The Audacity of the White Truck Guy Rumpushole

I may not have been keeping you updated on White Truck Guy, who regularly parks in the lone handicap space at the Gas Station Chicken Store. It's not because he has quit doing so. Even though I've been going to town later and later, I still encounter him in my rightful handicap space a couple times a week. Only now he's Red Truck Guy. Several months ago he traded vehicles. 

Anyhoo... there he was again at 5:30 on Tuesday evening. I pulled in behind his running red truck. Didn't look like he was inside. With the heat index near 100, I didn't feel like sitting there with T-Hoe running, nor walking the extra distance to the door. You never know if White Truck Guy is about to come out and leave, or sit in his truck a while, or stay inside for 20 minutes. So I left to go about my other business of getting scratchers at Casey's.

I can see that parking spot from Casey's. It's just over the moat beside Hick's pharmacy, which sits between the two convenience stores. You know that I was in Casey's for a while. Everyone here, and cameras from space, can verify that Val is a slow mover. I figured this was another of White Truck Guy's lengthy visits, so I drove up town to mail some bills. Being careful to avoid that street beside the giant sinkhole, because The Pony asked me to way back when it was even smaller.

Anyhoo... by the time I got back to the Gas Station Chicken Store, White Truck Guy's red truck was gone from the handicap space. I parked and started in.

Well, I'll be ding-dang-donged! The red truck was now sitting under the roof, parked at the gas pump closest to the door. He has done this before. I suppose he checks his tickets, then goes back inside. My favorite cashier has said that Man Owner has asked him not to block the gas pumps, but he continues. 

As I got closer to the door, out came WHITE TRUCK GUY! I'd know him anywhere. He glanced over at me, and HELD THE DOOR OPEN.

That's not fair! That's dirty pool! What a low-life thing to do, hold open the door for the grouchy hobbling old lady who despises him for parking in her rightful handicap space! Of course I had to tell him "Thank you" as I went in.

Pardon me for being cynical, but it's another case of the actions not belying the sentiment, which I experienced with another handicap parking space usurper last week, and shamed on my supersecret blog. White Truck Guy will hold the door open to help me, yet he cannot keep his truck out of the handicap parking space to help me. 

Sorry that I can't pretend I honestly appreciated his door-holding olive branch.

Val's Efforts to Be a Do-Gooder Are Thwarted by a Johnny on the Spot

I was in line at 10Box on Monday, behind a guy who was only buying a quart of ice cream. Or however much ice cream you get these days in that oval container. He was paying with cash, and came up short. According to the Young Guy Cashier, he needed 48 cents, after counting up three bills and coins.

I was reaching into my shirt pocket to pull out a dollar when another man walked across the end of the conveyor. "Hey, buddy. I gotcha." He counted out change and put it on the conveyor next to Ice Cream Guy's pile of cash.

"Thanks a lot! I'll look you up later and pay you back," said Ice Cream Guy as the donator proceeded into the store. "He's my neighbor."

Ice Cream Guy was quite talkative. He started telling a story of how he got in trouble for not showing up to court for resisting arrest and getting tased and it taking him two weeks to be able to walk again. How he hadn't even got notice that he was supposed to appear in court. How he'd gone to the courthouse to see if he had any charges, and they told him he had missed his court date and they'd sent him a letter. But the letter went to (another) neighbor's house, who refused it, and sent it back. 

Young Guy Cashier was counting up the money, so Ice Cream Guy had turned to me to tell his story. I'd already heard part of it on the chip aisle, when he was on the other side, telling an old man looking for peanuts that he had a 2.4 million dollar lawsuit against the cops, but he couldn't afford a lawyer.

I knew that old man was looking for peanuts, because he had his cart in the middle of the chip aisle, and apologized to me before rounding the corner. I don't think he knew Ice Cream Guy. I wondered why Ice Cream Guy didn't just get a lawyer that only takes part of the settlement if he wins. I didn't ask about it, because, you know, I really didn't want to engage.

After Ice Cream Man left, without even putting his ice cream in a bag, I told Young Guy Cashier, "I was ready to give him a dollar when that other guy showed up. Then you wouldn't have had to count all that change."

"Oh, I don't mind counting the change. It's just part of the job."

And here came Ice Cream Man back into the store! Saying, "I forgot I have $15 on my card!"

Not sure what he came back to get. But if he was short a few cents, I would still have given him the dollar. It's the thought that counts.

Hick To the Rescue. Again.

I got a late start to town on Saturday. Hick was already home from his SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5), reclining in his recliner, bemoaning the heat. I was almost to the lettered county blacktop highway when I got a call from Hick. That was unusual. He knew I had just left for town. It was 5:30. 

"I just got a call from the apartments. Old Gal fell, and she can't get up. Her daughter can't get in the door, so she called for me to come unlock it. I'm leaving now."

Of course I hoped Old Gal was okay. It's never good when an elderly takes a tumble. It's also good that Hick was only sipping on a Diet Mountain Dew at the time, and could drive 20 minutes to town to take care of this incident. Seems like being 'on call' 24/7/365 should be worth more than 'less than $300 a month,' heh, heh!

Anyhoo... supper was delayed. Hick got home around 7:00. He said he and the daughter couldn't get Old Gal up, so they called the EMTs, who did it with no problem. They asked if she wanted to go to the hospital and get checked out. She asked her daughter, who said, "I don't think so. You just took your sleeping pill and fell down because you weren't using your cane. You're probably okay."

Hick said that yes, she seemed a little confused and was slurring some words, because of the sleeping pill. Her daughter says that's how it makes her react. She said her hip was hurting a little, but she was able to walk on it. They just put her back to bed. 

"What kind of floor is it?"

"It's tile for the bathroom, and carpet for the bedroom. She was kind of half on each. She got up for the bathroom, and fell on the way."

"Did she pee herself?"

"No. She tried to get in the bathroom and pull herself up, but she couldn't."

"Did they let her pee before putting her back to bed?"

"No."

"Well, that's not a good thing! I hope you don't have to go back."

"I gave her daughter a key. I think I'm going to put a drop box in there. So the fire department can get access to the keys when they need to get in and help somebody."

"Heh, heh! So you're just going to make sure somebody ELSE is on call for these things."

"Yeah, pretty much."

That Hick is such a helper. Though I would probably lie here for half a day or more if I took a tumble while he was in town...

Hick Did the Work of Five Men

Hick was practially chortling (though not evil-ish, like The Universe) when he told me a tale on Saturday evening.

"Remember my guy, Dude, who used to work for me at the plant? He came in today. He quit there a while ago. But he said right after I left, everything was going wrong. After about three months, they started going back to the way I did things. He said they had five people doing all the work I used to do. I knew that plant couldn't run with how they was doing things."

Let the record show that when Hick was set to retire, management begged him to stay on. Gave him a sweet deal to work 20 hours a week, with full insurance and benefits. Hick was fine with that, until some restructuring that gave him a "boss." He compared this boss to a used-car salesman. Said he was all about making people think how great he was at his job, while doing next to nothing. We know Hick is not the best at taking orders, but he DOES know what he's doing. It was this change, and a switch to some kind of management system (Lean Manufacturing), that made Hick slam the door shut on his "partial" retirement.

Hick and two others built that company from the ground up. They were advised by the "Big Guy" on the east coast to answer a blind ad. In fact, they were threatened with a lawsuit for giving up "trade secrets" in the butcher-saw-blade-making industry when they left their former employer. Under the "Big Guy's" funding, they took an empty building and turned it into a new factory, then expanded to a bigger building.

Hick was sent to several other countries to advise them on their manufacturing techniques, and was in charge of buying millions of dollars worth of machines, and seeing that they were safely shipped. He went to Germany, Wales, France, Sweden, Brazil, and New Jersey (heh, heh!). Hick said Brazil was the most scary/dangerous. They had to be accompanied by security when they left the hotel, lest they be kidnapped, robbed, or arrested.

He brought home several workers who were joining their company, who were "in town" for training. Hick didn't want them sitting around a motel room for a weekend. The guy from Colombia bought a used car from us. The guy from China loved riding the 4-wheeler, shooting a gun, and told Hick, "You are a very rich man. Rich in property, and rich to have four sons." He was expecting a baby daughter at the time. He wanted Hick to take a picture of him holding a 9mm pistol, but told Hick that his wife must never see it. Then there were the guys from Germany who Hick took to eat at a local catfish restaurant, only to find out one was allergic to fish!

Hick was on equal footing with the plant manager and the office manager, his title being Manager of Facility Maintenance. The three of them ran that place, making decisions about operations and hiring. Until they got old and new people were brought in to eventually take over. That was the start of the decline.

It was nice to see Hick so happy at being VALidated.

Still a Couple of Loose Ends for Wrapping

It's been almost three weeks since the closing on the Double Hovel flip house(s). Life is pretty much back to normal without the responsibility of this constant companion we had for a little over two years.

My stalking is being curtailed, what with street closures due to the installation of a roundabout on the main route that takes me to the bank, Pony House, and past the Double Hovel. My last memory, from Thursday, is that the new resident really needs to mow his yard!

Hick came in Friday afternoon with the mail. "Looks like just junk mail," he said, handing me a single envelope. I tended to agree, but I open all the mail, junk or not, to make sure.

Looks pretty junky, right? Like those companies wanting to insure our water line out to the street (even though we have a well and no street), and the out-of-state companies who would be delighted to buy (at a tenth of the market value) our property, if we only sign the bottom of their offer.

Good thing I opened it! That envelope contained a refund check for the balance left on the Double Hovel's insurance policy. Let the record show that this is not the name of the insurance company on our policy, nor the big-name insurance company that we got it through. Who knew? Better open up that "junk mail" if you recently sold a Double Hovel!

Here's another thing. We are due a refund from the city water department for the Double Hovel. At closing, the closer went over documents, noting a deduction for the water bill, giving the buyer credit for the past month. It was done by the title company, making sure there were no outstanding debts on the property. Well. The checks had already been sent for those payments. Checks were mailed on the 3rd. Closing was on the 9th. Payment due on the 15th.  Not our fault that the city is not prompt in processing payments. Hick thinks it's odd that they didn't do the same with the electric bills, for which we got a final statement, and paid as normal.

Hick thinks the city will probably give us a credit for that amount, on the next water bill for Bargain House. I think they're going to keep the money and plead ignorance if confronted. My other prediction is that the city will give the NEW OWNER credit for that double payment on HIS next bill(s).

We'll see what develops. It's not a large amount. It's the principle. Hick will go to city hall to talk to them about it, if we don't get a refund or a credit when the Bargain House water bill arrives, which should be any day now.

The Universe Treated Val Kindly

It was a good day at the casino for Val. Not only was she NOT the one whose meal was delayed by a kitchen error... but she also made a profit. 

I was around The Pony more than Hick. So I know The Pony didn't get rich, and in fact got poorer. We had declared that it was Hick's turn to win a big jackpot, but that he'd need to get off his old-fashioned machines and bet more than a quarter a spin. I DID see him at a Buffalo game after lunch. He said he won $40 on it, but played it back. That's not bad. The Buffalo games are stingy with their payoffs, unless you hit a BIG JACKPOT. That's the kind of game where I won my $8,600 a few years ago.

Poor Hick. He was on the other side of the carousel of Buffalo games where I had won just before lunch. I only sat down there because The Pony was playing next to an empty slot, and I was tired of caning my way across the casino after a bathroom break.

Funny thing... I had sat down next to The Pony at another game, and on the second spin, I got the bonus he had been trying to trigger for about 20 minutes. It paid me $90-something, so I cashed out a ticket to start saving. It was the first luck I'd had since we got there, and I was down at the time. 

We heard other people winning jackpots. A guy announced that they were having a drawing for some million-dollar promotion, and he would read 25 names, for people to check in at the service desk within 5 minutes, to be included in future drawings. He read off half the names. We heard Hick's first name, and got excited, but it was a different last name. 

I had just entered the bathroom stall when I heard the guy read the rest of the names. I heard MY first name! I couldn't understand the last name. He could have been mispronouncing! Oh, well. I had to go. I figured The Pony would either run tell them where I was, or would come back to the bathroom area to ask me what I wanted him to do. No way could I make it up front in 5 minutes, but The Pony could have taken my ID, and they probably would allow me time. Nobody wants a disability lawsuit!

Well. They finally read the names again, and it was not mine. Too bad, so sad. I was talking to The Pony about it when I joined him at the Buffalo slots. We had a chuckle over the situation. THEN my slot went wild and gave me a bonus I'd never seen before.

I had buffalos all the way across. A LOT of buffalos. I won $252.00 on an 80-cent bet, on the first twenty I'd put in. Poor Pony was ready to leave those Buffalo machines, so we moved one row over, to play Huff n Puff, which is a Three Little Pigs theme, if they were construction workers building straw, wood, and brick homes. The Pony asked me which machine I wanted, for better ease of getting up and down from the chair. I picked the one on the right end, and The Pony took the middle game beside me. Well. You guessed it. MY machine hit a bonus.

I got the Mansion Feature, and after several extra games were given, my whole screen was filled with mansions! That's the best, of course. Mansions pay better than straw or wood houses. Once the Big Bad Wolf blew away my mansions, my prizes added up.

I won $260.00 on a 75-cent bet. Not a big jackpot, but I was pretty happy. Poorer Pony! The Pony's bonuses were not high-paying, but at least there was the fun of THINKING they might pay something good.

Anyhoo... I left with a nice fat bankroll after The Pony cashed out my "saved" ticket. To which I'd added a few more smaller jackpots after lunch. We had a fun day, except for some annoying elderlies who sat around staring at us. That's how it felt, anyway. I don't like it when people aren't playing, just sitting there taking up a machine, watching others win or lose. They keep people from sitting there who might WANT to spend money in that slot. It had been pleasant when we first got there, but then a whole bunch of people seemed to appear. Which was odd, being at the end of the month.

Well! As we were driving away from the casino upon starting home, we saw the reason for all those people. THERE WAS A CRUISE BOAT PARKED ON THE MISSISSIPPI! That is not something I have seen outside of St. Louis and the casino boats that used to be docked there. This looked like a Carnival Cruise ship. Surely it wasn't as big as an actual Carnival Cruise ship. But it was huge for the Mississippi River. I could see it through the gap in the concrete wall there in the downtown area of Casino Town. A bus turned left in front of us, heading that direction, and I realized that it was THOSE PEOPLE from the ship who were taking up room in the casino. It's not like they could leave when their money ran out. Unless they wanted to walk several blocks to get back to their boat.

Val had a good day and a good lunch, with good company (for the most part).

Lunch at the Casino Is Pricey

You'd think a casino would be satisfied with taking our gambling money, and at least allow us to obtain sustenance so we could continue gambling. Isn't that how it used to be in Las Vegas casinos? Cheap food? So you could deposit mass quantities of cash in the slot machines? I don't know. I've never been to Las Vegas. But that's what I gathered from being casino-adjacent all these years.

I might have complained mentioned before how the restaurant at our favorite casino has been inflicting shrinkflation upon us. How I used to get the catfish meal, which was a pound of fried catfish chunks, which has now become 3/4 pound of fried catfish chunks. And how Hick's pie for dessert is now half the size it used to be. As if that's not insult enough, the prices have gone up. Oh, that poor, poor casino, trying to make ends meet...

We used to enjoy the buffet there. It was fantastic! So many stations! Chinese food. Ribeyes cooked to order. Fried chicken. Pot roast with vegetables. A baked potato bar. Fish. Shrimp. Pizza. Mashed potatoes. Assorted vegetables. An entire separate island of desserts. I'm sure I have left out a lot, only mentioning the foods that attracted my attention. Poor Pony. He was not old enough to accompany us there when the buffet was open.

Now we get a normal lunch for the price of the unlimited buffet. How fair is THAT? 

Wednesday, Hick and I chose a cheeseburger and fries. We got the combo, so a soda was included. It would have cost the same had we only gotten the burger and fries, and brought in a small cup of soda from the FREE soda fountain out on the gambling floor. They allow it. But you might as well go with the convenience, since the cost is the same.

It's ridiculous these days! A cheeseburger is $8.00. Fries or tater tots are $5.00. The Pony got a salad that is $11.00, I think. With added grilled chicken that costs extra. Maybe $5.00 or more. I don't know for sure, because the receipt is never itemized. Just a total. It cost us $55.86 for lunch. Those two-armed bandits! 

Anyhoo... here's Hick's pie:

He ate part of it before I could get a picture. He always eats the pie first, because they bring it out first. Hick said this was actually a medium-sized slice, compared to the sliver he gets sometimes. It was cookies and cream flavor.

Here's Hick's burger. He got everything they offered on it that doesn't cost extra.

I'm not a fan of that lettuce, but you know what a health food fanatic Hick is, heh, heh!

My burger was delicious. I had cheddar cheese on it, and just pickles and onions. It was pretty light on the onions. The toasted bun was delectable.

I had asked for mayo. There was a slight smear of it on the bun. I thought perhaps I'd get some packets on the side. You could see a basket of packets behind the counter. Mayo and mustard and ketchup and other stuff I didn't pay attention to. They used to have bottles of mustard and ketchup on each table with the salt and pepper. NOW there is only the ketchup and salt and pepper.

Of course I complained to Hick. "You'd think for your $55 lunch you could at least get a bottle of mustard on the table!" Hick agreed that their prices and procedures are ridiculous.

I had a decent serving of fries, which I shared with The Pony. 

The Pony ordered the salad, and said, "With as much Cajun Ranch as you can give me." The counter gal said, "So do you want an extra Cajun Ranch?" And The Pony repeated, "With as much Cajun Ranch as you can give me." The gal said, "I'll put on an extra. You're going to need it." I'm sure it cost extra.

There's The Pony's salad, with the Cajun Ranch poured on out of the first of two ramekin-size containers. After eating the top, The Pony applied the second container. Yes, it WAS needed. The Pony gave me the tomatoes off the salad. You will notice that no Cajun Ranch was wasted on those tomatoes!

Heh, heh. Hick had eaten his pie. The Pony's salad came out. Then my burger and fries. The counter gal apologized. "I TOLD them you both ordered fries! It will be just a minute." Not her fault. Hick had originally forgot to say he wanted THE COMBO when he ordered his burger. It was only after I ordered mine that he said he wanted fries, too.

Not gonna lie. I was pleased with this development, since Hick is always the first one done eating, and restlessly plays with his phone, wanting to leave while The Pony and I are still eating, and then wanting to leave the casino earlier because he runs out of money.

Anyhoo... the food was delicious, though pricey. It's one of the best burgers I've had. Though it might have been better with some "extra" mayo, and some mustard for a bite or two.