Honey … I’m ho-o—ome! Anybody miss me?

Actually, I’ve not gone anywhere besides up and down the turnpike a couple of times, but I’ve not posted anything here for ages. In fact, I’m the only one who HASN’T gone anywhere. It’s lambing season. Nothing new about that – pretty much the same as last year, so if you missed the commotion, you can go peek in the archives. Of course, the minute DH set off on an adventure with the grandboys, two young ewes decided to drop their lambs. They’re both like total lunatics, so I could not manage to get them into lambing pens – had to let them stay out in the main pen until DH arrived home to help. He was totally thrilled, after a long day of travel.

From the "Why Me?" Department: I needed some cash to head down to pick up the kids and for them to take on their little toot with PaPa. I was leaving too early to stop at the bank, but realized there was a new branch en route. How handy was that?!? Not very, it turns out.

I had two stacks of checks for deposit that had accumulated over about two months (lambing season doesn’t allow much time to do errands). This is a brand new branch of the bank, and can you believe not ONE of the five pens on the counter worked? One cashier told me I must not be using them correctly. Ummm … excuse me? Do I not look like I know how to use a pen? If looks could kill …

Another gal behind the counter found me a pen behind the counter that worked (I guess she caught my drift tho I uttered nary a word), and helped me by adding both sums, which was nice because math makes me queasy. On the deposit slip, there’s a line to use to indicate how much cash the depositor would like to take from the sum being deposited in cash. I wrote in my amount. The gal quickly told me she could only give over $200 in cash.

“Huh? Why?”
She said because their computers were down.

“So? Do you not have cash in the drawer?”

“Yes, but … “ and then the branch manager stepped in and said I could use my debit card or ATM and get more from the machine.

“I don’t have either of those. How about I go outside and pretend I just came in over and over, and you pretend you don’t know I was here before?”

She couldn’t do that. So I politely (I SWEAR I was polite!) told her I could not accept her explanation, nor could I leave without the needed cash. I even explained WHY I needed what they seemed to think was an excessive amount. (I had to wonder if any of these gals have bought gas for a van or gone shopping lately?!?)

Her new explanation was that it was because they didn’t know me.

“Yeah, so? Considering this branch has only been open about a week, how many customers of this bank DO you know? I’ve been doing business with this particular bank for about 40 years now. Seems to me that YOU’re the new kid on the block. So maybe YOU're the one who should be under suspicion?”

Trying to assure me that it was for my own protection got her nowhere. I simply said I reject her explanation, and would still need the cash for my trip.

She asked what branch I normally go to. I told her. She said she’d call and ask them if they know me.

Good grief! This “quick stop” at the bank put me behind schedule about 20 minutes, but I did get the money I needed and went on my merry way. Exasperated. If life is a test of one's ability to endure, I guess I've failed again and therefore will undoubtedly be destined to try again.

So … on that jolly note, let’s have a peek at something else:

                            What IS that mess? It's some of my 360 Nickel Exhange blocks cut up even smaller -- into quarters, for a quilt I am going to try to do before this year's Nickel Squares are dished out. I think these are approaching three years old. They're from the "Thirties" theme, and it took me about two years to figure out what to do with them. Now I'm going into high gear on it while other gals are here quilting.   Here's Cathie B, with one of her many creations: