I knew there was supposed to be wind, rain, sleet, and snow today, but I had errands to do. This morning I was watching the weather and trying to decide if I was going to do my small essentials run involving one stop in Morton or my bigger run involving 4 stops in East Peoria. The sky was looking bright at 9 a.m., so I decided to go for the big run. I would have left earlier, but my last stop was Costco, which inconveniently doesn't open until 10:00. I was almost to my first stop when the rain started, just a sprinkle. As I was about to pull into a decent parking spot, an old man cut me off and stole it. By the time I came out 15 minutes later, it was a steady rain, and my car was way out there.
My next stop was gas, but the only available pump was on the end, and the rain was horizontal by that time, so I got drenched. Next stop: Aldi. For some reason, I usually lose my head at Aldi. I've locked my keys in my car there several times. Maybe it's that extra step of having to remember to bring a quarter for the cart that overloads my brain. So today, I actually said out loud to myself, "Do not lock the keys in your car. Don't even lock the car. No thieves are out in this weather." Credit card? Check. Quarter for the cart? Check. Bags for the groceries? Check. I felt like I was forgetting something, but my mind had shifted focus to not locking the car.
By the time I got inside, the wind had plastered my wet hair to my face so hard that I actually had to pry it away so I could see. The first thing I saw was a fellow shopper glaring at me with apparent hatred. I smiled at her and carried on, thinking she must be mad about the weather. Not my fault and nothing I can do about it. In the next aisle, another shopper stared and glared. I started wondering why everybody was directing their anger towards me. Then a guy pulled down his mask to yell at me about not wearing a mask. Ah yes, that was the thing I forgot when I was doing my checklist in the car. Fortunately, I always have a mask in my pocket...except this time, because I had decided at the last minute to break out my warm coat for this trip, and it's the first time I've worn it since the pandemic, so no mask in my pocket. I should have left my plastered hair mask on. I got out of there as quickly as I could, after a couple more mean encounters.
On the way to Costco, something unbloggable happened that would necessitate going straight home for a shower and load of laundry. When I got home, I was lugging the groceries in, which were all as soaked as I was, and there was Marty, standing in the way, asking to go outside. I explained to her about the weather, but she still insisted, so I spelled it out for her. I said, "You are N-O-T, not, going outside today." Apparently, she's not a phonetic learner, because she proceeded to dart between my legs and charge outside. Two seconds later, she wanted in.
I could have just done my one Morton stop earlier in the morning and avoided the whole fiasco, since I didn't even end up getting to go to Costco. I have to go back out there again when Mike gets home, because I have to take him to pick up his parents' car.
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