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Yesterday - A monumental day!

Here is what I ACCOMPLISHED:

1.  Called and got an appointment to get my eyes examined.  Liz told me I could not get a new computer desk with a lower deck until I had my eyes checked.  I got a sore neck the night we had our Fantasy Football Draft and decided "enough is enough".

2.  Called and made an appointment to have WE energies come and cut down some trees near the power lines.  We have decided to remove the old Norway maple that has been dying for years and the nasty Box Elder tree on the south side of the driveway.  We figured they'd get in the way of construction of our new garage.

3.  Used a web form to arrange for Sears to come and fix the ice maker on our fridge which hasn't worked for years(?).

4.  Called the HVAC folks to come and check our furnace/air conditioner.  The message pops up on the display.  Need to do this regularly as we have historically only called them when the furnace fails in the winter.

5.  Called two tree removal businesses to have the cedar on the NE corner and maybe the spruce on the north side removed.  One guy did come and gave me an estimate of 2260 bucks for removing those two and the two that he says the power company will trim but not remove.

6.  Called the landscaping guy whom our general contractor asked us to call about getting an estimate for demolishing the garage and doing something about water flow toward the house from the west.

7.  Called two businesses to give us quotes for installing gutter covers and possibly new gutters and downspouts to further address the drainage issues around the house.

8.  Washed my Prius.

9.  Mowed the lawn.

This is the kind of thing I wanted to happen when I went to 10 hour days.  Of course, taking Smokey to the vet Thursday was something that could not have been done except on a weekend had I not had the time off.

The calls keep coming in on the Jetta and I spoke for quite a while with a guy who owns a 2006 TDI and wants another.  So far, virtually all the responses and calls have come from people who saw the car parked next to the street.  Craig's list has generated only two attempted scams and one post that called me every name in the book for my asking price compared to the price of a new 2009 TDI.

I checked value on Kelley Blue Book and Edmunds.  Edmunds says the value of my vehicle is significantly higher than Kelley.  I based my asking price on Kelley before I'd ever checked Edmumds.  That makes me more likely to sit tight until I get pretty close to my asking price.  This is, after all, a special vehicle.  When somebody comes along who appreciates that, they'll recognize that my price is fair and we'll have a sale.

Gee, with this free time,  I even felt more like blogging!  That's it for now.

Ciao, babies!

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RIP Smokey

Smokey - 01/01/1988 to 08/28/2008 Smokey has been deteriorating for some time now. She was just skin and bones. We fed her canned catfood every morning but lately she just licks at it. This morning she did not get up at all. Every other morning she has come out to greet me when I get up. This morning she did not get up. We had to go to a funeral and we had not seen her by 9 a.m. We found her laying way in the back of the dog cage we have in the utility room. Liz did not think she was breathing. We didn't check further before the funeral. When we got back from the funeral, I discovered that she was still alive. We had discussed possibly taking her to the vet to be put to sleep when we talked last weekend and we knew we would not have time until today. I felt it was the right thing to do and Liz agreed. At the vet they told me that animals lose the ability to eat when they are near death. By putting her to sleep, we were preventing her from staving to death. Small consolation. This was a very very difficult experience for me. You were a good kitty Smokey, and we will miss you. Rest in Peace.

New Prius Arrives!

Last Wednesday, Liz and I took delivery on my new 2008 Toyota Prius. It is a geeks dream! I'm still on the first tank of gas but it is getting between 52 and 53 miles per gallon. That's as good or better than the Jetta on fuel that's 40-70 cents a gallon cheaper. But enough words! How about the pix?





It has this cool display that tells you whether the power is coming from the gasoline engine or the electric motor. It tells whether the battery is being charged or discharging. It tells what your mpg is right now and the average on this tank of fuel.
It's easier than the Jetta to get in and out of . My knees love that! It's roomier inside although Liz and I have already bumped ELBOWS trying to release our seatbelts at the same time. Some things never change.

The Jetta is all cleaned up. I spent all day yesterday cleaning glass, vacuuming the inside and washing it. It is now parked out front with For Sale signs all over. I am asking $9100. It has 227,000 one owner miles and is in great shape.
It is really going to kill me to let the Jetta go. It has been my favorite car ever. I especially love the color, of course. But it rides like a dream, runs quietly and everything works as good as the day I bought it. Since it is a rare high-mileage car, I think I can get pretty close to my asking price. There has been one call already today. I was out playing golf.

Speaking of golf.....I may not play a whole lot anymore but I had to get out for 9 holes today. I shot 41 on the back nine at Riverdale and was very pleased with that. My last round before that was a 51 in the last night of our SNC league about ten days ago. I was 5 over par today and three of those shots were to get out of the rough after wild tee shots. I hooked it into the long grass on the first par five and sliced it into the soup on the second one.

Even though I haven't blogged in a long time, I thought you would enjoy seeing pictures of my new car. Plus, I kinda want to keep the blog up as a historical reference.

Time to do something else.

Ciao, babies!