Fairlight's Place in Space: April 7, 2008

Dear husband and I ran in Food City the other day and picked up a few groceries, otherwise known around here as "trading" or "going to trade". Not to be confused with "going to town". "Going to town" around here is usually referring to going to pay bills. If you have to do both you say, "I have to go trade and go to town today."

So, we are walking the aisles picking up what we can remember we need. This is not my regular trip. We have stopped after working at the shelter and I don't have a list. This is not good. So not good. I stopped taking anyone with me to trade years ago. I always go alone with a list, a hand full of coupons, and after a full meal. This time I had dear husband with me who has absolutely no concept of how high groceries are, or the fact that everything, not just gas, is sky high now. I had to be diligent in keeping expensive items with no nutritive value from making it into our buggy without being the "bad guy". It was hard.

We walked by the "Dollar Shelf" and noticed a lot of band aids. Dear husband works in the coal mines and his hands are in pitiful shape. Last week a rock fell on one of his hands from what is called a "rib roll". This is where the side of the mines just falls over into the work area, usually on a man. Back to the band aids...Every box was just one dollar. I know that band aids are very expensive, so I was surprised and pleased to see all of these for just one dollar. We bring our band aids home. After dear husband's bath that night he asked me to help him put a band aid on his finger. I get out the band aids and open them. Something is not quite right. They are much smaller than what I usually buy. We both get to looking at the box and well I'll be! These aren't Band-Aid brand band aids! How did that happen? They look like Band-Aid brand. They seem to be made of the same tough, brown material, but are much smaller. I wrap one around his finger and it works, but I can't help but feel duped. Not, that my powers of observation are that hot or anything. Unless I am working a logic puzzle or expect something to be off kilter, I just really don't pay that much attention to my surroundings, unless I am outside looking at nature. I will chalk this up as a lesson learned. I still think it should be against the law.