The Mamas and the Papas sang about it. For some, it is the day after three evenings of partying and playing hard which means recovering from their indiscretions. For others it is the start of a new work-week. For me, it is my get-things-done-day: mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, house repairs, etc. The only problem with one day a week to do all this stuff is you get worn out.
I had to visit three stores today to get my shopping done. (Oh, and that reminds me to come back to my experience at Lowe’s.) I made a trip to Lowe’s to get stuff for the garden, house and yard. Then, I went to Tops to get some items they had on sale. From there, I went to Wegman’s for some items they had on sale. Of course, after getting all that stuff, I had to come home and unload the car and put the food away.
When I got done putting the food away, I realized I was out of gas for the tractor. It was back on the road to get the gas cans filled. (There is something unnerving about driving around with full gas cans in your car.) Getting the gas isn’t the hard part. It is pouring the gas from the can in to the tractor. Two gallons of gas weights nearly 20 pounds, and you have to hold it in an unnatural position for several minutes while it slowly empties in to the tank.
I wonder if I would get a ticket for driving the tractor to the gas station?
Back to Lowe’s…
I bought the only brass wood screws in the size I need (#2) that were not tapered heads. They did not have pan-head screws, and the round head screws were only slotted – no Philips. I really wanted Philips because they are less likely to slide out from underneath the pressure of the screw driver.
Given I have lots of these to screw in, I went looking for a screwdriver bit for a #2 slotted screw. Not only did they not have any, they only had Philips, or Philips with large (not small like a #2) slotted bits at the other end.
I miss the days of being able to go to a hardware store and find exactly what you want. I also miss the days when you could say, “I want a #2 pan-head Philips screw in brass,” and have the person understand what I am talking about. I asked for a slotted screw and the guy looked at me like, “Huh?” You have to point to a package and say, “See, ‘slotted’.” (It says, “Slotted”, on the package.) Only to have him say, “Oh, straight.”
No, I want a crooked screw.
We live in a day and age where people at the hardware store don’t know the difference between a spade and a shovel, a cross-cut or rip-cut blade, a Philips and a slotted screw head. Heck, we call sweet potatoes “yams” in the grocery store. I guess it is a sign of our times.
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Here are the next 5 things to do while in Palmyra…
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Dinner at Nima’s Pizza (best calzones around)
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Walk the village streets looking at the various old houses
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Stay a night at the Pamyra Inn (Rt. 21 & Temple Road)
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Stand on the old part of Stafford Road between the Smith frame and log homes, while looking at the L.D.S. Temple while the sunsets (or rises)
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Go bird-watching near the canal
