TZUTC: -0600   
   MSGID: 1068.fidonet-memories@1:19/33 24b23559   
   REPLY: 1:18/200.0 604bcfec   
   PID: Synchronet 3.18c-Win32 master/b9d38a71c Mar  8 2021 MSC 1928   
   TID: SBBSecho 3.13-Win32 master/b9d38a71c Mar  8 2021 MSC 1928   
   BBSID: TBOLT   
   CHRS: ASCII 1   
   Sean,   
      
    SD> Dollar Tree stores carry alkaline 9V batteries for $1 a piece.  An   
    SD> astonishingly good deal these days.  I admit to shopping Dollar Tree a   
    SD> lot as they have many of the basics I need.  I am learning to live on a   
    SD> fixed budget (currently $0).  My mom taught me to shop around for good   
    SD> deals so when I go shopping, I usually will go to four or five stores   
    SD> to get what I want.  A little extra time and gas but for the money I   
    SD> save, it's worth it.   
      
     My late parents grew up during the depression, so they were truly,   
   frugal cheapskates...nothing was wasted...food or otherwise. I think   
   of the joke on Hee-Haw where the guy noted "My family was so poor   
   growing up, that they couldn't afford shoes. So they painted my feet   
   black, and laced up my toes". :P   
      
     Most folks nowadays think that "money grows on trees, and is always   
   going to be there". It's like the deal of "this free stuff". As Robert   
   Heinlein noted, TANSTAFFL -- "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch"   
   (some BBS's have been named that). It's like the shelves at the grocery   
   store, or the buffet line before COVID-19. If someone isn't there to   
   restock/replenish what is on there, sooner or later, it's going to be   
   empty...and the place has to close down.   
      
     The perfect example is prior to a winter storm in Arkansas. The joke   
   is that the TV meteorologists will issue "A Grocery Store Warning"...   
   and if you don't get to the store fast, you won't find:   
      
   1) A slice of bread (never mind an entire loaf)   
   2) A glass of milk (never mind an entire container)   
   3) A mug of beer (never mind a whole case)   
   4) A sheet of toilet paper (never mind a roll or pack)   
      
     And, all this toilet paper hoarding with COVID-19. Were these the   
   ones that gave the Chinese the idea to do anal swabs to check for it??   
      
     The nasal swabs are very uncomfortable, and I saw a story where a   
   woman suffered a puncture to her brain, and spinal fluid leaked out,   
   because they stuck the swab in too far.   
      
     I had one done before my hernia surgery last June, and have to do   
   another one next month before my colonoscopy. I'm still too young for   
   a COVID-19 shot (I'll be 61 soon)...but in Arkansas, Governor Asa   
   Hutchinson has said that "If cases keep declining, the directives   
   will change to guidelines come April...and if supply permits, shots   
   will be available to all adult Arkansans by May".    
      
     I'll believe it when I see it.   
      
   Daryl   
      
   ... WARNING!! I'm naked under these clothes!!   
   === MultiMail/Win v0.52   
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