Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Just Turned "Vintage" So I'm More Valuable, Right?

Hello,

I turned the big 5-0 last week and it has hit me harder than the other milestone birthdays so far.  I guess it beats the alternative, but it's certainly no fun to look forward to gradually decaying...or at least I hope it's gradual!

My birthday was a pretty low key day which was fine with me.  The heat index was 110 (I know, I complain every blog entry!)  My hubby was off and after several chores/errands, we set off to the Springfield (Ohio) Antique Mall.  It's supposed to be the largest one in the US and air-conditioned.  Well, at least they were right on one count.  It was huge.

I was the one who suggested this trip, so I can't blame Mark.  But, all I did was commiserate with other antiques just like me who don't look as good as they did new.  But, the bright spot is they are more valuable now (no matter why, we aren't going there.)

Mark is always looking for really old tools, parts and manly crap.  He can scan and run through the building and get through it all.  I actually was browsing and had no particular agenda, though I wound up hunting 1973 Derby glasses and 1961 Ohio license plates.  I bought a plate basically to use as a fan.  It was brutal though they tried to cool the place down.  Since I had to scan glass cases I would normally skip, I was too slow for Mark and he went on, looping back every now and then.

I also wound up buying for $1 an Apollo 11 glass that I remember having a set of growing up.  It is dated July 20, 1969 and I remember staying up to watch them walk on the moon on my 8th birthday.  Marathon gas would give you a glass with a fill-up.  That and the $5.50 plate were my big buck purchases.  I am truly a cheap date.

I was struck by just how much of this "crap" I remember.  Especially the toys.  Even if you don't want to buy anything, those of a certain age will enjoy this trip down Memory Lane.  Many of the board games are the same (though I confess, I never finished Monopoly or the game of "Life."  I'm way too ADD for that!) but most of the toys required kids to use their imagination.  What a concept.  I had the cash register, the typewriter, the FP rolly beagle? pull toy with the spring tail that wagged.  I had the play telephone, the record player and on and on.  What fun!  I bet most of us wish we would've kept some of the things we had back then to either sell or give to our kids.  


After we spent three hours there and it closed, Mark surprised me with a trip to Young's Dairy restaurant where he got them to sing (UGH) and ring cowbells (UGH, UGH), even giving me one of my own.  Mark kept ringing it to annoy me and folks around were laughing (several folks were no doubt relieved THEY weren't as OLD as me.)


Well, this antique is going to watch TV on her cool Sony flat screen in air-conditioning now.  Those are things we didn't have back then during the "good" old days of sweltering heat blown by fans and one TV per household.  Don't miss that one bit!


'Til next time!
Gale

Monday, July 18, 2011

Cars and Aging and Aging Cars...

Well, summer in Ohio.  Heat index is 105.  You walk outside at 8 am and in two minutes you need a shower and a change of clothes.  We have lots of rumbling, but only a couple drops of rain so far this evening though there are storm warnings all around us.

It's been an odd (therefore normal) week.  My 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Ltd. with it's fancy Hemi (aka gas guzzling) engine croaked without warning in the driveway.  It was running, I turned it off and it would make weird noises, but not start.  Good thing Mark was home.  He of course immediately said if you buy a Chrysler, you had better own AAA.  Then he admitted lots of makes "I call them breeds, dog person that I am" of cars have failed us (except his darling Ford trucks.)  Turned out all it needed was a $170 battery to fix her right up.  OMG, the last battery I bought was maybe $50!  I still don't think I'm out of the woods, because two minutes later I couldn't get my passenger window to stay up.  It would just bounce around.  I got it to stop by using that door's control, but it might have been a fluke.  It also dings and buzzes for no apparent reason. But I must say that when I need it, that Jeep can pass everything on the road but a gas station!

Now mind you, this was not a Cheap Jeep.  It's only four years old (lasting three years, 11 mos and a week longer than the first one if you recall the accident.)  Normally they fall apart right after you make the last payment, but nobody clued it in that we went with the five year plan since the interest is nearly nothing.   I have had nice cars, crap cars and nice cars that turned out to be crap, so my fingers are crossed that my Jeep doesn't fall into the later category like my Range Rover's eternal electrical problems!

I will be the big 5-0 Wednesday and it is so weird.  Started thinking of all the fantasy bucket list things I would like to have or do.  Sunday I had to kill an hour while Audra met a friend at Starbucks so I went next door to the Toy Barn Auto Dealership and some others.  Just to tire kick mind you.  We are trying to be reasonably debt free and have a kid starting college who we just found out needs a car to commute as her full tuition scholarship doesn't include room/board and it's more than $10,000 a year.  Are they staying at a Hilton????

Anyway, I was struck by a few things...the car I like will never be in my price range.  OK, no surprise there.  The 2011 red Porsche Carrera was a deal at $111,000 and change.  But on the sticker it listed piddly $200, $400 etc. "options" included in the sticker price.  In my world, a $111,000 car should have everything including it's own garage and driver.  Can you just picture someone haggling over the $100 remote key option or whatever????  I really doubt it!  I did, however, find a Porsche I could probably afford (nowadays they don't put prices on used cars so you have to ask a salesperson...so annoying.)  The reason I know I can afford it as it was parked at this fancy car lot, but literally backed into the woods in the corner.  The seats were ripped, spare parts in the back.  Which begs the question if you own a Porsche because it's a cool car, why on Earth would you let it get in that condition??

Well, I recalled a cute, ticket-me-red, two-seater Mercedes convertable when I was dreaming years ago.  I had the time, so went back there only to find, without exception, a couple hundred Mercedes that were black, white or a version of gray.  Not a single red car in sight.  It must be part of an "austerity" looking program, for those who can splurge on cars, but don't want to be too obvious.  Not me baby, bring on the red.  The world needs to know just how cool a 50 year old broad can be (when not sweating from hot flashes or humidity...)

Until next time, stay COOL!
Gale

Monday, July 4, 2011

Happy Fourth of July!

Things crazy here at Darby Creek!  The super deluxe chicken coop is getting painted, so the girls are still commuting from the basement to the backyard every day.  They don't seem to mind, except they are getting pretty big for the laundry basket teleporter....

My son had a parade this morning which we forgot about.  I woke up several times last night, so slept in a little.  I looked at the clock and it was 9 am.  He plays a sousaphone so he was supposed to be there before 9 to load it into the band trailer.  I woke him up and he was not happy.  Like it's my fault?  He is nearly 16!  He throws on clothes looking like an unmade bed (that happens when you store your clean clothes on the floor.)  Just so happens he wore his band shirt yesterday when I told him not to.  So he is running out the door sniffing his armpits and trying to smooth out is "bed head" hair.

After picking up the enormous sousaphone and stuffing it into the back of my Jeep, we raced off to the pool which was the staging area.  Believe it or not there were folks later than us!  Of course I wasn't staying and the traffic wasn't moving anymore to get out.  Once again, I am trapped in a parade.  Will I never learn?  Finally a cop let us out and I was free at last.  I feel bad about not staying to watch, but not bad enough to ever do it.  I went home and got breakfast, let out the dogs and chickens and did some laundry.

I did make two yummy Key Lime pies for a big party tonight.  A friend of ours owns a real estate company.  The office backs up to the fairgrounds.  She has food, a band and things for kids to do.  At dark we get to watch the fireworks for free and scoot out before all of the traffic hits.  (We are a block closer to the freeway LOL.)

I heard this awful noise and of course it was coming from our barn.  Mark started up his 1918 Mack truck that looks just like "Mater" from "Cars."  He fixed the steering, but little else.  He and Audra took off down the driveway (no seats--just sitting on the gas tank.)  He doesn't even have a whole steering wheel!  They went around the block and I could hear them the whole way around.  I wanted a ride, but he had to park it because it was boiling over...he doesn't have a radiator cap for it yet!



Nothing is every boring here-- all in a day's craziness!  Have a safe and Happy Fourth!