Just the Normal Unusual Fare (nonclass post)

Last-last Thursday eve, I was feeling a little weighted by "too much work" - the necessary list of things I need to get done. I realized what I was missing was a bit of play combined with it. No worries, the Universe took care of that on Friday.

Friday started with the usual wake-up nudge (the call of the coffee pot) and my services were needed to print granddaughter's school project - due that day, of course, no idea where she gets it from. They took off in their usual running-late mode - Val said she's learned to stop at the office for a tardy slip on her way to class, because otherwise she's sent back down from the fourth floor classroom to get one, and it's just more efficient doing it her way. They were also in a panicky state about a very fat guinea pig and possible labor complications (gads, my daughter had talked of vet c-section even!).

I had offered to drop off a pink chair no longer in service here for a free-cycler by 9:00, so I was heading out, too. Friend Pete stopped to drop off some spare rough-cut trim strips, and I checked Ms. Piggy before leaving - she had three newbies in with her. My daughter hadn't made it to work yet, but I called the front desk and when she got there, they announced the News by intercom.

So - we had piggies and I had the pink chair, and the free-cycle exchange was at a nearby gas station. I was early, and thought I'd get a Sobe. But when I went to pull out my debit card, it wasn't where it belonged. Quick mental gymnastics, realized I may have left it the day before at my usual stop; I also realized it had about $3 on it, so financially it wasn't going to get anyone too far. No Sobe, because all I had otherwise was a check from Sera to cover gas & cement bags.

So - I went to the bank and cashed the check for $20. I stopped at the other station, put in $10 in gas and sure enough, Roger had set aside my debit card - at which point, it was missing again. It'd slipped down behind their long counter. Roger needed time to work on this dilemma, so I went to Menards to get three bags of cement.

Except Menards had a pallet of broken bags for $10. Which was exactly what I had. So I had to talk the manager into dropping the price so the tax would be included, which he kindly did - since my debit card was still stuck behind the counter at the gas station. We got the bags loaded in my little Supercar (Acura Integra 1990) and then I retrieved my debit card. Roger said it'd been quite a challenge working it out, something about poles and duct tape and flashlights.

I ended up with 4 bags of cement, five bags of blasting sand (one black), a bag of white play sand and several bags of pebble-gravel instead of three bags of cement. The white sand went into the lizard's cage and the cement was used this week for rhubarb stepping stones - practical and creative.

The next day I picked up an exterior door to replace one here, had a frame with it (! thought it'd make my life easier). But when I went to move the Cadillac (1990, 107,000 miles, clean body, has been sitting...) so I could unload the door more conveniently...

The brake line went 'pop!' and my driveway took over, rolling the car over a chain-link pet fence, some logs, and stopping on a small tree. So much for a clean body on this car. Luckily, I wasn't on the highway at 60 mph, luckily the dogs weren't outside, luckily there wasn't anyone around to get hurt.

My "10-day from purchase" grace period on insurance was running out that weekend, so I had made sure it was covered Friday, and my intent was to take it to my mechanic for a check-up after the weekend traffic went home. My son came over and helped get it off the fence and I went back to hanging a door before doing two assignment due by 11 p.m.

The door had to be cut down to fit, but that's another story. Suffice it to say I winged the assignments out with moments to spare.