Maintaining

Workwise, I have a whole lotta nothin’ to share. Any day now, I could get a green light to begin on some murals (when it is too hot to paint, thanks, all you decision makers). So, I am enjoying the free time to continue yardening, meet with an old friend, help out on a church project, and unfortunately, deal with an insurance claim.

 

These iris love wet feet. They are not natives but are domestic flowers that have escaped someone’s yard and established themselves in this seasonal drainage on one of my walking routes.

Yes, we love red, white, and blue around here.

Only one of my favorite dutch iris bloomed here.

But then look what showed up by the studio!

The lavender is abundant, luxurious, extravagant, and if I had my thesaurus handy, I’d keep going.

Remember when I showed you some pistachio trees mostly submerged along the highway? (Scroll to the bottom of that linked post to see the picture). Part of the grove got planted in a seasonal lake, which filled up this spring and the pump couldn’t keep up. Those submerged trees drowned.

Morning sun is so beautiful on our surrounding hills.

While sitting at The Fourway (that’s what we call a main intersection, because it used to be the only stoplight between our rural areas and the county seat; now there is one more, but we call it “Spruce” because that is its name) WHERE WAS I? At the Fourway, waiting for the light, amused by the message on the back of the pickup ahead.

 

On my way home, I stopped for gas at a super busy little place along Highway 198. Been there before, no problem. This time, a problem. Sigh. Poor Fernando.  The guy in the huge pickup who backed into me was watching out the other side. It rocked the car as I was waiting to pull out onto the busy frontage road. I was afraid to get out and look, but he signaled to me that it was small damage. He was a gentleman, instructed me to take photos of things, including his insurance coverage and registration. Then when I got home, I learned that he had already called the insurance company (we have the same one, which helps.) 

With 247,000 miles, should I get this repaired? Should I start looking for another car? (Not because of a little bumper divot, but because of the high number of miles, and the catalytic converter on the edge) How does one find a manual transmission? How does one find a simple car with a manual transmission? (Only Honda or Toyota need apply, because of Mark and Foreign Auto in Visalia.)

Life is a series of decisions and choices. (My very wise dad used to say that, causing me to roll my eyes, and now I fully agree.) Life is also about maintenance. 

I will try to maintain here.

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3 Comments

  1. Hmmm, maybe it was only the Toyotas that still offered manual trans. Oh wait, I’d better spell out “transmission” because these days, well, let’s not get into that deviance!

    I like Gracie–it’s a “real” name and describes so much a part of my life as a Christian!

  2. Non-native flowers that grow around a certain, beloved structure. Yep, I can identify, but aforementioned beloved structure shall remain nameless to protect the innocent.

    And I just had to deal with a fender-bender that was technically my fault although the guy ahead of me stopped so suddenly I couldn’t stop in time, and the front of my poor Honda looked like Rocky Balboa after a bad loss. Just got ‘im back today (after a month–what IS it about slow shipping for parts??) and he looks great! Shameless Plug: AAA is theeeeee best insurance for claims, but you get what you pay for.

    P.S. Honda and Toyota do still make vehicles with manual shift. I was doing research thinking my poor car was totaled. And I need a name for my faithful 5-year-old. Suggestions?

    • Sharon, I am fully aware of those lovely non-natives around that beloved structure. They are not invasive so no one needs to get upset.

      So glad you got your car back. Finally!

      I still lean toward “Grace” or “Gracie”, but I think “Glory” might be another good one for your beautiful blue car.

      The last year Honda made a manual transmission was 2020, maybe. That is newer than I need, but I will keep my eyes and ears open.


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