Every (Now and Then a) PENNY Has Its Picker

The new month was off to a good start on TUESDAY, December 1, when Even Steven provided me with both a penny and a penny-picker!

 

I parked around the corner of the Gas Station Chicken Store in my new favorite spot. It is faintly marked handicapped, but people park there all willy-nilly, sideways sometimes, and generally disregard the faded paint. I guarantee I am the slowest limper of all to use that space. 

 

People with walkers or canes rarely go to the Gas Station Chicken Store, due to the little blacktop ramp that gets you up the rise to the door. The one time I saw a walker lady who had stopped there just to use the bathroom, her husband parked her under the roof, beside the gas pumps. Older folks don't mess with parking around the corner of the building. They just block the pumps. Seriously. It's not like they're doing a week's shopping in there. It's a convenience store. In and out in five minutes.

 

Anyhoo... on the way out, I was holding my 44 oz Diet Coke in my left hand, with scratchers clutched between my fingers, being whipped by the wind. My keys were in my right hand, ready to click T-Hoe's locks when I rounded the corner. THERE IT WAS! A PENNY! It had not been there as I walked in, empty-handed of winners.

 

Of course I wanted that penny. And I wanted a picture. This would take some juggling. I put my keys back in my right pocket. Switched my magical elixir and tickets to my right hand to fish my phone out of my left pants pocket. All the while standing over that penny, almost drooling with anticipation. I sensed a man behind me, crossing to his car at the pumps. I'd wait until he got by. No sense in ample-rumpusing an innocent by-walker.

 

"Do you want that penny?"

 

"Yes. I was waiting for you to go past me. I collect them."

 

"Here. Let me get that."

 

He picked it up and handed it to me. I know he wanted it for himself, but he gave it to ME! Then he said,

 

"I save all my change. This year, I had enough to pay my property taxes."

 

"Wow! My husband saves his pennies in a plastic Coca Cola bottle. He can't even lift it now."

 

"You know, the bank uptown has one of those coin counter machines now. If he can wheel them in on a dolly, he can get them counted there."

 

"I think he's going to wait until it's full. Thank you so much for picking up that penny!"

 

 There it is, chilling in T-Hoe. A 2014 penny that was face-down on the concrete.

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THURSDAY, December 3, I again found my parking spot open at the Gas Station Chicken Store. I was obviously meant to park there, because when I got out of T-Hoe, I saw a penny in my path!

Right there in the crack, by the white parking line. I would have stepped on it if I didn't pause to pick it up and pocket it.

 

It was a face-down 2004 penny. Meant just for ME! I guess Even Steven forgot the picker-upper.

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That's 2 PENNIES, for 2 CENTS more in my Future Pennyillionaire Fortune this week.

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2020 RUNNING TOTAL

Penny       # 124, 125.
Dime         still at  24.
Nickel       still at 10.
Quarter    still at 1.

2019 TOTALS
Penny     134
Dime        20
Nickel        8
Quarter      5
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