The pickin's in our kitchen pantry have been slim for the past couple of weeks.  Last week, I "made do" by pulling things out of the freezer for meals that could be re-cycled.  Chicken enchiladas held out for three nights.  Pork roast left-overs became vegetable soup that got us through the rest of the week.  This week, The Husband has been on a business trip, and my dinners have been cereal, peanut butter sandwiches, and toast with a side of M&Ms.  But he's coming home tonight, and so yesterday I placed a grocery order to be picked up between 3 and 4 p.m.  

Before 3, the store called and asked me to delay the pickup until 4:45.  I wasn't too thrilled by this - who wants to unload groceries in the dark? - but I showed up at the appointed time.  Most of the pickup parking slots were full, but I found one and called the number on the sign to let them know I'd arrived.  And then I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  The whole time I waited, I did not see one grocery order come out to another customer.  Finally, people started getting out of their cars and going inside for their own groceries.  I was about to do the same when my order came out.

I was driving my old two-door Wrangler since my other car is still in the shop.  In the summer when the top is down, it's not a bad grocery delivery vehicle; the bags can just be pitched in over the side.  But when the top is up, as it is now, loading and unloading a big grocery order is a bit tricky.  I told the attendant, "Pile as much as you can on the passenger floor and seat, then hand me the rest and I will stick them in the back seat." 

Bags, packed too heavy, tore open as the attendant lifted them into the car.  Inexplicably (and they do this ALL THE TIME), many of my items- a 2# can of coffee, a cabbage, eggs, bread - weren't bagged at all.  WTF?  

The attendant said, "I'll go back in the store and get you some bags for those that tore."  To save time (and help the other waiting customers), I followed her into the store and grabbed a handful of bags, myself.

At home (and it's dark by then), I re-bagged the items from the bags that tore and took them inside.  When I went back for the rest of the things, more bags tore, and canned goods rolled all over the driveway.  

Later, after I'd put the groceries away and sat down to check my email, there was an email from Kroger:  "Let us know how we did."  

Boy, did I ever let them know how they did.  Having started my work career as a teenage grocery store sacker back in the days when grocery bags were made of brown paper, I felt entitled to opine that someone had done a half-assed job on my order.

I felt better after venting.

Later, as I ate my peanut butter sandwich, I watched TV for the first time since The Husband has been gone.  Now, I don't even remember what I was watching, for as I sat there munching my extra-crunchy Jif and M&Ms sandwich, the front storm door began to rattle as if someone was trying desperately come in.  It was pushing 9 p.m. by then, and I wasn't expecting any visitors.  Before I could get up to see who was at the door, it felt as though the couch slid to the left and then slid back to the right.

I knew what that was:  EARTHQUAKE!  Magnitude 4.0, according to the web site.