I did something stupid.....

                   

    I actually went in an shopped at walmart on Saturday afternoon in December!
I know I know..... I should know better!
    I didn't have enough to order pick up. I needed something special they couldn't pick out anyway. I needed some needles with a large enough eye to put some normal yarn through so I could do a blanket stitch on a throw since I gave away my sewing machine, I could ask Nikki to do it but she is soooo pregnant now she is about to pop and car peddles are hard to reach so I am sure her poor arms may not be long enough to sit at the sewing machine even for a easy few minute job without sitting weird to reach things. So I had to find the correct needle to do the job. Not only that I needed to pick up a bell and horn for a toddlers JD Tricycle. Good thing I went in because evidently bike horns can malfunction and not work so I tried them out to find one that worked and sounded right. ( Kind of fun really. LOL )
    OH MY GOSH! WALMART PARKING LOT WAS SCREAMING BUSY AND FULL !!! Made hubby a nervous wreck! When your used to driving country roads and then get plunged into that kind of traffic with people walking around it can be a bit nerve racking. He has the added benefit of arthritis in his neck that makes it difficult to look all directions sometimes.
   Me...? I noticed first thing you go through the doors get your basket and to get in you have to go through what looks like metal swatter gates that automatically open. I guess this is to slow down hoards of people coming in during a "peaceful protest" ? That was new since the last time I was there maybe a yr? ago.
    Speaking of people. Lots of working types of people. Nobody was what I would call well dressed. I mean we are talking about out of the deer woods clothing and beards or "play"? clothes. Very relaxed in appearance. Hair was just hair. I don't mean it has to be perfect but at least brush and do something with it instead of wild and crazy or stringy. Americans of all economics need to take more pride in their public appearance for sure. It is such a simple thing to present yourself and family in a manner that says you give a flip about yourself and family.
    The cleaning aisle was almost wiped out along with the baby wipes. I didn't check out the medical alcohol stuff.
    The Christmas area to me was maybe a 1/4 of merchandise we have seen in the past.
    The bicycles I just happened to notice they had quite a few adult riding pleasure bikes. Not the geared bikes just comfy ones.  It looked fun but I know better than that for me even if I lived with pavement to ride on.
   People everywhere. Most with masks on the adults and the children without. Many adults had masks pulled down under nose to breathe better I guess. My breathing is never good but I wear mine anyway in hopes it might work enough to keep me for getting something bad. I had to ask where some things were. I found candy canes but they were either flavored weird or plastic filled with candies. I found some "normal" peppermint canes by brach and they were naturally half as skinny and inches shorter than normal and in much smaller boxes.

 I have a family funny about masks involving my 2 brothers. I have a Democrat Brother DB, and a Republican Brother RB.
DB.... about 73 yo. Air Force educated electrical engineer. Way different from me and rest of the family. Prides himself at being factual and scientific in the information department.
    I was telling him about the study in Denmark about the 6000 people they used for it. Divided them up in 1/2. Each group had to be out of the house 3 - 4 hours a day minimum. One group  had a mask the other didn't . They were all tested for Covid before and were clear.
    When the the test period was done they tested everyone again and made sure who did or didn't go by the guidelines. When it was all said and done it showed it didn't matter if you did or didn't wear a mask the same few people got sick in either group. They then published this in a medical journal.
    WELL!! DB was in a dither! ( I thought he would have liked it since this was done in another country and was conducted in a scientific manner and then published in a medical journal) Evidently not! LOL He said it was against physical laws and explained how the lung functioned and how the masks absolutely positively worked! He said he would have to investigate that better. I guess thinking it is all a lie and someone is just printing baloney.
RB -- I was talking to him and telling him how DB was just all in a dither about all that and just absolutely could no believe it!
    Now you have to understand the RB..... he is EX Navy. Car hot rod enthusiast and no where near nerdy. Both bothers have had Top Secret clearance in the past DB top secret, RB need to know top secret.

     My RB simplified the masks ability to do it's job. His words were..... are you ready for this?.... are you sure?....

           If you can smell a FART through the mask you can bet a virus can go through those masks!

   I died laughing!!!
     I don't talk like that but he does and it so fit the conversation. Well anyway I survived my walmart stupidity .. so far... no covid at least....
I for sure got a reminder about crazy shopping. If I am wanting to shop more local at a store like that I better be more careful as to the chosen time to go and give it a try.  I did get 3 boxes of graham crackers for pie crusts and the ever so fun Moose Farts and Unicorn Farts people get a kick out of this time of year.
   The check out line was stupid long. I had 2 people in front of me one was having to check prices on the few toys she had to make sure she had enough money to pay for them.When I got to check out looked behind me there were at least 5-6 people there just a cart distance from the others. They are trying to make us use the self check out and I figure the more I do that the more they can fire someone from their check out job so I don't use them. Oh yes, I must have seen at least 3 huge, huge TV's as tall as I was on the freight cart and at least 5' long.
Ok have to get to work cleaning up a kitchen recipe I tried out and didn't like it at all.

Love
Ranchmama
(Who yes... I took my alcohol bath and the truck also when I got into the truck. From elbow down. Phone, billfold anything else that went in with me)