The last stop on Veteran's

We were supposed to work last night; but Ron decided he would rather stay home and drink.  No one knew of our plan. 

I thought it would be fun for the night shift to see us for a change.  Yes, probably a little drama but overall fun, I thought.  It's good for the customers to see us working.  They like to know we work to provide their snacks, and their snacks make a living for us, too. 

I thought it would be best to keep Ron busy, so we went to Walmart in the morning.  We didn't have very long but it got us out of the house.  I let him know I was still significantly depressed, and he knows it's better to keep me busy. 

I got my shower, and God time, both days, so yay me.  I even stripped the bed and washed the sheets and bedspread. 

For me, that's monumental. 

Ron "tries" to start drinking after 12, but not on his day off.  He'll start the minute he gets up on our day off.  However, we were working, right? 

I will admit the idea appealed - if we worked, Ron "couldn't" drink until after we got home that night.  He decided he would rather cancel work. 

I wish I could say I was surprised. 

I did decide, after a short nap and horrific nausea, I didn't have to stay home and watch him do it.  So I went out on the bus. 

They have a Giant Dollar on Veteran's.  My local bus goes on Veteran's, now.  The former Giant Dollar lived a couple miles up the street and had an amazing selection.  I was pretty eager to check it out. 

It was hugely disappointing. 

I have problems with traffic.  Anxiety at the best of times, and outright panic attacks at my worst.  God is good, though, I only had a panic attack, once, on a Bible Handout, and Ron was with me.  It was a pretty unsafe (not the area, the traffic) area, anyway, and I never went back. 

In regular life, my anxiety issues are variable and dependent on the street, and my caffeine intake.  I had thought I could "run across Veteran's at the light" because they had a pedestrian crosswalk and light. 

As I stood by the street, waiting for the light to change, I kept thinking, "I've seen 3 people hit by cars, and two of them were on Veteran's".  It was a horrific sight, the first, a woman rolling on the ground, holding her clearly-broken leg, the second just a bloody shoe lying in the road as they loaded the guy on the stretcher.  And Ron of course.  I told God I was sorry, I felt like a failure doing it, but I was going to back track to the last stop on Veteran's and ride the bus across. 

See, my bus goes down Veterans.  I got off at the last stop, before it turns left and crosses the street, going down Gears.  The "fun" Vietnamese grocery store is on Gears.  After my disappointment, I at least wanted to get some tea. 

I doubled back to the last bus stop on Veterans and "my" bus came along about 3 minutes later.  Excellent.  Leaving home, I'd literally seen the bus I had missed, and waited 20 minutes on the next one.

I felt God had just validated my decision.  Some things, I just can't do.

Some things, just aren't smart to do!   I disembarked and crossed Gears (it was nearly as busy, and just as wide, but I felt far more comfortable). 

I crossed the parking lot and headed into the store.  I know they are in a bad area, and experience a lot of shoplifting.  I had one of my shoulder totes, with some merchandise from the Dollar store.  I didn't want to make them uncomfortable, so I offered to leave my bag at a register.  They laughed and waved me past. 

I got profiled.  :p  I had fun looking at the vegetables (I didn't have an insulated bag, and it's been in the high 90's with sun, so no way to do that), and fruit.  I bought some "French Cookies" that, not only were individually wrapped, were absolutely divine (and very reasonably priced).  I was thrilled when I tried them. 

I looked at the rice and got some "Black Sweet Rice".  It is apparently a dessert rice.  I bet it would be really good in my rice cooker with a little dried fruit. 

I also got a box of FooJoy decaf green tea.  I like how they wrap the 100 count into 3 separate packages, inside the cardboard. 

I've been having some palpitations and I figure decaf is the way to go.  I told Ron about it, and also said, I don't want us to spend a lot of money checking it out.  The way I figure, I'm crazy.  I have anxiety issues, 98% odds it is psychiatric in nature.  He agreed. 

I am not concerned, because I have "the problem" when I am at rest.  If I'm working, unloading a truck, or today, loading 10 cases of bottled drinks on and off a cart, into and out of a fridge, a lot of heavy lifting in a very short period of time, with no problem.  It's not happening on exertion.  So I have chosen not to worry about it. 

Palpitations can also be a side effect of my medication.  Like I said, I don't want to undergo a lot of testing only to be told "It's all in your pills".  I'm not stopping my lithium. 

I paid and came home.  I really like how they expanded my bus route. 

Ron had agreed to work early today, so we did that.  We had a lot of catching up, having left it a day longer than I like.  At one point Ron said God had given him a "Bad helper" because I couldn't help him on demand - my hands were full. 

I did get all my work done and helped him significantly with his. 

For instance, with the canned sodas Ron can feel the interior of the machine and determine what needs stocking.  Each machine has 8-10 columns.  We have everything stacked in sequence so he can find the sodas on his own (!).  He will load them into his lap (he uses a wheelchair at work) and then stocks from the wheelchair. 

The bottled drinks are trickier.  We don't have space for them, so they live on carts and on shelves in our tiny stockroom.  Ron can get drinks out of the fridge, he has them in a sequence. 

I, however, have to get the replacement drinks, and put them into the fridge. 

I did this: I looked at the bottled machine while he did canned soda.  I saw he needed about 10 cases.  I got my handcart (empty, now that I'd finished snacks).  I went and got the warm replacement drinks, before heading out to the fridge (why make 2 trips?). 

I put the warm drinks on the floor, and loaded the cold drinks on the cart.  Then I placed the warm drinks into the fridge.  This is why I say, if I had a bona fide heart problem, I'd know. 

I then dragged the cart over to Ron, who had just opened the bottled vendor.  He was panicking over all the stocking until I presented him with the cartload of cold soda. 

I was the most wonderful woman in the world, after that.  He was so glad he'd married me.  [giggle]  Well, I like to help when I can. 

However, no one's ever called in a complaint over an empty soda machine.  They get VERY upset about snacks, though. 

We were both happy, when we left.  We went home and took a nap.  Then we went to Walmart. 

I forgot to buy my timer.  Dang it.  The kind you plug into the wall, it will turn on your electronic device at a certain time.

I did get a few other things.  Ron would like me to try some split pea soup, when the weather gets colder.   I left the store happy.

Ron paid for my items.  I wasn't expecting that. 

I guess he was still happy I "saved" him earlier.