I figure that's an okay title since it's where it all ended up.

This morning, after blogging, I played my guitar for little bit, put together a short video (which I haven't put up on YouTube yet), ate lunch and got ready to go to town.

My first stop was Bryan's. The plan was to get a roll of hay, take it over to our place, drop it off, and start working in the garage. Well, as is not totally uncommon when I have my day planned to a 'T', things didn't work out that way. Mr. Scott was out of cow hay!! He told me he'd have some more in, in about an hour. I told him I'd be back then and started to leave. About half way out of the building, I hit the breaks and swung around almost laughing. "Well, since I'm here, I'll go ahead and get a bale of horse hay!" I got the local stuff--$8. I think that's a pretty good deal.

I figured I might as well bound over to Smith's and get the pellets for the next week. I called Daddy once I was sitting in the parking lot (it would have been fool-hardy to call him on the road--there is no way I could have heard him. The wind was honking!!) and got a few things straight. Anyhow, I got 18 bags of feed. I drove around back and "Drummer Dude" come out along with another feller I've seen once before (as of today I think I'll dub him "Frayed Hat").

Drummer grins, "How ya doin'?" (By now most of the guys who work out there know me--as in facial recognition. As far as I know, none of them know my name--which is fine! :D) "Oh, pretty good." "You got 18 bags?" I nod. "That's an odd number," (said with another grin). [So, technically, it's actually an even number--but I knew what he meant!] Drummer Dude and Frayed Hat go to pitching the bags into the back of the truck. Ol' Freckle Face (the red-headed kid I haven't seen since mid-summer) strolls up and watches them, looking kind of bored in the process. Once there about 9 bags in the truck, I hop into the back and start hauling some of them further in. Then Drummer Dude starts pitching them back there, so I just stay out of the way.

It was kind of funny, but the last two bags landed almost simulaneously at the same spot--only Drummer's was first. He and Frayed Hat looked at each other and laughed and Frayed said, "You beat me to it!" I then jumped out of the truck and gave the boys a cheerful "Thank-you!" before climbing into the cab and driving away.

I came home, unloaded 14 bags and the bale of hay, and after a brief run into the house (during which Savannah and Granddaddy arrived home from his chiropractor appointment), I was off again--first to drop off the remaining 4 bags at our place, then to town!

First stop, Auto Zone. I've been needing new windshield wipers for a while now and as it looked like rain threatening, I went ahead and dropped in the auto parts store. I went in and looked at blades; standing next to a man doing the same thing. After a little bit, he wandered off and was just standing there, so I went up to him and asked, "Do you work here?" (I thought maybe he did.) He said, "No." We talked just a little bit. Seems he didn't know any better than I did which blades he needed! Anyway, it was a friendly exchange. I was going to wait and see if I could talk to a sales rep, but after the man went out, then came back in with one of his wipers in his hand, I laughed and said, "I think I'll do that too!"

I'm glad I had a flat-head screw-driver floating around in the truck because it helped me pop off the blade (my knife would have worked just as well though). I took it in and picked out the right kind of blade. As I was fixing to check out, the rep asked me about the vehicle in order to make sure I had the correct blades. Well, I did; only, I had the 24 mm (what was on it); but according to his database (he even went out and checked the truck to see what year it was and what attachment it had on the wiper arm), I needed the 18mm ones. I learned something; he said if you have blades that are too long for your vehicle it can cause them to not work sometimes! Which just might explain why I have had trouble with the wipers working in the past....

As I was putting the new windshield wipers on, I discovered that the right one was different from the left one (I replaced both, even though only the left one was stripped.) Anyhow, they match now. Due to my hight and the angle, I ended up crawling up and sitting on the hood (I did not bend it in!!) in order to change the right one. I was busy trying to remove it when a couple people walked by--they were black (I only tell you this so you can get the right voice in your head)--and the lady in the back was having fun. :) She called out to me, "Ride it, cowgirl!" (I had boots and spurs and hat on--the 'cowgirl' look.) I looked up at her and just grinned real big while laughing under my breath. A minute or so later, she called again, "I'm just having fun." I don't remember if I nodded back at her or not, but I was grinning and laughing, so I hope she knew I wasn't offended--it really did amuse me.

Anyway, once I was done replacing my windshield wipers I was ready to head back to Bryan's. I ended up going almost out of town before I got turned around. (The main reason being the semi that was behind me in the other lane.) I pulled into Bryan's--the hay was there, still on the truck (which was still running--diesel, you know). As I turned my engine off, the Hispanic guy who works there drove by on the fork-lift. He gave me something of a two-fingered wave and nod. I figured he was going for my roll of hay (he had been standing behind me leaning on a pallet of--dog food, I think--while the discussion about hay had been going on earlier in the day.) He was and I think it was already loaded by the time I had it paid for. I strapped it down (because I feel safer and more confident with it strapped down--even though it really isn't necessary) and headed off to dump it.

I am so glad I changed the windshield wipers, because I needed them! :D It didn't pour while I was driving, but I still needed them. I got to our place, set up to unload and it really started to rain. In between sitting in the cab and goofing off in the rain, I finally got the tailgate down (it sticks sometimes). Once the tailgate was down, I cut the netting on the roll and started pushing and heaving. Well, what with the wet hay, wet plastic bed liner, wet rubber boot soles (that have no tred indentation left), I almost didn't get it off. I think without the help of that short board I might not have gotten it.

I was soaked and covered in hay stubble. Oh well...wet kids can drive down the road as well as dry ones.  Just don't let the water dripping off the back of your hat onto you back bother you....

Needless to say, I didn't de-spider the garage today. Perhaps tomorrow. :)

        Racheal




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