The "Pocket Full of Twisties" Story

It was an ordinary day. Just got back from the Giant Grocery Store. I was shopping for the weeks supply of food and twisties. Now, the food I paid for, but the twisties I just stuffed in my pocket. This story goes a long way back to a vacation in Sanibel, Florida years ago; I think it was 2000. Carol and I made a trip to Sanibel to see Florida, lay on the beach, and find sea shells. Lots and lots of sea shells. I wrote another story a year or two ago about the trip, but failed to mention a thing or two in the story. Seems we were having a great time looking for shells and I found that right along the edge of the water was a great place to scoop up the sand and discover really neat shells. So, I purchased a small rectangular net with a metal handle and used the net to scoop up the sand. The sand would wash out of the net, leaving the shells behind. The net cost me about $20, but thought it was worth it for the shells I was finding. Should tell you now that I used the shells that we found to incorporate into stained glass window panels that I made which I sold. Well, I used the net so much that the netting on the front edge wore through. Should I buy another one or just try to fix this one? I opted for the later remedy. But, how could I fix it? While shopping at a Sanibel grocery store later that day I found the answer. The twisties that you use to close the top of produce purchases would work! Grabbed an extra couple dozen of them and when I got back to the motel room had the net fixed in no time. Since that time I have found these twisties work for many repair jobs. We even use them when we travel to hold the catches on our suitcase closed. We never put a lock on the suitcase anymore, since airport security often breaks them off if they need to check something in the suitcase. We use twisties instead and it keeps the lock from coming open as well as makes it easy to open by security personnel if necessary. We have since that time never had a suitcase arrive on the airport carousel without the twisty on it. Maybe they think we have nothing to hide and don't even bother to open the suitcase any more. We leave soon for vacation and I had no twisties in the house, so I grabbed a handful at the Giant today. Stuffed them in my pocket along with my car keys. At check-out, after loading all my groceries onto the conveyor belt, I reached into my pocket to pull my key chain out. I keep my "Giant Bonus Card" on the chain with the keys. Not only did I produce the card and keys, but a whole handful of twisties that happen to fall over the groceries as well as on the floor. The cashier looked at me and started running the groceries through the scanner. I quickly grabbed most of the twisties and stuffed them back in my pocket with the rest that didn't escape my pocket. Phew, close one, I thought. But then again, they don't offer them for sale, just as a convenience for their customers, and I find them very convenient for my household repair jobs. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.