probably the strangest...

...thing I have ever returned for a refund. This is a little side note to the scarecrow building story. One of the group who was there for the first planning meeting had to back out of the project, due to accidentally finding herself employed. Apparently she was not looking for work, but it just fell into her lap, so she decided to work for a while and had to disentangle herself from other commitments. But she had agreed to providing several important components necessary to assemble the scarecrow. Like boots, wheelbarrow and several bales of hay.

Then, as I said, she had to back out. So in trying to figure out how to fulfill her obligation, called me.  Who said: just get it to my house, and I will take care of it. She fidgeted some, worrying about how I would transport. But I assured her she does not have the only pick up truck in town, and I'd take if from there. Then as it turned out, the scheme changed to the point that we decided we do not need the bales of hay. So.... hmmmm.....

I'd paid her husband for the bales, when he delivered the goods, and handed off the receipt, just to take it off his hands. So I had three bales of overpriced hay ($7.99 each) for which I paid him $24. And a receipt from Tractor Supply. Which caused me to think: I want to get my money back from hay bales I don''t want/need or care to store in my carport, inviting riff-raff to come in and nest. But the problem with that excellent idea is I also do not want to have my car full of whispy pieces of hay that stick to carpet and upholstery like they are glued on.

Then I thought: Aha! There is a pick up truck at the church anyone who is moving can borrow for the day or weekend. I put in my request and went to the church to get the truck, promising to be back from my mission in less than an hour: the amount of time it would take me to run to the house (about seven miles) manhandle the hay into the back and get it to the store to get my refund. Assuming the manager did not laugh me out of the store upon hearing my off-beat request.

As luck would have it, when I got to the store, with wisps of hay stuck to my pants and clinging to my hair, there was a very irate customer in line ahead of me. Causing me to give the appearance of someone who had just 'had a roll in the hay'.  Ha,ha. I whispered to the cashier that I had not brought my bad attitude with me - so they were pretty pleased to do business with me, even though I was returning something.  Tiny little shift manager, who I probably out-weighed by a thirty pounds, picked up those three bales and hoisted them back into the semi-trailer where they are stored. And cheerfully refunded my  $7.99 plus tax so I actually made a buck and change on the deal.