Frustrations...I Got'Em!

After trying to do some shopping this week I can see why people are going to on-line shopping. 

And, I plan to do more of it.

We live in a small rural farming community. 

There is a grocery store (with limited choices), gas stations, fast food, dollar store and a pharmacy. 

To get everything we need we usually need to go to the bigger town 45 minutes away. 

We usually have to go to several stores and it is at least a half day trip.

On Tuesday my son needed to get a few things for some welding projects he was wanting to do. 

2017 Fair Project - 1st Place

So we planned our route to stores we both needed to go to. 

First up was the quilt shop where I got my MegaQuilter and Grace Frame. I needed bobbins. They did have bobbins for my machine, but only a few. I bought all they had. 

Second stop was W-M. I needed printer ink. They were out of the kind for my printer. The person working that department was very nice and kindly scanned the price sticker on the shelf so he could inform me that 2 cases of that ink would be arriving on Thursday. This was Tuesday. Fortunately, I am not out of ink yet and hopefully can get some the next time I go shopping. 

Third stop was the farm store. My son needed horseshoes, welding wire and some other items. They had ONE horseshoe of the kind he uses. He ended up having to get some of a different size to make projects that don't use as many shoes. But he isn't able to finish the project he started with the other shoes. They also didn't have the paint color he wanted. 

Next we went to the pet store so he could get some shrimp to 

help with keeping the aquariums (three) clean. 

http://spec-tanks.com/how-to-breed-red-cherry-shrimp/

They were out. The next shipment was to arrive the next day. Went to the other pet store. They were out but would be getting their shipment late that afternoon. Also, the aquatic creatures pictured with their price are usually rarely available according to the sales person. Sorry, we live over 30 minutes away and are not hanging around or coming back later. So disappointing.

My son is a full-time wheelchair user so each stop means getting his chair out of the car, then putting it back in when we leave. That gets old after a few stops.

Today I went just into town to pick up prescriptions and get some plastic bins for kitchen drawers.

Went to the dollar store first to look for bins. They had several different styles. I chose 3 different ones to try but ...

Bins with lids

... I could not find the lids for the smaller bins. Found a clerk and told him I could not find the lids. I obviously interrupted something of great importance because he seemed rather put out and told me the lids were on the shelf above the bins. I responded that I had looked and was unable to find them. He again told me I would find them on the shelf above. I walked away and he finally said he would be right there to help me. He couldn't find them either. I take that back, he found ONE lid. There were 4 bins and I would have bought them all, if they had lids.

I'm frustrated that I even have to use bins in my kitchen drawers. I live in the country.
We have lived in this house for 20 years and have a problem with mice every winter.
I cannot seem to find where they are coming in or how to keep them out of my drawers.
So everything goes into bins to keep things clean. It is a pain to have to open a bin after opening the drawer, but I guess that is better than having to wash something every time I use it.
I have tried traps, sticky traps, blocking the spaces they might be coming in that I have found with steel wool, peppermint oil and any other remedy suggested, all to no avail. I do know the locking
bins keep them out. I see evidence that they have still been in the drawers, but they cannot get
into the bins. They get into the drawers in my bathroom as well. One day I opened a drawer and found dental floss strung all over, tubes of lotion and toothpaste with the ends chewed off, cotton cleansing pads pulled apart, just a big mess! I had to throw most of it away.

Next I went to the pharmacy. I had called in the prescriptions the day before. The pharmacy tech told me they would 'owe' me for one of my prescriptions because they only had four, FOUR, of the pills. The rest would be in Monday. Seriously?! What if I were leaving town, perhaps on a vacation, or something and couldn't pick up my prescription. I have one pill left. I am especially frustrated by this last one because insurance won't allow you to renew too soon so I only have a couple of pills. And, my prescription is a fairly common one that I would think they would keep stocked. It would have been nice to have received a phone call letting me know about the shortage on that prescription.

On a more positive note, the temps have cooled down considerably here today. And, even though it stormed last night we did not get hail or wind damage.

In memory of my brother.