stocking.  So I point to the juice and ask them to move their cart.  Which they do, but then they're standing right there where I have to brush past them to get the damn juice.  So I ask them to move again.  And they look at me like I'm an idiot.  Then I'm all likes 'dudes, Walmart is telling me I have to stay 6 feet away from you, so move back 6 feet already'.  Sheesh.  Not brain surgery.

About 3/4 of the way through the store, my cart is full to overflowing.  There was no way I was going to get the meat and produce and frozen stuff in there.  So, I decided to check out with that load, put it in the car, and go back again.  Checkout #1 went fine.  I stuffed the car and went for another run through the gauntlet.  Keep six feet apart, follow the signs, etc.  Got what I needed and headed for checkout again.  The shortest line happened to be one of my favorite cashiers - I'll call her K.  Yay.

The guy at the checkout checks out.  The guy right in front of me has a little dog with him and is wearing a big top hat.  Okaaay.  Then I notice he's buying copious packs of balloons.  Fun.  Except he doesn't have enough cash and he keeps digging through his pockets coming up with coins and tossing them on the conveyor in hopes he'll come up with the $24.35 or whatever he needs to make his purchase.  I spoke up and offered to meet the difference, but K shook her head.  On and on with more coins being found and him continuing to say he was sure he had a five in their somewhere.  I pulled a five out of my purse, threw it on the belt, and said 'make up the difference out of that'.  

He thanked me profusely and told the cashier that any change was mine.  Well, duh.  Then he asked me if I had any kids.  Umm, okay.  Then he informed me he makes balloon animals in the park and gives them to the kids for free.  Umm, okay.  Explains the odd clothes and the little dog, I guess.  He gathered his balloons and left.  I just wanted to get back out to the car before my ice cream melted and at the rate we were going, it wasn't going to be likely without intervention. 

Poor K.  She told me that guy does that every time he comes in there.  :shrug:  I told her it was worth $5 to me to get the show underway.  I ended up paying $1.03 for his stuff.  We won't talk about how much I paid for my stuff.  Good thing it was for a month's worth of food. 

I asked K how she was doing and she just shook her head sadly. then she whispered that she's been there every day since this whole thing started.  Bad enough for any cashier, but K is like in her seventies.  She's wiped out and I don't blame her.  But she's good at her job, she's probably taking on extra shifts because she knows they're hurting for workers right now and, unfortunately, I think she needs the money.  I wish I could do something more for her than just being a nice customer who doesn't give her shit and genuinely cares about how she's doing amidst all this chaos crap.

Other than the huge unloading of the car, the rest of the trip was uneventful.  The gal at the feed store told me that Arkansas is allowing restaurants to open starting on Monday.  Yay.  It doesn't matter to me, because we don't eat out anyway, but it'll help the local economy, which is always good.  Her?  She's a widow who eats out often, so this is even happier news for her. 

Well, I just scrolled back up and saw how long this post became.  Thanks for sticking with me all the way through.  I hope your day is awesome and that you stay safe and healthy.  :hugs:

How are things going for you?