You've Got the Wrong Fish!

My Prius, which I've had since 2008, made a funny noise last week.  That's all it took to make me decide I needed a new car.  Well, that and it had 75,000 miles on it, and my kids like the idea of my keeping a newer car.

I have enjoyed my Prius very much--felt very smug getting that fantastic gas mileage.  So I headed for the local Prius dealership which shall remain nameless.  (Starts with a "V".)  I wanted to begin by just getting an idea how much a new vehicle would cost, how much mine was worth as a trade-in, and how much a lease might be.  Ridiculous idea.  That doesn't happen in a reasonable time.  You've got to go through all this foolishness first.

I can't remember how in the world this older salesman killed 2 hours, but he did.  For instance, he couldn't just look on his computer to see if they had the vehicle I wanted.  We had to go drive around the back lot and look.  They didn't have what I wanted, so I just picked out the closest thing and asked for some figures.  Then he was gone forever having my car appraised.  Really?  At the dealership where it has always been serviced?

Now what he didn't know is that Ken Mitchell is my faithful car consultant.  He traded his Prius (same model as mine) in this year, and he told me how much his trade figure was.  So...this little lady would recognize a fair ballpark figure--or an unfair one as it turns out.

After my reaching the point of complete exasperation, Mr. Salesman finally came back with some figures.  The sales price to me for a car with fewer features than Ken's was $13,500 more than Ken's!  I was completely flabbergasted and said, "Does that include some kind of financing, or did you not take into account my trade-in?"  He stuttered around a bit and then said no, that it was kind of like fishing--you just throw out the bait and see if it will be taken.

So...this fish does have a new car.  It is a shiny black Infiniti G25.  It has everything I required, that being: Number 1--keyless ignition so I don't have to dig in my purse for my key.  And at Number 2-- a back up camera because nothing behind me is safe when I'm in reverse.  Let's not talk about gas mileage, o.k.?

I'll show you a picture of it tomorrow.

I like the back.......

I like the front.......

I love the clock.....

You Had What in That Bag?

In case you haven't heard, I am home from a cruise, but my clothes are not.  It's been 48 hours now, and no sign of my bag.

I have the American Airlines/Bag Status number memorized now.  I call often.  Sometimes I get someone very nice, and sometimes I get someone who is patronizing and patiently annoyed.  One of the former, a lovely lady, decided to go over the information they had to be sure all bases were covered.  I didn't know the brand of my bag when I was filing the original claim, so she added that--Travelpro.  I told her the size and that the color was not really brown as I had stated, but copper.

Then she said, "Tell me a couple of very specific things that are in the bag by which we might identify it.  Well.  You just wouldn't believe how easy that was.  I said, "Bathroom scales on top wrapped in a white Holland America robe with my initials on it.  Also a large plastic tray."  I am still chuckling over the fact that she actually asked me to describe the tray!  As if anyone else would have a tray--or especially the combination of a tray and bathroom scales!

I'm sure you can guess why the scales.  I have thought of taking them before, but the situation was right this time--so I did.  I weighed each and every morning, keeping track of the harm done.  And the tray?  I like to eat in my cabin or on my balcony.  Several years ago the ships stopped furnishing trays in the buffet eating area.  So I decided to carry my own.  I could step a short distance to the elevator, shoot up to the 12th floor, get my food and drink (I carried my lidded Starbucks cup for that), and get back almost as quickly as going to the kitchen at home!  My tray got a few stares, but they were probably jealous ones!   I just know I started a trend.

I am so thankful that there is nothing sentimentally irreplaceable in the bag, except the tray.  I bought it on my first visit to my cousin Sarah's home in Alpine, Arizona.  The shop where I got it is no longer there--it was gone even before the wildfires.  I loved the tray and used it every day, but I have another which is equally beautiful and serves the purpose.

On my last call I found out that I can file another claim after 5 days have elapsed.  (If I had told you it would be months, I was wrong.)   Will I be filing?  Will I receive back a mangled and mutilated bag?  Will I receive back my bag in perfect shape?  Will I receive no bag at all?  I know you all will be standing by with bated breath!  ...To be continued!  

Father of the "College Girl"

 "Father of the Bride" with Steve Martin is my absolute favorite movie of all time.  I can watch it over and over and laugh uproariously every time.  Yesterday, a moment occurred in our family which could have come straight from the script.

Madeline was planning to drive home from the University of Texas in Austin this past weekend for the first time.  She wanted to see some of her friends in a play at Martin High School.  She has a class at 3:00 P.M. on Friday, and Susan and Rob didn't want her driving home after she finished the class because of the horrid traffic late on Friday (or any) afternoon.  She was going to have to wait and come home Saturday morning.  Her parents were so concerned about her making the drive since it was her first trip by herself.

So...then there came the bomb threat.  They were not quite as worried about her driving then!  It was "Get on the road as quick as you can!"  Of course, she made it beautifully.

The Metzgers were so kind to invite Shirley and me to lunch at Mac's Bar & Grill yesterday (Sunday), so the grandmothers would get to see our college freshman!  We had a great time listening to tales of rush and friends and classes, etc.  We grandmothers eat that kind of thing up.

At one point Madeline excused herself and went to change into shorts and a sweatshirt for the drive.  (She looked so cute!)  She was leaving straight from Mac's to head back to Austin--again for the first time alone.  Of course, you will probably remember that it was raining.  So Madeline starts hugging everyone goodbye, then Rob and Susan start in cautioning her (again) and giving her last minute directions. The only problem was, one was telling her to be sure to be in the right lane at some point,and the other the left.  Along with Susannah's and my exchange of a slight "rolling of the eyes," it certainly became a "Father of the Bride College Girl" moment.

As in the movie, a poignant moment followed the funny one.  Susan's and Rob's faces as they watched her drive away were haunting. 

Later I received a text:  "She's safely back in Hardin House."  And mine back, "Praise the Lord!"

Maybe I Was Wrong...

about something I said in the first paragraph here.  I said the political conventions were not as fun as they used to be.  Watching Villairgosa bumble, stumble, and fumble with an absurd voice vote on whether or not God should remain excluded from the Democratic platform was pretty funny.  I have actually never seen anything like it in my whole long life.

I was reminded of a verse from the Bible which I felt applied to this situation.  I knew it related to God taking what man meant for bad and using it for His good.  I absolutely LOVE Google, because it can help find just about anything.  The verse is Genesis 50:20, and it states, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good."  (It regarded Joseph and the horrible acts his brothers had perpetrated on him, which turned out for good--for the brothers, for Joseph, and for God.)

A political party might be able to remove God from its platform, even though by "2/3 voice vote" it didn't work this time, but how would you feel about aligning yourself with a party which chose to do that?  Do they not realize that God is in control of EVERYTHING?  The next breath we take, the spinning of the earth on its axis exactly the right distance from the sun, resulting in the maintenance of a temperature which our bodies can handle, etc., etc., etc.  What a joke that man could exclude God from anything!

And then the people booed.  They booed God.  That happened in the Bible too. 

"Please open the eyes of people's hearts, God, and allow them to see a clear picture of your power and to recognize your truth and love.  As always, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."



 

Then and Now

Something going on today is really reminding me of my mother.  I told you some things about her here.  I remember so well our family watching the political conventions on our little black and white television set.  Mother got so excited about getting to see all those activities.  (Somehow they seemed a lot more fun in those days!)  I think they were her favorite television event.

Mother died in 1961.  Just think of how different the world is now from the time she lived.  Too many big and small ways to possibly count, but I often think...what would she think if she stepped back into this world today?  (Not that she would want to.  She's wearing that robe and walking those streets of gold that I've been singing about!)

What would someone who never flew on a plane think about our trans-world jumbo jet flights?  About our trips to Russia, Germany, and Japan--"enemy territory"?  The farthest from home Mother ever got was a trip to New York City in a car without air conditioning, packed with our family of five.  
She would surely think that almost $4.00 a gallon for gasoline is a mistake--not that Mother ever put gas in a car in her life!  Unthinkable!  She probably didn't even know the price, but it was about 29 cents per gallon.

I wonder what she would think about the fact that I wear pants most of the time--even to church!  I don't think I ever saw her in anything but a dress. 

This is a small thing, but I don't think Mother ever tasted pizza.  I'm sure it existed in that day, but it had not exploded on the scene yet.  (Jack Stovall helped with that!  He eventually built all the Pizza Huts in northwest Texas!)

What would someone who had one stationery dial telephone for a family of five think about every member of a family driving around in cars while talking into a tiny little instrument--or into the air because of something called--of all things--"bluetooth?"  Would she wonder how she lived without that?

In Mother's day, "first came love, then came marriage, then came the baby carriage"!  Courts were not packed with unmarried couples hashing out their differences after playing house failed.  (I know all about this from Judge Judy.)

Perhaps the one that gets me the most is the sign which is now posted near schools. "This is a drug-free, weapon-free zone."  What?

I realize this is far from a comprehensive list.  These are just things which keep occurring to me.  So...what has not changed at all?  Well, the sun still comes up in the morning and goes down at night.  It may be hidden behind clouds, but it hasn't missed a day since Mother has been gone.  The seasons still change as they did then.  The only constants in this world are the ones controlled by its Creator.

God's love is the same...yesterday, today, and forever.

I May Have to Quit Choir

Why, you ask?  One word: earworms.   Now for those of you who are not familiar with this term, I have done extensive research this morning.  Here is the best definition I have found: An earworm is the experience of an inability to dislodge a song and prevent it from repeating itself in one's head.

Sunday before last we sang the most beautiful new rendition of The Lord's Prayer, titled Our Father.  I absolutely loved, loved, loved this song--at least for the first thousand times I sang it in my head and out loud during the following week.  This week it was (is) Ride On, King Jesus. 

Ride on, King Jesus!  No man can a-hinder me. When I get to heaven gonna wear a robe.  No man can a-hinder me.  Gonna walk all over those streets of gold.  No man can a-hinder me.  (Repeat 6 times!)

Now this isn't all of the song, but it's the majority of my earworm--with repeats--and repeats--and repeats.  I'm glad it's a Christian song!

If I could draw a cartoon, I would draw a picture of Charleigh-Girl sitting on her haunches with her front paws covering her ears.  She would be saying, "Couldn't we please have a few choruses of "How much is that Doggy in the Window?" 

Adieu, Roofers and Gutter Guys

It's already finished!  After one working day short of three weeks!  I got to sleep in this morning, and it's raining to boot!  Charleigh-Girl doesn't know it, but her life has taken a turn for the better.  She no longer has to protect me from those bad old roofers.

The roofers, C-G, were actually not bad at all, as I kept telling you!  They were the nicest bunch of guys ever--always pleasant and eager to please.  The problem was that there were only 8 of them on a good day, which did not include Mondays!   But those 8 did an excellent job.

Since it was misting when I went out, I don't have panoramic pictures, but here's what I got.  (Be sure to notice my nice new gutter at the left side of the photo.)

The color of this roof is rather an enigma.  When I chose it I would have told you it was shades of brown.  In these pictures it certainly looks to be shades of gray.  It actually didn't matter, since the Chicago used brick has both colors.  But look at this pic of the gazebo:

• Looks brown, right?  Interesting!  Matching with paint color should be a challenge!  Oh, yes.  Now I need to have the wood trim painted!

O.K...I'll say this, and then enough already about my roof!  I'm so thankful to feel secure in my home when the rains and/or hail come.  I'm thankful for good insurance.  I'm thankful that I knew who to call about a roof because of Jack Stovall.  I'm thankful for good, honest roofers.  And, finally:  Charleigh-Girl and I are thankful that THEY ARE FINISHED!