Getting ready for some home improvement

I went to Home Depot this morning looking for the kind of TSP you add to water and  doesn't require rinsing.  HD only had the powder kind, which does require that you rinse the surface in clear water afterward, and also had a ready-to-use version that comes in about a quart bottle.  That might be enough for one or two small items, but it sure wouldn't be economical to use on an entire room's walls and ceilings.

I then drove over to Lowes and found exactly what I want.  The cashier had to be the world's friendliest, and we talked until another customer came up and I moved on.  There are some stores where it is obviously a management policy that the staff engages you in polite conversation.  Most of them try, but saying the same thing to every customer makes it inevitable that it becomes an effort and somewhat insincere.  I try to just ignore the obvious and be nice right back to them, but I really enjoyed the good conversation I had going at Lowes.

I think I will shop more at Lowes from now on, but I don't care much for the shopping center it is located in - one of those newer ones that is set up to look like a village right smack dab in the middle of a huge parking lot.  I am really put off by it, as it is difficult to even see the names of the businesses unless you are driving right past them, except for the big ones such as Lowes.  I don't care for big malls or strip malls of any kind, but trying to tart them up by suggesting it's a cozy little village is about as insincere as the clerks at the grocery.

All my shopping took probably less than an hour, and I came back home and ate lunch.  I thought I'd start on cleaning the ceilings and walls, but the couch was calling.  I don't know why, after getting a good night's sleep, I can't refrain from taking a nap most every day.  

My 5-day computer weather forecast is predicting 75 degrees for this Friday.  I'll believe it when I see it but I hope it's true.  Meanwhile, the upper 60's is pretty good too.

I'm hoping for some good weather soon so I can drive out to San Andreas (yes, it's on the earthquake fault line) to the elephant rescue park.  I love to watch elephants and respect their intelligence, but doubt I'd ever go back to a zoo anywhere to see any kind of animal.  For some poor animals that have been bought as exotic pets and then become too hard for their owners to handle, I guess being allowed the relative freedom of an outdoor zoo exhibit beats being cramped in a cage, but in bad weather or in cold winters some animals stay indoors in definitely smaller quarters.