I Deny Responsibility!

We came out of Country Mart on Thursday, and The Pony stopped by T-Hoe's left front bumper.

"What's this?"

"I don't know! Where did THAT come from? I haven't hit anything! Dad might say my memory's going, but surely I'd remember hitting something! It can't have been there long. It's all powdery. So it's been since the last rain. I haven't noticed it when I walk by in the garage."

"Is it paint?"

"I can't tell. And look where it is. That's up on TOP of the bumper. If I'd hit something, it would be scraped all along the side, not up on top. There's just a little couple of scuffs down on the side. If I'd hit the door of the garage going in or out, only the side would be scraped. Not the top. This reminds me of how a car's back door could open over it. You know. Like the curved part of the door that goes around the wheel. And when the door opens, it could scrape the top of the bumper. But I can't imagine a car parked at an angle to do that with a back door. Besides, I always park with this side giving me plenty of room to open my own door."

"Yeah. I don't know how only the top is scraped."

"Unless maybe it was a cart. If somebody got too close, and a cart scraped over the top of the bumper."

When I got home, I made Hick come out and look. He rubbed at it with his hand. Some of the powdery stuff came off. [The pictures were the next day, as I came out of our credit union, and had the opportunity to take them in the sunlight. So some of the mark is gone already.]

"Huh. I don't know what that came from. But it looks like it would buff right out."

Why is nobody else concerned with solving this mystery??? I refuse to take the fall! If I'm going to hit something, the laws of physics will apply to my damage!

My best guess is either somebody with a beeper cart driving into T-Hoe at 10Box, or somebody trying to squeeze a cart between T-Hoe and the cart return at Save A Lot.

At least it wasn't me...

I See It as a Discount That Was Meant to Be

Last week, The Pony did not accompany me on Errand Day. I only had a couple items to get at Country Mart, those being bananas and apples and bread. I could get them cheaper at 10Box, but can't find those apples there. They are Sugar Bee apples. That's what the stickers say, anyway. They're a sweet, crisp red apple. Hick also likes them, and takes them in his lunch to the SUS2.5 on the weekends.

I was shocked to see my receipt when I got back to T-Hoe. It seemed like a high total for such a few items. When I looked at the apple price, it was over $16!!! For a bag of 10 apples! I was fuming during the ride home, wondering if the young man checker had overcharged me.

Once home, I put that bag of apples on the scale. It weighed 3.8 pounds. I had not noticed the price of the produce. I usually just get what's on my list because that's what I want. I'm not looking for bargains on the produce. I thought all the apples had signs for something around $3.00/pound. I complained to Hick about the apples costing over $16.

"Huh. That DOES seem like a lot. But they're good apples."

"They're Sugar Bee apples. I can't find them anywhere else."

Hick started Googling on his phone.

"Well no wonder. It says here that they're $9.99 a pound at Target!"

"WHAT? I'm sure they're not that much at Country Mart. Let me get the receipt. Huh. It says I got 3.89 pounds, and they're $4.36 a pound. So that's about right. I just never realized they were that expensive. But at least it's not $9.99 a pound!"

I went back to Country Mart this week to get more apples. I saw a new kind. Cosmic Crisp. They were also a red apple, but a little bigger than the Sugar Bee. There were only five in a bag. I wanted to try them. But still got Hick a bag of the Sugar Bee. 

The Pony was with me this time, and checked out first. I set my items on the conveyor. I put the Cosmic Crisp apples first. Then the Sugar Bee. Then my other stuff. I didn't want the checker putting bags of apples on top of my bread. The checkers here don't have much common sense. Several are not even 21 yet, and have to call for elders to ring up alcohol.

Indeed, this young gal had to pick up the produce chart (a laminated strip with pictures) to see what she was ringing up. You'd think she'd never seen an apple before! The stickers were on EACH APPLE. She could have looked at them and known what she was ringing up.

Both were sold in clear plastic tote bags, open at the top with two loop handles. Easy to see, easy to scan a bar code.

Anyhoo... she set the first bag, the Cosmic Crisps, on the scale. Picked up her picture chart. Then tapped in the item. As she was setting the Sugar Bees on the scale, I said,

"I have two different kinds of apples--"

"How is your day going? Oh. Sorry. What was that?" She said as she tapped in the newly-weighed Sugar Bees.

"Never mind. I'm having a good day." 

On the way to the car, I told The Pony, 

"I have no idea how she rang up these apples. I was trying to tell her that I had two kinds, so she could charge me the right prices. But she had already put them in the register, and I didn't want to wait for somebody to come clear it." 

The Pony didn't shame me on this one. "Hey, you tried to tell her."

When I looked at the receipt, I was REALLY having a good day! She had charged me for GALA APPLES! Both bags. Which are only $1.78/pound!

I really like them apples!

More Hick Duty-Shirking

When I brought The Pony out for our Labor Day cookout, we both noticed an odd smell in the garage. It was quite strong. I attributed it to Hick. Not that he emits a strong odor, but that I figured he must have sprayed something in the garage. 

Hick mixes up weed-killer and treats his toe-catching uneven brick sidewalk that adjoins the concrete sidewalk to the garage door. And he'd just recently said he was finding dead mice in the garage. Though why he would spray for weeds in a garage, or spray to kill already-dead mice, I can't explain. Other than he's Hick.

A couple days ago, Hick came out to the garage to carry in some light groceries. He's been certified for lifting by his surgeon after a follow-up appointment.

"Oh, that smell you and Pony complained about? It's the gas in the generator turning into turpentine."

Well. Isn't that a fine kettle of fish! We had that power outage recently, and even IF we had known there would be 13 hours without electricity, Hick could not have started up our generator anyway! 

You'd think that Hick would be using his spare time to drain out that bad gas and get the generator in working condition. You know, just in case we have another power outage.

Nope. I guess he's too busy eating Harem cake.

Hick's Harem Takes the Cake

That title is figuratively speaking. To be technically correct, Hick's Harem literally GAVE the cake! Hick came through the kitchen door with it on Wednesday evening, right after I had typed that previous last line about how Hick would adjust his schedule to help the Harem, but not to help ME. Well. Of course he would! He's not going to be getting a cake from me.

I don't know what special occasion justified this cake. I'll have to do some interrogation when Hick gets home. He didn't say much about it.

"Look what my 'Harem,' as you call them, gave me today!"

"Dang! That's like a whole cake!"

"I wasn't gonna take it, but I thought, no, that might be rude. They made it and wanted me to have it, so I took it."

"It looks DELICIOUS! But I thought you didn't like coconut."

"I don't. But it supposedly has pineapple in it, too. I'll have some tonight after supper."

Well. I can't compete with that cake. Even though I fried half a pound of bacon for bacon and tomato sandwiches for Hick's supper, along with chips and homemade dip.

Hick put his cake on the bottom shelf of FRIG II. The only open space. Just like that. On the plate. I said it would get stale, but he said it would be fine. Hick would gladly share some of his Harem cake with me, but I don't need it. It's not on my "cutting back" menu.

I admit that later in the evening, I used my pinky finger to steal that large crumb, and a swipe of fallen-off icing. It tasted like ambrosia. Enough is almost as good as a feast. I'll leave the feasting for Hick. Who ate half of one piece for dessert.

Hick Breaks a T-Hoe Promise

For several months, T-Hoe has had a problem. At first I thought it was a gas station problem. I cannot put the gas nozzle in and click that lever to let the tank fill up. I CAN, but it shuts itself off after a couple of seconds. Same thing when I squeeze the handle gently. A few glugs of gas go in, but then it shuts off.

I told Hick about the problem. He said the same thing happens with him at Casey's in Backroads. I get T-Hoe's gas at the Casey's over in Sis-Town. The Pony is often with me for refueling on Errand Days. Said it looks like the problem is older gas pumps, or something with a vent valve thingy in T-Hoe. Which means SilverRedO is having the same issue. That would not surprise me. T-Hoe is a 2008, and SilverRedO is a 2012. They get driven on our gravel road every day. I'm sure all that dust can exact a toll.

Anyhoo... Hick had finally told me that he was making an appointment for Thursday morning to get T-Hoe fixed. I reminded him that T-Hoe has also been needing an oil change through most of this year. And his solution has been to add a couple of quarts here and there.

I was really excited. T-Hoe would be fixed Thursday morning, and I could get gas with ease on Thursday afternoon. No more taking 15 minutes to pump in $40 of gas. I sure don't have time to pump a FULL TANK, heh, heh. I'm just topping off every week.

Anyhoo... Tuesday evening, Hick said that he can't get T-Hoe fixed on Thursday morning.

"I told Mick that I'd need for him to be done by 10:00. I have to go see my supplier to get stock for my store. And my buddy whose wife just died is riding to Illinois with me. Mick said he doesn't know if he can have it done by 10:00. So I'm going to take it one day next week."

A likely story! The Pony will not be happy about spending so much time pumping my gas. Hopefully the gas won't splash out on The Pony's shoes (and bare toes) like last time. Hick's "solution" is for me to get gas at Rhodes. Wherever that is! He said it's by Walmart. In which case it's by the newest roundabout, and on a side street by the Walmart parking lot, and very inconvenient. Hick says it would be "easy," because their pumps aren't as forceful, and the stand to pay (I won't use the debit card at the pump because of card skimmers) is really close to the pumps. I figure once I start getting gas there, Hick will not take T-Hoe to be fixed!

I bet if one of Hick's Harem needed something, he could adjust the timing of his supply run...

We Are Not Refurbishing the Taj Mahal

Hick's buddy from the SUS2.5 (Storage Unit Store 2.5) showed up Monday to give an estimate for work on Lap House. Hick made it clear that we will furnish the materials. Construction Guy will be responsible for building walls and closets in two bedrooms that will be at the front of the house, and a living room that will be back toward the kitchen. I also think this includes a short hallway from the front door, since the door used to lead into what will now become a bedroom. I did not ask if this includes hanging drywall.

Anyhoo... Hick came home and announced that Construction Guy wanted $1000. And that he agreed, and was picking up materials Tuesday, for Construction Guy to start work on Wednesday.

"That sounds kind of expensive to me. It's not like we're refurbishing the Taj Mahal. That's a big chunk for The Pony to pay half at one time."

"Well, it is what it is. We have to get these houses done."

"What would it have cost for Old Buddy or HOS to do it?"

"Probably around $250. But they don't want to work."

Hmm... just this morning, Hick said he'd told HOS that he needs some tree limbs trimmed out here. And for POOLIO to be torn down and disposed of. So HOS can do that work as payment for the $2000 white truck that Hick made us buy to get Lap House.

It will be interesting to see how many hours of work this Lap House job takes Construction Buddy. And how many hours of work the odd jobs will take for HOS. Hick would be a lot more careful spending money if it was HIS money, and not ours!

A Possible New Helper for Hick

Hick talked to the carpenter guy about working on Lap House. He's supposed to stop by on Monday to look at the house, and hear what Hick wants done. Hick says the guy will give him an estimate.

"Wait! We can't just be hiring all the work done on our flips. That can run into major money. The Pony can't be paying big chunks at a time. There's already been the roof and the HVAC. Plus the roof on Cheap House. It won't hurt us as much short-time, but The Pony is better off paying the hourly work from Old Buddy and HOS."

"I'm going to ask what he'll charge to frame out the bedrooms and closets."

"Who pays for the materials? Because if that's part of his estimate, he'll be like a contractor. We'll have to get that disclosure form from him for when we sell it."

"I'll be buying the materials, Val. This guy will just use them to do the work. That way, we can show that the materials have been paid for, so there's no chance of somebody getting a lien on the property."

"Well. I guess if that's what you have to do..."

"I just cain't depend on Old Buddy and HOS no more. We've got to get these houses done."

"You're telling ME! You just need to spend more time on them than on your side jobs. I saw a house the same size as Cheap House, for $60,000, and it was only listed for 8 DAYS before it had a contract on it. People are buying. Sure, this one had all its walls. But it was a hoarder house, from the pictures. It needed a cleanout, and all the walls and floors re-done. Plus it didn't have a new roof!"

"Well, we'll see if this guy is reasonable. And I have to check with my rich guy about the cabinets. I think this is the week he said he was remodeling."

Let's hope Hick is fired up to finish these two projects...