d'uhm debbie d'uhm

My mail runs anywhere from 3-5pm, which means that today, I scooped up those checks, ran to town to cash them out and began to go place to pay things.  While I was stuck in traffic wasting gas I thought, dude, this stuff coulda waited til Monday, about mid-morning when no one else is trying to also go places to pay things.

Cuz today?  Friday.  Rush hour.  First of the month.  D'uhm Debbie D'uhm.

Everyone and their brother's dog was out there.  In this heat.  Tempers were running high to be sure.  I did as many errands as I could.  My method?  Pay bills til the money runs out then come home.  It works for me.

Cora at the power company was glad to see me cuz I kept saying, take your time, it's ok, there is no rush.  She snapped at one of her co-workers, I'm waiting on Debra, so just you hold your horses.  I like Cora.  And I think, she likes me.

The place where I pay the garbage bill ("solid waste") used to be a bank.  So it has these drive thru lanes with the pop out drawers and whoooshed! capsules.  The girl there has no idea that she doesn't have to scream thru the glass, that little microphone deal works just fine.  So I always feel like I am some old little lady with my hearing aids in flux.  It must be the gramma car.

Tammy my insurance agent frowned at me, cuz this was the first time in the six and a half years that we've been doing business that I was not able to pay the six-month premium.  She asked me twice to be sure that I was aware that I was paying the monthly amount instead of the usual lump sum.  But I wanted to make sure I had enough to put some gas in my car so that I could drive home instead of walking.  Cuz dude, this heat?  One.hun.dreaded.de.greeses.

I put forty bucks of gas in the car.  And my tank reads at less than three-quarters full.  eek.  sigh.  everyone's belt is tightened in every way.

Mr. Thin at the co-op was very happy to see me with one hundred pounds of dog food and frontline and copper sulfate to go.  They are all big ticket items and I always make him smile when I pop in.  Smiles are not comfortable on Mr. Thin's face, so I like to see the muscles stretch in unused ways.

Copper sulfate is expensive.  Fifty pounds?  $$95.  gasp.  But if it prevents those clingy roots from creating tightly woven webs that catch all the water from draining into the septic tank in such a way that my toilet water backs into the tub, well, then I'm all for expensive copper sulfate.  It was sorta weird, those clots of roots?  Looked like sod patches that people pay good money for to repair their torn up lawns.

I had a very nice visit with my landlord while I was paying the rent.  So now?  I thought about not going to have my hair cut tomorrow, but it's been months and uhm, that heat?  yeah.  I thought so.

Ya know, I like to take care of all the bills and errands in one quick run about.  It lets me breathe easier cuz I'm never late on anything and usually pay ahead of time.  Doing that makes me happy and it makes the folks happy to see me and my money.  Plus then I have an accurate idea of what I have left.

I won't be able to pre-pay my propane for this next winter this month.  Every August, the gas company runs their pre-pay plans.  If you don't sign up in August, you're screwed.  But, I can't pull that kinda money from my butt.  Well, no kinda money really.  Cuz that's just wrong.  Really wrong.

Ain'tcha glad to know the intimate details of my life's drudgery?  Yeah, me too.  Thanks for reading my attempts to organize my thoughts.

So, what's new with you?