Shopping and Building on a budget - Chapter 16

Howdy Y’all!!! Welcome back!!! The last time I left y’all, I mentioned the three 18 wheelers on the top shelf, In my Dallas Cowboy Room which Maria Elena calls a shrine. 🤣🤠🤣

My story of the 3  H.E.B. 18 Wheelers: As I mentioned in my last story, I retired from H.E.B. after 44 years of service. 🤠 H.E.B. is a great company with great benefits. During my years with my company, I would always share with my Partners and new Partners hired, “invest in our 401k”. In all those years, I did my best to live within my means. Every time I would receive a raise, I would place part or all into the 401k. People also laugh, “gosh man! When did you start working for H.E.B.? Were you like 10 years old? 🤣🤠🤣 My joke answer was, “yes, when I started, they used to pay me out of the Coke Machine”. 🤣🤠🤣

Back to the 18 wheelers. I call them 18 wheelers because I was born and raised in South-East Texas. What we call the “Coastal Bend.” Other parts of the Nation call the 18 wheelers Big Rigs,   Semi-Trucks or Tractor-Trailers. “Sometimes, you just gotta wonder.”  🤣

Well, all three of our boys were born on the H.E.B. Payroll. 🤠 I want y’all to notice the changes of the trucks throughout the years. Especially the tractors. When our first son was born, I purchased the 18 wheeler on the far left. When our second son was born, I purchased the 18 wheeler in the middle. When our third son was born, I purchased the 18 wheeler on the far right.  I thought it was funny how the tractor got so small between the early 90’s and the mid-90’s. . Fuel efficiency, I reckon. 🤠 Also the shape of the 1980’s tractor, on the far left, The “Terminator” movie? Right? 😮🤣

During my 44 year career, moving across the great State of Texas, I had some pretty good Store Leaders. We call them Unit Directors. In my later years, two of them tried to help me get a certain gift I wanted, every time another Anniversary would come around. There was this pretty gold ring with diamonds surrounding a red gem in the middle. I found it one time as I was going through the catalog of gifts. Gifts were based on years of service. That pretty ring was available for 35 years of Service, BUT you had to be retiring. 😞 For retired Partners only, the policy stood, even after much asking from myself and my UD’s. I know God works in mysterious ways. Turns out, when I was retiring at 44 Years, that ring was going to be discontinued. I spoke with the people in charge of that program and yes, that was the last year that ring would be available. “I’ll TAKE IT! With my retirement soon”. I said.

Y’all may remember me mentioning my parents passed away. Well they were getting elderly and I was starting to stress just a little bit more than my normal. They had a good life. My father lived till the age of 99. My Mom lived till the age of 96. If I had known I had such great genes, I would have taken better care of myself throughout the years. 🤣🤠

I’m not sure if it was the stress or the running for years on that concrete floor. My knees started to bother me and my right shoulder was bothering me from an old work injury. I’m not going to share my surgery pictures,😮 but my last year with H.E.B. I felt like I was falling apart. I remember the Doctor telling me, “If you want to play golf when you retire, you need to get off that concrete NOW”. * I was thinking…yes a dangerous pastime, I know. Retirement sounds really good. I’ve invested well and I might as well enjoy it. Things were changing at the store and I felt like we were beginning to get away from our core values. I know we’re in West Texas now, but too many times I heard, “We are NOT San Antonio”. 🤔😞  Well, retirement sounds even better. 🤠 I always hope and pray these new people will never, really leave those core values that made us great. My 401k is invested with my company and I need our Partners to provide great Customer Service and increase profits. Again, H.E.B. is a great company with great benefits. We buy all our food products from H.E.B., because they are the best and I can still get the best with my discount, available to me, as part of my benefits. God is good.

Before any more golf, I had to go through therapy. As my knees got better, my right shoulder kept bothering me. I had it checked out and it turns out that I not only had a torn rotator cuff, but there was a bone spur sticking out where the CT scanner couldn’t even see it. 😮 Doctor found that bone spur during surgery of the rotator cuff. Oh my. Well, more therapy. 

I’m swinging a club again, but I don’t believe I’m up to my potential. Some say it is mental. 🤣 Yea, I have a mental problem, all right.🤣 It does seem like I’m scared to really bend and twist my knees, like I used to. 🤔 My right shoulder feels good and I’m hitting them straight, just not as far. I play Golf as often as I can and or even go out to the driving range here and in Las Vegas. Y’all don’t get me wrong, I am not a great Golfer. I do not have a handicap. I don't think there is a handicap number high enough for me. 🤣 I love to play and if I hit under 100, I’m celebrating. 🤣🤠🤣

Yep! I hit under 100 today,   “It’s Miller Time!!!” 🤣🤠🤣🎉

As y’all can tell, I get into a story and can't stop. I was looking back at Chapter 15 and noticed, I never shared what kind of Polyurethane I used. I have an old picture of the can I purchased. I do remember buying this at   Lowes. My old  can looks different, but I do remember that the retail price for what I wanted was less at Lowes. Home Depot sold a different brand and for some reason it was more expensive per gallon. I did use the oil base since it was going to be walked on. (Floor) It was fast drying and the fumes were not overwhelming.

The entire floor was ready for the Polyurethane application. I used a bigger brush, which is five inches wide. Also purchased at Lowes  Lowes   when I purchased the polyurethane. Same for the paint thinner, that I’ll need for the clean up. I had my towels ready. I definitely will not get caught by the Boss😮 using good towels from the home. I have old rag towels that I always use for jobs like this or even for wiping down the vehicles, checking fluids, checking my lawnmower, Bar-B-Qing or just wiping my hands. I wore my  padded knee pants that I purchased at Walmart. Probably one of my best purchases I’ve ever made at Walmart. These pants are very durable and have all these cool pockets and tool holders. I’m sure something similar is available at any of my other retailers that sell work pants. 

Again, the picture below of Polyurethane is an older can from when I did this Cowboy Tile project. The price difference between Lowes and Home Depot, I do not have a good answer. That would take a lot of reading and investigating on my part. I made my decision. 🤠   

Also, I chose “Gloss” because I wanted a clear, CLEAR look on the tiles. I remember making that decision too. Will it be Satin, which is less expensive, or do I choose Gloss? Gloss won! 

 I closed myself in the Cowboy room. I had the ceiling fan on and my handy, dandy “Vornado” fan, plugged into an outlet in the restroom, at the doorway, out of the way, facing and blowing into the Cowboy Room, where I was working. 🤠 I love this fan. She has some mega power and or she can be set on low if needed. I set her on medium for this job. Y’all can buy the Vornado at any of my retailers  Lowes Vornado Fans  ,  Home Depot Vornado Fans  ,  Walmart Vornado Fans ,   Target, mine is an older model, so it doesn't have this square face  or  Amazon. this one looks more like mine.    

If y’all have never owned one of these “Vornado’s”,   I believe y’all will be very pleased with it. 

Remember, I closed myself in the Cowboy Room, from the rest of the house. I could work my way left to right and backing myself up and out the rear French doors. This left me in the back yard patio. Everything was going great, I was cleaning up and gathering all of my tools. Then I looked around and noticed that I had locked myself out of the house. 😮🤣

The garage door was down and secure, I did not have keys on me, for the front doors and I couldn’t step on the newly glossed floor. 😮🤣😮 

O.K. Make a Note: Step ONE: Have an exit plan, or in this case, an ENTRANCE PLAN! LOL! 🤣🤠🤣 OMG! 🤣🤠🤣

Well,  “Sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits.”  hmmmm. A cold beer would go down pretty good right now. “Let me think harder.”  I know Maria Elena is in her office, inside the house. What if I go around the house and knock on the window? 🤔 “A dangerous thought…I know”. 😮

I finally got the courage to go around and knock. Luckily she was not in the middle of a meeting or recording a webinar. Whew!!! 😮‍💨

Well I reckon I’ve done enough damage for one day.

Join me next time for the rest of the story. Until then, don’t forget to click on my LINKS to save time and money. Tap the LIKE button👍, send feedback, ask questions and definitely SUBSCRIBE by placing your email on the home page, to receive a notice of NEW Chapters at the DURON RANCH. Y'all stay safe and make good choices! We’ll see y’all soon!!!  🤠