new car (truck)

Alas, our old truck is costing too much in repairs to keep any longer, and a new truck has been purchased. It comes with satellite radio, I think that we won't renew the intro offer. Amazingly around here we have 2 college stations (you never know what you'll hear), 2 public broadcasting stations (1 has classical, 1 has everything else) an independent AM country station (oldies), and at night we get WSM. There's even a station with old music that my Grandmother would have tolerated. I can hear anything from bluegrass to big band to old blues to folk with very little or no commercials. And come to think of it my morning commute isn't ruined with all the traffic reports, cause... there isn't any! (suck on that you big city traffic cloggers, ha ha).

I grew up in the suburbs of DC, driving the Beltway as a teenager; lived (and commuted) in Seattle; while living in Portsmouth, VA battled I-264 traffic way more than I would like to remember - so I can enjoy peaceful drives now.

Monday musings

I keep thinking I'm getting old. My youngest is in high school. I have aches where I didn't used to. I think I forget stuff I should know. My parents are old.

I read a review of a book about the Wright brothers. Sometimes I forget that only just over 100 years ago was the first flight. And compare that with now.

But then I reap the benefits of getting old. I don't need a babysitter when I go somewhere. I was in the Coast Guard long enough to get a military pension, and I only work part time. If I'm really tired (and bedraggled looking), I can go to Hardee's and they think I'm old enough for the senior price on coffee. I can be one of those people that give driving directions by landmarks that aren't still there.

And Wednesday is a holiday - Veteran's Day.

And the husband gets to come home for a week - can't wait till June when he finally gets to retire and come home for good.

There's a bright side to everything.

November?

Holy mackerel, is it already the middle of November. Yes, there's a touch of frost in the morning, but long sleeve t-shirt by the middle of the day. The leaves are halfway done, but there are some maples left with leaves running the whole spectrum from green to yellow to brilliant red. Strange though, the dogwoods are the first leaves to change (to deep dark red), and the last leaves to fall. so cool.

And they had to try and ruin the fall with the blasted daylight savings time. Those of you that don't mess with that folly are lucky. We were stationed in Hawaii in the late 80s and they don't mess with it. We were also stationed in Seattle (they did DST), but it's so far north that the winter days are short enough that it really didn't matter. Maybe someday we'll get away from that Nixon-era folly.

Had a full moon last week. I'm always amazed just how bright it can be, I can almost read a book. Living out in the country now, I really see the difference between full and no moon nights. Love it.

And all the stores have Christmas stuff in already, some had it before Halloween. Hoping to jumpstart the economy, I guess.

Things could be a lot worse.