Gearing up.

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After a bit of a hiatus in future planning, due to... prepping in areas of... future planning...  Oh... never mind.  In any case, after focusing on a few areas in a way that might seem excessive, but wasn't if you understand things well, I got to a few other areas this month.  One of those areas was clothing.  Pants, like many things, don't seem to be all that much of a problem.  That is, until access becomes denied, or much more difficult.  So, those were on the menu as a general look-see for sales and availability.  This month, next month, a sooner rather than later sort of thing.

Actually I had just spoken to a friend about blue jeans.  He liked Wranglers, as did I at one time.  When Wranglers, in my opinion, went to the dogs and became just an overly priced, lower quality, brand name, I switched to Lees, then Levis, as the brands failed, or proved weak, I kept on... walking.  Finally I sort of quit, and bought whatever was cheapest, because brand quality deteriorated, or wasn't there when I tried them.  Cheap was, of course cheap, but why pay high prices for just as cheaply made name brands?  I was looking for quality, and not finding it.  So... cheap.  In my various samplings, I hit on Cabela's jeans.  No, not the ones that are loose fit for fat boys.  While I am a fat boy, to my way of thinking, my fat is where it belongs.  I don't need extra hip, thigh, or such.  Just a little... bigger shirts.  Actually, not even that, because of my general build.  My shoulders are large enough, and chest, that... there is always room enough for my belly.

Cabela's jeans, when I first found them, were about $20 a pair!  That was back in Iowa, when Levis were running $60~$80, or maybe $45~$60 on sale, if memory serves.  So I pulled the trigger, thinking, even if they only lasted a few years, like the more expensive jeans, I would be fine.  Couldn't lose, unless they literally fell apart right away.  Some cheap jeans did fall apart that quickly.  If so, though, then I had something to bitch about.  And you know me and my like of having something for that, on tap, as often as possible.  Daily, people, daily.  These jeans impressed me, initially.  Well built, comfortable, the color lasted.  The first two years of wearing them, I just couldn't believe the quality at the price.  Here it is, seven, eight, maybe ten years later and... I am still wearing the original jeans I bought, but not as old jeans.  They look almost as good as when I bought them.

The problem?  I bought several different sizes, through time.  At the time I was wearing 44's and 42's, and a few 40's as my "skinny" jeans.  Through time I bought a few pair of 38's.  The 44's are unwearable now, the 42's feel like waders but if I cinch my belt I can look like a homeless man, but the 38's just don't quite make it all the way up (yet?).  Remember, back then, I wasn't on a water pill, so my size varied greatly, and sometimes changed very fast.  The size of these jeans is vital, as the fit is pretty absolute.  Anyway, having two pair that fit right, and six pair that didn't, left me always washing, and looking.  So I bought three more pair of 40's.  The rest will be retired to storage, just in case, saved for trade, or even just as material supplies.  And in as good of condition as they were bought, pretty much.  And, the jeans I bought were on sale... for $21.  Heh.  I also bought a couple of hiking/tactical pants through Cabela's, also on sale, a type I have been considering for years.  The price was very right.

Actually, this all came about from a sale on metal ammunition cans locally.  I planned to buy a few, and saw them "on sale" downtown, for $20 per.  Which, from what else I have seen, was a decent price.  But I have been, slowly, learning that looking around is a good idea.  So I did.  I went online, and saw a sale on them for $14 per, on one supplier outlet store.  Then, thinking about pants and my conversation with my friend, I wanted to see if Cabela's carried these, and the current price for the jeans, while looking the ammo cans.  My jeans situation has been an annoyance since shortly after I moved here, and definitely since starting the water pill.  Yep... that saved me from having to deal with a new company, and then I noticed the sale on pants to boot.  Done, done, and done. Never enough, mind you.  The ammo cans are a start to a proper storage system for all that.  But I now know what a good, and what an excellent, price is, and to look around.

The cave might be a mess, I might have a dozen and more projects half in and out of here and there, there are promises I have made that I can't seem to keep, the cat's litter needs changed, and I may never be caught up, but... a few things, as I can, are being tended.  I love me some blue jeans, especially at that price and quality.  I just need to try them on, make sure I got the sizes just right and the fit is the same, then... a shower and to town.  Yeah... But I had to open the boxes, then do just a bit of advertising, bragging, and such.  Later.

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By the way...  I do not work for Cabela's, I do not make money from their sales, of jeans or anything else.  I don't even fully trust Cabela's.  Something... odd about them.  I merely do business with them.  A bit out of habit, a bit out of the notion of what they seem to stand for, they seem to be reasonable business partners, and any time I find quality, I trumpet it.  Especially when it is very reasonably priced and, to this point, very solid quality.  No, I don't even trust my mom, completely, on everything.  So, don't take that little neg as anything more than my own... quirk.  Get your own damned paranoias and leave me to mine.   Just thought I'd clear the air and do some target practice while at it.  :p