Some Days, Val Shows a Lack of Common CENTS

MONDAY, September 10th, I spent the morning making chili. I wrote out a check for some dues The Pony paid to a chemistry organization out of his casino winnings. With our phone reception almost barless at home, I figured I'd do the mobile deposit in town with a better signal.

Once the chili was done, I put it in containers, thinking about how much my mom liked my chili, and how I used to set aside a container for her. My first stop in town was Save A Lot, for saltine crackers to go with the chili. I get them at Save A Lot, because that's where Mom got hers, due to a young Niecy declaring they were the BEST, with just the right amount of salt.

The mobile deposit of my check into The Pony's account didn't work on the Save A Lot parking lot. I suppose it was because the front and back pictures of the check were taken on T-Hoe's console, in the bright sun. So I set that check aside to do my cracker-shopping, planning to try again at Country Mart, where I went for the sole purpose of visiting their scratcher-dispensing machine.

The sky was cloudy by the time I parked at Country Mart. The check was mobilely deposited without incident. I climbed out of T-Hoe to go inside, and before I even hit the sidewalk, I saw it:

In case you can't spy my 2004 face down Abe Lincoln, he's in line with the corner of the building, next to that little grease spot beside the big grease spot.

I took my pictures and started towards the door, but quicker than you could say The Pony Thevictorian, I found ANOTHER penny.

Right there in line with the corner, in the middle of the photo. This time, Ol' Abe was looking up at me in all his 2001 glory. Which wasn't very glorious. Little did I know that both pennies were visible in the first picture, if you zoom in enough.

Looks like the shoppers at Country Mart need to have their cars checked for leaking oil.

The week progressed without any more penny-sightings. On THURSDAY, September 13th, I had some business in town, and took the boys' letters to mail one day early. I stopped by Waterside Mart to get some scratchers for Genius's letter. My favorite parking places were taken. I've been know to drive on by when that happens. But this was on a direct route to the post office, and I needed those tickets for Genius.

You know how it is when you disrupt your routine. Everything seems foreign. You don't do things by rote without thinking. I parked T-Hoe in front of Waterside Mart's door. Something seemed amiss when I got out, but I chalked it up to my break in the routine. I even hesitated at the glass door, thinking it might open by itself like Walmart doors. THAT'S how much I was discombobulated.

Once inside, I requested my tickets, and THEN realized what was missing. I'd left my phone in T-Hoe. And right there on the floor to the right of the register was a penny! As if that wasn't bad enough, I glanced left, and saw ANOTHER penny over there! With no phone for a pic to show it happened! I picked up those pennies anyway.

This is the best I can do. After-the-fact evidence. Both face down. The dull penny from the right of the register, a 1991, and the shiny penny from the left of the register, a 2001.

HOLD THE PRESSES!

Of course The Universe had to mess with me again. A scant hour and 15 minutes before this edition of the Saturday CENTSus was scheduled to publish...I opened T-Hoe's door at the Backroads Casey's, and found this:

Good luck seeing it! I know where it is, and even I don't see it in this picture, until I zoom way in. I'll give you a clue: it's a dime, not a penny. So it blends in with the pavement. Here's a better clue: it's between the top edge of T-Hoe's door shadow, and that petrified strip of stretched-out gum, which I think probably happened at the heel of my own shoe over a month ago.

It was face down, and upon looking for the date (2000) I noticed that FDR's face was all skinned up. Don't tell me you knew that Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the President on the dime. When I consulted my estranged BFF Google, as soon as I typed in "whose head," the auto-fill suggestions popped up "is on the dime." So there. Apparently there are a lot of people just as dumb as me.

Whew! I just beat the deadline! Got home and completed this by 2:17. And no, resetting the automatic publish time is NOT as much fun as trying to beat the deadline.
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For 2018: Penny  # 90, 91, 92, 93.
For 2018: Dime  # 14.
For 2018: Nickels still at # 4.

Since 2017 (the beginning), this was Penny # 168, 169, 170, 171.
Since 2017 (the beginning), this is Dime # 20.
Since 2017 (the beginning), this is still Nickel # 4.
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