- Batteries in both vehicles died over the weekend. The one in the YesDearMobile has been on life support for over a month so it’s no surprise, but I think the DaveMobile battery finally got tired of jumping it. Then again, that battery is at least six years old, so it was likely due too. Throw in the bitter 25 degree cold mornings, and you have the perfect storm of stranded cars in the driveway. Got the YesDearMobile a new one this morning, mine will likely take a few more paychecks weeks.
- Speaking of automotive troubles, someone at work made the blunt and astute observation that I drive a piece of shit. Not a kind way of putting it, but sadly true. Worse yet, it now runs like a piece of shit. Also the front passenger door won’t open and the window won’t roll down. It’s good for getting me to work and back, and little else. Probably worth more to junk it than attempt to sell it, let alone trade it in. The car has served me very well over the past nine years I’ve owned it, but now well past it’s prime and really not worth putting any more money into. I’ve decided that the next car I want is a 2000-era Ford Crown Vic or Mercury Grand Marquis. Yeah I know, a geezermobile, but I like the idea of driving something large and comfortable and reliable with excellent A/C during the blistering Arkansas summers. Besides it looks likely that we’ll be taking at least one or two trips to Georgia a year so that Panda Bear’s ex can have the kids, and that’ll be the perfect vehicle to take on such a trip.
- So far, Panda Bear’s stay with us has been working out okay, better than expected after her visit during the summer. Though the stress level is higher with the extra kids in the house, she’s doing a better job of disciplining them than she did when she was here last. Hopefully when her taxes come in sometime early next month she can find a place and we can give AJ his room back. She does get scatterbrained about things, particularly when she has the kids with her (we had to go back to Walmart and pick up a bag of groceries that she left at the checkout) and she sometimes drives her mom crazy, but overall we’re happy to have her out here where we can spend time with the grandkids (just not ALL the time) and help her when she needs help. Now if only she’d keep people out of her life that take advantage of her…
- Ever have a three year old with a crick in his neck? Last week we took AJ over to the ER because he kept holding his neck and crying “owie owie owie”. Given the fact he could hardly move his head without significant pain we took him in just to rule out anything serious. Thankfully it wasn’t, and he got a prescription of children’s Tylenol with codeine to boot. Not sure what he did to his neck, he’d been playing and behaving just fine all day until that evening. Never saw anything like it, at least not in a child that young.
- Back to work now, and truthfully I didn’t miss it one bit. We survived surprisingly well over my month-long layoff, thanks to some timely temp work and generous EBT benefits that took care of the food needs while we paid the other bills. No, I don’t feel bad about that because it was only on a temporary basis and my taxes pay for it, and it really was a big help. They won’t continue now that I’m back at work, but because of the dramatic drop in income the last couple months and having guardianship of a young child in the home (AJ) we were given enough to last for a least another month, which will be a big help in getting and staying caught up on the bills. Maybe I have something to thank Obama for after all. Oops, did I really just say that?
- Things I want this year (but won’t necessarily get): replace at least one of our vehicles, get Yes Dear’s teeth fixed, finalize AJ’s adoption (going to court in March – hopefully will be done by then), get my laptop a new motherboard, get a decent sized flat screen TV for the living room, see youngest grandson CJ sometime this year, find a fabulous new career path that will get me employed in any part of the country I want to live, collect a few guns (at least 1 rifle, pistol, and shotgun)… to name a few. Hey, hopefully I can make some of these a reality and dream the rest?
Don’t you feel guilty at all for what you’ve been given to help out during your tough time! That’s what it IS there for! It’s the people that live off it perpetually… not wanting to work… that make the system broken. It was meant as a helping hand, not as a way of life. I’m happy to know I pay taxes and it goes to families in genuine need. That doesn’t hurt my head in the least.
I never had a three year old with a crick, but that would put me on low freak. I’d have him diagnosed already with something bad. I’d have gone to the ER too.
They joke at work about my POS car. I have 215K miles, the front door used to not open well. It would get stuck and make a ‘I’m going to break off’ noise, but one day I opened it to hard and it opens ALL the way now ALL the time. There is no ‘halfway open’. So I guess I finished breaking the spring… about the same time the front window decided to never go down again. Except now it is going down, which is making me wonder if I put it down, will it suddenly not go back up? Dings, dents, issues… it’s mine and I have no carpayments. That’s all I care about…
I’m with Bou; don’t feel guilty for getting financial help during your time of need! And… what she said.
Glad to hear Panda Bear’s stay is going well so far. Sounds like she’s really trying and that effort is worth so much!
My truck got a new battery last weekend, only when the one in it died Arthur just replaced it with the boat battery! Guess if he wants to take the boat out he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it.
And my truck… well, none of her windows will go down anymore and only two doors will open. Arthur keeps talking about getting something new for me, but what’s the point? I go to the grocery store a half a mile away, fer goodness sakes!
I *MISS* my Mercury Grand Marquis…power, comfort, roomy. Almost like riding down the road in a comfy recliner. As long it’s one of the older ones…the most recent ones they made (before they were discontinued) were much smaller…have no idea how those are.