Skimmed? and Skinned.

Skimmed?



Using a Debit Card,  I bought $10 worth of petrol/gas at 7:00 a.m. today at this convenience store on Beneva Road at the intersection of Bahia Vista St.   This particular pump, which I used, is away from the main pumps, and out of sight from the store.  I think that it is for the use of R.V. owners and/or "trucks with trailers businesses" which would otherwise take up too much space at the rank of pumps.

 A bit later in the morning I tried to use my card to withdraw cash. The ATM  would not give me cash, instead it gave me this message:
"We have placed restrictions on your card due to irregular activity"

"Damn, I thought, "there was a skimmer on that pump. How could I have been so careless".

Back at home I called the issuing bank.  I was on hold for forty minutes.  I  finally got through to a fraud specialist. No I found out, my card had not been skimmed.  Phew!. Turns out that there was a system wide failure at the B of A.   Millions of their customers got the same or a similar message today.

BOY OH BOY  we are all vulnerable to such system failures.  That's why it is wise to keep some emergency cash in a safe place.

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Skinned



Yes, these are bananas.  But not just any old Cavendish bananas from yer supermarket (which account for about 50% of the world's banana trade)

These are back garden grown local bananas, grown in nearby Manatee County by a neighbour of my friends Jack and Donna Chrisman.

Jack and Donna were given a stalk with 80 or 90 bananas, far more then they could eat.  So I was given most of the bananas on the stalk,  which I gave away (or pressed upon) many of my friends and neighbours.

We are all agreed that they are the sweetest and most fragrant bananas we have ever eaten.

Better than you could imagine.

Eat locally they say.   Amen say I, and my friends.

And I want to be best friends with Jack and Donna's banana growing neighbour!

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See this re Cavendish Bananas 

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