Thursday, April 9, 2020 – SS, Shopping and Selling

Hi Darlin’,
Well, not surprisingly, Lola was very anxious when the storms came in last night (which included some hail, though no damage to anything), I ended up having to give her a pill, which I should have done earlier, but the storm moved through quickly and she settled down after that. She tried hard to come up into the bed, and I had to turn backwards so I could pet and comfort her, it was the only thing that settled her down until it all passed. This morning I finally had my conversation with the Social Security people about the survivors benefits on your pension, I made the appointment way back in January for a phone interview today! We managed to get it all settled, so at least I’ll have that little bit coming in. Afterward I ran down to McMinnville to do some shopping, feed for the horses, a new dryer vent for the trailer and some 2×10 boards for leveling the trailer. I’ve broken most of the smaller boards, they were just too small and narrow for the task, hopefully this will work better. Then finally a stop at Walmart for everything else. They actually had a lane of shopping carts outside the door to form a line in order to limit the number of people in the store (what they’re calling “social distancing” in an effort to keep people at least 6 feet away from each other. You would be astounded at how quickly people’s behavior has changed in the last month, it’s downright shocking (including me)! Fortunately there was no line and I went straight in, got everything I needed and got out of there, though I, too, wore a facemask and latex gloves while I was in there. Gas is down to $1.29 a gallon, and that’s in McMinnville! I saw one place where diesel was $2.15, but I’m waiting till I go to Manchester in a few days, where I’m sure it will be even cheaper! There’s a glut, the Saudis cranked up their production last month, and of course, there are a lot less vehicles on the road since everyone’s supposed to be staying home. The wonders of supply and demand! When I got back, I ran out to the house because I had gotten a call from someone about a couple of the items I posted on Marketplace and managed to sell a couple of things to the family that moved in and started a junkyard up the road. That’s what the other neighbors are calling it, the junkyard, another Harmon special. The first one, as I recall. Anyway, it’s money in my pocket and less stuff around the house, which is all good. It was too late to let the horses out when I got back, which has become my habit this week, but I did put their winter blankets on because the temps are supposed to get down to almost freezing overnight! Not the spring I was hoping for, but it has been nice since I’ve arrived, and is supposed to warm up again next week, so I can withstand a cold front. Anyway, settled down for the evening, thought I’d give Madmen another try, started from the beginning and quickly remembered why we had abandoned it (though others seemed to like it, it’s not my cup of tea!), so I’ll have to find something else tomorrow. Been doing a lot of reading lately, so much so my eyes hurt me sometimes, just another sign of aging, I guess! Jeff still hasn’t decided when (or even if) he’s coming up, and it’s driving me crazy. There’s stuff he wants, but if he doesn’t come till the last minute, I won’t have much time to sell them and I’ll have to let them go to consignment and I won’t get much out of that. I may have to do that anyway, everyone around here is hanging on to every penny since so many folks are out of work because of the virus. Bad timing on that one! Still, the day of closing is drawing nearer, and I do whatever is necessary to get out of here asap! Still don’t have any place confirmed where I can go, still looking… Well, Lola’s back in from her nightly ablutions and I still have to take my shower, so I’m off! Love you, darlin’! Good night!