Exceedingly Mundane

Yesterday was so busy that I really didn’t have time to blog about the details, just a quick update. So, for those of you yearning for more copious amounts of information about our day, read on dudes and dudettes. 😀

We slept in late yesterday morning, the first day of Tim’s non-oncall rotation for two weeks. He had a really rough two weeks and we were both pretty tired. We got up and had coffee, juice and homemade waffles. I tried a new recipe for crispy gingerale waffles, and they were good (thanks Gail!). I will try to get the recipe on Hambones soon, but there’s really nothing to it. Bisquick, oil and gingerale. I can post the proportions if anyone wants them pronto. 🙂

After that, we headed out to do some research, scouting and test driving of some new vehicles.

Now, for those of you who read this blog (long winded and mundane though it is), you might remember that we’ve been having more and more trouble with our Pontiac Bonneville. On our recent driving trip up to Washington DC, there was this leakage problem with the car, and the right rear floorboard was flooded. Then, there was this problem with the transmission. And, of course, we can’t forget about this pesky problem with the power window. The second window that went out, to a tune of 350 for the part. Anyway, Tim is the mechanic in the family and he’s grown very weary of all of the problems with this lemon umm, car. So when he says it’s time to get a new one, I take his word for it.

We had planned to spend the afternoon going to several dealerships (Ford, Saturn, Chevy) and looking at vehicles and test driving Escapes, Explorers, Saturn Vue’s (isn’t that their SUV, whatever their SUV is), and at Chevy – Trailblazers and maybe a Tahoe or Yukon. What we didn’t plan on was the intensely oppressive heat out there yesterday. We nearly completely melted into a puddle of stinky sweat at the first place we went to, a nearby Ford dealership. We walked the asphalt parking lot a while, looking at Escapes, Explorers and Expeditions. We had wanted to test drive a Hybrid Escape, but they didn’t have any on the lot. We both drove a 2005 Escape and a 2005 Explorer XLT Sport. I drove the Escape first, knowing myself well enough to realize that once I got back in an Explorer, I wouldn’t give the Escape a second glance. And I didn’t. The Escape is fine, a nice little vehicle, everything we need, and gets a wee bit better gas mileage than the Explorer. But, boy oh boy, the Explorer is so much nicer, bigger, roomier, more gadgets, bells and whistles. I never looked back. We rode to a different Ford place across town to try to find the color Explorer I want on the lot, but didn’t have any luck with that. After a couple of hours of pounding the pavement, in and out of air conditioning in what felt like 105º degrees (and the thermometer in the truck was reading 97, so it probably was), we decided to forgo the Saturn and Chevy places. After all, I really just want a new Explorer. I miss my old one. And if the new Explorer is anything like my old one or Tim’s new F-150, we know we’ll be well pleased. Provided we don’t get another lemon.

OK, mid afternoon, we took a break and pulled into a Sonic for refreshment. Tim got a cookie dough blast and I got my usual – Butterfinger Blast. Yum. Very cold, very good and a wonderful idea, if I do say so myself!

to be continued….