Decision made

Well, I made my decision with a little help from circumstance.  I woke up this morning thinking I would buy the Buick Encore, called to talk with the salesman and discovered that the car had been sold yesterday.  I took it as a sign and went shopping again with my daughter to look at Fiats.  While I was very impressed by the Toyota Prius that my son drives, I had to admit to myself that I and my passengers (who are often friends my age or older) would be more comfortable in the Fiat.  And so I took the plunge and ended up getting a new 2015 bright blue Fiat with 217 miles on it for the price I was prepared to pay for the two year old Encore.  I was hoping to fine a car I would be excited about and this one fills the bill.  It's so cute!  I know that shouldn't be the primary reason to buy a car but I think it;s ok  to have some fun.  This may be the last car I ever buy and I'm going to enjoy it.

I'm so confused

I started car hunting today.  I want a low mileage, newer used car at a really good price.  After I  explained this to one salesman he informed me that no one had ever asked him for a really old used car with high mileage.  Smart Alec!  My daughter went with me this morning as we visited several car lots.  I've tentatively narrowed it down to three choices: 1. a 2013 Buick Encore, much newer but similar in many way to my current car so very comfortable, 2, a 2014 4-door Fiat (my daughter drives one and is very pleased with it). 3. a 2011 Toyota Prius hybrid (my son recently bought a 2010 Prius and is very pleased with it).  I must say I'm intrigued by the 50 mpg gas mileage of the Prius.
Decisions, decisions, decisions....  stay tuned.

a different sales approach

I don't like to be pressured by salesmen.  I don't appreciate "today only, sign right now" tactics.  I met with a second window salesman today because I do have 5 windows that really need to be replaced. What a contrast with last week's encounter.  Today's rep didn't waste my time with a full house quote.  He listened as I told him what I needed and he came up with a quote that was slightly over half of what the first salesman had given me.  All in all a much better experience.  Pretty sure which way I'm going on this one.

sticker shock for sure

I took my good old car into the dealership today for an oil change.  I've known  my service guy for years (used to work with his wife in real estate) so I know I can trust him.  I asked him to also check out a strange grinding sound that seems to happen most often when I start out, seems to come from the back end of the car, and also to see what the problem is with my transmission.  It seems to stick, and have problems shifting every once in a while. Simple little things, right?  So they ran their diagnostic tests and, to fix everything I'm told, will cost just a little over $6,000 dollars.  Gasp!  My car is 11 years old and has 131,000 miles on it so I'm thinking it might not be worth making these repairs.

Hey, presto, they had a salesman handy who was only too happy to show me around the used-car lot. More sticker shock - decent used cars cost more than my first house (new cars cost more than my second house).  I know everything costs more these days, but yikes!  The most appealing car I saw was a 2013 Buick Verano which I had never heard of before. 22,000 miles on it, for a mere $16.,000.

The salesman kept emphasizing that all of the newer used cars he was showing me are 'blue tooth' compatible and will 'sinc up' with my smart phone. Really?  I can't tell you how much that news excited me.

My daughter and I are going car shopping on Wednesday.  Who knows what other wonders we'll discover.

picky, picky, picky

I know I'm being picky and this is a very minor irritant, but it happens often enough to get my attention.  Heard on last nights weather report "Our current temperature right now is..."  Doesn't 'current' mean right now?  Listen carefully and you will hear this kind of redundancy many times a day.  I suspect that some reporters think that the more words they say, the smarter they sound.  I think they could fill the air space more effectively by speaking a little more slowly and enunciating more clearly.  Ouch!  Don't I sound like a grumpy old lady?  It's one of the perks of being 70.

This will make you laugh, or cry.

I have a couple of windows that need to be replaced so I've started the process of getting some bids.  I  really only need 3 or 4 replaced but the first gentleman insisted on also giving me a bid on replacing all of the windows - 24 by his count.  Turns out that casement windows - the kind I have all over my house - are the most expensive to replace (lucky me) and each section that opens counts as one window.  His bid - $39,000 dollars!  This is more than I paid for my second house, and I'm not buying the idea that I will "make it back" in energy savings.  By my calculation I would need to live in this house until I'm 193 to get that payback. I have another company rep coming out this Tuesday.  I'm very curious to see how this one comes out.

Something to think about...

I attended Tapestry today, it's an event for women which includes breakfast, lunch, break-out sessions and plenty of opportunities to spend money at vendors' booths.  It's all to raise funds for college scholarships, which helps you feel virtuous as you spend.  The special guest keynote speaker today was Jane Pauley and her message was that it's never too late to reinvent yourself.  What I found interesting was that she didn't stress actively going out and looking for changes but rather staying alert for a sign of something you are meant to do.  She illustrated this with a story about a man who had spent his working life as a well driller, He had wanted to be a doctor and save lives but couldn't afford college.  When he retired, he sold his equipment to a church group who wanted to use it to drill water wells in Africa.  Of course they didn't know how to use the equipment so they asked him to go to Africa to help get them started.  He said yes, at first reluctantly.  To date he has drilled over 1000 wells, and saved many thousands of lives by providing fresh water to communities in several African countries.   It was a good story and her talk really echoed feelings I've had since I retired.  I think, if I'm patient, something will come along to capture my interest.

Pet free just in time...

As heard on TV - pets can be bad for your health especially if you're a young child or someone over 65. Among the reasons they gave was that people let dogs or cats lick their faces, an obviously bad idea because of what else they lick.  I actually think this is more of a dog thing, my cat never licked my face.  They also warned against having snakes and rodents for pets (and just when I was thinking about adopting a python, darn).  It looks like I have achieved pet-free status just in the nick of time.

first meeting with my REALTOR

I met with my REALTOR yesterday (she also happens to be a personal friend) to get some preliminary ideas about getting my house ready to sell.  Talk about a wake up call.  I know there's a lot of stuff that has to be moved out of my basement but I thought the main level looked pretty good what with the newer kitchen and remodeled bath. After a few comments like "You will probably need to paint the ceilings in most rooms and the walls in the dining room, living room and family room, and of course replace most of the carpet." Yikes, this was on top of a long list of necessary repairs I had already made.  I obviously have my work cut out for me, but I had to laugh at my first, internal, emotional response, "Not the living room carpet! That's the 'new' carpet.  We had it installed just before our daughter's first wedding which was only...and then I realized... it's been 17 years since that carpet was put in.  She could be right!
We went on to discuss possible sales strategies - as is vs with repairs - sale for commercial use - moving out and marketing it vacant.  She will do the research and get back to me in a week or so.

How will you celebrate tomorrow?

Tomorrow is Earth Day and on Sunday our pastor decided to emphasize this in his children's sermon. He started by asking "Does anyone know what day this Wednesday is?  One little boy waved his arm wildly and, when the pastor called on him, shouted out loud and clear "It's Hump Day!"  Needless to say he brought down the house.

more medical confusion

People who know me will not be surprised by my confusion.  It's a fairly natural state of being for me, but these two medical "research reports", both discussed on the same morning news show, left me conflicted.  First, while we've heard for years that aspirin helps to prevent heart attacks, a study found that if you're in a low risk group for heart attacks, it's probably better if you don't take aspirin.  It can be bad for you over the years. However, research also shows that taking about two regular aspirins a week can help prevent certain kinds of cancer. After some careful consideration, I think I'll be taking two aspirins a week.

A very musical, talent filled weekend

I saw the musical "Jersey Boys" yesterday (made even sweeter because it was a gift from a friend), sang some favorite hymns at church this morning, especially "Morning has Broken" and enjoyed a performance by Jazz pianist Bradley Sowash this afternoon.  All of the music was excellent and I topped off the weekend by enjoying the Gallery opening of the First Pres Parish Art Exhibit.  It wasn't musical, and I didn't have anything in the exhibit, but my son had several of his drawings on display, and I basked in the glow of hearing lots of people say nice things about his work.

Starting the process..

Today I called a friend, who happens to be a REALTOR and invited her to come to my house next week to do a market analysis for me, giving me an idea of what price I can sell my home for, and even more important, what changes, repairs, etc. I need to make in order to make the house marketable.  Having worked in the real estate field for 25 years I do have some understanding of the process.  The question is will I be the reasonable, flexible seller I always wanted my clients to be, or will I be the seller from hell, digging my heels in and insisting that buyers would rather replace the carpet themselves, and a few areas of peeling paint really shouldn't affect the price that much.
The other really big question is how fast can I get my basement cleaned out?  Stay tuned.

A deep dark secret and a brand new worry.

I snore, or so I'm told.  I never hear myself, and since I live alone, I seldom worry about it - except when I'm traveling and keeping my roommate awake - but that's a whole other story.  I haven't been overly concerned about this problem until I heard a report on TV this morning claiming that there is a link between snoring (and possibly related sleep apnea) and memory decline. People who snore start to show memory decline 10 years earlier than people who don't. They then went on to say that getting enough sleep is definitely connected to good health. Which begs the question, if I'm sleeping I'm snoring and my memory is declining while If I don't sleep as much I snore less, but it's having a negative impact on my health. I'm so confused.  I think the best thing I can do is stop listening to health reports.

Sociology is fun.

My daughter-in-law teaches French and Sociology and two or three times a year she invites senior citizens in to have conversations with her sociology students. Today was the third time I've participated in this event and it is always fun,  She gives us a list of questions to get the conversation started, and if all goes well, everyone participates.  The five students I met with were all seniors, and excellent participants.  At one point we got into a discussion about my college experience and where/if they plan to go to college.  I found their answers very interesting.  One stated that he would be one of the first in his family to go to college. Another (the only girl in the group) plans to go to IUPUI and then IU Medical School.  One is looking forward to the IU business school and one said he's not going to college, but instead will enroll as an "apprentice" in the Pipe and Steamfitters union.  (Not sure I have that title exactly right but you get the idea.) The fifth said he would be going to college in Colorado where some of his family live.  I was particularly interested in the young man making the union choice because I had just heard recently that apprenticeships can be a really good option for some high school grads instead of the traditional college route.
At one point I asked them what their favorite subject was and they all said History.  I was hoping they would say Sociology but ah, well....

What a revoltin' development this is!

As I wrote that title I wondered if anyone else remembers the source of that phrase.  Any guesses? The potentially "revoltin' development" I'm referring to is an increase in the bug population.  The weather guy on the 10pm news just explained that, while we had some cold weather this past winter, we didn't have enough prolonged cold to kill off the bugs so they are back earlier, bigger and more numerous than in years past.  The funny thing is, if I had never heard that report, I probably wouldn't have noticed the difference.  Perhaps some news is better left unreported.

Is listening to bad words bad for you?

That's the question I was hit with when the 5th grader I tutor and I sat down together today for our weekly session.  Mind you, this boy has never used a "bad word" in my presence and he is quite a good conversationalist.  Evidently he hears quite a bit of off color language from adults in his life and on on-line gaming and other sites.  We had quite a good discussion.  I'm afraid I didn't offer any profound insights, although I did admit to using a bad word once or twice in moments of extreme stress.  I gave an example which he thought was pretty funny.  We did agree, in the end, that it;s generally better, makes a better impression, if you don't use bad language.  Only time will tell if that bit of tutoring has a lasting effect.

A.D, The Bible Continues

Last Sunday, Easter, I was busy cleaning up from Easter dinner and missed the first episode of A.D. Happily it was rerun this evening before the second episode.  I didn't know what to expect.  Sometimes Bible Stories are told in s very sentimental sort of way but so far I'm really impressed with this production.  A friend told me there will be 12 episodes.  I'm ready to watch them all and hope the quality continues.  If you can't wait for all the episodes and want the condensed version, read the book of Acts.

I am victorious!

I managed to get through the entire giant garage sale without buying anything.  Of course it helped that, toward the end of the sale, when I turned to the other table to take one more look at the red pitcher, it had already been sold or packed away.  Self control is so much easier when there is no temptation.

You know you're really getting old when...

No, I haven't bought the pitcher yet, but I was bemused by a conversation overheard while manning (womanning?) my garage sale table today.  A young boy, about 9 or 10 maybe, came up to his dad carrying a small hand held calculator. His question "What is it?" His dad's response "It's a calculator." The boy looked puzzled and I realized that the calculator he's familiar with is probably an app on his Ipad or Ipod or some other device.  If it had been an old plug in adding machine that he didn't recognize I wouldn't have been surprised, but a calculator?  How old am I???

the danger of giant garage sales

I set up my wares today, ready to sell, sell, sell starting tomorrow.  The danger I see is that the tables assigned to me are right beside the tables where they are selling the high value donations.  I am already coveting a lovely red Italian pitcher.  I have an admitted weakness for pretty dishes. if people tomorrow see me muttering I will simply be repeating my personal mantra "downsizing, downsizing, resist, resist" over and over again. Of course it's not a very large pitcher....

One woman's trash...

is another woman's treasure.  At least that's what I'm hoping as I gather stuff together for this year's Giant Garage Sale at my church.  Trash may be too strong a word, but "stuff I really don't need anymore" isn't quite as catchy.  Tomorrow is our set up day then we sell on Friday and Saturday.  I don't anticipate making much money this year but I don't care.  I promised my four grandchildren that I would share the proceeds with them if they would let me clear out boxes and boxes of their toys that have been residing in my basement for the last many years.  At ages 10-13, they've all agreed that they are not likely to play with a little toy stove, plastic food, plastic dishes (even the Cinderella ones), toy trucks, puzzles and so much more.  I am earning another clear space in my basement as I work toward downsizing and that's payment enough for me.

replacement windows

I had a rep come today and give me an estimate on replacement windows.  I do have 5 windows that seriously need to be replaced and a total, the way he counted them, of 24 windows.  Yikes!  His first estimate, for total replacement, was half of what we paid for the house originally and only slightly more than a new SUV I was pricing recently. I'm not buying either one, but at least I have an idea now of what I will need to spend on a few windows.  I will be getting a few more estimates. I did have one bit of fun when he started in on his pitch for energy efficiency and how much I would save on my gas and electric bills.  When I explained that my average electric bill is $45 and my gas budget is $63 he decide to skip that part of his pitch.  Saved us a bunch of time.

keep your football

I am possibly one of the world's least enthusiastic sports fans.  I don't have favorite teams (except my Alma maters of course) and, while I will occasionally attend a sporting event with friends I seldom watch anything sports related on TV.  Having said that, as I sit here watching the final game in the March Madness series, I must say that I find basketball games much more exciting than football games.  Such a lot of hype surrounds the Super Bowl, but the games are often lopsided and not too riveting. This game, on the other hand, is being a real nail biter so far. So stop reading this and enjoy it.

Good gravy

I miss my mother-in-law, especially on big family dinner days like today.  She would have been the first to admit that she wasn't much of a cook, in fact she always said she would rather do dishes than cook.  Considering that she grew up with 12 brothers and sisters, I think that's saying something.  But the reason I miss her isn't because of her help with dishes.  While she didn't cook much for our big dinners, she did make wonderful gravy, from scratch.  My dinner was good today - ham, pork roast, sweet potatoes, green beans, mashed potatoes, cake, brownies, cookies - you get the picture.  All made from scratch by me and other family members.  I have the cut finger to prove that I peeled those potatoes.  But the gravy, sigh, came from a packet.  It wasn't bad, but just not the same as Helen's.

Easter Egg Hunt

Tomorrow after church and before the family gathers I will scatter plastic eggs around, inside and outside the house so my grandchildren can have their annual egg hunt.  Each egg will contain candy or money or a little toy.  They are color-coded so each child looks for his or her own color.  That way it all comes out equal.  As I'm prepping for this I'm reminded of a conversation with my oldest granddaughter (then 12) on the day before Easter last year.  "Now Nana," she said "will all of our candy be in our eggs or will some of it already be in our baskets?" "There will be some in your basket." I assured her. Her reply "Oh, good, I wouldn't want to have to work for all my candy."

Will I find fame and fortune?

A friend and I had our first interview today for a possible "part" in a TV ad.  The qualification to try out was that we had to be between 70 and 100 years old. No one waiting with us looked 100 but a couple looked like they might be in their 80's. The interviewer recorded us answering questions about lots of different subjects.  Then they took our pictures and had us say our name and age.  We will hear from them within three weeks if we are to come back for the second step in the process.  We did check out the company and they are legitimate, and, even better, if we get a part, they pay us.  This isn't a scam where we had to pay anything up front.
When we met with the woman who did out interview she came out with the compliment I'm always most suspicious of "Wow, you (in this case 'you two') sure don't look 70." My immediate unspoken reaction is "How old do you think I look? 75, 80? gasp 90?" I never ask that question out loud because I really don't want to hear the answer.  I prefer to live with my illusions.

RIP Frances Kitty

She was a good, good cat, an excellent listener and a champion snuggler. She lived to be almost 13 years old and was never sick until this last week when she simply stopped eating.  Thyroid and kidney problems made the prognosis not at all hopeful.  After several days of being non-responsive to treatments the vet and I agreed that it was time to put her to sleep.  I refused to let her slowly starve to death.  This is the fifth pet for whom I've had to make this decision  I've stood and patted and talked to each one as they received first the relaxing shot and then the lethal dose.  Frances went very quickly and peacefully.  Every time I've gone through this I've found myself wondering "Why can't we be this merciful to humans?"