I told you I'd be back

Oh, I'm tired.  I had horrible nightmares even before Bubba began vomiting into our shared bed.  And the slats supporting my mattress fell down, twice.  Annoying.  I think Ron and I need to rig some kind of cross-brace.  I got called the eipithet that means "female dog" twice.  Sounds like witch. 

You'd think with a start like that, it would go downhill.  It didn't. 

Last night, I planned out my trip - to check out the feed store.  I'd have to ride downtown, and then ride out to the store.  I wrote down all my directions (go north 2 blocks, turn left), using a mapping program and the Metro trip planner.  I also packed my bag. 

This morning, I did my God time, ate (but not enough, I got hungry later), readied my hand cart, and left.  I caught my bus - eventually ended up downtown. 

As I stood at the bus stop, a guy wearing clothes that would have cost me half a month's pay asked if he could "Borrow a quarter".  Huh.  I've heard that one.  First, they mean TAKE a quarter.  They will never, ever, give it back.  Second, they know most people don't carry change. 

Meaning, "Give me a dollar so I can go spend it on my addiction".  No.  Along comes the hard-luck story.  No.  Then he called me the bad name, gave me the finger, and stomped off. 

I was happy to see him go.  As I stood at the downtown bus stop, they came.  Pigeons.  They KNEW I had lots of birdfood - at home.  I had forgotten them!  They pecked around me with their sad brown eyes.  I apologized to them, and told them I'd buy them some birdseed at the feed store. 

Next time I go downtown, I'll bring a baggie for the pigeons.  Ron will remind me, too. 

I called, left a message for him (he was sleeping).  He called me back and we talked.  "Please don't bring home any livestock!"  [giggle]  I wonder what I could have fit in my handcart? 

The bus came.  I rode along, found the bus stop, and got off.  I walked up to the store. 

They had a nice selection of potted veggie transplants.  My handcart and I were viewed with a moderate degree of alarm and puzzlement.  I explained, can't drive, it's me on the bus.  OH!  You can put it here! 

OK.  Some store owners don't like the handcart rolling around the store.  That's fine.  I wouldn't want someone taking a backpack into my stockroom. 

I parked the cart and looked at the animals, picked up 2 mustard green transplants, and viewed the animal feed and seed selections.  It was pretty cool, looking at a 50 pound sack of lettuce seed. 

Apparently I'm not the only fan of "Georgia" Collards, they had a fifty-pounder of that, too, in addition to the transplants.  I had to remind myself that five plants are plenty for one person. 

I ended up selecting some Brown Crowder cowpeas, Crowder Field Peas, Oak Leaf Lettuce, and Romaine Lettuce.  I'll be sharing the cowpeas with my uncle.  I think they gave me enough lettuce (for about the price of a regular seed packet) to feed the whole subdivision. 

I asked if I could get a 10 pound bag of Cottonseed meal, I really like it as a fertilizer.  They said no, but they could put 10 pounds, into a bag, for me.  I went with that. 

Everything cost less than $20.  It took a little work, putting them all into the handcart, but I eventually figured it out.  I like the challenge.  I rolled off to the bus stop. 

The neighborhood was OK - nothing to worry about.  I called Ron again; told him I was coming home.  By the time we finished, the bus was coming.  I got on and went downtown. 

As I got off the bus, I was accosted by a belligerent homeless woman.  She tried to get my attention (so she could ask me for money), and I ignored her.  That made her mad; and she began yelling.  Said she wanted to know where I got my cart, but it has been my experience if you allow a panhandler to engage you with an "innocent" question "Do you know the time?", etc.. then it immediately goes to give me money.  So I don't feel bad. 

That's when I got called that LOVELY word for the second time today!  [laugh]  She followed me for a little bit but got bored and left me alone. 

Oh, happy day.  Pigeons waiting at the bus stop.  I started spreading the seed.  Boy, they had a GOOD time.  For less than a dollar, I got about half an hour's worth of entertainment.  Pigeons really like "laying blend" - something for chickens, apparently.  A few sparrows and grackles got in on it, too. 

"See, I told you I'd be back!" I told them as I flung out handfulls of Laying Blend.  They cooed and pecked away. 

Ah, there's the bus.  By the time I got off my home route, I had to urinate desperately. 

Oddly enough, a man got off at the same time I did.  It's a sick world, I "let" him go first. 

He turned on my street.  Odd.  He began cutting across my yard.  Oh, now I'm ticked. 

Then he knocked on my neighbor's door!  What are the odds of that?  They let him in. 

I went in, took care of business.  Ron was asleep.  I went out back, spread about half the fertilizer (according to Dr Bob, I am using way less fertilizer than I need), and planted the mustard greens.  They will do OK with the freezing weather due Wednesday.  I put them in garden bed 2 , which I plan to use for greens this year. 

Ron woke up, figured out I was home, and opened his window.  It was lovely weather, sunny, 70... such a nice change from last week and the ice everywhere. 

By the way, my plant covers worked, everyone lived.  Yay!  Ron and I had a nice chat. 

He told me had already made trips for tomorrow, and hoped they were OK.  Sounded fine to me!   I'll need to get up around 4.