I Wonder Why…

I wonder why when I get gasoline in my car at the 85 octane level and have 30 cents off of the price of a gallon, the receipt shows I paid 30 cents more than the original cost of the 85 octane gasoline.  Definitely, not the reduced rate!  So, I when went into the cashier’s little building, showed him the receipt, complained about the cost, and waited for his answer, he assured me that I had pushed the premium button.  I assured him that I had NOT!  My car does not like premium gasoline.  And, I definitely was not happy.  Nothing changed.  So, the next time I go to that service station (that belongs to my favorite grocery store), I may just take along a black marker and warn everyone who pulls up to that pump to avoid it at all cost!

I wonder why, at the pharmacy, people who need to pick up a prescription must walk to the back of the store to that counter to pick up the script.  Yet, people who want to purchase cigarettes can walk in the front door of the building, and there they are – on the wall behind the general check-out counter.  Maybe, as sister Clara says, it is because some pharmacies have a drive through.  If so, the drive-through window could be built into the side of the building.  Customers must drive by the side of the building to get to the window at the back of the building.  Or, maybe, it is a protection against theft – that if someone attempts to steal drugs, it would take them longer to get to the exit door, and give employees a longer time to notify police.

I wonder why those people, who refuse to abide by suggestions or laws that they need to have a COVID vaccine or wear a protective mask to help eradicate the pandemic, feel compelled to fight the policy or suggestion because they believe such policies and/or suggestions infringe on their “rights?”  I wonder, do they drive down the left side of a two-way road?  Do they pay sales tax on products they purchase?  Do they assure that their children receive an education, either public or private?  Do they wear clothing when in public?  Aren’t these options done according to laws or custom?  Does following these laws or customs amount to infringement of their personal “rights?”  Do they understand that their personal rights end where mine and yours begin?

I wonder why, when I clean an area of the house – like the kitchen (for four years, I’ve been trying to make my house look like someone actually lives here¸ and that it’s not just a storage unit), and when it is tidy and uncluttered, and I can make food using the cabinets and stove and the ovens, I turn around, and it is as cluttered and unclean as it was fifteen minutes ago!  This happens with the living room, the TV room, the bathrooms, the bedroom – I could go on!  How do I change this behavior?  Ánd, go to medical appointments.  And take the minutes for organizations’ meetings?  And, go to stores to buy groceries and other necessary items?  Feed the dog?  And, give the tortoise a bath and feed her?  And, water the lawn?  Get the car serviced?  Do PT exercises?  Pay bills?  Sleep?  How?

I wonder why, when I have purchased the same garments (pants and sweaters) at a store for the past four or five years, they aren’t available to me for this year’s purchases.  Winter is coming, and I keep my house very cool.  I do not use my furnace very much.  As I said, I keep my house very cool!  So, I need soft, warm trousers and turtle-neck sweaters to stay warm (I cannot abide having a cold neck).

I wonder why when I’m in a hurry, the copier does not want to copy quickly like it does when I am not in a hurry.  When I worked away from home, we always said, “Never tell a machine you are in a hurry.  It will double cross you, every time!”

I wonder why the power seems to go out, just at the crucial part of the movie.  And, if you are recording the movie, that part of the recording is lost.

I wonder why it rains, immediately after you’ve washed the car.  Maybe, the car should be washed more often – more rain might fall.

I wonder why after working for a long time to get a computer file “just right,” it disappears with a keystroke – albeit, a mistaken keystroke.  I remember living in Greeley (with the house owner’s cat) while attending the University of Northern Colorado and being required to take statistics – I hate statistics!  I took copious notes by tape recording the lectures.  I was never good at statistics, so I knew I would need to have the professor’s lecture, verbatim.  I went home to transcribe the notes; I was very new to using a computer, but I DID have a computer.

While I was transcribing the lecture (I am a pretty good transcriber), the cat sat contentedly on my lap.  Three hours went by; I transcribed to my heart’s content; and, then, came the mistake.  I did something wrong, really wrong, and the screen turned yellow!  I didn’t know enough about computers, computer programs, or recovering files to do anything about that yellow screen.  It was gone.  As far as I knew, it was gone forever and ever.  And, I hadn’t learned to save, frequently.  When I started screaming at the computer, the cat jumped off of my lap and hid in the bedroom, not to be seen until the next morning.  I had to transcribe the notes, again – three more hours!

Truth be told, I occasionally do the same thing, now – hit the wrong key, and my file disappears.  Now, however, I have my “ace-in-the-hole” – Roger.  Day or night, weekday or weekend; sometimes, even holidays.  Roger rescues me.  I’m a user, not a fixer – definitely, not a fixer.  When I hit the wrong key, I don’t touch the computer, again, until I’ve called Roger, one of the men that I am blessed to have in my life!  And he fixes things – always.

Be safe and be well.

The Cranky Crone

Thoughtful comments are welcome.