3 COINS in the Countin'

This week in Future Pennyillionaireville...

SUNDAY, July 5, a penny was obviously left just for ME, at Orb K. I had seen nothing on the way inside. Nothing around the scratcher display, or the register, while waiting my turn behind a lone fellow customer. When I started out, there it was!

I suppose that customer had dropped it. I surely would have noticed if it was there on my way in. I'm not a penny-finding novice, you know!

It was a shiny, heads-up 2020, waiting to join my collection.
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WEDNESDAY, July 8, we stopped by the Backroads Casey's on our way home from the casino. As I climbed out of A-Cad, I told The Pony,

"I'd better not find a penny! I'm not taking in my phone."

So of course you know what happened! One step inside the door, there it was! And me without a camera. I picked it up anyway. It was so dirty that I couldn't tell if it was heads up or face down. In fact, I had to wash it off (mostly unsuccessfully) to see that it was a 2014.

The other penny you see here, not in its natural habitat, was found in the Sis-Town Casey's on THURSDAY, July 9. I didn't have time to snap a candid photo, because nobody was ahead of me, and I had to pre-pay for gas, select some crossword puzzle scratchers for The Pony, and punch in my Hick's rewards number. This one was a heads-up 1989.
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That's 3 coins this week, for 3 cents. You can't hit the jackpot every week...
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2020 RUNNING TOTAL

Penny       # 71, 72, 73.
Dime         still at 13.
Nickel       still at 7.
Quarter    still at 1.

2019 TOTALS
Penny     134
Dime        20
Nickel        8
Quarter      5
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Measley as Pie

We paid a visit to our new favorite casino on Wednesday. The operative word there is PAID. Hick and The Pony left some money behind. I was the only one to leave with more than I took. But we'll get to that later. Let's just say this trip was not as rewarding as the last.

We couldn't even catch a break with LUNCH! Only one packet of mayonnaise in the condiment basket! I shared it with The Pony, even though he insisted that I keep it for myself. The saddest part was Hick's pie:

What a tiny little sliver, compared to the last lemon meringue pie we had there:

My sister the ex-mayor's wife texted me to see if I'd won a jackpot. Sadly, NO. I sent her a picture of Sad Pie, and she said,

"I think they cut it into two pieces. Why is it so far over to the side of the container?"

"I guess he tilted it while carrying."

"OR the other half was removed from your container and put into another one."

"Maybe. There were only TWO pieces of pie left. Both small."

I think Sis was onto something there! Look at the Sad Pie. See that crust crumbled off to the side? Almost as if a part of the filling had been removed from above it!

Anyhoo... of course Hick wanted pie, since I was paying for our lunch with MY player's points this time. He didn't have pie two weeks ago, when HIS points footed the bill!

The casino was more crowded than last time. I couldn't get on the machines I wanted. That's rare at this one. I was getting behind, with a half hour left to go, when I finally hit a bonus on a Wonder 4 Boost, playing Buffalo. That's because my favorite on that slot, Wild Americoins, refused to give me bonuses this time.

This bonus was pretty unremarkable, until Game 25 of 28 hit this magnificent screen of BUFFALO! With a 3X muliplier! Underneath there, it shows the payout. $9.00 x 36! The win is still counting up here in this picture. Below is the final bonus total at the end of 28 games:

That's $447.10, on the minimum bet of $1.60 a spin (60 cents per screen). Not ALL profit, since I was down a bit before this hit. Still, I left with more money that I brought. I'm not complaining!
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Of course there WAS something to complain about! The WEIRDOS! Which I told about at the end of my other blog, here.
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The Nightmare After Christmas

As revealed yesterday, The Pony set up his electronic communications center on the kitchen table for an online recorded job interview.
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[Let the record show that we don't sit down to eat at the table every night. We did when the boys were both at home, but once Genius left for college, meals became more informal. Now we fill our plates in the kitchen. Hick prefers to feast in the (currently-broken) La-Z-Boy, and The Pony straps on the old feedbag at the living room coffee table. I sit on the short couch and talk to them, then warm up my food to take down to my lair.

As groceries are carried in, they are placed on the table. Most are put away, but Hick has some snacks that sit on one side until he's ready for a treat.]
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Later, after his interview had concluded, The Pony sprung a surprise on me.

"After my interview, I was sitting there at the table, gathering up my stuff. I saw something glittering in the corner of my eye. Gold! But to my mounting horror, it was not a precious, gleaming metal. Within that glass dish was 6-month old KERRYgold!"

"Huh. That was just Save A Lot butter. Which is even sadder."

Yes, The Pony discovered the cut-glass butter dish, which had not been used since Christmas, still protecting the remains of a stick of butter.

I do remember Christmas! I left the butter on the table, because we like it soft. I figured it would be gone within a day, what with The Pony being a true Butterton. We had Sister Schubert's Rolls left over. I can't imagine how this butter survived.

I told The Pony to set it on the kitchen counter, so I could get a picture. We were busy on Wednesday. As we came in the kitchen door, The Pony said he would send me the pictures he had already taken. Hick inquired. When The Pony said it was the butter left on the table since Christmas, Hick said,

"That don't hurt nothin'. It's still good."

I don't agree. Neither does The Pony. We can imagine eating butter that might have been left out a few days. But not six months, PLUS a few days!

Our first clue was the white fur growing on it.

I may eat BBQ hot dogs that have fallen on the porch where my little dog Jack licks up the juices from his leftovers. But not furry butter.

Sympathy for The Pony

The job market for recent graduates is a tough nut to crack in these VIRUS-y days. At least in the field of chemical engineering, where The Pony is seeking his fortune. On Tuesday, he had a request to submit an online interview. That's the first fish to bite. It's a major auto manufacturing company.

Anyhoo, The Pony did the practice interview on Tuesday. He made plans for the actual interview for Wednesday. It's just a first-level interview, recorded and submitted online, to advance to the next level. He had two chances. If the first recording wasn't to his liking, he had one more chance at it.

As you might imagine, it was a big deal to The Pony. He planned to start when I was back from town, and safely out of his hair, down in my lair, between 2:00 and 3:00. He informed Hick of these plans the night before. He put on respectable clothes. He dug out his web-cam thingy, since his laptop camera is glitchy with our internet. He selected the kitchen table as his office, with a window in the background. A window that looks out on the back porch and part of the deck to Poolio.

What could possibly go wrong?

I'm sure you all arrived at the crux of the wrongness. HICK.

Hick showed up at 2:00, just after I started home from town. He told The Pony he was getting in Poolio. No wonder The Pony was on edge when I got home. A bit short with me, as he carried in a couple bags of groceries, and I prepared my magical elixir and lunch, for a descent to my lair. I had no idea Hick was in Poolio, or even home, until The Pony let it slip.

"No! You need to tell him not to come back in until you're done with your interview! Since he insisted on re-doing the deck, the only way out of Poolio is up those steps to the porch! Right behind your head as you're recording your interview!"

"I know that!"

"Well! You can't have that! Even if he DOES swim in his SpongeBob boxers now, instead of in NOTHING. I'll go out and tell him. How long will your interview take?"

"It says to allow 45 minutes."

"Okay. I'll tell him he needs to come in now, so you can get started."

By this time, Hick had been floating around on a raft in Poolio for 30 minutes. His shoulders and belly were turning red. Yet he insisted that he'd just keep floating around. That he wouldn't come in until The Pony told him the coast was clear.

It was 3:45 when I heard The Pony walking around upstairs.

"Did you tell your Dad he could come in?"

"Yes. He's on his way."

"Is he okay?"

"I don't know."

"He's been in the pool almost TWO HOURS!"

"That's what he wanted to do."

Leave it to Hick to add stress to The Pony's first job interview! He's had all summer to float around in Poolio. I don't know why he had to show up in the middle of the afternoon ON THIS SPECIFIC DAY, when he usually disappears until 5:00.

Oh, and The Pony said while recording his second interview, there was a bout of dog-barking. Jack and Juno don't like Hick in Poolio, where they can't get down the steps to the deck.

The skittish Pony had decided to close the shades, just in case. At least he wasn't lying on the couch in pajamas, hair uncombed, balancing the laptop on his belly. I'm betting that one person submitted an interview like that...

Hick Rests His Laurel

Hick held us hostage on the casino trip a couple weeks ago. The Pony and I had no idea we were going Goodwilling. In protest, we sat in A-Cad while Hick went inside. Mask required. He returned with one purchase.

"What in the world is THAT?"

"It's a wine bottle holder! It's that guy. From those two."

"Is he some kind of pizza maker guy? Like Chef Boyardee?"

"No! That guy! They did a routine."

"Oh! You mean Laurel and Hardy?"

"Yeah. I guess so. It's Laurel!"

"Are you sure? Maybe it's Hardy."

"Whatever. I got him for $3.00."

"Why?"

"I'll put him up at my locker. I don't have a wine bottle. I'll put a whiskey bottle in his hand."

"You need to put SOMETHING in his hand! That doesn't look right."

"It'll bring in customers. To see him."

There he is. Hick's Laurel, resting on the hood of A-Cad, behind the garage when we got home. Looking a little bit like an accident victim plowed into by Hick's sweaving.

Here's a closer view:

Of Ollie, a Hardy fellow, not at all Laurel. I guess that's him. You'd think he'd be wearing his hat, though. I don't recall him having so much hair. I'm not quite convinced. Besides, who wants Ollie without Stan?

Well, Excuuuuuuse Me!

Way back on June 24, when Thevictorians made their first trip back to the casino... Val was not the only winner. Nope. Not Hick! Are you kidding? He's tightfisted now that he has to spend his own Storage Unit Store profits. Besides, he will keep on plodding along, winning little bits, and playing them right back until he's down to nothing.

The Pony and I save our little jackpots, then put in new money to try again. Or move to another machine to try again. If we get ahead enough to feel comfortable, we will up our bets. This time, it worked for both of us.

The Pony was playing a Zapper slot. I don't know the real name, I just call it the Zapper. There's no spinning reels. You push the button, and a charge shoots up a column. If it reaches the top, you win some of the prizes showing. You can jam on that button to make the charge rise farther and farther. But it doesn't mean you'll win. And you're spending a lot by doing that. I just hit the button randomly. Then wait odd seconds, and try again.

The minimum bet is 10 cents. Max is $2.00 On this win, The Pony had upped his bet to $2.00. Looks like it worked! If you add the red amounts, or look at the TOTAL CREDITS WON line, you can see that The Pony won $203.60. He was thrilled. Until he lowered his bet and played some more.

The machine hit some kind of random multiplier this time, and upped all the prizes. The Pony won $627.20! You can add that up in the red amounts, or again look at the TOTAL CREDITS WON line.

Yes, The Pony came over to show me his ticket, at the machine where I was busy losing. He was quite happy. I was thrilled for him, and a bit jealous.

When we all reconvened for the ride home, The Pony was subdued. I couldn't understand how he could be leaving a casino with a fistful of cash, and not be giddy with joy. I asked him what was the deal, and he said,

"You just had to overshadow my win."

Well. Excuuuuuuse me! Surely The Pony wasn't wishing that I'd never won my big jackpot:

Of course, knowing The Pony like I do... maybe he WAS.

Hick, the Jilted Lover

Thursday, Hick said he'd found a family for That Dog. Remember him? The poor young dog dumped out on the road by our mailboxes last week?

Anyhoo, Hick said Dog Wanter sent him a private message, saying he and his wife and four kids would love to give That Dog a home. I believe his words included, "We will spoil him." Dog Wanter also asked, "When can we set up a time to meet him?" Hick said that 6:30 would be a good time, and that he'd meet Dog Wanter in town at the storage units, and show him the way out here. Dog Wanter lives in a town an hour away. He said that would work. He would get back to Hick about the arrangements.

Hick didn't hear any more from Dog Wanter. He changed his plans. Hung around the house from about 4:00. Didn't mow grass. Didn't get in Poolio. Because he was waiting to hear back from Dog Wanter. Hick sent several messages to see if he still wanted That Dog, and if the plan was still on. Tried to call a couple times. 6:30 came and went. Shortly after 8:00, Hick saw that Dog Wanter had sent him a message. That his 4-month-old had gotten his shots, and they were trying to get him to settle down.

Dog Wanter and Hick made plans to meet halfway on Friday at 5:00, with Hick bringing That Dog. Hick was assuming they would take him from there. He had a travel cage that he paid $5 for at an auction, and was willing to let them have it to get That Dog home. He certainly couldn't ride loose in a car!

They exchanged vehicle descriptions, and Hick changed his plans on Friday so he could be home in time to load That Dog in the back of SilverRedO and get there in time. I made sure he took some water to give That Dog after his ride. Because it looked like rain, I offered the use of A-Cad, with the stipulation that Hick put down a tarp under the travel cage. Hick said it wasn't going to rain. He'd be fine. It was only a half hour trip.

All the while, I was having second thoughts about giving up That Dog. I surely didn't want to keep him, but I felt like something was hinky about Dog Wanter. Just my hinky-sense raising an alarm. I didn't think a family with four kids was right for That Dog. Especially not with a 4-month-old. Did they have property for That Dog to run on? Surely they wouldn't put him on a chain in the yard! I told Hick,

"Something is off. That guy is flaky. He should have let you know he wasn't coming Thursday night. It only takes a text."

Hick said I was overreacting. Off he went with That Dog, having lured him into the travel cage on the porch, by putting some food in there, and having The Pony reach his hand in for petting, then shoving That Dog's hindquarters in after him and closing the door. Hick and The Pony carried him to the bed of SilverRedO.

Of course you realize by now that Dog Wanter never showed up! Hick was there on time. Sent more texts, saying he was parked under the awning of a financial institutions driveway, since it was raining. No answer. No sight of Dog Wanter's car. Hick was afraid the police would come question him for sitting there so long, and drove to a nearby park so That Dog was under a tree and not getting wet. Don't you worry about That Dog! It was 92 degrees when they left.

Hick stayed until 5:50, then started back home. Got here at 6:15. He let That Dog out of the travel cage. That Dog ran into the yard and pooped, then started patrolling around and around our porch.

Hick was hot-to-trot over being stood-up like a bride at the altar!

I, on the other hand, was as relieved as if someone in the pews had stood up, refusing to forever hold their peace, and proclaimed that I should not be joined in holy matrimony with someone who was not right for me!

Of course Hick never heard another word from Dog Wanter. I have a theory that Dog Wanter might be DOG ABANDONER, MESSING WITH HICK! Then again, I have a penchant for conspiracies...

Dog Wanter said he had an aunt that lived in Backroads. Just maybe, Dog Wanter came here and drove five miles out of town to dump That Dog. Then he saw it on our county Lost and Found Pets Facebook page. And got mad that Hick said he was seen dumping That Dog. So decided to tie up Hick's time on this holiday weekend, to get back at him. That could explain the extreme desire to get That Dog, and the odd communications, and the no-show. Just my far-fetched theory. Hick is a believer in humanity, and I am a cynical curmudgeon.

Anyhoo... I printed out a nice color picture of That Dog for Hick to take up to his Storage Unit Store on Saturday. One of his cronies wants That Dog. He was going to come get him Saturday evening, but didn't know what time. Hick said they'd do it on Sunday.

Crony wants Hick to bring That Dog up to the Units on Sunday. He's a seller there, too. He says he'll have a bowl of water, and keep That Dog on a leash until time to leave, which is usually around noon or 1:00 on a Sunday. I said it was going to be too hot for that, and probably not good for That Dog to be around so many people.

Hick agreed. He says Crony will follow him out here when they close up, and get That Dog to take home. He lives up toward the little city north of us. He and his wife LOVE dogs, as Hick says. They have two small ones right now. That Dog gets along with our dogs, so I'm guessing he will be okay with theirs, since That Dog is going into their territory, and not defending his own.

"Didn't you say he lives close to the highway? I don't want anything to happen to That Dog!"

"Yeah, but they'll keep him in the house. That's how they are with their other dogs. And they have three acres. So they can take him out for walks."

I'm not sure it's the perfect situation for That Dog, but I think he'll be quite happy being a house dog. All he does around here is try to run in the house, and dig at the front door, and lay under the front window and whine, and make laps around the porch looking for us. He doesn't romp in the yard with Jack, or show much interest in dogs at all. But he sure loves US PEOPLE, and sticks to us like glue when we're outside.
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UPDATE!

That darn Hick! Not 12 hours after I wrote this up, he has changed the adoption plans AGAIN!

He took That Dog with him Sunday morning, to his Storage Unit Store. Crony's Wife was there. She said, "Don't give him any more dogs! We have enough dogs!" So the new home was suddenly unwelcoming to That Dog. However, Hick had a customer who admired That Dog, so he offered That Dog to her and her husband. She wasn't sure she wanted him, but Crony's Wife talked her into it.

Hick says they're an older couple who have a farm.

"Where IS this farm, anyway?"

"I don't know. I didn't ask them where it was."

Said The Pony: "Hopefully, not a farm upstate..."
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