What a Bonehead!

Met another "best friend" at The Bank of Ripley. She's been there for 37 years, straight out of high school. People get a job there and never leave. The usual conversation: How did you end up in Ripley? Family? Friends? By now I would have thought everyone in the county knew how I wound up here. Maybe they are looking for a deviation in the story. My "friend" lives on the south end of town, by Rice Park, where she says safety is becoming a problem and cautioned me to wary. A common refrain, when people speak about the house, is that the former owner of Serendipity was a "miser" and though she had the means well-in-hand to make repairs to the property, refused to do so. Makes you wonder if that roof over the second bath and the flooring in the breezeway needed repair before she left. The 14-year-hiatus didn't help any, that's for sure, if they did. Oh, well. It is a beautiful house.

But what about the bonehead, Missy? I am nominating a few people because I'm not sure which one takes the prize. Respect for the office declares that I first address the presidential request for tax relief for the people. Dear President Bush, people need consistent sources of income/revenue; i.e., jobs. Decent paying jobs. The cost of transportation needs to come down. The cost of heating sources needs to come down. Affordable housing, house payments, health care also need to be addressed. For most people, $800 is not going to do a whole lot. I'm not being ungrateful; just being realistic. Quick fixes are not the answer.

The next bonehead nominee is the assistant manager who claimed she was "out of money," when I asked why I was off so many days in the coming week. "It's only a week." Excuse me??!! You know I asked how often did this happen. Only a week (close but not quite) without pay in the middle of the heating season? Did I tell you about my light bill? I told her that I'd be sure to tell the light company that she was out of money. Sent out a flurry of resumes. Good grief, any bonehead knows that you have to monitor your budget. She and Bush need to restudy economics; wasn't he a business management grad?

Then there's the bonehead who left his over-sized, dirty sweat pants and walked out in a new pair. You know that I was in the men's section and discovered the switch. Complete with an empty box of over-the-counter medication in the pocket. Guess he was crazed with pain. And, the final nominee for this post (though I'm sure I'll think of others) is the woman who swapped her filthy sneaks for a brand spanking new pair. I found the box among the towels. "I'm a walking, yes indeed." Good googly moogly. I can't even begin to think of ways to steal.

Supposed to hit 9 degrees tonight. It's snowing in Georgia. I'm thanking my lucky stars and praying that the water doesn't freeze. Will leave faucets turned on and probably move the brood into the second bathroom. May be just a tad warmer than being on the porch. Oh, and I've filled lots of jugs, just in case.