Val Goes High-Rollin' and Lands a Jackpot

Sitting on the short couch Thursday morning, I had an urge to go high-rollin' with my scratchers. Rather than sticking to my favorite $5 crossword tickets, and the occasional $10 tickets, I wanted a $20 scratcher. I even had the specific ticket in mind, the newest orange-colored version. Also, I knew I wanted to get it out of the right lottery machine in the Country Mart over in Sis-Town.

Off I went on my errands. First to the bank for our weekly cash allowance. Then to Casey's for T-Hoe's gas and some scratchers. Dang that clerk! She shorted me $5! It wasn't worth walking back in after pumping gas, and perusing my scratchers. Shame on her! I'm pretty sure she's the one I made re-count one day, due to charging me $5 too little. That'll learn me, I guess! It would have evened out with this purchase. But Val's an honest gal.

Then I was off to Country Mart for two big salads for our supper, and soda on sale for Hick, and some cherry tomatoes. As I entered the store, there were two old ladies, carts parked in front of the right lottery machine! They weren't buying tickets. They were just shooting the bull. As I passed by them on the way to the left lottery machine, I glanced at the selection, and saw that THERE WAS NO ORANGE $20 TICKET in that right machine. Welp! That blew my "feeling lucky" theory out of the water. 

At the left machine, I was readying some previous winners to scan in when I felt like I was being watched. YIKES! Looking to my left, a guy was staring right at me from the end of the checkout counter.

"Oh! Were you going to use this machine?"

"No. Nope. We're all done."

His wife was paying for groceries, and he was holding some scratchers in his hand.

"Okay. I didn't want to jump in front of you."

I scanned my winners, and got my orange $20 ticket. Then I pushed my cart/walker the wrong way through an unused checkout, and did my shopping.

Back home, with Hick mowing, I turned on my "lucky" music and started scratching. On the second line, I was excited to uncover the WIN ALL symbol!

The lowest prize symbol on a $20 ticket is ten dollars, so I was thrilled, thinking about adding up all those ten-dollar prizes. Imagine my surprise when I revealed them all, and they were more!

That's a $500 WINNER! All the prizes were $20. I sent a picture to The Pony, and he reminded me that I hadn't scratched off the top bonus area. So I did, but didn't win any more. Not a problem!

But wait. That wasn't my only lucky winner that day! I had two $50 winners on $5 tickets. And some on $3 tickets. Adding up to a total of $660 for the day. That's incredible! BUT WAIT! At my first stop, while getting T-Hoe's gas at Casey's, I'd bought The Pony a ticket with winnings he'd built up from his daily Cash4Life draw tickets. He didn't scratch it until Sunday, but it won $100! So that day, I actually bought $760 in winners! 

When you feel it, you gotta take your shot. I had been putting off buying The Pony's ticket for over a week. It didn't feel right. But that morning, it did. 

Don't do as I do! Gambling is a slippery slope! Don't spend what you can't afford to lose, people! I've spent (heh, heh, SPENT) thirty years building up my gambling bankroll. Never play on your household money. Only on your "allowance," or your entertainment budget.