I awakened earlier this morning than I needed to rise.  I remembered the weather expectation was for cooler temperatures today so I checked at weather.com before rolling over.  The current temp was sixty-one which was about as high as they expected it to get.  I didn’t bother looking at anything other than the predicted temps.

When it came time to arise and get dressed I chose to forego the usual short sleeved tee shirt in favor of a long sleeved alternative.  I got outside in time to do some reading and say good-bye to Kelli.  It’s Kelli’s first day at school with students. 

The ambient air was a bit less comfortable than I had thought it would be.  Sixty-five to me is comfortable in short sleeves.  I thought surely four degrees couldn’t make much difference.  It seemed I was less than correct.

I needed to be at the Post Office early this morning.  I dragged the bike out of the garage and tied the package to the risers.  It would’ve been a good morning to wear a jacket but I didn’t.  I was only a half block down the road when I became aware of the error of my way.  My nipples were beginning to stick out but I decided so long as it’s not raining the short two miles to the Post Office shouldn’t be a real issue. It wasn’t.

At the Postal Office I waited in line with six foot separation and my cloth face mask in place.  There were only two clerks at the counter this morning.  I drew my favorite, Suzanne.  When I approach where she serves my mind always begins to sing, “Suzanne takes you down to her place by the river.” 

I handed her the package and she commented on my mask.  It has on it a message indicating how unnecessary it really is and pointing out a similarity to our state’s governor.  I commented to Suzanne that I believer we’re being manipulated to be afraid of something that was occurring to fewer than four percent of the population.  She agreed strongly from behind her own mask.  I told her I wasn’t so much concerned about what was happening now as I was for what we were being conditioned for in the future.  She said she agreed.

We finished our business and sent the package on its way.  Outside I began to think.  Walmart is just around the corner.  My life partner, bless her heart, had told me we were on our last roll of toilet paper.  I might as well pick up a package and take it home.  It would be a little large but I could get out one of the bungee cards that I carry under the seat and tie it over the rear fender.

I pulled into the Walmart parking lot and noted the lot wasn’t quite as full as it normally is later in the morning.  I usually park toward the end of the line of cages preferring a space that allows me to pull through so the bike is facing out the back of the slot.  I didn’t find a pull through space where I wanted it but there was one available right next to a curbed island.  By cutting across and turning hard left over the spot I was able to park cross ways with the nose of the bike aimed just past the curb on the way out.  I put on my mask and walked toward the store.

I entered on the only side still open which is on the grocery and household side of the store.  I headed down the aisle on the right side as we are in America and was about to turn into the aisle labeled for paper products along with other things when I noted the next turn was signed for bathroom tissue.  Now what does paper tissue have to do with bathing?  Why do we seem to go to great lengths to refer to things by names that make no sense?  My drill instructor always referred to it as ass wipe.  That seems to be a lot more straight forward.

I usually buy Charmin extra strength.  It was pretty expensive here at the Walmart.  Next to it was the Great Value generic brand.  It was less expensive.  It was hard to find the labeling indicating the price of the Great Value paper but I was finally able to find one for $14.67 for the twelve roll package.  It was a good price but I couldn’t bring myself to buy a package that would last us for several months.  I couldn’t find a marker for the nine roll package next to the twelves but I though surely it must be about three quarters of the cost of the twelves.  I picked up one of the nines.

On my way to the front I crossed in front of a young lady pushing a cart with a little girl in the front.  She caught my eye.  She smiled and I did but I wasn’t sure the smile was transmitted from behind the mask.  They turned out behind me and I reached into my pocket to see if I could isolate a dollar coin.  I did.  When I looked over my shoulder they had turned into another row.

I passed the Scan and Go section to check out with a human being.  I’ve told them before that if I wanted to check myself out I would have ordered online.  At the register I was able to use a two dollar card that Walmart had given me as a refund and put the rest on my own bank card.  The price was $11.90.  I questioned my decision.

I was walking toward the door when I noticed that cart with the little blond headed girl was coming into the Scan and Go section.  I turned and went back.  The mother was beginning to scan her purchases.  I looked to the little girl and addressed her mother.  I held out a coin.  “I want you to give this to her and tell her she makes this world a prettier place.  And here’s one for her little sister.”  She told me thank you more than once and once more as I walked away and looked over my shoulder.

I pulled off the mask as I exited the store.  I felt drops of something cold on my face.  Oh no.  As  I walked toward the bike I decided that I would tie the package of paper to the risers with the small bungees that I keep on the front.  It was a large package so it might take three of the five.  I got to the bike and unlooped three cords.  I placed the nine roll package over the front blocking the speedometer and tach.  I wrapped the cords around the load and discovered three were too many.  Rather than take the package down I creased the package to place two on it and worked under the tied load to replace the extra tie.

The saddle was covered in droplets but not so many as my jeans would absorb.  I wanted to get on the road and headed home.

Okay, so it was cold and a little bit wet but as I rolled past the more than a couple of green traffic lights I thought to myself that if those are the worst things that happen to me today it will still be a very nice piece of the week.

And that’s how the morning goes.