I used to write umpteen bazillion checks all the time. All of the utilities, etc., grocks, and whatever. I actually REMEMBER when the grocery stores started to accept plastic. I don’t remember exactly the year but I was an adult with two children. Before that, I would write a check before I left for the store and fill in the amount when I was checking out. Efficiency…

My first job in life was cashier in the Sault Ste. Siberia Tempo store (a KMart-like store). I loved it. Ringing people’s stuff up, punching in the department number and price on the old fashioned cash register, calculating the sales tax, giving people change. Most people paid in cash back then. A lot of people wrote checks, which was annoying because I had to wait for them and ask to see their driver’s license. A few people used credit cards. That was an ARDUOUS process involving dredging a big swiping device out from under the counter, putting a receipt with triplicate carbon layers just right on it and SWIPING like crazy. If the total was over $50, I had to call the office at the back of the store and THEY had to CALL Mastercard or VISA. And the person I was checking out had to W-A-I-T, along with MEEE and all of the other people in line. I was a fast fast fast cashier and that drove me crazy.

Nowadays I write maybe 2-5 checks a year. Two of those are property taxes for the family-owned seasonal cabin, the others are for random things that come up. I do plastic or autopay or paypal or venmo for EVERYTHING ELSE. Tap/swipe, clickety-click. Venmo is really cool to transfer money to another PERSON but if I need to pay someone I know isn’t tech savvy and doesn’t wanna learn I just bite the bullet and write a check. I keep a few envelopes and some stamps in my TeleCubelandia desk basket so I don’t have to rummage around for them.

Man oh man, I recently sent a check off to the township treasurer and SOMEHOW I overpaid by $300. Read a “2” as a “5”. I am NOT dyslexic so I dunno. This set off a clusterf*ck of stuff in which the GG was contacted and did he call the county clerk? I’m not sure but he apparently talked to someone but it wasn’t the county clerk because I called the county this morning and they had no clue about our taxes🤣 It was okay, the township gal (who’s probably who he did call) emailed me a bit later and it’s all good now except she has got to think I am a cretin. We are actually acquainted because of previous bungling on my part and the county’s (on different occasions) and she is fantastic.

I wanna say I wish the township would upgrade their technology to allow online payments. I pay our Planet Ann Arbor taxes online ALL THE TIME (even though there’s a wee fee). But I know they probably aren’t able to do that easily and there’s something to be said for the personal service provided by our township treasurer.

I was in the Water Closet when I saw the sun lighting up Pekak back there in the back yard. In the few minutes it took me to put socks and shoes on, the sun had set a bit but here ya are.

This particular March came in like a lamb. Not always the case.

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