Bugged In The Burbs: 3 Things Of Note + My Astute Conclusions About Each

/ Ally Bean

A garden rose with a bug on one petal. The perfect image to go with a post about small irritating things that have bugged me. N’est-ce pas?

~ ~ • ~ ~

THE FIRST NOTABLE THING

I GOT A TEXT MESSAGE FROM SOMEONE UNKOWN to me.  The message said:

“Hi Jim

Now that the mortar has had time to cure we would like to finish the cleaning of the brick on Monday

Roger”

Being a conscientious person I replied:

“Not Jim here. Good luck with your project”

Roger, who knows how to write clearly as evidenced by his [what I assume to be] erroneous text message to me, has not responded to my succinct polite response.  Not even a one-word three-letter *thx* has Roger typed my way.

CONCLUSION? I do not like Roger who is a poopy head. He deserves dirty bricks.

THE SECOND NOTABLE THING

WHILE DRIVING DOWN OUR STREET TO HOME I realized that directly above me, hovering over my open car sunroof, was a medium-sized drone.

I quickly checked my rearview mirrors to see if I could figure who was controlling the drone.  I could not, so I did what I thought was best.  I looked up briefly, smiled, and waved hello to the drone operator.

I did not give the drone operator the finger, nor did I shut the sunroof.  I played along like a kind neighbor, in on the joke, whatever it was.

CONCLUSION? I am a good pre-old person who deserves more praise for such.

THE THIRD NOTABLE THING

AS I WAS WATCHING THE YOUNG CASHIER GUY ring up my order at Kroger, I noticed that he’d made a mistake.  He had charged me for .65 lbs of rutabagas instead .65 lbs of zucchinis.

[I don’t know how anyone could confuse zucchini for rutabaga, but he did.]

Now considering the last time I got into a conversation with a young cashier guy about produce and how my pear purchase peeved him [READ FULL STORY HERE], I chose not to say a word about the rutabaga/zucchini mistake.

You understand.

However I realize that rutabagas were $.99/ lb while zucchini were $1.49/ lb meaning that I may owe Kroger $.33 for the zucchini that were more expensive than the rutabagas.

CONCLUSION? I will not lose sleep over this, but wonder how often I get charged the wrong amount for something?

151 thoughts on “Bugged In The Burbs: 3 Things Of Note + My Astute Conclusions About Each”

  1. I had a drone follow me home once and I was not happy about it. In fact it really creeped me out. I was walking and, like you, I couldn’t see anyone else who may be responsible for controlling it.
    You are definitely cooler than me 🙂

    Liked by 3 people

  2. You deserve praise for everything you say and do, My Dearest Bean. As for the drone, if government or private interests are served by hovering over pre-old people driving down the street or sitting outside finishing crosswords or leveling up on Candy Crush Saga, then by all means bring them on. Perhaps the populace would learn more about living a peaceful, civilized life that way. I can see the TV show now – “Life with Bean” – has Emmy written all over it.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Zen-Den, aren’t you a clever one? I do live a rather low-key life full of mellow pursuits that could inspire a new kind of peacefulness in the land. I do hope my Emmy brings with it some dinero because if I’m going to open my life to the world I want adequate monetary compensation!

      Liked by 3 people

  3. I’m with Joanne – next time, carry a rutabaga with you (or whatever vegetable du jour happens to be on your shopping list) and lob it at the thing. Then shut the sunroof. That’s what I would do, anyway.

    By the way, poopy head was a pet saying of one of my ex-husbands. It was endearing, in a way, and I use it the phrase from time to time.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Maggie, the next time I’m pursued by a drone I’ll consider doing as you suggest if I happen to have a veggie with me. Preferably paid for at the proper price.

      I rarely use the phrase “poopy head” but in this case it fits the circumstance. Roger is rude, I do not like him, thus I resort to name-calling.

      Like

  5. I had to Google rutabaga, I had no idea what it was! We don’t have an equivalent here (like zucchini=courgette). Wikipedia says it’s a cross between turnip and cabbage (the mind boggles) and we definitely don’t have that, that I know of. It also says it’s also known as swede, but a swede here is just a different name for a turnip. So I’m puzzled. Looks delicious though. Wasn’t the same checkout guy was it? The conversation about pears was very entertaining. I would have waited while his cogs whirred and the penny dropped too 🙂🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • Polly, I’ve never eaten rutabaga so I don’t know what it tastes like. I know what it looks like, and while I like turnips/swedes, the rutabagas look like they’d be too intensely-flavored for me to enjoy. But the thing is, of course, how could you mistake a rutabaga for a skinny green zucchini/courgette?

      This wasn’t the same checkout guy as the one with the pears, but he had that same youngish confused male look about him. I could have stopped him, but I wasn’t up to the conversation that would have happened next.

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      • My paternal grandparents were Swedes. I had an uncle who was nicknamed Swede. I’ve never heard that name for a turnip, but now I’m wondering if there’s some connection to that old saying: “I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck.” I’m going to have to think about this for a while.

        Liked by 2 people

          • Love that – I didn’t just fall off the turnip truck! I’d say “I didn’t come down with the last shower” – I’m guessing it means something similar. I don’t know why there are two names for the same vegetable here. When I was a kid, growing up in the south east UK, we called it swede. I think turnip might be a northern UK word, but I’m not sure because it’s not something I’ve eaten since I was a kid. I’m all about the butternut squash these days 🙂

            Liked by 2 people

      • I know my husband doesn’t care much for vegetables. My son will eat stuff like corn and broccoli. Once you get into stuff that sounds exotic, I’m sure young guys, but anyone who isn’t into veggies, might easily get mixed up. Guys know everything at that age and don’t like to ask too many questions. At least that’s been my experience.

        Liked by 1 person

  6. I have a real problem with drones, ABean. One beautiful afternoon, I was writing outside, enjoying the hummingbirds when I heard a noise I thought was a large bumble bee. When the sound got louder I looked up and you can guess what I saw. A drone! It was hovering right over our patio. Watching me! I was completely freaked out and ran inside yelling for Derek. Beautiful photo!

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Haven’t had a drone near me yet but my first instinct would be to lob something big at it. If it breaks so be it. Natures way. I get mail (postal) and emails for Steve. I’m not Steve. There is no Steve here and there never has been. Weird. Sadly I hate to get into a line with high school kids cashiers especially for vegetables. They are great at the mac and cheese and pizza stuff. Give them something live and green and they are flummoxed. Poopy head is one of my all time favorites. I find it more enjoyable then the f bomb.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Kate, I didn’t think to damage the drone because I thought it was funny. Why would anyone follow me? For practice I’d reckon, not for nefarious reasons. Have you, not-Steve, ever tried to respond to the emails to stop them? Just curious. You’re exactly right about the young male cashiers, most of them are clueless about real food. I rarely say poopy head but now that I’ve used it here I think I need to add it to my personal lexicon as a way of getting my point across.

      Liked by 2 people

  8. I’m not sure what a rutabaga looks like but I’d know if it wasn’t a zucchini. There are a lot of veggies in the story I didn’t grow up eating.

    The drone would creep me out but I think you handled in the best way. If the intent was to bother or get a reaction out of someone you didn’t let it get what it came after.

    Liked by 1 person

    • jean, I’m aware of rutabagas, but have never bought one. They look nothing like zucchini so… I just let it go… not willing to have the convo after the whole pear discussion last spring.

      Your reasoning about the drone was mine, too. I figured that it was kids goofing off and trying to provoke a reaction, so I went with it. A friendly hello wave is not what kids are hoping for! 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  9. It was likely a coding error. All produce has a numeric code, and he probably mixed up a number in the sequence. But your pondering about being correctly charged all along is not unfounded. I usually catch an error about every other time. I don’t always say something; often, it’s only a few pennies here and there either way.

    The drone thing–ick. Gives me the creeps. I wish those things hadn’t ever been licensed for the casual consumer.

    Liked by 1 person

    • nance, good point about the numeric code. This young cashier guy had a serious look on his face as if he was trying to do the right thing, so maybe that’s what happened. He put in the wrong number and didn’t realize it. Still, willing seller, willing buyer, despite what I should have paid.

      This was my first personal drone experience. It did creep me out a little bit, but I’m betting it was kids hoping to freak out an adult. Didn’t happen though, I was mellow. That’ll show those whippersnappers!

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    • MELewis, I think they’re dangerous, too. I was able to ignore the one over me, but if the drone had startled me and I swerved while driving, then there could have been trouble. I’m keeping the profit. K. Roger will be able to absorb the loss, I just know it!

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Drones are modern day peeping toms and I really dislike them. There is a creepy guy in our neighborhood who flies a drone around our homes. One of these days that drone “could” befall a catastrophic accident. Not saying it will, not saying that I’d have anything to do with it. Just saying…

    Liked by 2 people

    • Janis, interesting. I didn’t think much about the drone when it briefly followed me. But now thinking on it I agree they are intrusive and creepy. So if the one in your neighborhood would have an untimely accident, exactly how would it happen? Inquiring minds…

      Liked by 1 person

    • KDKH, I figure I get charged the proper amount often enough that it’s not a big deal when it’s wrong. We had our ‘not-rutabagas’ last night for dinner and they were especially delicious regardless of [or because of?] the price I paid for them. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  14. 1. The poopy headed guy should have responded.
    2. The drone thing was kind of creepy. Why was it hovering over you> I would have shut the sun roof. Wait. You had the sun roof open in November? It’s 21 degrees here. Obviously you are in a nicer place.
    3. You get charged incorrectly more than you think. Once a couple years ago I sent my husband to Kroger for a few things including cabbage. He came back with a bill that was way bigger than I thought it should be. Turns out they charged him $24.10 for the cabbage which happened to be the produce # of cabbage. I marched him and the cabbage right back in there and demanded an explanation and our money back. And I asked the manager to tell me how often this happened and she said “often.” and that it was our responsibility to check the cash register receipt each time. Sigh.

    Liked by 2 people

    • dawn, thank you. I thought that Roger should have responded, too. I did him a favor, a kindness– but I got silence for it. Bad manners.

      The drone thing was unexpected. I cannot explain it, but in the future I’ll shut the sunroof if it happens again. No big deal really, just weird.

      You almost purchased a doozy of an expensive cabbage! What a story, but I can see how it could happen. I had no idea it was my responsibility to make sure the cash register receipt was correct, I kind of thought it was K. Roger’s responsibility to do that… so that I’d want to return to shop there being a happy customer and all. 🤨

      Liked by 1 person

    • Margaret, Z-D said the same thing about not knowing what a rutabaga looked like AND about the sad lack of reciprocity in regard to good manners. The first is acceptable, the second less so. No act of kindness goes unpunished, eh? 🙁

      Liked by 1 person

    • Eilene, well, now that could be an explanation of Roger’s behavior, perhaps he is bashful. I like your optimistic take on Roger– who may or may not be getting his bricks cleaned next week!

      The drone thing was out of the blue, and while it didn’t cause my any trouble, it does make me more aware of what could happen again. I sometimes do my own checkout, but some days I like someone to wait on me and make my life easier… and/or give me a story to tell.

      Liked by 1 person

  17. Interesting. Wonder if the drone was from Google getting pics of the neighborhood for maps. I don’t check my grocery receipts but maybe I should. 33 cents is not much one way or the other but I did go back once when they gave me $5 too much in change. A simple TY would have been nice from Roger. Happy Friday, Ally.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Janet, I hadn’t thought of the Google connection, but you could be onto something. I didn’t see a soul on the street who might have been controlling the drone. You are a good person to return the money. I’d do the same thing, feeling it wasn’t mine to keep, but I’m not going to fuss with the 33¢ I *might* owe Kroger. I agree about Roger. I could have left him hanging about his home improvement project, but I helped him instead… 😐

      Liked by 1 person

  18. I would be so paranoid at this stage especially of drones, vegetables, the number 33 and being called ‘Jim’. Keep vigilant Ally Bean – alert & aware at all times like a good Boy Scout. Have a lovely weekend 😀

    Liked by 1 person

  21. Now that the neighbors have seen you in your housecoat, and probably peering through your front windows….maybe the drone is giving them another peek into your life !! I am kidding of course, but that would be a little creepy. Not a fan of those drones. I actually have noticed cashiers ringing things up incorrectly as of late….now I check every receipt. I don’t even know what a rutabaga looks like!

    Liked by 1 person

    • pam, the drone caught me off guard so I decided to be friendly. It was weird, but I suppose they’re everywhere anymore so must learn to deal with them.

      I pay attention sort of as a cashier rings up my purchases, but I’m not obsessive about it. I probably trust the system too much. I know what a blobby rutabaga looks like; it’s not a skinny green zucchini to be sure.

      Like

  22. Poopy head cracked me up this morning. Your post was the first thing I read.

    Roger should have acknowledged surely!

    I wonder if the store will ever catch on that they’re being shorted on veggies now and then? 🙅‍♀️

    The drone was creepy! I would have probably closed the moonroof shade.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deborah, well you know, Roger didn’t make me happy so I felt a well-worded description of my opinion of him was called for!

      I’m sure Kroger knows that their cashiers don’t always get the veggies right, but at least this guy seemed to be trying– and I just didn’t have the heart to tell him his mistake.

      Not crazy about drones either. This was my first encounter with one on a personal basis. Next time I’ll better know what to do.

      Liked by 1 person

  23. Still no response from Roger? Perhaps he is too embarrassed. How weird that he didn’t realize he’d texted the wrong person. And how weird about the drone! Do you think a neighbor was playing a trick on you?

    Liked by 1 person

    • L. Marie, I’ve not heard from Roger. You may be right that he’s embarrassed, but it wasn’t like it was a super personal message. I dunno, people be weird.

      Yes I think a neighbor was playing a trick on me. This neighborhood is filled with kids so I really don’t think the drone was anything to worry about. It made me laugh, truth be told.

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  24. Not only do I wonder how often I get charged the wrong amount for something, but I wonder how often when I eat out in a restaurant food hits the floor before it’s plated and served. To me.

    Do you ever wonder that?

    Liked by 1 person

    • No, I’ve not wondered that BUT NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT, marian, I’m sure I will in the future. That’s a good point, though. And how would you know if your food did hit the floor before being served?

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  25. Love your observations, and agree that you are a rather cool “pre-old” person. But that drone thing would have bothered me a little. Personally, I think those things should be illegal. Or used for target practice!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Ann, thank you! I do my best to rock my pre-old world. I love your idea of using drones for target practice. I agree that they should be illegal, but they are here now… *meh*

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  27. I’ve often gotten emails from the wrong person, always dutifully notify the sender of this, and never get a response. So be it.
    The drone thing would’ve freaked me out. I’m sure you made someone laugh, but still, why was someone stalking you? I would’ve closed the sunroof. Did they keep tracking you all the way home?
    I wouldn’t lose sleep over 33c either. There’s one store in particular that over charges me for produce frequently. I always check them. I sometimes wonder if their manager has told them to do it to customers on purpose and only apologize and fix it if they get caught.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Betsy, I guess your experience with the emails and my experience with this text message are the way it is now, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I’m big on saying thanks.

      The drone only hovered over me for about one house then went away. It was odd, but seemed harmless to me. Next time, if there is one, I’ll close the sunroof.

      Interesting how you know one store is intentionally overcharging you. That’s not a good thing, but I think in my case it was an accident. Still, I don’t know what I’d do in your situation. Be ticked off for sure.

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  28. I expect a large fly swatter would have come in handy for that drone… to my mind it’s time they were either banned or their owners made to have a licence… as for the texter, yep, very rude!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Val, I like your idea about the fly swatter AND about forcing owners to be licensed. I can see how in a different situation I could’ve become distracted by the drone and caused an accident. Yep, Roger was rude and it would be so simple to acknowledge my message… yet that’s too much to ask?

      Liked by 1 person

  29. I enjoyed the drone story of the pre-old person. Do you have a number for old?

    My husband was bemoaning getting old, and his mother said she wouldn’t know about being old. She was about 90 years old at the time.

    “What are you?” John asked.

    She replied, “Advanced middle age.”

    Liked by 1 person

    • Anne, I don’t have a number for pre-old, but I suspect I’ll know old when I get there! I like the idea of advanced middle age. It has a certain logic to it that makes me think 90 might not be so bad.

      Like

  30. You say zucchini, check out guy says rutabega…you say pear, check out guy says zucchini…aieeee.
    Must be the generation gap thing….
    Seriously, can’t believe you texted Roger back…I mean it has scam written all over it.
    Anyway, all that to say – enjoy your zucchini and be happy it ain’t a rutabega!!!!!

    Like

    • laura, the whole vegetable mix-up is funny on the one hand, but kind of sad on another. I didn’t think that Roger was a scam. It didn’t occur to me because the perfect grammar and the deets seemed too real to be a scam. Considering the silence on the other end of the text, I have no idea what the scam could be. Wait & see, I suppose.

      Liked by 1 person

    • Donna, thanks, I think! I seriously doubt that there’ll be a drone TV series about my daily life. I mean, that’s what my blog is for, droning on about my daily life. 😉

      Like

  32. There are certain faux pas that people do that are so irritating. Roger not responding to your message about his errant text was akin to people not giving you “the wave” when you let them in front of you in heavy traffic. The drone – well if it was a modern version of the old TV show “Candid Camera”, (which statement just dated myself), you were polite Ally, thus you will not be part of the blooper reel. I remember the pears story and the confusion and this time it is Kroger’s loss. You are an honest person (I remember the Kroger coupons too), but best to let it go and just be left shaking your head.

    I only use the U-Scan and every time something funky happens at the U-scan and I have to ask for clerk assistance, I am told “no worries – it happens all the time.” Hmm – once I put my 6-pack of large paper towels too close to the scanner and it read it twice – didn’t notice until I got home and I was looking at the digital receipt to see how much I saved with my Mperks incentives. I called the store since it was an $18.00 overcharge and they said “bring it in – people do that all the time – no problem!” Seems a little worrisome to me. P.S. – As to the text, I follow my news station on social media and saw this story about texts – maybe this is the reason you got the stray text?
    https://wwjnewsradio.radio.com/articles/ap-news/got-weird-text-telecom-vendor-says-its-blame?fbclid=IwAR0_EvDPCdma075hbFp4HA31YSiVhKNjt4GQxXA-kSUBFQKB4hrvnH1epOY

    Liked by 1 person

    • linda, left shaking my head is how I go through life anymore! Fortunately I’m comfortable living with cognitive dissonance & unresolved issues– been the making of me.

      I’ve taken my receipt to the register a few times asking for a correction and like you it was “no problem” as they corrected it. Makes you wonder. The system blip regarding text messages would explain Roger’s message to me & why he never responded. Interesting. Can’t help contemplating who got my not-Jim response… are they talking about it, too!

      Liked by 1 person

      • Ally – there are so many odd things in the course of any day, that pondering them will just leave you scratching your head. I called down to the store and was surprised I did not have to return right away and they did the refund on the honor system – query, how did they know I didn’t scan in two six-packs of paper towels and was tricking them? As to the phone system blip, when I read/heard that story earlier in the day, I mentioned it to my boss as he has Verizon and it happened to us. When he is away from the office, I check e-mails/voicemails and send him a text from my computer every two hours so he does not have to check the phone or hop on the laptop. Two years ago he went to South Africa over Christmas/NYs. He gave me his itinerary for the two weeks beforehand and I knew he had three days “in the sticks” where phone service was non-existent. So the day before he sent me a text “off on safari for 3 days starting tomorrow” … I got the message about 18 months later when Verizon had a blip. I forwarded it to him and for the re: line I put ????

        Liked by 1 person

        • What a funny story of texting confusion. I’d worry about such things but I cannot find it in me to care, considering how little I depend on texts. Now if my job or family depended on my ability to text I’d have a hissy about your story. I have no idea if Roger ever got my message, but if he did I’m still going to suggest that he’s a poopy head for not saying thanks.

          Liked by 1 person

          • I thought you’d enjoy that story, but I told Robb that he gave me the itinerary beforehand so why did he send me the text??? So, he would have had a long wait for my acknowledgment of his whereabouts. Roger should have acknowledged your nicety. Since I work from home, I acknowledge all my scans received during the course of the workday – all day long I get scans of checks received, work to be done, FYI stuff or invoices, etc. I may send 30-50 acknowledgments to Robb during the course of the day, plus e-mails when I print out stuff even though our office is small and he can hear the xerox machine turn on and print. 🙂

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  33. LOL – I remember the other Korger conversation. What’s up with kids these days? Do you think they don’t care for certain veggies so they don’t want to remember which is which? Perhaps that drone was keeping an eye on you – you’ve been known to wander around with a teal pitcher? Or maybe that was you on the video stream I saw YouTube about pre-elderly folks and their driving patterns in neighborhoods on their way to the voting booths?? JK! – Happy Saturday!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Shelley, I think that many kids aren’t introduced to a wide variety of vegetables at home so the kids haven’t a clue what they’re looking at in Kroger’s produce department. It’s a bit annoying, but does make for some good blog post stories.

      Yes, the drone may have been watching me, the wacko in the bushes with the teal pitcher, OR it could have been kids goofing off after school. Either way, a first for me.

      Happy Weekend. Stay warm.

      Liked by 2 people

  34. The drone was obviously dispatched by Kroger’s loss prevention team who is looking to recoup that 33 cents you knowingly thieved from the company. Tomorrow it will be black helicopters hovering overhead manned by guys in black sunglasses and blue aprons…

    Liked by 1 person

    • evil, do you suppose Kroger has any black helicopters at their disposal? The blue aprons are a given, but a helicopter? I’d be rather jazzed if they did & would feel honored to be hunted down by one. I bet its name is Barney. 😊

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  35. I have a policy for being charged the wrong price. If I notice it while being rung in, I will say something – no matter whose favour it is in. If I only notice it after leaving the store I don’t take action unless it is a grievous (over charged) or guilt-inducing (under charged) amount. (I don’t want the clerk to have to pony up the difference out of their own pocket if a mistake is made by them, in my favour.) I figure it will all balance out in the end and life is too damn short for being nit-picky. Any over charges are karma for the unders, and vice versa…

    Liked by 1 person

    • Deb, I like your policy and usually do that, too. But this time, remembering the pear incident, I didn’t have it in me to educate the youth of today about vegetables. I do believe like you do that in the end it all balances out in life so I’m not worried about the 33¢. No harm, no foul.

      Liked by 1 person

  36. Text from Roger to Jim: I too would have replied text back to let him know that his text was miss directed, but would not have expectations that Roger would reply with a sorry or thanks.

    I received a text message that hit me as odd. It stated that she was Coach NAME from school NAME and was contacting because two brothers NAME and NAME didn’t show up for school today, so the Coach was concerned about the boys.

    I thought it was proper to reply that I received the text by error as I did not know these boys. The Coach did reply with an apology and said it was phone number on the Coaches roster for the boys and would contact the school counselor to contact the parents.

    I have also received text message from a friend stating the the CVS was out of tootsie rolls and what to get instead? I replied that I like Jr Mints. Then she realized that she meant to send that text to her daughter. Gave us both a laugh.

    Last week I hired a contractor to install a gate lock and we were scheduling time installing by text. An odd statement said something about that the contractor couldn’t believe that a year has passed and looking forward to getting together for anniversary. Made no sense to me. As I was trying to sort out what the contractor was referring, I received an apology that the text was meant for his mother who he was chatting with her at the same time chatting with me. We both laughed.

    CONCLUSION? Alley Bean acted very well on behalf of Roger and Jim!!!

    Liked by 2 people

    • TD, you are a wiser person than I to not assume that I’d get a reply from Roger. I’m kind of stuck on old-school good manners, aren’t I? Must get with the times!

      I adore your stories of text messages gone awry. The junior mints one is priceless. I laughed out loud on that one. I’m glad you’re working with a contractor who is kind to his mother, that bodes well for you and the installation of your gate lock.

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  37. I think good manners reflect the human, not the times, Alley Bean.

    Drones Notable: I like your response to the drone, especially your restraint of manners.

    I was sunning in my swimsuit on my private patio when I noticed an unidentifiable flying object coming over my eye airspace, so I snap a few photos with my cell. Then I blew them up so I could tell what it was flying overhead. It was indeed a camera drone!

    I remembered a professional photographer who was photographing my property to put on the market for sale and telling me not to be concerned if I see a camera drone flying over because it cannot really capture any details. Realtors hire professional photographers for MLS listings.

    CONCLUSION? It’s fun to photograph the photographers!

    Liked by 1 person

    • I didn’t know that about drone photographs. It makes sense in that drones are there to move more than snap pics. I smiled and waved because while I wasn’t thrilled with the thing, I figured it was kids having some fun at my expense. I was a kid once, I know the drill.

      If I ever have the opportunity to do so I’ll remember your advice about photographing the drone, for snorts and giggles. Plus to see what the drone operator does then. Could be fun…

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  38. Wild. While I would HAVE to point out zucchini is not rutabaga, I share your reactions to the other two situations. I commend you on not being a party pooper or a poopy head.

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  39. Mixing up turnips and rutabagas = understandable.
    But rutabagas and zucchini?

    Let’s give the cashier the benefit of the doubt and treat it as a typo. Maybe rutabagas are Produce #7138 and zucchini are #7139 or #8138. And maybe the cashier was momentarily distracted by the drone flying outside the window. Or by the people across the street who were cleaning off some dirty bricks!

    Liked by 2 people

    • nancy, I like your reading of the situation. The cashier guy could easily have confused the numbers– and of course with all the wild drones flying around here now, he could have been distracted by one. It’s a crazy place this here sub.urbia. 🙃

      Liked by 1 person

  40. Texts from unknowns are getting to be a problem. Not onlydrunks late fri. night, but the ones who sound like they just got the wrong # but healthcare, insurance, and yesterdays’ “Hi my name is X of XYZ research co and hope you will help me out…” Apparently unable to get you to pick up the phone due to people screening numbers and blocking “unknowns”, scammers, Nigerian Princes and marketing people are using texts trying to get a response. Worse right now during healthcare enrollment period. Block,block, block. Been happening here for at least a year and Ggetting to be really annoying.
    We have NASA and military drone training over head periodically – the big ones. Those are fun, but the amateur/neighborhood/realtor ones started becoming nuisances about 2 Christmases ago – they must have gone down in price about then? One of our neighbors bought his kid one, but the adults promptly crashed and wrecked it into the roof. Problem solved. Here, there are supposed to be licensed….and people know people have no problem whacking them, throwing things at them, and generally destroying them if spotted. The expensive apts downtown had a real problem with peeping toms – lots of new footage…and angry people.
    Disinterested bored cashiers. What can I say. You can only hope they will move on and be someone else’s problem…but not in Congress…please not in politics or education!

    Liked by 1 person

    • philmouse, while I get many spam voice mails on my cell phone, I rarely get any spam texts and when I do I immediately block them. We get way too many spam phone calls on our land line, but I never pick up [and am hard pressed to explain why we have it]. Spam on the blog… well, that’s a topic all of its own.

      This was my first experience with a drone and while it caused me no harm [kids playing?] I can see how it could be distracting enough to cause a driver to crash. Not good, that idea. I’d like to see drones registered and the owner’s licensed with proof of insurance so that if the drone causes a problem there is a person to pay for it– not me.

      Yep, the cashier guy seemed like he was trying, but this job many not be his strength in life. Or he made a goof. Still not going to worry about the 33¢ I sort of owe Kroger. They’ll survive.

      Liked by 1 person

  41. I’m often amazed how clueless store clerks are when it comes to the various types of fruits and vegetables. Last spring I had a bag of rhubarb, and a clerk asked me what it was. I said “rhubarb.” He replied, “What?”

    Liked by 1 person

  44. I get “crossed line” text messages not infrequently. I always reply. I rarely get a thank you. Still …
    I did get a thank you from the guy who sent an – let’s say, interesting & descriptive message – who apologised very nicely 😉

    No idea on the rutabaga – heard of them for years, but never seen one, no idea what it is, so going to have to Google now!

    Nice display of sang froid on the drone thing 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    • deb, I still have. no idea if Roger properly arranged to get his bricks washed. Today would be the day, I guess. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten a wrong text like this one before.

      The drone surprised me, obviously, but it didn’t bother me. I’d prefer not to have one hovering over the top on my car, but short of that I think waving hello is the way for me.

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  46. A guy with a drone once interrupted an otherwise peaceful sunrise on a bay in south Florida. My husband was photographing a time lapse of the sunrise. Suddenly there was this loud, whirring sound. So loud I had to turn off my hearing aids. While I fantasized about shooting down the drone (don’t worry, I don’t own a gun), my husband conversed with the man who was obviously oblivious to the obnoxiousness of his toy. He was using it to photograph the sunrise as well (and the damn thing made an appearance in my husband’s time lapse). It was such a relief when he finally went away, although I was surprised he survived the glare I gave him 😏

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  47. Ally,
    Have you ever flown a drone? I haven’t but I think it might be fun. More fun than flying a kite, maybe? However, they’re not exactly cheap and I figure I’d get exactly 30 seconds of fun out of one before it crashed and was broken beyond all repair. So no matter how much they cost, I’m sure it would be too expensive for me. Even a younger, hipper me. I wouldn’t want one following me, though. The fact that they can be brought down, presumably easily, is why I don’t think they will be the delivery service of the future as some have suggested. I think some companies will attempt, but eventually, I think this will become too expensive too quickly. Just my thought. Mona

    Liked by 1 person

    • Mona, I’ve never flown a drone and agree that, like you, I’d crash one if I tried flying one. They are pricey and you’re right they may be too expensive for all the magical things they supposedly can do. I figure that by waving hello to the drone operator I responded in a boring way that confirms I’m even less interesting than they may have supposed. 🙄

      Liked by 1 person

  48. I received a phone call on my cell last week, and shockingly the caller left a message. The message was that it was a wrong number, and he was sorry for having bothered me. Shocking. Most of us would hang up. BUT the same person called me back this week, or something weird happened, because I had a second message from the same number, that was HIS voicemail. Very strange. My phone says he called me, not that it somehow called him.

    I am not a fan of drones, I hope they go away. Regarding the rutabaga/ zucchini issue, I think you did the right thing. If the checker seems smart and like they can handle it, let them know. If it’s likely to cause an international incident, let it go.

    Liked by 1 person

    • J, that’s a weird series of events with your cell phone. I realize that wrong numbers and telephone company problems are part of the system, but I do believe that if you make a mistake then you do need to apologize, like your caller did.

      The cashier guy seemed like he was trying to ring items properly, but he did not seem like the sharpest knife in the drawer. I let it go, figuring that K. Roger will do all right despite the discrepancy in prices.

      Like

  50. I’m guessing it’s way more often than we’d think — the weird pricing, not the drones flying above our cars or ill mannered texters who don’t bother to say thanks. Is it weird that I can’t picture a rutabaga? Mostly because I’ve never ever in my entire life bought one. Now I know what I’ll be looking for next time I’m in the produce section. 😆

    Liked by 1 person

    • Laura, I imagine you’re right about being mischarged, not on purpose but by mistakes of all sorts. I know what a rutabaga looks like but have never eaten one. Now, of course, I’m going to buy one and try it… just because.

      Like

  51. I could write about an incident called “bugged in the park” about the time I was sitting with my Mom in her favorite neighborhood park. And someone was flying a drone all over the park and over our heads. It was very loud and the most annoying thing ever and my body language and facial expressions would not be interpreted as that of one who is content and at peace! I have very little patience with drone operators, especially ones who deliberately upset a peaceful park outing. In your situation, I would have probably made a bunch of ugly and silly faces in the direction of the drone just to be annoying! Who knows, maybe I could have given someone a big laugh; but on the other hand, there may have been an all points bulletin called out on the lady having an epileptic fit in her vehicle!

    Have a wonderful day!

    Susan Grace

    Liked by 2 people

    • Susan, I must live in a cave because this was my first experience with a drone. I’ve not encountered them at the park, but if I did I wouldn’t be pleased about it. I was pleasant when this one started hovering over my car because I figured it was some kid goofing off. I like how you’d handle the situation. I’ll consider having a fit if this happens again.

      Liked by 2 people

  53. That was really nice of you to play along with the drone!!
    And the hubs and I know which stores to “Monitor” at the checkout – and one of them in particular has a lot of errors! It is one we go to once a month for unique goodies – And after they over charged me twenty dollars – we always watch when they ring up…, I caught the twenty dollars before I left the store – and had to go to customer service and it was all fine / but now we watch and check before we pay!
    And I do recall your pear and clerk conversation post!!

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