Day #711 - Research (or Shopping?)

Another month of squares totally filled in on the Penny Finders calendar. Pretty impressive to see.

I’m taking a break from researching light switches in order to write tonight’s Penny Tale. There are so many switches to choose from. Ones with timers and dimmers and motion sensors and toggles and …

Today was total focus on the new house. I am working on the electrical service load calcs, funding, dust control signage and more.

This morning I delivered the 5 sets of reviewed plans and City Comments to the architect. We outlined what needs to happen and set a one-week goal to get the plans re-submitted.

I intended to go to the Pacific Sales store to do some research. Did not expect there would be stray coins there, so I quickly visited the 99¢ store next door to collect today’s penny. Then I did my research on faucets, fixtures, ovens, stove tops, etc. knowing I had today’s minimum required coinage.

Next I drove out to the Duarte townhouse to leave a key for the Homeowners Association . Then it was 2 hours of research at Lowe’s on faucets, doors, tile, paint …

Doc collected a penny and a dime on his breakfast run to McDonalds

Total: 3 Coins P (2), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.12

Day #710 - Round #1

Calls and emails all morning. Then at 2:30 I received the call saying our Plans were finally ready at the City and I could come get them! We have made it through Building and Safety Round #1. I could barely carry those 18 lbs of documents and almost dumped the load twice on my way to my truck.

We reached this point once before a few years ago with the Claremont house. Then things came to a screetching halt due to the excessive City demands. So right now I’m holding my breath…

I stopped at a 7-11 merely to find coins. One penny in the parking lot, one under the cash register counter. It was 4:30 and I was hungry for lunch, so I got a piece of cheese and was standing on the planter curb while munching. There was a penny in the dirt, so I scraped it out, then spotted another penny and then another. Five pennies at this stop.

Doc came home from school with two pennies and a nickel which he collected at McDonalds.

Now I need to get back to work and prepare all these documents for the architect. Want to get these notes to her first thing in the morning ….

Total: 8 Coins P (7), N (1), D (0), Q (0) = $0.12

Day #708 - Recovery Mode

Today we were in recovery mode. We slept in late, moved furniture, went for coffee with son Brian (who was too ill to join us for dinner last night) and his fiancee, washed floors, checked up on the townhouse, took a nap, went for a foot and back massage, did some grocery shopping and then, of course, ate turkey leftovers!

After meeting son Brian for coffee, I went into the grocery store to obtain today’s coin. I figured that was the only time I was going to be out of the house, so I’d better find a coin at that stop. One dime there. (Coin #1).

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This evening after our Chinese foot massage, Doc insisted upon stopping at the bank and grocery store. He found two dimes and a penny in the parking lot. (Coins #2-4). I spotted a dime as we walked in, then retrieved an additional dime and three pennies at check out. (Coins #5-9).

Doc wanted creamer and I wanted some vinegar at another grocery store. No creamer there and no coins either! So next we went to Trader Joe’s. No coins initially. Then as Doc was paying for our items, I spotted a penny under the metal leg of some shelving. I picked it up and there was a second penny below it! Double stack. (Coins #10&11). We told the cashier about Penny Tales and that he was witnessing the Day #708 Find. We started to walk away when I found a nickel! Of course I turned back to share the find with the cashier. Shared smiles. (Coin #12).

As we left the store Doc seemed to be looking for coins. I told him, “Remember - you CAN’T find coins in the dark”. (It’s kind of a joke we have). He then found three pennies before we reached the van. (Coins #13-15).

Total: 15 Coins P (9), N (1), D (5), Q (0) = $0.64

Day #708 - Our Thanksgiving Day

It’s 1 AM. The guests have gone home, Doc has given out, and the dogs are exhausted from being locked up and ignored.

How can 8 kids create so much chaos? They ran through the house and garage non-stop! I am now dealing with damaged water fountains, liquid spills, toilets which aren’t working properly and other “after shocks”.

The adults were all well behaved and seemed to be having a good time.

This morning Doc found a penny when he drove through McDonalds for breakfast.

At 2 PM I needed a break from setting up the house. Plus I needed a coin. So I headed to Target. It was fairly deserted - of shoppers and coins. There were no coins at the Starbucks café within Target either. Not good. I needed to get back home and get food into the oven. C’mon Penny Angels.

I went next door to the grocery store. The place was deserted. Still no coins. C’mon Penny Angels, the guests will be arriving shortly. I began walking across the street to a 7-11 store. There was a dime in the roadway. Thanks Angels, time to get home.

The next few hours were filled with good food, kids, love, laughter and noise!

Total: 2 Coins P (1), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.11

Day #707 - My Age

One good thing about celebrating Thanksgiving on Saturday versus Thursday is that I spend Friday setting up the house and preparing for the guests instead of going out shopping in the Black Friday Frenzy.

This morning I went to the office supply store to get a ream of paper. The store was fairly empty, so mission accomplished fairly quickly. There were two cashiers at the register as I went to pay and one of them asked me about the Penny Pendant. I told them the Penny Finding Story and gave each a Penny Card. Lucy seemed to really enjoy the story. As I was leaving I found today’s penny and had Lucy witness the find. (Coin #1).

Next I went to the grocery store for some butter and a few items for tomorrow’s dinner. The store was pretty deserted. (Another advantage to celebrating “off peak”). There was a quarter in my check out lane. (Coin #2). Several people witnessed that find so I was passing out Penny Cards. Then a dime in a closed check out lane. (Coin #3).

I was planning to go straight home, but now I wanted a nickel. I stopped at a 7-11, but only found 3 pennies at that stop. (Coins #4-6). After that I went home to clean house, move furniture, do a little mental designing on the new house while I was cleaning, etc.

Doc went to school for a few hours to do some work. He found a dime in the parking lot. (Doc #1)

Total: 7 Coins P (4), N (0), D (2), Q (1) = $0.49 My age as of yesterday

Day #706 - Thanksgiving

Today is the 25^th and 25 is my favorite number.

Doc and I spent most of the day in cleaning out the garage. Dust and cobwebs and the stuff which neither one of us like to deal with.

At 4:00 we showered and headed out for dinner and Penny Finding. The first stop was the high school parking lot. Doc found 2 pennies and a dime within the first 60 seconds! (Coins #1-3). I was envious of his finds and continued walking.

After 5 minutes I was growing impatient and did a Sing Song: “Hey Penny Angels won’t you come out to play? After all, it’s my birthday today”. Immediately there was a penny in front of me! “Thank You Penny Angels”. (Coin #4)

As I headed back to the van I was talking to the Angels: “One penny is OK, but as a birthday present, you could make it a little more significant.” A quarter appeared in front of the van! There’s my 25 number! (Coin #5). Then as I was opening the van door, I spotted a dime. Where did that come from? (Coin #6). Doc had collected an additional 3 pennies and dime while walking (Coins #7-10). He likes doing the math. He said: “So far I have 7 coins totaling 25¢). Nice”

Doc now had Penny Fever. We went to the grocery store to return the rented DVD. The store was deserted this evening! While Doc returned the DVD, I walked to the closed In-N-Out burger cafe. There was a penny in the dirt planter and another at the drive-through window. (Coins #11-12).

I returned to the grocery store to find Doc. I found him as well as a dime and four pennies. (Coins #13-17). As usual, Doc took me to the greeting card section and showed me various birthday cards. He encourages recycling by having me read the cards, then leaving them for others to buy and read. He also is being thrifty as we save up for the new house.

We went to Coco’s restaurant for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Doc of course had turkey, mashed potatoes, etc. I had a shrimp salad. I also walked next store to the closed Wendy’s burgers for 2 pennies (Coins #18&19).

Now we were laughing, “Let’s go to WalMart for some paper towels and bird seed”. Okay.

There were zero coins to be found at WalMart. Amazing! The place was deserted. There were pallets of covered merchandise throughout the store. Signs on them saying “To go on sale at midnight”.

At the gas station I found one penny deeply embedded in the dirt. (Coin #20).

Now we BOTH had a severe case of Penny Fever. We challenged the Angels to give us five more coins before we went home. At a closed McDonalds, I found a penny in the drive through lane. Then Doc found two pennies in the rock planter. Then I found a dime where I had just looked! (Coins #21-24).

We just needed one more coin to make the goal of 25 coins. We headed to the car wash. It took about 2 minutes, but I found it! (Coin #25). Thank You Penny Angels.

I was walking toward the van … and there was one more penny and a quarter in my path! That ruined the count of 25, but added 25 in a different way. We were laughing.

Total: 27 Coins (the 25 I requested + more)

P (20), N (0), D (5), Q (2) = $1.20

Doc is looking at the piles of coins in front of me

5 pennies + 5 pennies + 5 pennies + 5 pennies + 5 dimes = 25 coins + 25¢ + 25¢

5 dimes is a multiple of 25 also

Day #705 - Sofa Time

I love celebrating Thanksgiving on SATURDAY. While everyone else is spending tonight getting prepared for festivities tomorrow, Doc and I are relaxing with the dogs. I rented the movie “Chestnut” - definite dog show. While Doc was on one end of the sofa snuggling with Sparky, I was on the other end assembling Penny Cards.

This morning I made numerous calls, then raced to nine places in three hours. I checked on our wood flooring in the storage unit, checked in at the townhouse (and retrieved the folding table and chairs which we will need on Saturday), mailed bills, etc. I turned in the recycled bottles and cans (mostly to get those out of the garage since we will be seating guests there on Saturday). I went inside the grocery store to redeem the recycle voucher. Super crowded with shoppers. I claimed my penny for today and left. (Coin #1)

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Doc went to school to teach his class. As he approached his van to come home, he found a penny. (Doc Coin #1). Then as he was backing the van, he spotted something shiny and hopped out to collect a dime. (Doc Coin #2)

Total: 3 Coins P (2), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.12

Day #704 - Short Stops

Note from Penny Pal CL:

Limitless gifts every day to be thankful for. I am afraid if I counted while driving I might never get to my destination!

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Lots of things happening today. A deposit made on the structural trusses, final plans and payment on Landscaping Designs, a set of plans mailed off for a lumber quote, review of grading plans, etc. etc.

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In the late afternoon I went to the post office to mail a set of plans. No coins there, so went to the grocery store. The parking lot and store were filled with cars and people. Every check out line was open and had several customers with filled baskets. I walked in a few feet, spotted a penny, retrieved it and left! Short Stop! (Coin #1)

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I was satisfied, but I knew Doc would give me grief for only finding ONE coin. So I made a Short Stop at a 7-11 on the way back home. I carefully searched the entire lot (it wasn’t that big), in order to avoid going inside. No coins found. There were no customers when I arrived, but as I entered, quite a number of other people arrived. I spotted a penny under the counter, but to retrieve it my nose would have been on the shoes of the people standing there. So I waited. Eventually all the customers left and the two cashiers asked what I needed? I replied, “The coin under the counter for tonight’s story.” That, of course, needed further explanation.

I told the two cashiers about Penny Finding, then bent down and retrieved the penny, and another and two dimes! (Coins #2-5). I promised them each a Penny Card and went out to Pippy (my truck) to get those. I looked for coins as I went to the car and again as I went back to the store. I gave each cashier a Penny Card and exited the store. There was a nickel in front of me! (Coin #6). How many times has that happened where I SHARE the Penny Finding story and then the Angels send a coin to corroborate the insanity? I went back into the store and showed the cashiers the nickel. Shared Smiles.

I again left and went to my truck. Now there was a dime behind my truck! (Coin #7). I ran back into the store to share THAT find too! Crazy, but fun.

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Doc arrived home at 10 PM - and handed me HIS coins. As he was leaving his lecture room approximately 7 PM, he glanced back - and spotted a penny! (Doc Coin #1) Then as he passed by the vending machines on his way back to his office, he collected three more pennies. (Doc Coins #2-4)

Total: 11 Coins P (7), N (1), D (3), Q (0) = $0.42

Day #703 - Weight Lifting

Tonight let’s listen to Sasha from Russia:

Hello Tina,

I am reporting to you that almost all day long I was following our agreement to thank God and Saints and my Guardian Angel for this day and for friends, though not many, but whom I have. If to speak seriously, I can say that verbalizing is really a great thing. Every time I was doing it, even being alone in my car I had a feeling that I am with somebody who is near to me or – above me. And against my will I was getting more solemn and serious at those moments. It might be funny for a stranger, but not for me. It’s a pity that in the routine of our lives we generally forget about our creator, Who, if we appeal to him, will help us. But you are right, His help is not open. He wisely gives us hints and signs, for we ourselves to find our way. And those ways are different as we differ each other.

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My Penny Finding today:

This afternoon I went to the townhouse to do some clean up work. I was hauling some heavy bags to the dumpsters in the alley. I was grumbling, “This is NOT why I took a leave of absence from work. I want to be making progress on the NEW house, not doing demo work on this place!” “These bags are heavy Penny Angels, please help”. There were two shiny pennies in my path. (Coins 1&2) That was a nice gesture of encouragement, but it didn’t help me lift those bags.

When I approached my truck to leave, I noticed 3 pennies near the driver’s door! (Coins #3-5). I had carefully looked all around the truck when I arrived because I was hoping to find today’s coin at the time. I can’t explain how those three coins suddenly appeared there. I had a fairly clear view of my truck for the time I was at the townhouse and the parking spot is next to the house where no one has any reason to be in that area. Asphalt Coins?

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Doc called at 8:45 to say he was on his way home from work. I was determined to write Today’s Tale before he arrived home. (Especially since Sasha wrote half of it)! I printed out the story just as Doc walked through the front door. Done! Until he handed me six pennies and two dimes which he had collected at McDonald’s on his way home. (Coins #6-13)

Lesson: Talk to the Angels. They will help lift your weights and burdens.

Total: 13 Coins P (11), N (0), D (2), Q (0) = $0.31

Day #702 - CPP

Continued Positive Progress (CPP) on the new house. This afternoon we spent two hours meeting with a framing contractor. He had spent a great deal of time calculating all the lumber, plywood, and hardware needed for our house. He also had quotes from a drywaller, electrician, plumber, and concrete contractor. Need to carefully assess each of those to see how they compare with the bids we already have.

The drive to the meeting with the contractor was fairly long, so Doc stopped for “a break” at a grocery store and collected a penny. (Coin #1).

After our meeting, Doc and I went out for a nice dinner, then it was time for grocery shopping. The first stop was at the bank for some cash. Doc got paper money at the ATM while I collected three pennies in the grocery store next door. (Coins #2-4).

At the next store I spotted a Sit-N-Find penny as Doc was parking the car. Then we collected three more pennies inside. There were two employees witnessing our finds, so we shared the Story and Penny Cards with them. (Coins #5-8).

One Sit-N-Find penny at the next grocery store as Doc was parking the van. (Coin #9). Two pennies at the final grocery store in the check out lanes. (Coins #10-11).

All pennies today.

Total: 11 Pennies

Day #701 - Special Date

Before I met Doc, my friend, Lou used to take me to musical shows or something special for my birthday each year. That was a ‘big’ deal to save up for such an extravagant night out. After I married Doc, that tradition ceased for a few years, but then resumed when “the dust settled”. Tonight Doc took me to a Dinner Show of Annie at a local theatre. He did it “on behalf of Louie who would like to know you were being spoiled appropriately”. (Lou passed away two years ago). Is Doc amazing or what? I sure am fortunate to be married to such a fantastic person.

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This afternoon Doc mailed the loan package and other items. Penny found at the office supply store. (Coin #1) Then he went out to the lot (in the rain) to take height measurements of the existing block wall and dirt levels. Meanwhile I wrote notes to the appraiser, plumber, insurance agent, remediation services, funding agent, contractor, etc.

At 5 PM it was time to dress and get out of the house. We allowed a few extra minutes when driving to the performance so we could stop somewhere and find my coin for today. We stopped at a 7-11 store where I found a penny under the counter. (Coin #2)

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The performance of Annie was delightful. Doc had never seen it before. We shared our table with a family which spanned four generations. Turns out that Doc worked with great-grandpa at General Dynamics back in the 60s. Small world. The man is still super sharp at 90 years old and doing specialize machining jobs at Cal Tech. Impressive.

The two 12-yr old girls Autumn and Ashley seemed to be having a wonderful time. Of course I told them about Penny Tales and gave them each a Penny Card. Shared smiles.

Total: 2 Pennies

Lesson: Theme from Annie: “The sun will come out - tomorrow”

Day #700

The day was filled with activities.

In the morning we met with the insurance adjustor and a contractor at the Duarte townhouse.

Traffic was light, so we arrived in the area quite early. Doc went to Starbucks, I headed to the grocery store to search. No coins there, so continued next door to the dollar store. The floors in that store are pretty dirty and I KNEW there had to be a coin there. Was about to give up and leave when I spotted a penny. Retrieved it and spotted a dime as well. (Coins #1&2)

I did a bit of debris cleaning while Doc graded papers.

The meeting with the insurance appraiser went well. Of course he took measurements and our statements as to what happened. Turns out that he and Doc graduated from CPP the same year and had the same (memorable) English instructor.

Doc detoured for a quick lunch at El Pollo Loco before we headed home to make progress on the New House. While waiting for his food, we found three pennies in various planter beds and one penny on the driveway in front of the van. (Coins #3-6).

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We spent a little time working on the new house Grading Plan edits, then 30 minutes on the phone with the Loan Funding Agent. He is saying approximately seven weeks to fund the loan. No moving dirt until the loan is secured.

At 2:00 we headed to Murrietta (60 miles south) to meet with a window and door rep. We expected heavy Friday afternoon traffic, but it was light! We arrived 25 minutes early so of course Doc went coffee hunting at Starbucks and I went Penny Finding.

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I found one really shiny new shield penny in a parking spot right in front of the Starbucks. I lifted it to show Doc as he emerged from the coffeeshop. He replied, “Great, but what about the one which you just walked over”!? (Coins #7&8).

We spent three hours with Annette, the window / door rep at Dixieline. She was fantastic in helping us make informed decisions. I was slightly disappointed that we had not found a coin in the store. As we were leaving the store I was waiting while Doc used the restroom. There was a penny in the patio furniture display area! I ran back to show Annette. Shared Smiles. (Coin #9).

Doc and I stopped for dinner on the way home. I wasn’t even thinking about pennies, but Doc was. He insisted that he was going to find a coin. He walked the parking lot (in the dark) until he got his coin. (My macho hunter). (Coin #10).

We arrived home to do a few chores then set a 9 PM “date” - to sign the loan documents.

Significant progress today on the Penny Palace

Total: 10 Coins P (9), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.19

Day #699 - Express Service

On nights like tonight I want to say to the Penny Angels “Look. I am busy actually working on tasks for the new house. Don’t bother me with Penny Finding and having to write a Penny Tale. Isn’t this all about building the house, not writing about it?” Give me a break here!

My morning was filled with emails and phone calls regarding both the townhouse flood and the new house. At noon I headed out to the townhouse. I “suited up” and did some mold remediation. (For a lot less cost than the thousands of dollars the company was going to charge).

The next stop was to pick up Landscape plans at the Blueprint Shop. I am so anxious to see what has been designed. Haven’t even unrolled those yet.

By 2 PM I was at the Architect’s Office for the edits to the Precise Grading Plan. (Been working on those for 3 weeks). While waiting for the Engineer’s signatures on all the sheets, I found a dime near the printing machine. (Coin #1) To that point I hadn’t thought about a coin for today.

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I expected next to deliver the plans to the Soils Engineer for his signature. He could sign them in the next few days and we could re-submit on Monday. (The City Offices are closed on Fridays). I did say out loud, “Penny Angels. IF Roger were available right now and IF he was willing to rush the job and sign things, THEN by a miracle we could submit these plans TODAY!” I picked up the phone to call Roger. Then I was “nudged” to call the City Engineer instead. “Matthew, do we REALLY need to get Roger’s signature AGAIN? Nothing has changed on the items within his area”. Matthew said, “We can use the previous signature page if we do some pulling apart and re-assembly of all the drawing sets. I don’t have any meetings this afternoon. Come on down and we can make that happen!” By 4:30 PM our plans were re-submitted! Yippee!

I went out to our property to investigate the weep holes in the existing concrete block wall.

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Earlier this week on a day when I didn’t have a penny, Doc said, “You MUST have a penny or it isn’t a ‘Penny Tale’!” So before getting on the freeway I stopped at Trader Joe’s for a penny.

I searched around all the check out lines (both directions) - nothing. I bought some dog food just so it looked like I was there for a reason. The only two open check out lines were those closest to the exit. The cashier, Ray, was very nice and asked me about my dogs.

After making my purchase, instead of heading left and exiting, I headed right and told the Penny Angels I did not plan to leave until I found today’s penny! I didn’t see any coins at any of the closed stations. I was passing by Ray and the last register when I spotted it on the mat where Ray was standing! I claimed the penny, Shared the Penny Finding story with Ray, and gave him a Penny Card. Shared Smiles. Then I walked out the door and found a second penny within a few feet! That’s the Angels and their 2¢ worth again! I was laughing and returned to show Ray. Shared JOY. (Coins #2&3)

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On the way home, I detoured for a few moments to Coin Depot in La Verne. Dennis was most helpful. He took one look at our Mystery Coin from Day #694 and said, “I believe it’s Korean - South Korean”. He was right!

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8 PM Doc called from school to say he found one penny at Stater Bros. before going to work this morning. Then he found a nickel at the coffee vending machine during his 6 PM class break.

Total: 5 Coins P (3), N (1), D (1), Q (0) = $0.18

Day #698 - Expert Advice

Doc collected a dime at Starbucks this morning.

The drive to the townhouse which took me 25 minutes last night, took over an hour this morning. With the mitigations services people gone, we could take action! Time to let out those aggressions and do some demolition!

My first run to Home Depot was for plastic sheeting and supplies to contain the mess and the mold. There was a penny in the parking lot just a few feet from the van.

Removed wet baseboards, drywall, and subflooring. Bagged it all up and hauled it out to the garage. Assessed all of the areas and found only a few small patches of mold.

This photo shows where the toilet used to be. Now it's a space with a view!

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In the afternoon I went to Home Depot in search of a mold treatment. I did not see any. I stood in the cleaning products aisle looking at all the bottles of products thinking none of them seemed appropriate. I said, “Penny Experts, who could I ask for Advice on this issue? We need to be sure we follow proper procedures on this.” At that moment my phone rang. There are only a handful of people who have my cell phone number, so I expected it to be Doc. It was Erin. She owns an Environmental Test lab! Daryl had spoken with her earlier in the week and she chose that precise moment to call me back and see if I had questions. Coincidence? I asked her if she believes in Angels? Her reply: “You bet!”

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I briefly told Erin about Penny Finders. Turns out she regularly picks up coins (to the embarrassment of her kids). After our conversation I asked the Penny Angels for a “coin for Erin” today. Within moments I found a dime. I called Erin back to share the “hug from the Angels”. Her response, “Thanks, I REALLY needed that signal today”.


Lesson: The Angels have answers for us. Why don’t we ask for help more often?
Total: 3 Coins P (1), N (0), D (2), Q (0) = $0.21

Day #697 - Still Wet

It is after 2 AM and I still need to pack all the gear for tomorrow’s demolition session and be out of here by 7 AM, so this will be quick.

This morning had the ’38 Chevy towed to an auto shop to have overheating problem resolved. Still have a goal to have that car drivable for Brian’s wedding next year. Had a photo for you, but that takes too long to download and upload and re-format and…

After escorting the tow truck and getting the Chevy “Checked In”, Doc and I stopped to check his mailbox. He found a quarter and I found a nickel next door at the CVS in the coin return of the copy machine. (Coins #1&2). Doc said, “Nice, but you must have a Penny for Penny Tales”.

Day spent on phone calls and researching our options for flood recovery actions.

Construction Loan documents arrived this afternoon just as I was leaving for the townhouse.

Traffic was surprisingly light and I made good time on the freeway. Had 10 minutes before my meeting at 7 PM with the Mitigation Services people. I remembered Doc’s comment earlier in the day. So I stopped at the nearest grocery store. A dime in the parking lot. (Coin #3) But that STILL was not a penny. I searched the check out lines inside the store. Nothing. I said “Penny Angels. Please. Play with me here. I am not going anywhere else tonight.” Then I spotted an old, dark penny which looked almost to be waxed into the floor. But I got it. Then I turned around and there was a beautiful shiny penny where I had just looked! Mushroom coin. (Coins #4&5)

Thought: Things are looking a bit drab right now, but turn around and they will be shiny.

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I did meet the Mitigation Services people at the townhouse. They took temperatures and moisture readings. Some of the walls are still wet. The walls are wet because the drywall and baseboards can’t be removed by that company. The asbestos testing came back with <1% style="mso-spacerun:yes"> Homeowners can do it themselves if they want. Thus, I asked the company to kindly remove their de-humidifiers (at $300/day) which were not getting the walls dried out. Doc and I will have a demolition day tomorrow and get the job done!

As I was typing this note, I just realized we Hit for the Cycle Today!

Total: 5 Coins P (2), N (1), D (1), Q (1) = $0.42

Day #696 - Running Start

This morning by 7 AM I had edited plans on the doorstep of the architect’s office and 3 coins in hand. Off to a running start for this week.

Actually, I woke up at 5:30 AM because my throat was on fire and I was having trouble swallowing. Did not feel like running in high gear; I wanted to ‘keep it in park’. However, by 7 AM I had plans at the architect’s office and had walked through the Carl’s Jr. drive through for a penny and one dime, then the Del Taco window for another penny. (Coins #1-3).

The morning, of course, was spent on the phone and computer trying to resolve the Duarte condo flood situation; City people, waste people, contractors, testing people, etc., etc.

At noon I took a 20 minute break and went to Target to get some photos developed. I spotted a penny in a check out lane. There were people and shopping carts between me and that coin. Then one guy actually stood on it! Tina to the rescue. I said, “Excuse me. I write daily Penny Tales and I’d like to trade you this Penny on a Card for the penny under your foot.” He agreed and I rescued the crushed disk. (Coin #4)

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Several hours this afternoon were spent with my physical therapist while Doc went to work. Then we both dealt with the Duarte Flood and the New House projects well into the evening in determining needed actions for this week. Constant Positive Progress (CPP).

Total: 4 Coins P (3), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.13

Day #695 - Sunset Cruisin'

This morning Doc went to Johnny’s burgers for his breakfast and one penny. (Coin #1).

I spent the day tackling the piles on my desk, clearing out some folders which I had brought home from work three months ago, and even washing a few windows. I think I was trying to ignore the townhouse flood issues.

Around sunset Doc said, “Let’s head to the townhouse and take a look around”. I didn’t feel like driving all the way over there. I responded, “The water mitigation company is checking the equipment and doing test readings every day. That is why we are paying them. We don’t need to go over there.”

We went for a Sunday Sunset Cruise. Doc suggested that we first spend a few minutes walking the high school parking lot for coins before it got dark. I found three pennies in various places. (Coins #2-4). Doc had a Sit-N-Find penny, then a nickel and another penny. (Coins #5-7).

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We arrived at the townhouse and heard the humming of the four de-humidifier machines. All looked fine - until we looked in the bathroom. Water was coming out of the cabinet under the sink! For some reason the water from the dehumidifier hoses was not draining properly. There was a roll of paper towels and a toilet paper roll under the sink which were totally saturated. I had no rags, buckets, or anything to use except a few paper towels from the kitchen. I scooped as much water as I could from the cabinet into a plastic grocery sack, then pulled up the vinyl in the cabinet. Doc was on the phone with the mitigation service company while I was dealing with the water. Sure glad we checked on things. Follow those “nudgings”.

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That project was hopefully put to rest for this evening so we headed for our typical Sunday night grocery run. Doc collected two pennies at Trader Joe’s (coins #8&9) ; no coins at store #2.

At the third grocery store I was casually looking for coins in the closed check out lanes. Someone had left their change in one of the return chutes! There were two quarters, a nickel and a penny! (Coins #10-13) Wow! I said, “OK Angels, we just need a dime to Hit for the Cycle”. As we were paying for our groceries, our change came out of the chute, plus there was a dime under the chute! (Coin #14). There was another dime in the closed lane next to us. (Coin #15) and a penny before leaving the store. (Coin #16).

As we were driving home, Doc realized he had forgotten to buy something. (I had suggested earlier today that he make a list, but he hates lists). So we went to a fourth grocery store. He got his stuff, I collected a nickel. (Coin #17).

Lesson: Even though you hire professionals to do a job, still listen to the “nudgings”. The Angels have a better perspective.

Total: 17 Coins P (10), N (3), D (2), Q (2) = $0.95

Double Hit for the Cycle!

Day #694 - Mystery Coin

We met a plumber at the townhouse this morning at 8 AM. He assessed the situation and we all agreed that it didn’t make sense to take any action now until we determine the overall plan of action. We’ll just keep the water to the shower turned off for now.

We have had the condo listed for renting. Had the realtor remove the Lock Box yesterday because we don’t want people in there right now. Sure enough, today while we were there, a couple came by wanting to look at the place. We showed them around and told them it would be a few weeks until we were again ready to rent.

Today’s two coins were found at the grocery store. I found a dime and Doc found a ???

I’ve searched Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Philippino currencies and it is not any of those. Can anyone out there identify the country of origin for this coin?

This evening I did spend some time understanding and integrating the changes which the City has requested to our drawings. I want to be prepared for a meeting with the architect, so that we can make quick changes and re-submit.

Total: 2 Coins One Penny and one foreign 10 something

Day #693 - On Hold

The morning was spent with flood mitigations services, insurance agents, etc.

In the afternoon we headed over to the townhouse. Doc had to stop at Starbucks. I found a coin at the grocery store next door. (Coin #1)

The asbestos testing service took samples of the drywall, paint and flooring. Because the condo was built prior to 1978 we can not take further action on mitigation until things have been tested. That means we can not get air blowers going to dry out the walls. We are now awaiting the “biopsy” results. Jumping whenever the phone rings.

The insurance claims agent said we can not take much action until an adjustor has assessed damages. They are way behind and his guy is on jury duty, so he has us scheduled for after Thanksgiving!

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Doc said we needed something better than McDonalds for dinner tonight. So he brought home El Pollo Loco chicken - plus a dime and penny from the drive through window. (Coins #2&3)

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Here is a nice story for today:

When driving home from the townhouse I was fairly discouraged. I told Doc I needed a “perk up” of some sort. A bright spot in my evening. Going out for dinner or going out to a movie where it would be crowded on a Friday night, was just not appealing. I could not think of anything to do for an “attitude adjustment”.

I was organizing my notes for this case and figuring out what to do next. The front doorbell rang. I grumbled. I didn’t want to deal with any salesmen or fundraisers tonight. It was my friend Mandy! She was “nudged” to write me a card and bring me cheery flowers! Then she shared some of the things which she had going on this week. I will shut up and count my blessing. OK Penny Angels -- you delivered a Bright Spot and an Attitude Adjustment. Wow!

Total: 3 Coins P (2), N (0), D (1), Q (0) = $0.12

Day #692 - Blurred Vision

The first part of today was wonderful. The second part of the day was poopey.

Last night we had a sleepover with the Twins. There was anticipation when we all woke up because we were headed for someplace new today. Our first stop was to fuel the van. Nick wanted to help Uncle Doc pump gas and Brandon wanted to help Aunt Tina find today’s penny. We found a penny within a minute of beginning our search. Done. (Coin #1) But Brandon was not satisfied. He began a SingSong. “Hey Penny Angels won’t you come out and play …” Then he stopped and said, “No, I want a quarter instead of a Penny”. We walked into the convenience store. He dove under the counter, and emerged with two pennies -- and his quarter! (Coins #2-4).

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We had breakfast at IHOP and then off to the Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. We had such a great day exploring the various exhibits. The weather was picture perfect, the hummingbirds were flying and we enjoyed roaming the grounds.

We had lunch and then the kids went off to play. I went to the restroom and when I returned, Doc was sitting at the table with four women surrounding him! I turned my back for only 2-3 minutes and there were women scrambling to sit with him! Nice to know the old guy still has “the Magic”.

As we were leaving the museum, Doc glanced through the doorway of the Museum store and saw a penny on a shelf! (Coin #5)

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We delivered the kids home by their 4 PM return time. Then Doc and I stopped at the Blueprint Shop and picked up 6 sets of our revised Grading Plan for the new house. Things were looking so wonderful today. I was planning a nice evening with not too much to try and tackle.

As we were traveling down the freeway with this rosy glow, Doc felt “nudged” to stop and check on our rental townhouse. (Where I lived when I was going to college). As you’ll recall Doc and I spent all of July and August getting it rent-ready. It is beautiful. I could definitely live in it again.

As we approached the townhouse, I found a penny and thought that was a very good omen. (Coin #6). When Doc opened the front door we were shocked. Water was dripping from the ceiling in the living room and we walked across a pond of water to get to the kitchen. This was not a good thing. We shut off the water and tried to assess the source of the problem. Tough to do without tools.

We made some calls to get a water mitigation company on the job ASAP. They said two hours, so Doc and I drove home to feed the dogs, change into work clothes, and get tools. Doc insisted upon stopping at McDonalds for dinner. I found one penny at the first window and said that was all. Doc leaned out the car door and got a penny on his side. Then he drove forward and I spotted an additional penny where we both had just looked! (Coins #7-9). Doc proceeded to the pickup window and collected his burger along with three shiny pennies and a quarter! (Coins #10-13).

We arrived at the townhouse right on time. Everyone knows you can’t find pennies in the dark. But I did! In the same parking spot I had found the one two hours earlier. Asphalt Mushroom? (Coin #14)

The Emergency Water Damage truck pulled up and they began assessing the situation. Gallons and gallons of water removed for starters. They are talking about ripping out the upstairs tub, flooring, downstairs drywall, and more.

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I am really trying to keep a sense of humor here, but right now the tears of frustration are blurring my vision. Standing in the midst of the water tonight, I told Doc and the Angels, “I now have the flood, could I please have the ark too?”

Total: 14 Coins P (12), N (0), D (0), Q (2) = $0.62