Tuesday, May 28, 2013

TR SNIPPET WALMARTS


Midtrip complaints

I went up to Walmart across from Sam’s Town, taking the long 202 ride.  I wanted both food and medicine, to make a plan on how to reverse my blistering feet, to reverse my very uncomfortable allergy symptoms and to stock up on the cheap with snacks. 

It was a successful journey in all ways.  I’ve now stocked my suitcase with allergy fighting pills, bandages, small blister stickers, adhesive wrap, more gold bond powder, lozenges and chap stick all at much better prices than Walgreen’s.

I also bought a huge bar of Fels Naptha laundry soap which seems to work very well for hand washing in the sink.  It was 97 cents and I like carrying hard soap much more than another liquid as it can go into any suitcase.  I just rubbed it into a shirt last night and it created great suds.  The package says it is good for stains as well if rubbed into the stain.  It did take the new soup out of the front of that shirt.

I bought footwear for $10 that is rather like a slipper with a hard sole good for outside.  The top is velcrow and for the most part it leaves my toes without anything on which to rub. I brought some flip flops for the pool and they really avoid the blisters, but I can’t wear socks with them.  I see some folks wear just flip flops here, mostly women.  Maybe I should get my nails done.

I bought four pair of socks to match the shoes  made by Haines which are supposed to shed water and seemed to be working very well to reduce the rubbing.  They worked well in my sneakers as well.

Two pair of socks was always what we hiked with when I did much hiking with backpack.  I also line the shoes inside with Gold Bond powder.  Perhaps foot powder would have been the best choice, but I just use the body powder I use for other issues.  I can only pack so much in the luggage.  I spent $59 but only count the food expense as part of this trip expenses as the rest I would have bought at home and will certainly use for more than this one trip.  Certainly in 26 days at home I would have spent a good bit more in stores or shopping online.

I guess I am pleased to be versatile enough to do all this on the bus while on vacation.  And as much as I am not a fan of Walmart in general, they sure do serve me well sometimes.

However, I am a bit annoyed that most of my daily life now includes some physical issue that detracts from the pure pleasure of the day.  And some of these issues interact.  I found for example that the sleep apnea machine tends to make the allergies worse, I suppose because it pumps air into my body.  I slept better last night without it, but I suspect I missed the most refreshing kind of sleep.

Then the other part of going to Walmarts, which was crowded, is that suddenly I was taken out of a world where everyone is in party mode and put in the middle of frustrated shoppers.  I was removed from the luxury of everyone taking care of me and put back in the practical world where there are lists and errands and tasks to accomplish.  Generally I love shopping at home,  but it does not compete with a good live poker game or a morning of relaxing video poker.

I was in a good game last night at the Flamingo with Kristi from Arizona who bought one of my silver strikes last trip, and a friendly young fellow from Venezuela who also had lived five years in Costa Rica on my right.  Both made the Walmart crowd seem the most mundane?? of populations.

However, the allergies took the edge off the pleasure.

But I do wake up angry at all these aging issues.  I’ve had one after another since last fall, each not very serious but each weighing down the pure celebration of retirement. In Homosassa I had to limit my swimming and biking and here I have to cancel any thoughts of Red Rock Canyon.

Okay, enough whining.

 

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