A post in which I get some stuff done

Well I don't know if it was Coraline or not, but I had very vivid dreams last night. I was at Grandma Shumate's house with my dad, Eve, and a pregnant Hispanic woman my grandmother had met through the church and was trying to help. Her scary boyfriend and his gang had showed up to claim her on their way out of town. They had just pulled off a big heist. Her boyfriend, the leader, came in and warned us all not to interfere. He was a huge, threatening man, and we were all afraid of him. The gang had backed up a huge truck to the back door of the house, and he was trying to talk the woman into coming with him. My family, not surprisingly, had decided to go ahead and eat since there was nothing we could do. My dad had a big plate of potato salad and was drizzling the dressing for it all over his pants while he continued eating and raving about how good it was. I looked out the side window. Apparently the gang had decided to change vehicles before they took off, and were unloading a huge shipment of reproduction fake Depression Glass all over the side yard, in preparation for re-packing it in another truck. The colors of the glass were very vivid - rare colors like tangerine and aquamarine. I was outraged. I had just decided that this was the last straw, and I would just have to do something about it when I woke up.

My first thought when I woke up today was that I didn't have to go to work. I was thrilled. It was after 7 - which is unusually late for me to sleep on the weekend. I got up, threw some biscuits in the toaster oven, and turned on the computer while they were baking. I had biscuits and eggs and got dressed. I wanted to be ready when Anna called. But she didn't. I figured she had overslept. She isn't a morning person naturally, but has to get up at 5:30 every day to get to work. On the weekend she sleeps in. Sometimes most of the day. You can do that when you're in your 20's. I used to do it.

I eventually decided she just wasn't going to call, but there were plenty of little jobs around here I've been putting off that really need doing.

I looked up the drop-off center to have the mower repaired. I've been meaning to do that since last fall. I swore a Scarlett O'Hara vow that I'd have that damn thing fixed, or buy another one. It will run, but only for about 30 seconds at a time. Eventually it will run, but you have to start it 20 or 30 times first. Then sometimes in the middle of a job it will just stop and do the same thing again - usually when about half of the front yard is mowed. I've replaced the spark plug, put fresh gas in, and changed the air filter. I'm thinking it has to be something with the fuel line.

The deal with having it fixed is what makes me so nuts about our "throw-it-out-and-buy-another" society. I 'm picturing the WALL-E world. There were like three places I could find that did small engine repair. They were open like 10 hours a week, during the time that I'm at work. The last time I looked I left a message for one that was supposed to be open, but they never called me back. The only place I could find to take it was Sears. They of course weren't going to do the work themselves, they are going to contract it out to some shop that I couldn't find or elves or something. I pay a $30 "diagnostic fee", and agree to spend up to $110. Labor is billed at $60 per hour. If I have the mower repaired, my $30 goes towards the repair. If I don't have it repaired, they keep the up front fee. A new mower costs $150. They have them sitting right at the front of the drop-off center as you go in. I bet most people just shell out rather than fool with the hassle. The part to fix that mower, change the oil, etc, probably costs about $20 retail, and would probably take some good ole boy about a half hour to fix it. There just aren't any fix-it shops left. It just makes me nuts. I'm trying to do the right thing, and I'll probably end up getting screwed for doing it.

After I dropped it off, I was up on Woodruff anyway, so I dropped by the dollar store to get some tooth brushes. A lot of stuff in there is just as good, but cheaper, but of course you have to watch what you get. I got some shower gel there that stained all my washcloths gray and made my eczema really bad. Of course once I got in there today I found all this stuff I had to have, but talked myself (again) out of buying a set of these really cool Coke glasses they have that I just love. I need another set of glasses like I need a padded bra.

On the way home, deposited my state tax refund check at the bank.

After that I came home to load up the car again and eat some lunch. I ate here rather than eating out, which made me feel practical and frugal. When I walked in, I immediately logged in to the bank and sent my tax money to Visa before I could get used to it being in the account. I got Maureen's wedding card ready to mail, writing what I hoped was a touching note inside. I figured it was the least I could do after missing their wedding last weekend. Then I cleaned up the kitchen and went through the sheets. Unfortunately, that didn't result in much. I was only able to part with one set. But they were flannel, so they were eating up a lot of shelf space. I couldn't part with my orange sherbet sheets, even though they're pilled up. They're Springmaids, and I keep thinking I'll give them one more chance. I'm putting them back on the bed this week. I have two sets that are too small for the bed, but I use them when I go up to Granny's, and they're both really pretty. One is palest lavender, the other alternating white, fat light blue, and tiny navy stripes. They look like really cool pajama fabric. There's a set of purple ones that were ruined during a massage (the guy put so much oil on me they looked like the Shroud of Turin when I got up), but I rationalize that I can always use a set of sheets I don't have to worry about messing up at times. And I have one set that have a hole that I paid a fortune for online. But at least I got rid of one set, right?

By this time I was tired, but I decided to finish up errands before I let myself take a nap. A remorseful Anna called - she had slept in as I thought. We re-scheduled the flea market for tomorrow.

I went back out with a loaded car.
- I hauled off the recycling.
- I took back a book on CD and a couple of books I finished to the library.
- I mailed Maureen's wedding card at the post office.
- I ran the one set of sheets and a couple of odds and ends to Goodwill, and browsed the store, but didn't score.

I returned home covered in virtue and a sense of satisfaction - then walked in to my filthy house. Terry is supposed to come by tonight. I'm going to have to at least make motions of straightening up.