Val is a ConsciCENTious Grease Monkey

MONDAY, December 11th, I got a very late start to town. It was nearly 3:00 by the time I got away from my Chexcapades. I don't mind making Chex Mix to hand out at Christmas, but THE MIX is very needy. I'm tied down for 2.5 hours, without the ability to do much else, because of the stirring every 15 minutes. There are three big pans in a batch of Chex Mix, so by the time I've taken each out of the oven and stirred it and tossed the attempted escapees back into the mix...five minutes have elapsed. So I only have 10 left until the next stirring. About all I can do is toss in a load of laundry.

Anyhoo...Hick had been in and out, getting A-Cad an oil change, tire rotation, and cabin filter, and the Trailblazer new rotors and brakes. Alas, poor T-Hoe was the red-headed stepchild who got nothing. In fact, when I started him up for town, a chime went off, and an orange outline of a flat tire popped up, telling me to check its pressure.

The gauge thingies inside the tires are messed up, showing the front as back, and back as front. This warning said the left rear tire was the problem, but I knew it meant the left FRONT tire. I cycled through the button thingy beside the radio, and found that this tire had 24 pounds of pressure. Clockwise on around, the others had 27, 26, 27. Contrary to Hick's beliefs, the pressures were still the same after my 10-minute drive to town. A drive during which I got my incensed tirade ready to spring on Hick, for not taking care of my everyday vehicle, which is supposed to have 35 pounds of air in each tire.

By the time I reached the light for my left turn to The Gas Station Chicken Store, I had talked myself into putting air into the tires myself. Hick has a compressor over at the BARn, but seeing how unreliable he is since retirement, I decided to take the hose into my own hands.

Wouldn't you know it! When I pulled around the building to the FREE AIR, I found a man with his little pickup truck parked in front of it, getting air. I went on through the lot and out the back, heading for Country Mart to buy two bags of frozen white-meat grilled chicken strips, and garlic powder and garlic salt. I figured that air man would be gone by the time I went back. He was. But in his place was a black sports car (I don't know my cars), with the passenger out putting in air. I waited this time. Because I really needed air.

Once I'd done the around-the-world with that air hose to all of T-Hoe's tires, counting by one-thousand one, one-thousand two...I hopped back in and checked the gauge thingy. That was better, 36, 35, 34, and 35. I'm the Tire Whisperer.

I drove T-Hoe back over to my regular spot, lest some other poor driver with nearly asphyxiated tires need the hose, and gathered my phone, winning scratchers ($25 worth), and correct change for my 44 oz Diet Coke. I had just closed T-Hoe's door and turned around when I saw it:

There by the crack along the minefield of gas tank manholes was a DIME! Obviously left there just for ME to find!

It was a face-down 2016. I don't know if it was there the first time I stopped by, or left there while I was in Country Mart. In my coin-gathering quests, I generally equate pennies with Mom, and dimes with Dad. Who taught me how to put air in my tires, and change a fuse, check the oil, add oil (I had an oil-eating Chevy Vega), change an oil filter, change an air filter, add windshield wiper fluid, change windshield wipers, and add water to the radiator. I'm practically an auto mechanic, thanks to Dad!
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WEDNESDAY, December 12th, just happened to be Genius's birthday. I'd already sent his card and "gift," and he said he had them, and was waiting until that evening after work to open them. Aww...he could have ripped them open as soon as they arrived. Such self-control for the former Li'l Genius, who left no dust bunny unturned in the quest for hidden gifts.

Anyhoo...coming out of The Gas Station Chicken Store with my 44 oz Diet Coke, I spied TWO pennies, which hadn't been there when I entered a few moments earlier.

I barely saw that first one, but between scanning the pavement for pennies, and taking care where I put my feet going down their homemade ramp out the door...I discerned that it was not an old piece of gum, but a penny! I set my magical elixir on the brick ledge of their windowsill, clutched my scratchers between my teeth, and snapped a picture.

While stepping forward to get a photo of this 1996, dirty, dirty face-down Abe Lincoln, I noticed the OTHER one. Good thing it was shiny!

This well-groomed Abe was actually older than his dirty doppelganger, being a 1993 version, and face-up to boot! (heh, heh, that BOOT part probably made you think of Thomas Jefferson, didn't it?)

Oh, my good luck was not over yet! Because my next stop, Orb K, provided me with the rare species of Heaven-sent coinage, the NICKEL!

See it there, peeping out from under the energy supplements?

A 2002, face-down nickel awaited my theft grasp. Oh, c'mon! It's not like I'm picking up a hundred-dollar bill from the floor of the bank lobby! It's a NICKEL, by cracky!
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THURSDAY, December 13th, had me thinking this was Two-Fer Week for Future Pennyillionaires! I stopped by a NEW Casey's, which used to be an OLD Waterside Mart, to buy scratchers for Christmas gifts. I was a bit disappointed in the store's appearance, because Waterside Marts were always clean enough to eat off the floor. It had only been open ONE DAY since the buyout and conversion, but this NEW Casey's was not setting any cleanliness records. However...

I saw a 2017 face-up penny on the floor as the OLD Casey's clerk who had transferred here got my tickets out of the case.

The store had a sign taped to the door saying they couldn't take debit cards yet. The register acted up, and the OLD clerk commented on it. I said, "It can't be THAT bad! I just found TWO PENNIES!"

Because, much to my gleeful dismay, I had spied a SECOND penny over by the other register. Which was thankfully vacated by a man and his little girl while I was nabbing the FIRST penny.

Gotta admit, I had this also 2017, also face-up, penny mentally in my pocket the minute I saw it! I wasn't sure how I was going to harvest it, but Even Steven worked it out, so I could go after it between customers. I was rushed, though, and didn't get a good close-up. I think Abe will forgive me.
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FRIDAY, December 14th, started with a trip to school to deliver the Chex Mix I still provide some former co-workers. This is the last year, though, with some key people retiring. Anyhoo...I first made my weekly stop by the cemetery for a 5-minute drive-thru chat with Mom and Dad, about upcoming CasinoPalooza 3, where we're meeting The Pony and Genius, and informing them that Sis's mother-in-law is now buried just up the hill.

Wouldn't you know it, Sis sent me a text while I was inside the school (where I stayed a while, with the secretary talking about how great my mom was, always bringing her little gifts every time she came to pick up the boys, or see me). Sis said that she and Ex-Mayor passed me and T-Hoe over by the cemetery, and did I know I had a running light out? YES! Good thing Sis and the ex-mayor are not COPS!

Stopping at The Gas Station Chicken store about an hour later, I spied a penny on the rug inside the door! Sadly, I couldn't get a picture inside, due to a LONG line. I picked it up on the way out, though.

It was a face-up 1998. That's the year The Pony was born. I put it in my shirt pocket, not even turning to see what the waiting line of people though of the display of my ample buttocks.

From there I popped in Country Mart, to get myself some scratchers from their machine. All losers! But the trip wasn't all bad, because just inside the door was a penny!

I waited until I was inside to take the picture, lest I keep the automatic doors open while standing in front of their eye.

This was a face-down 1959. Huh. That's the year SIS was born. Not to be telling any tales out of school, mind you.

It's been a good week for Val and her Future Pennyillionaire Fortune! That's 1 dime, 1 nickel, and 6 pennies!
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For 2018: This was Penny # 127, 128.
For 2018: Dime  # 17.
For 2018: Nickel # 6.
For 2018: Quarter still at #1.


Since March 2017 (the beginning), this is Penny # 205, 206.
Since March 2017 (the beginning), this is Dime # 23.
Since March 2017 (the beginning), this is Nickel # 6.
Since March 2017 (the beginning), this is still Quarter #1.
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